week 7 - match report

Schalke draw level in head-to-head after Ruhr derby triumph

Felix Magath made a successful derby bow on Saturday as Schalke defeated Borussia Dortmund by the only goal of the game, a win that not only brought the Royal Blues three important points, but also saw them tidy up the head-to-head record.

Both sides now have 26 victories on Dortmund soil to their name, with 23 games ending in a draw. But Schalke had to negotiate 92 hard-fought minutes before drawing level.

Both managers started with the same teams that registered 3-0 DFB Cup wins over Karlsruhe and Bochum respectively in midweek. The Royal Blues needed a few minutes to kick start their successful passing game, allowing Dortmund to take control of the early exchanges. But with the tackles flying in, the game struggled to get going. That changed on 16, however, when Manuel Neuer prevented his side from going behind with a superb stop from Lucas Barrios. And ten minutes later the Argentine striker was denied a second time when the ball came within a whisker of crossing the line.

Schalke took half an hour to create their first chance, but when it came they made full use of it, Jefferson Farfan giving his the lead on the break in the 31st minute, a goal that knocked the stuffing out of the home side for several minutes. "The build-up before the goal was good", said Magath, praising Levan Kenia and Halil Altintop's involvement in the attack, "but after that the play switched automatically more into our half."

Facing the threat of defeat, Dortmund chased the game, but the Royal Blues stood firm. "We defended very well in the second half", said Magath, "although sometimes we seemed to get jammed in reverse gear." Nevertheless his team had several opportunities to give themselves a two-goal cushion on the break. Magath said: "It's shame we didn't convert any of those chances into a goal. I'm not very happy about that and I hope we'll do better in future."

Overall, Dortmund had more of the possession in a game that was largely played in a very good spirit, without ever causing Schalke too many problems. This was also down to Schalke's younger players, who refused to let the "cauldron" get to them, as Magath described the stadium atmosphere. "Holding your own here as an 18 or 19-year-old takes some doing. They were excellent", the 56-year-old said.

And when the final whistle went, the home side were left with nothing but defeat. "Of course we're hugely disappointed with the result", said Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp. "We started very well, controlled the proceedings and had some good chances. We also did everything we could to get an equaliser, but ultimately to no avail."

Felix Magath also felt his side were slightly fortunate to win a game characterised by plenty of passion and intensity, and was especially pleased for the fans. "After a difficult season last term they're obviously delighted to see a team that battles hard and wins games. But we have to keep things in perspective. The three points were important for us because we still have a long way to go, and they also made up for the three we lost at home last week."

The 1-0 win in Dortmund also takes its place in the head-to-record between the two sides, which with 54 wins and 35 draws against 45 defeats now makes even better reading for the Royal Blues.

Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Felipe Santana, Schmelzer - Hummels (Grosskreutz 62') - Tinga, Sahin - Hajnal (Rangelov 75') - Barrios (Valdez 62'), Zidan
Schalke: Neuer - Höwedes, Zambrano, Bordon, Westermann - Rafinha (Pliatsikas 76'), Moritz, Schmitz, Kenia (Rakitic 60') – Farfan, Altintop (Asamoah 73')
Goal: 0-1 Farfan (31')
Yellow card: Moritz
Attendance: 80,552 (sold out)
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Ergolding)