Week 33 - Match report

Frenetic fans celebrate runners-up spot with manager and players

When referee Knut Kircher blew his whistle to end the final home game of the season, it meant the Royal Blues would finish the campaign as runners-up. Yet the fans still cheered Felix Magath and his players as if they had won the league. The Schalke boss couldn't really enjoy the moment, however, partly because the referee's whistle had remained silent in a key situation about an hour earlier.

Werder Bremen won the contest 2-0. "The match was decided as early as the 42nd minute," said Magath, referring to the tussle between Benedikt Höwedes and Per Mertesacker. The Bremen defender had tugged Höwedes's shoulder in the penalty area before falling on him. No spot-kick was awarded, however. "It was a clear foul. I can't understand why neither the referee nor his assistant saw it that way," a vexed Schalke boss said. "That denied us the chance of taking the lead. I for one am sure Werder wouldn't have gone on to win the game then."

The position going into the game was clear. If they were to keep alive their chances in the title race with Bayern Munich, the Royal Blues had to win; they could not afford to lose under any circumstances. Bremen had to win to protect third place and thus take a giant step towards the Champions League qualifying rounds. Schalke dominated the proceedings from the outset. In their new home shirts they put Werder under pressure and missed their best chance in the 22nd minute when Kevin Kuranyi's header came back off the bar. Whether Benedikt Höwedes would have scored with only keeper Tim Wiese to beat will remain a matter for speculation. Magath said: "I don't know if the not-given penalty unsettled the team, but we weren't as good in the second half."

Bremen took the lead in a phase when both teams were struggling to get forward.  Mesut Özil dribbled his way into space in the penalty area with 55 minutes gone and left Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer no chance. Just nine minutes later Hugo Almeida added a second to all but settle the contest, with the Royal Blues proving unable to find a way to turn the game around.

So the atmosphere in the ground was all the more remarkable. Aware that Bayern were 3-0 up at home against VfL Bochum, the fans were raucous in their support for the team. "We're proud of you," they sang, hailing their side's second-place finish. The first Mexican wave made its way around the stands even though there was still a quarter of an hour left to play.

When the final whistle finally put paid to Schalke's championship dream, most of the players sank to the ground in disappointment in the centre circle. But the frenetic supporters were not in the mood to mope, singing "Stand up if you're Schalke" and in doing so enticing the players over to the North Stand. They also demanded to see the architect of this successful campaign. Felix Magath was happy to oblige, doing the wave with his fans before embarking on a lap of honour.

Afterwards he waxed lyrical once again about the atmosphere at the VELTINS Arena, saying: "Doing a lap of honour for finishing second was a new one for me. And I've never experienced anything like that second half. These fans are extraordinary, sensational. The atmosphere they have created this season along with the players is a major plus point for this club." Magath admitted that he would never have thought it possible 33 games ago that his side would qualify automatically for the Champions League. "That's why I'm as delighted with this second place as I was with winning the championship with Wolfsburg last season. If we continue to get the fans behind us, we will always have a chance of delivering good performances both in the Bundesliga and in Europe."

Bayern can no longer be denied the title this season on account of their far superior goal difference. So even though there is still one game left to play the 56-year-old was ready to congratulate the Munich side on winning the championship. "Whoever finishes top always deserves it," he said. "It's illusory to think we'll be able to match Bayern Munich in the foreseeable future," he explained, though he did add: "That doesn't mean we can't win the league in the next few years."

Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Bordon, Höwedes, Schmitz (Edu 59') - Westermann - Kluge (Moritz 75'), Rakitic - Hao (Gavranovic 59'), Farfan - Kuranyi
Bremen: Wiese - Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen - Frings, Bargfrede - Borowski, Özil (Hunt 88') - Pizarro, Hugo Almeida (Jensen 83')
Referee: Kircher (Rottenburg)
Goals: 0-1 Özil (55'), 0-2 Hugo Almeida (64')
Attendance: 61,673 (sold out)
Yellow cards: Rafinha (5/4) - Özil (2), Borowski (5/1)