week 31 - match report

Gladbach 1-0 Schalke: Royal Blues' effort goes unrewarded

It would have been a travesty had Manuel Neuer not saved Marko Marin's 23rd minute penalty, so complete had been Schalke's domination of the proceedings against Borussia Mönchengladbach until that point. But the picture changed dramatically in the 90th minute. Roberto Colautti's last-gasp winner turned the game on its head.

Jermaine Jones returned to the side after sitting out a one-match suspension along with Orlando Engelaar, with Benedikt Höwedes and Levan Kobiashvili dropping to the bench. With a place in Europe still up for grabs, the Royal Blues made a busy start, determinedly moving the ball towards the Gladbach penalty area and causing the home side, who looked out of their depth, a host of problems. "Schalke were by far the better team in the first half in every respect. And we didn't do anything about it", said Borussia coach Hans Meyer. "When we come up against a team who are better than us in lots of positions, we can only win if everyone gives it a really good go. In the first 25 minutes there was no evidence of that."

The first highlight from Gladbach's point of view was provided by referee Peter Sippel, who pointed to the penalty spot after a challenge by Rafinha on Alexander Baumjohann with 22 minutes gone. But Manuel Neuer produced a brilliant save to deny Marin, which did nothing to calm the home side's nerves. "Schalke dictated what we did and had us chasing all over the place, they were clear winners on points", said Meyer, who with the scores level went in much happier at half-time than Mike Büskens. "We didn't get our reward for a very committed performance", said a frustrated Schalke boss, an assessment that also extended to the second half.

Schalke were forced into an early change on 16 when Christian Pander sustained a knee injury and made way for Levan Kobiashvili, who in turn had to be replaced by Benedikt Höwedes with an hour gone. And as the game wore on Gladbach began to find their feet, resulting in an open game. Schalke continued to create more chances, but they lacked the finishing touch. "We were well organised and had the majority of the play", said Büskens.

Ultimately, however, they were punished for their enterprise when Roberto Colautti struck the winner on a counterattack involving Oliver Neuville, leaving Büskens to rue his side's missed chances: "The only thing we can perhaps be accused of is lacking that killer instinct in front of goal. We wanted all three points to close the gap on the European places, but we've been left empty-handed. That's football for you."

Hans Meyer was delighted to be given a relegation boost that was not entirely expected. The win saw his side climb out of the drop zone. He said: "In my view we deserved it because we worked hard in the second half." It certainly did no harm for his confidence. "I wouldn't normally bet in a time of economic crisis, but if you put your money on Gladbach, you can't go wrong."

In contrast, the Royal Blues have missed the chance to cut the gap to a Europa League place to three points after Hamburg's defeat in Bremen and now have to beat Stuttgart at home on Wednesday to keep their slender chances alive.

Mönchengladbach: Bailly - Stalteri, Brouwers (Callsen-Bracker 84'), Daems, Dante - Galasek, Bradley - Marin, Baumjohann (Neuville 62'), Van den Bergh (Colautti 39') – Matmour
Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Westermann, Krstajic, Pander (Kobiashvili 16'/Höwedes 59') - Jones, Engelaar – Altintop - Farfan (Asamoah 89'), Kuranyi, Sanchez
Goal: 1-0 Colautti (90')
Yellow cards: Van den Bergh (2), Marin (5/1) – Rafinha (10/3), Kuranyi (3)
Attendance: 54,067 (sold out)
Referee: Sippel (Munich)