week 4 - match report

Two-goal Gimenez condemns Schalke to first defeat of season

Schalke failed in their bid to climb to the top of the table on Sunday afternoon after going down 2-0 at Hertha BSC Berlin. Argentine striker Christian Gimenez got both goals.

Mirko Slomka made just one change to the side that faced AS Nancy in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, bringing in Halil Altintop for Gerald Asamoah, who had been dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons.

The Royal Blues got off to a good start. First Fabian Ernst tested Hertha keeper Christian Fiedler, and then Dick van Burik was forced into a last-ditch clearance. From then on the Royal Blues were content to control the proceedings without ever mounting any serious pressure on the Hertha goal, even if Zlatan Bajramovic went close to opening the scoring. As the half wore on the home side gradually found their way into the game, but when they took the lead it was a result of several errors in communication in the Schalke defence that allowed Gimenez the space to slot home.

Schalke came back out with good intentions and began to push forward, yet when the home side launched their first counter of the half on 52 Gimenez was again left in space and the Argentine striker doubled Hertha's lead. Things might have become exciting again had either Kevin Kuranyi or Halil Altintop been abele to convert the 62nd minute chance so brilliantly created by young Mesut Özil. But the Germany centre-forward lost his footing and the Turkish striker saw his effort headed off the line by Dardai.

With that the game was all but over, and Gimenez went on to miss a sitter. The result saw Hertha climb to the top of the table rather than the Royal Blues, whose only consolation was the fact that all their other rivals for the title also lost this weekend.

Berlin: Fiedler - Friedrich, van Burik, Simunic, Fathi - Dardai - Boateng, Bastürk (Neuendorf 89'), Gilberto (Ebert 74') - Gimenez (Okoronkwo 79'), Pantelic

Schalke: Rost - Rafinha, Bordon, Rodriguez, Varela - Ernst, Bajramovic (Hamit Altintop 59') - Lincoln - Halil Altintop (Larsen 71'), Kuranyi, Lovenkrands (Özil 59')
Goals: 1-0 Gimenez (39'), 2-0 Gimenez (52')

Attendance: 60,547

Referee: Gagelmann (Bremen)

Yellow cards: Boateng - Bajramovic, Rodriguez, Hamit Altintop, Larsen