Match report - Week 20

Obasi's strike not enough as Schalke draw with Mainz

After five wins in a row Schalke had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Mainz at the VELTINS Arena on Saturday afternoon. Chinedu Obasi got the goal for the Royal Blues on 59 after Mohamed Zidan had given the visitors a first-half lead.

Huub Stevens made two changes to his starting line-up. Benedikt Höwedes, who missed the trip to Cologne due to a fractured cheekbone, returned to the side wearing a specially made face guard. Raul also made a re-appearance after recovering from a tight calf. Atsuto Uchida and Christoph Metzelder dropped to the bench.

The visitors made a confident start and had the edge in the opening stages, though Mario Caligiuri's right-foot drive on two minutes failed to trouble Lars Unnerstall. Joel Matip and Ciprian Marica had Schalke's first sniffs of goal, both from crosses, though neither was able to capitalise.

In the 14th minute the Royal Blues were fortunate to see a free-kick by Mainz new boy Mohamed Zidan fly just past the top right-hand corner. Sixty seconds later, however, the Egypt striker was on target. A Zabavnik cross from the left found Zidan at the far post and he volleyed a low shot into the net at the near post despite the best efforts of Christian Fuchs to put him off.

Once in front Thomas Tuchel's men defended very deeply and succeeded in nipping Schalke's attacking efforts in the bud. The Royal Blues played some nice football but were unable to penetrate the penalty area, with Mainz content to wait for a chance to counter. Neither side was able to fashion any dangerous openings before the break, however. The closest the home fans came to seeing a goal was when Kyriakos Papadopoulos blazed the ball over from close range on 44.

Stevens made two adjustments at half-time, introducing Jurado and Jefferson Farfan for Julian Draxler and Ciprian Marica. It was Farfan's first appearance after three months out with injury.

The visitors had the first chance after the restart, Zidan bending a left-sided free-kick past the near-post angle on 51. Schalke proved more successful at the other end, however, when Chinedu Obasi produced the equaliser two minutes after Raul had narrowly failed to make contact with a fine cross by Fuchs. Obasi, who joined the club during the winter break, cleverly powered his way into the box on the left-hand side and wrongfooted Zdenek Pospech before dispatching a near-post shot past a visibly surprised Christian Wetklo from the narrowest of angles. It was his first goal in a Royal Blue shirt.

Boosted by drawing level, Schalke gained the upper hand and almost grabbed a second after 66 minutes. Jurado delivered a pinpoint cross from the right to Joel Matip, who cleverly headed the ball back in the direction it came from, only to see it fly just wide of the goal. Just three minutes later Mainz skipper Nikolce Noveski almost put through his own net, slicing a whipped-in cross from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar a whisker over the crossbar.

Two minutes after that the Holland international had a chance of his own with a header, but Wetklo was on hand to make the save. Schalke began to create chances at will and the next opportunity fell to Farfan, who dispatched a crisp left-foot into the side netting from just outside the box. The Royal Blues continued to dominate, keeping the tempo high and repeatedly seeking to get down the flanks.

Mainz remained largely anonymous in attack in the second half and Unnerstall was a virtual specatator, but at the back the visitors were able to weather the storm. The draw meant the Royal Blues failed to equal the club record of six successful wins set in the 2004/05 and 2006/07 campaigns.

Schalke: Unnerstall - Höger, Höwedes, Papadopoulos, Fuchs - Matip - Obasi, Raul (Pukki 74'), Draxler (Jurado 46') - Marica (Farfan 46'), Huntelaar
Mainz: Wetklo - Pospech, Bungert, Noveski, Zabavnik - Polanski (Baumgartlinger 75') - Caligiuri (Müller 71'), Soto (Malli 83') - Kirchhoff - Zidan, Choupo-Moting
Goals: 0-1 Zidan (15'), 1-1 Obasi (59')
Referee: Aytekin (Oberasbach)
Attendance: 60,577
Yellow cards: Obasi, Fuchs - Kirchhoff, Pospech