week 13 - match report

Late surge to no avail as Schalke lose 2-1 in Leverkusen

Kevin Kuranyi's 85th minute strike came too late. First-half goals from Stefan Kiessling and Patrick Helmes saw Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-1 win over Schalke in front of a sell-out crowd at the BayArena. Afterwards Fred Rutten said his side had "deserved to lose".

The Schalke boss was particularly dismayed by his team's first-half showing. "You just can't afford to waste chances the way we did. And the two goals we conceded really annoyed me." Overall, the performance in Leverkusen did not meet the standards Schalke have set themselves. And because the Royal Blues failed to turn things round after the interval and the dismissal of Gonzalo Castro, "Leverkusen were well worth their win", concluded Rutten.

In front of 19,200 spectators the Schalke players took to the field wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for Charly Neumann, the club's longstanding team mentor who passed away on Tuesday aged 77. The 18-man squad showed two changes from the one that lost at home to Bayern Munich last week. Orlando Engelaar returned to the starting line-up from suspension in place of Ivan Rakitic, who dropped to the bench, where he was joined by Christian Pander, now fit again after a niggling calf injury. The Royal Blues also showed a slight tactical change compared with the Bayern game, operating primarily with Fabian Ernst in front of the back four and Jermaine Jones and Orlando Engelaar on either side in midfield rather than with two holding players and one attacking midfielder behind the three strikers.

The first half of the initial 45 belonged to Schalke, who had more of the game without ever really threatening in the opening quarter of an hour. That was to change in the 18th minute, when Kevin Kuranyi had a gilt-edged chance to give his side the lead. But the Schalke striker skied his effort, and he was off target again four minutes later.

With around half an hour gone the game tipped in favour of the home side. Leverkusen began to show more aggression and were quicker to switch from defence to attack. Manuel Neuer pulled off a good save to deny Castro on 28, but there was nothing he could do two minutes later, when Stefan Kiessling hooked a Renato Augusto cross into the bottom left-hand corner to put Bayer 1-0 up. The goal knocked the Royal Blues out of their stride, and the home side had two opportunities to extend their lead through Kiessling on 35 and Patrick Helmes on 40. Sixty seconds after his initial chance, however, Helmes did find the net with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that also sneaked in at the left-hand post. A Jones header on 39 and a Halil Altintop effort in first-half stoppage time lacked the same accuracy.

The Royal Blues came back out for the second half showing one change, Christian Pander replacing Levan Kobiashvili at left-back. Seven minutes later Rutten made another switch. Benedikt Höwedes came on for Fabian Ernst, slotting in at centre-back to allow Heiko Westermann to move up into midfield. Rutten: "We wanted to put Leverkusen under more pressure with Heiko's running qualities."

This they did. For as the game wore on the Royal Blues set up camp in the Leverkusen half. And when Castro was sent off for a second bookable offence on 67, Bayer hardly had time to breathe. But neither Westermann's header nor a long-range effort by Pander found their way into the net.

Leverkusen were virtually penned in their own half, but they did have a good opportunity on the break in the 76th minute, which Neuer defused with two excellent stops. Five minutes from time Schalke finally got their reward for an improved second-half showing. Pander's free-kick was headed home by Kuranyi from what looked like an offside position, and having reduced the deficit the Royal Blues threw everyone forward in the closing stages.

Substitute Gerald Asamoah had two opportunities, and Pander unleashed another long-range shot in stoppage time, but neither found a way past Bayer keeper René Adler. Asamoah did get the ball in the net two minutes before the end, but the goal was correctly disallowed. Kuranyi had collected a long ball from Neuer, but instead of going for goal himself he elected to pass to Asamoah, who was offside. And so Leverkusen hung on to secure a narrow win.

Leverkusen: Adler - Castro, Friedrich, Henrique, Kadlec - Rolfes - Renato Augusto, Vidal, Barnetta - Helmes (Dum 73'), Kiessling (Gekas 90'+2)
Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Bordon, Westermann, Kobiashvili (Pander 46') -  Jones, Ernst (Höwedes 52') - Engelaar - Farfan, Kuranyi, Altintop (Asamoah 66')
Goals: 1-0 Kiessling (30'), 2-0 Helmes (41'), 2-1 Kuranyi (85')
Referee: Gräfe (Berlin)
Attendance: 19,200 (sold out)
Red card (second yellow): Castro (67'/persistent foul play)
Yellow cards: Castro (3), Dum (2) - Rafinha (5), Bordon (3)