Round of 32: Schalke - Barcelona Report
Late Ernst goal sinks Espanyol
Schalke: Rost - Rafinha, Bordon, Krstajic, Boenisch (Varela 68') - Poulsen, Bajramovic (Asamoah 46'), Ernst - Lincoln - Kuranyi (Sand 80'), Larsen
Espanyol: Iraizoz – Armando Sa, Jarque, Lopo, David Garcia (Sergio 83') - Domi, Ito (de la Pena 78'), Costa, Zabaleta - Pandiani - Luis Garcia (Coro 71')
Goals: 0-1 Luis Garcia (34'), 1-1 Bordon (66'), 2-1 Ernst (88')
Attendance: 53,642
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
Yellow cards: Krstajic, Poulsen, Ernst - Jarque, Ito, Lopo, Pandiani, Luis Garcia
FC Schalke 04 (0) 2 - 1 (1) Espanyol Barcelona
As announced, head coach Mirko Slomka selected 19-year-old Sebastian Boenisch at left back in place of the suspended Levan Kobiashvili. Otherwise it was the side that beat Bayer Leverkusen 7-4 on Saturday.
The Royal Blues dominated the game for much of the first half. And they could have gone ahead in the ninth minute when Lincoln released Zlatan Bajramovic, but his shot from 14 metres went just the wrong side of the left-hand upright. Sören Larsen then blasted the ball over the bar from close range on 23, while four minutes later Espanyol launched their first onslaught on the Schalke goal. Jarque got in a powerful header from a corner kick, but the ball flew straight into the arms of keeper Frank Rost. And after 34 minutes Rost's counterpart Gorka Iraizoz had to dive full stretch to save a Kevin Kuranyi header after a quickly taken free-kick by Lincoln.
Schalke had the corner but it was the visitors who took the lead. Costa slipped the ball through to Luis Garcia, who took it round Rost and somehow managed to find the net from the narrowest of angles. Five minutes before the interval Boenisch almost grabbed an equaliser after a corner had been half cleared, but his long-range shot clipped the crossbar.
After the break Slomka's men initially struggled to mount any pressure on the Espanyol goal. It took 20 minutes for a set piece to produce a goalscoring opportunity – and the equaliser. Lincoln's free-kick from the right was headed home by Marcelo Bordon from six metres.
The goal unleashed a wave of attacks on the Spanish goal. On 72 Kuranyi missed Larsen's whipped-in cross by a whisker, and two minutes later substitute Gustavo Varela fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area just past the right-hand post. Larsen went closer still on 79 when he headed Rafinha's cross wide of the same upright. And when Poulsen made perfect contact with a volley from 25 metres, Iraizoz, who was having a fine game in the Espanyol goal, turned it round the post.
It seemed as if it wasn't going to be Schalke's night, especially when substitute Ebbe Sand headed Ernst's cross against the left-hand post four minutes from the end of normal time. But then the Royal Blues were awarded a free-kick on the halfway line. Lincoln waited patiently for the central defenders to make their way upfield. And though the free-kick was cleared, Ernst collected the ball 25 metres out, switched it to his left foot and hit a shot through a crowd of player into the right-hand corner of the net to put Schalke 2-1 ahead.
Espanyol almost took advantage of the five minutes of time added on when Domi released Pandiani, but Rost was alert and managed to block the Uruguayan's shot. At the other end Bordon headed yet another Lincoln cross past the post and then it was all over, leaving the Royal Blues a narrow lead to take to Barcelona.
Schalke have left themselves lots of work to do in Barcelona. Goals from Marcelo Bordon and Fabian Ernst gave the Royal Blues a 2-1 win in the first leg of their UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie against RCD Espanyol, after the visitors at led at half-time through Luis Garcia.
