week 2 - match report

Rodriguez goal seals Aachen win

Despite playing for an hour with ten men after Mladen Krstajic had been shown the red card, the Royal Blues registered a 1-0 win at newly promoted Alemannia Aachen on Saturday afternoon. Dario Rodriguez headed the only goal of the game, while Manuel Neuer put in a great performance on his debut in the Schalke goal.

Mirko Slomka made four changes to the side that faced Eintracht Frankfurt last week. Neuer came in for the injured Frank Rost and Rafinha started at right back, while Krstajic replaced Rodriguez in central defence and Fabian Ernst played for Hamit Altintop in defensive midfield.

The Royal Blues adopted the right strategy when taking on a newly promoted side, pressurising them early to force them into mistakes in their build-up play. Yet Schalke lacked the cutting edge and precision to capitalise on the resulting possession. And after a quarter of an hour they began to abandon their effective 'forechecking' tactic.

This allowed the home side to pose more and more of a threat on the Schalke goal. And they almost went ahead in the 25th minute when a corner was only half cleared and Sascha Dum struck the underside of the bar with a shot on the turn from twelve metres. This paved the way for a string of situations the Royal Blues would prefer to forget. First referee Herbert Fandel showed Krstajic the red card after he clattered into Cristian Fiel on the touchline. Fandel initially went for a yellow card, but then changed his mind on the advice of his assistant and sent Krstajic off. Minutes later Sascha Rösler forced his way past two Schalke defenders and crossed to the unmarked Fiel, whose shot from eight metres was brilliantly saved by Neuer. Aachen were soon on the counter again and Rösler burst into the penalty area, only to shoot wide of the left-hand post from 14 metres.

Schalke did not register a genuine shot on goal until the 38th minute when Lincoln tried his luck from 25 metres without troubling Stephan Straub in the Aachen goal. Next Jan Schlaudraff was allowed to get a shot on goal from six metres, but Neuer was on hand to save. And then Aachen had a justified claim for a penalty when Marcelo Bordon challenged Alexander Klitzpera in the box, only for Fandel to wave play on.

Slomka made a change at half-time, introducing the strong-running Hamit Altintop in midfield for Kevin Kuranyi. It was a move that saw Schalke have much more of the game. And though Rodriguez, who had replaced Rafinha after the sending-off with Bajramovic switching to right-back, put a shot over the bar on 50 after receiving the ball from Lovenkrands, he was to prove the match-winner three minutes later. Lincoln struck a free-kick into the penalty area from the inside-left position that was hoofed up into the air by a defender. Bajramovic was the first to react, heading the ball back into the middle from the by-line, and Rodriguez climbed high to head home from close range.

In the ensuing period Schalke sat back and allowed the home side to come at them, defending with great awareness and commitment. Not until the 76th minute did Aachen fashion another opening. But after playing a one-two with Erwin Koen, Schlaudraff fired his shot into the side netting. It was to remain their only genuine chance of finding an equaliser. In fact, Schalke could have put the result beyond doubt in the closing stages. Lincoln's free-kick was pulled out of the top-right corner by Straub with ten minutes to go, and then the playmaker played a brilliant lob into the path of Halil Altintop, whose shot was deflected for a corner by Klitzpera at the last moment. And with seconds left Halil Altintop sprinted towards the Aachen goal once more despite suffering from cramp, jinked past Sichone, but shot just over from 15 metres. It may not have been a classic performance, but after 90 nerve-wracking Schalke had the points in the bag.

Aachen: Straub - Pinto, Klitzpera, Sichone, Leiwakabessy - Dum (Reghecampf 71'), Plasshenrich (Koen 76'), Fiel - Rösler - Schlaudraff, Ebbers (Ibisevic 68')

Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Bordon, Krstajic, Kobiashvili - Ernst, Bajramovic - Lincoln - Halil Altintop, Kuranyi (Hamit Altintop 46'), Lovenkrands (Asamoah 80')

Goal: 0-1 Rodrguez (53')

Attendance: 21,300 (sold out)

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Kyllburg)

Yellow cards: Dum, Pinto, Sichone, Ibisevic, Koen - Lincoln, Ernst

Red card: Krstajic (29'/serious foul play)