Al-Sadd get the better of the Royal Blues
10.01.2012
In an even contest Schalke slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Al-Sadd on Tuesday. Teemu Pukki gave the Royal Blues an interval lead but the Asian Champions League winners hit back twice in the second half to secure victory.
Huub Stevens opted to start with a 4-3-2-1 formation in which Klaas-Jan Huntelaar operated as the lone striker. The first opportunity at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium fell to the Royal Blues with three minutes on the clock. Raul flicked on a Christian Fuchs cross to Marco Höger in a promising position, but his shot was blocked.
Al-Sadd threatened the Schalke goal for the first time on the quarter-hour when Mohammed Gholam rounded off a quick counterthrust by shooting straight at Lars Unnerstall. The friendly also served as the testimonial game for the former Qatar international, who recently retired after 25 years with the Doha-based club.
The home side fashioned the next chance in the 28th minute, Mesaad Ali Al Hamad heading narrowly over the crossbar. At the other end Schalke threatened again on 36, but Huntelaar was unable to capitalise on a defensive error. The next chance did produce a goal, however. Huntelaar's pass sent Pukki clear and the Finland international showed his customary composure, dispatching a shot past Mohammed Saqr to give the Royal Blues a deserved half-time lead.
After the restart the game was an evenly balanced affair with no clear-cut chances for either side. Indeed, the crowd had to wait until the 58th minute to see any penalty-box action. Substitute Abdulkarim Hassan Abdulkarim forced his way down the inside-left channel and pulled the trigger, only to see his near-post effort strike the upright. Mathias Schober, who had replaced Unnerstall during the break, would have been on hand to make the save, however.
Three minutes later Al-Sadd went close again when Hassan Khalid Al Haydous curled a free-kick just past the right-hand angle from 20 metres. Schalke went straight back down the pitch and Höwedes went for goal, again without success. With 70 minutes gone, however, Al-Sadd levelled the scores. A long ball forward found Majid Mohammed Hassan, who stroked the ball into the far corner despite the best attempts of Christoph Metzelder to hook the ball off the line.
Within four minutes of equalising the home side should have taken the lead when Hassan beat the onrushing Schober to the ball outside the Schalke penalty area, only to be denied by Joel Matip with the goal at his mercy. The Schalke defender got back in time to turn his shot away for a corner. His effort was to be in vain, however, as Al-Sadd did find the net through Filipe Jorge from the resulting dead ball. The Vasco da Gama playmaker had flown in Brazil especially for Mohammed Gholam's final game.
Pukki almost restored parity soon after. Running onto a pass from Baumjohann, the Finland striker drove the ball in from a narrow angle, but Saqr was alert to the danger and palmed his effort round the post for a corner. Seconds before the end of regulation time Fuchs saw a free-kick deflect off the Al-Sadd wall and out for another corner, and in time added-on Ciprian Marica headed against the post.
Schalke: Unnerstall (Schober 46') - Höwedes, Papadopoulos, Matip, Fuchs - Höger (Metzelder 46'), Moritz (Pukki 31'), Jurado (Baumjohann 46') - Raul, Draxler (Kolasinac 71') - Huntelaar (Marica 77')
Goals: 0-1 Pukki (43'), 1-1 Hassan (70'), 2-1 Filipe Jorge (74')
Attendance: 3,000
