week 9 - match report
Larsen rescues point with late penalty
Schalke: Rost - Rafinha, Bordon, Rodriguez (Varela 80'), Krstajic - Poulsen, Ernst (Altintop 46'), Kobiashvili - Lincoln - Larsen, Kuranyi (Sand 60'). Coach: Rangnick
Bayern: Kahn - Ottl, Lucio, Ismael, Schweinsteiger - Deisler (Karimi 82'), Demichelis, Ballack, Ze Roberto (Salihamidzic 46') - Makaay, Santa Cruz (Pizarro 90' +1). Coach: Magath
Goals: 0-1 Santa Cruz (19'), 1-1 Larsen (penalty 90'+3)
Attendance: 61,524 (sold out)
Referee: Weiner (Hasede)
Red card: Demichelis for serious foul play (90' +4)
Yellow cards: Krstajic (4), Ernst (2) - Ballack (3), Makaay (2), Kahn, Salihamidzic, Santa Cruz
Schalke 04 (0) 1-1 (0) Bayern Munich
Sören Larsen once again proved worth his weight in points and thus gold against Bayern Munich on Saturday afternoon, converting a stoppage time penalty to rescue a point in a hectic 1-1 draw and knock league leaders Bayern off the top of the table.
Yet just as in the Champions League against AC Milan the Royal Blues could have fallen behind after just twenty seconds. The visitors launched their first dangerous attack straight from the kick-off, Roy Makaay passing to the unmarked Zé Roberto on the right, but the Brazilian failed to control the ball and the Schalke defence were able to scramble the ball away.
Bayern were the dominant team in the first half and fashioned their second chance in the fourteenth minute. Roy Makaay again found Zé Roberto in space in the left channel, but his shot flew wide of the right-hand post.
Four minutes later the visitors did take the lead, though Zé Roberto was half a metre offside when he was played in down the left by Sebastian Deisler. His cross found Roque Santa Cruz, who diverted the ball into the net from five metres.
After the interval Bayern sat back and waited for an opportunity to break, allowing Schalke to step up the pressure in search of an equaliser. In the 59th minute Levan Kobiashvili struck a corner to Lincoln on the edge of the penalty area, and his shot was turned over the bar with some difficulty by Valerien Ismael. Another corner, and this time Marcelo Bordon headed the ball wide of the goal from eight metres.
Meanwhile Bayern briefly resumed their attacking efforts. Deisler set off on a determined run and his thirty-metre screamer missed the target only by a few centimetres. And then Schalke were denied what seemed to be a clear penalty when Lincoln cleverly slid the ball past Ismael, who clumsily, but clearly bundled over the Brazilian with his hip. But referee Weiner waved play on.
It looked as if Bayern's tactics were paying off, and Makaay could have settled it on 77. His shot from just inside the area was saved well by Frank Rost, and Santa Cruz put the rebound wide. And when substitute Karimi shaped to go round Rost two minutes from time, the Schalke keeper slid the ball out for a corner.
Rost's save kept his side in the game and set up one last attempt to conjure up an equaliser. It was to prove successful. Larsen, who had already been clattered once before in the Bayern penalty box, was barged over by Bastian Schweinsteiger. And this time Weiner pointed to the spot. Larsen grabbed the ball and converted the penalty with great aplomb.
Now the action came thick and fast, and with Schalke looking to break Gustavo Varela was brought down by Martin Demichelis. But instead of the caution everyone was expecting, the referee elected to show the Argentine international the red card.
The result gave Bayern their first ever point at the VELTINS Arena, while the Royal Blues maintained their unbeaten home record. Larsen's equaliser also saw the Munich side lose their position at the top of the table to Werder Bremen.
