week 18 - match report

Hecking: "Schalke played like a quality team"

Hannover coach Dieter Hecking was not short of praise after his side's 1-0 win over the Royal Blues, fully aware that he would have had no grounds for complaint had Schalke gone away with all three points. Ultimately it was Hannover's superior finishing that made all the difference.

Head coach Fred Rutten made one change to the side that won 4-1 at Carl Zeiss Jena in the DFB Cup. Levan Kobiashvili came into midfield for the suspended Jermaine Jones.

And Schalke got off to a lightning start. Looking committed and determined, deliberate and single-minded, they had Hannover pinned back in their own penalty area in the opening stages. Jefferson Farfan, Levan Kobiashvili, Gerald Asamoah and Heiko Westermann all had marvellous opportunities to give the Royal Blues an early lead. "In the first eight minutes I thought I thought I was seeing a rerun of the reverse fixture. We could have been 2-0 down", said Hecking, having feared the worst. But Schalke's exhilarating start was brought to an abrupt halt by Sergio Pinto, of all people. In the home side's first attack on eight minutes, the former Schalke player gave them the lead from 25 metres. "This was not the kind of game you want to see as a coach", said Rutten, who had no complaints with his side's fighting spirit.

Boosted by the early lead, Dieter Hecking's team came more into the game, though they were unable to fashion any chances of note. Schalke, for their part, were no longer cutting their way through the Hannover ranks so comprehensively. The Royal Blues stood solid in defence and were well organised in midfield, too. In a fiercely contested encounter the focus turned to the goalkeepers towards the end of the half. First Manuel Neuer pulled off a tremendous save to thwart Christian Schulz on 35. Three minutes later Robert Enke denied Halil Altintop with an excellent stop, and within 60 seconds he was rushing across his goal towards Asamoah, doing just enough to force the Schalke striker to direct his header against the post. "Schalke played like a quality team. To hold your own against them you need luck up front and at the back as well as a super goalkeeper", said Hecking.

Hannover continued to be blessed by luck, and their keeper's good form, in the second half. Schalke launched attack after attack and delivered a steady stream of crosses into the box from both flanks. Yet they had no joy in front of goal. Rutten increased the pressure on 49 by introducing Kevin Kuranyi for Fabian Ernst, who had suffered a head injury. But Farfan was unable to get the final touch when under challenge in the goal area, and Asamoah's shot was cleared just before it could cross the line. The Dutchman then brought on the aerially proficient Mladen Krstajic for Rafinha, but for all Schalke's superiority in the air the ball simply refused to enter the net, as Farfan discovered when his header landed in the arms of Enke on 81.

"We tried everything to turn the game round right to the end, and we created so many chances that really we would have deserved to win", a frustrated Rutten said. Hecking could only agree: "We were fortunate to win, that's for sure, but we've had days when it's been the other way round. So we're happy to take the three points." Rutten did criticise one aspect of his team's performance, however. "You can only win games if you score. But the fact that we fought tirelessly to the final whistle to do that gives me the feeling that things will go better in future better."

Hannover: Enke - Pinto, Eggimann, Fahrenhorst, Rausch - Balitsch (B. Schulz 70'), C. Schulz - Rosenthal, Huszti (Bruggink 84') - Stajner, Hanke (Forssell 80')
Schalke: Neuer – Rafinha (Krstajic 65'), Bordon, Höwedes, Westermann – Ernst (Kuranyi 49'), Kobiashvili, Rakitic – Farfan, Altintop, Asamoah
Goals: 1-0 Pinto (8')
Yellow cards: Pinto, Stajner
Attendance: 45,667
Referee: Dr Felix Brych (Munich)