round 3 - match report

Four-goal Schalke ease into quarter-final

Schalke progressed to the quarter-final of the DFB Cup with a 4-1 win at Carl Zeiss Jena on Tuesday night. "It was a tough game, a real cup-tie with lots of tackles. The important thing is that we reached the next round", analysed head coach Fred Rutten.

Jefferson Farfan (19'/66'), Ivan Rakitic (71') and Kevin Kuranyi (90') got the goals for the Royal Blues in a rousing encounter in which Gerald Asamoah and Marco Riemer were shown the red card.

Rutten made just one change to the side that drew 2-2 in Schalke's final warm-up match against 1860 Munich on Friday, bringing in Germany under-21 international Benedikt Höwedes to partner Marcelo Bordon in central defence in place of Mladen Krstajic.

The game was an exciting affair from the outset. Jena went about their business with élan and aggression, but the Royal Blues refused to be intimidated and gave as good as they got, keeping the home side at bay with a focused and well-organised defensive display.

In attack, however, the final pass lacked accuracy. The 17,600 crowd was the largest at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld since reunification and they saw the game explode into life in the 19th minute. With the home side bemoaning a penalty appeal that was turned down following a challenge by Benedikt Höwedes on Sebastian Hähnge, Schalke launched a quick counterattack. Ivan Rakitic eventually squared the ball for Farfan, who opened the scoring with a superb flick with his heel.

Once in front Schalke took control of the proceedings and nullified the threat posed by the third-division side. Jena did manufacture a great chance in the 35th minute, however, when Manuel Neuer diverted Hähnge's header onto the bar. Nevertheless the Royal Blues were well worth their lead at half-time.

In the second half Jena stepped up the pace and initially had Schalke pinned back in their own half. But they had little to show for their efforts, with Strässer (51') and Hähnge (53'/62') both squandering good opportunities.

The Royal Blues struggled to take the tempo out of the game during this phase, but they did relieve the pressure with some forays down the left-hand side, a route that saw them double their lead on 66. Heiko Westermann's cross found the unmarked Farfan at the back post and the Peru striker made it 2-0.

Jena hit back immediately, however. The ball was crossed from the left to substitute André Schembri, who netted with a first-time shot from the edge of the penalty area.

"We scored two really good goals. But we can't go around giving away goals like that. Overall I'm happy with the way we took our chances and played as a team", said Rutten afterwards. This was because the Royal Blues themselves hit back with clinical efficiency. Just four minutes after Jena had reduced the deficit, Rakitic restored the two-goal cushion with a free-kick from 22 metres.

"That was the killer blow for us. We tried everything to get the equaliser but the third goal made things very difficult. I'm proud of my team, though. We held our own well. If you look at the result in isolation, it was clear cut, but we fought right until the end. Within the bounds of our ability it was an outstanding performance by my team", said Jena boss Rene van Eck.

In the closing stages the Royal Blues had to give it their all once again after Asamoah was sent off for a foul on Eckhardt with 15 minutes left. Fred Rutten's men showed great passion in warding off a string of Jena attacks. The numerical balance was restored on 81 minutes when Riemer was red-carded for a last-man foul just as Kuranyi was poised to add a fourth. There was to be no denying the Schalke striker in the final minute, however, when he cut in from the left and slid the ball past Nulle to make it 4-1.

"Four goals – well, if we do that every week from now on", an amused Rutten said after the game. "To be serious, however, it's too soon to draw any conclusions from tonight's performance. But it's a good feeling, of course, and will give our strikers confidence for the next few weeks."

Jena: Nulle – Strässer (Schembri 64'), Riemer, Müller, Schmidt – Hansen (Amirante 72'), Eckhardt, Wallschläger (Petersen 78'), Ziegner, Fuchs – Hähnge
Schalke: Neuer – Rafinha, Höwedes, Bordon (Krstajic 88'), Westermann – Ernst, Jones, Rakitic (Kobiashvili 85') – Asamoah, Altintop (Kuranyi 77'), Farfan
Goals: 0-1 Farfan (19'), 0-2 Farfan (66'), 1-2 Schembri (67'), 1-3 Rakitic (71'), 1-4 Kuranyi (90'+1)
Referee: Aytekin (Oberasbach)
Attendance: 17.600 (sold out)
Yellow cards: Ziegner, Müller – Altintop
Red cards: Riemer (81'/last-man foul) - Asamoah (75'/dangerous play)