week 10 - match report

Rutten delighted with 3-0 win in Karlsruhe

"Tonight we were rewarded for the way we played football", said Fred Rutten after his side had secured a deserved 3-0 win in Karlsruhe.

The Schalke boss made two changes to the team that drew 0-0 at home to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, Heiko Westermann replacing Benedikt Höwedes in central defence and Orlando Engelaar coming for Fabian Ernst in midfield. And the Royal Blues got off to a blistering start, forcing eight corners to the home side's one in the opening quarter of an hour and fashioning a string of chances with some pacy attacking football.

Karlsruhe goalkeeper Markus Miller had to work extremely hard to prevent Kevin Kuranyi (twice) and Jermaine Jones from giving Schalke an early lead. But there was nothing he could do to stop Marcelo Bordon's right-footed strike on 15. Four minutes later Kuranyi headed home to make it 2-0. It was no more than Schalke deserved for their furious early onslaught, even though the home side had two opportunities of their own.

KSC coach Edmund Becker said: "The opening stages were the key to our defeat. We failed to do what we set out to do. If you let a team like Schalke play football, you don't stand a chance."

The home side gradually came more into the game, but it took a great reflex save by Miller to prevent Rakitic from putting the result beyond doubt on 39. "Karlsruhe only had one or two chances, but we could have been even further ahead by half-time", said Rutten later.

The second half began as the first had ended with Miller pulling off another save, this time to deny Kuranyi. A bizarre series of events then followed. It started when Maik Franz, who had already been booked, bodychecked Jefferson Farfan, a crude foul for which he should have been sent off. The officials failed to spot it, however, and he got away scot-free. A few minutes later Farfan took the law into his own hands with a foul on Franz and was cautioned. The Karlsruhe captain then got involved in a heated exchange with the Schalke bench - without any repercussions. And just as he was about to take the free-kick, he turned to face the crowd again, gesturing wildly. Referee Herbert Fandel deemed this to be unsporting behaviour, and gave Franz his marching orders.

With Schalke a man to the good the game seemed all but over and Farfan removed any doubt when he headed home the third on 67. There were more chances either side of the Peruvian's goal - Rafinha cleared off his line on 79, for example, and Ernst hit the bar three minutes later. But at no time did it seem that the three-goal margin of victory was anything but deserved.

Afterwards Rutten expressed his pride in the performance: "Tonight we were rewarded for the way we played football, unlike on Saturday. I don't think too many teams will win 3-0 in Karlsruhe. It's a great result but we'll have to put it behind us because we have another tough away fixture in Cottbus on Saturday."

Karlsruhe: Miller - Görlitz, Sebastian, Franz, Eichner - Mutzel (Stoll 59'), Porcello - Freis, Da Silva, Iashvili (Carnell 77') - Kennedy (Timm 72')
Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Bordon, Westermann, Kobiashvili - Jones, Engelaar (Ernst 74') - Rakitic - Farfan (Asamoah 69'), Kuranyi, Altintop (Streit 80')
Goals: 0-1 Bordon (15'), 0-2 Kuranyi (19'), 0-3 Farfan (67')
Referee: Fandel (Kyllburg)
Attendance: 29,164
Red card (second yellow): Franz (unsporting behaviour - 56')
Yellow cards: Carnell - Farfan (2), Engelaar