week 7 - match report
Schalke stop the rot with 2-0 win over Hannover
Schalke: Rost - Rafinha, Bordon, Rodriguez, Krstajic - Ernst, Poulsen, Kobiashvili - Lincoln (Laumann 90' +2) - Kuranyi (Altintop 89'), Larsen
Hannover: Enke - Cherundolo, Mertesacker, Vinicius, Tarnat (Hashemian 68') - Dabrowski, Lala, Balitsch - Stajner - Hahne (Delura 68'), Brdaric (Montabell 83')
Goals: 1-0 Lincoln (58'), 2-0 Kuranyi (66')
Referee: Sippel (Munich)
Attendance: 60,881
Yellow cards: Poulsen (3), Kobiashvili (2) - Dabrowski (2), Balitsch (2)
FC Schalke 04 (0) 2 - 0 (0) Hannover 96
Schalke 04 returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga with a well deserved 2-0 victory over Hannover 96 on Saturday afternoon. After twice hitting the post in the first half, Lincoln and Kevin Kuranyi both scored with headers. Lincoln also missed a penalty.
In an excellent first-half performance Schalke did everything but take a deserved lead. Ralf Rangnick's men fashioned almost all the real chances. As, for example, in the 16th minute, when Rafinha found Lincoln in space in the Hannover box. The Brazilian's shot was blocked by Hannover keeper Robert Enke and the ball fell to Sören Larsen, who – under pressure from Altin Lala – lifted his shot over the open goal. The Danish international was out of luck again seven minutes later, heading Levan Kobiashvili's cross against the angle from five metres.
Hannover threatened the Schalke goal only once in the first period when a cross from Steven Cherundolo found Thomas Brdaric, but Marcelo Bordon retrieved the ball in the nick of time. Apart from that, all the action was at the other end of the pitch. After 34 minutes Enke pulled off a brilliant reflex save to tip Kuranyi's header over the bar. And when Bordon headed Kobiashvili's corner against the post, it was clear that fortune wasn't smiling on the Royal Blues in the first half.
After the restart Schalke took a while to get started but soon they were operating to great effect. A goal was long overdue and when it arrived on 59 minutes, Mladen Krstajic had a major hand in it. The 31-year-old defender shrugged off a number of challenges on the left-hand side, played a neat one-two with Christian Poulsen and then struck a pinpoint cross straight to the head of Lincoln, of all people, who gave his side the lead.
Just moments later the Schalke playmaker carved out a great chance to double the advantage, skipping past Cherundolo in the Hannover penalty area before luring him into a foul. The Brazilian took the penalty himself, only to see his effort saved by Enke. But the Royal Blues didn't have to dwell on it for long. On 65 minutes Kobiashvili floated a free-kick into the 18-yard area and Kuranyi was on hand to head his first goal at the VELTINS Arena.
