week 32 - match report

Schalke 1-2 Stuttgart - missed chances again prove costly

A 2-1 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday evening finally put paid to Schalke's chances of a place in Europe. Ultimately the Royal Blues were let down by their finishing, as coach Mike Büskens made clear after the game.


Schalke's coaching triumvirate made two changes to the side that started in Mönchengladbach on Sunday. Halil Altintop and Vicente Sanchez dropped to the bench, making way for Benedikt Höwedes and Ivan Rakitic. Levan Kobiashvili, who went over on his ankle in Gladbach, was fit to play, while Kevin Kuranyi partnered Jefferson Farfan in a two-pronged attack. Stuttgart were forced to replace top striker Mario Gomez, who is struggling with a groin problem.

Both team started brightly in an open game, with the Royal Blues unfazed by the visitors' championship ambitions. But their attacking strategy suffered a serious setback in the 16th minute when Cacau gave Stuttgart an early lead, a goal that allowed the visitors to sit back and wait for a chance to break.

Schalke continued to push forward, however, and got their reward six minutes before the interval when Rakitic curled a free-kick over the wall past Jens Lehmann for the equaliser. "We played our part in ensuring it was a hard-fought game", said Büskens afterwards.

Yet just as in the first half it was Markus Babbel's side who struck first after the restart, Ciprian Marica's goal forcing the Royal Blues to chase the game once again. And despite Schalke's domination of the possession and the introduction of fresh attacking players in Halil Altintop and Gerald Asamoah, Stuttgart protected their lead until the end. "I'm delighted my players got the reward for their efforts", said Babbel. "We had that bit of luck you need, but we continued to create chances even when Schalke stepped up the pressure."

After a third successive defeat Büskens was left to bemoan his team's failure to take their chances. "Football demands a certain effectiveness of teams and that's often been a problem this season. It was another committed performance from us. But the difference between us and Stuttgart is precisely that effectiveness. You can see that from the statistics for tackles won and possession. Ultimately Stuttgart made the most of two minor mistakes and it won them the game."

Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Höwedes, Krstajic, Kobiashvili (Altintop 69') - Jones, Engelaar, Westermann - Rakitic - Farfan (Asamoah 84'), Kuranyi
Stuttgart: Lehmann - Träsch, Boulahrouz, Delpierre, Magnin - Hilbert, Khedira, Hitzlsperger, Gebhart (Lanig 68') - Marica (Niedermeier 88'), Cacau (Schieber 81')
Goals: 0-1 Cacau (16'), 1-1 Rakitic (39'), 1-2 Marica (57')
Referee: Kempter (Sauldorf)
Yellow cards: Höwedes (4) - Träsch (2), Boulahrouz (5/1), Khedira (5), Cacau (5/1)
Attendance: 61,673 (sold out)