week 3 - match report

Rutten hails mental strength and character after 1-0 win over Bochum

Schalke held their nerve after the setback in Madrid and were rewarded with a 1-0 victory over Ruhr neighbours VfL Bochum, a win that sees them top the Bundesliga table.

Head coach Fred Rutten made three changes to the side that lost to Atletico on Wednesday, Rafinha, Mladen Krstajic and Gerald Asamoah starting in place of Levan Kobiashvili, Benedikt Höwedes and Halil Altintop.

Bochum boss Marcel Koller had banked on Schalke's exit from the Champions League making itself felt: "Our objective was to take advantage of any uncertainty in the Schalke ranks", the Swiss coach explained. "And in the first half we put in a good display." A view shared by Rutten: "Bochum did well in the first half and put our defence under a lot of pressure as they attempted to play the ball out."

Nevertheless Schalke were worth their half-time lead. Though Bochum made life difficult for the hosts, "they had no clear-cut chances", said Rutten. And at the other end the Royal Blues created a number of promising openings in which a goal looked imminent. The lively Jermaine Jones twice went close (6' and 21'). Asamoah was denied by Daniel Fernandes in the Bochum goal (33'), and Heiko Westermann missed by a whisker (21'). But the Germany international put the icing on his first start in the Schalke midfield on 36 when he headed home Rafinha's pinpoint cross after Bordon had opened up the play.

"We were very well organised and scored a very good goal", said Rutten on the first half. And they kept their shape even when Bordon was forced off with a pelvis injury just after the break. The Schalke skipper was replaced by Benedikt Höwedes (48'). "Having played on Wednesday Schalke then sat back and waited for a chance to counter", said Koller, unsurprised by Rutten's approach after the substitution.

Though the visitors racked up a host of corners (eight to Schalke's two in the first hour), from which they threatened on occasions, "we failed to put Schalke under permanent pressure", added Koller. And as the game wore on, "we really should have added a second", said Rutten. "That would have made it easier for us, but unfortunately all we did was hit the crossbar and the post", he continued, bemoaning his strikers' lack of good fortune in front of goal. "When it's 1-0 you're still a bit nervous right to the end, but we showed we have character."

Overall, then, Rutten's summary was a positive one: "The result is down to all the players in the dressing room. It wasn't spectacular, but in terms of mental strength and character it was a good game." For Bochum the defeat was compounded by a second yellow card for Christian Fuchs, who crudely checked Halil Altintop with his elbow just as the Turkey international was about to break (90').

Schalke: Schober - Rafinha, Bordon (Höwedes 49'), Krstajic, Pander - Jones, Ernst, Westermann - Asamoah (Altintop 75'), Kuranyi, Rakitic (Sanchez 64')
Bochum: Fernandes - Concha, Maltritz, Yahia, C. Fuchs - Imhof (Zdebel 78') - Freier, Azaouagh, Dabrowski (Bönig 64') - Sestak (Kaloglu 71'), Hashemian
Goal: 1-0 Westermann (36')
Referee: Stark (Landshut)
Attendance: 61,673 (sold out)
Red card (second yellow): C. Fuchs (90'/persistent foul play)
Yellow card: Sestak