Royal Blues defeat SV Wuppertal 3-1
10.10.2007
Without a number of first-team regulars Schalke took on SV Wuppertal in a friendly at the Park Stadium on Wednesday. And at the end of a fairly contested 90 minutes the Royal Blues ran out 3-1 victors over the leaders of the third-tier Regional League North. Markus Heppke (6'), Carlos Grossmüller (36') and Soren Larsen (78') got the goals for Schalke, Mahir Saglik (41') replied for the visitors.
Owing to the international break and a number of injuries head coach Mirko Slomka had just ten members of his senior squad at his disposal, forcing him to call upon Marc Lorenz and Giuseppe Pisano from the second string plus Danny Latza, Dominique Wassi and Carlos Zambrano from the under-19s.
Nevertheless the Royal Blues got off to a good start against their high-flying visitors and took the lead after just six minutes. Soren Larsen fed strike partner Markus Heppke in the penalty area and Heppke fired a crisp right-foot shot past Christian Maly in the Wuppertal goal.
The Royal Blues continued to enjoy more of the possession and fashioned further chances. But neither Lorenz, whose left-foot shot went just wide of the post (11'), nor Carlos Grossmüller, long-range effort was saved by the Wuppertal keeper (14'), were able to find the net.
After a brief lull in the action the pace picked up again on the half hour. And while the visitors enjoyed a bit of luck when Heppke's drive just cleared the crossbar, there was nothing they could do 60 seconds later. Carlos Grossmüller was left completely unmarked in the penalty area and lifted a delicate lob over the keeper and into the top left-hand corner to make it 2-0 to the Royal Blues.
Three minutes later Heppke had another good opportunity, but Maly produced a fine reflex save to block his close-range effort on the line and then recovered quickly to smother the ball. But with 41 minutes gone Wuppertal pulled one back with their first real chance of the game. The ball was played long to Tobias Damm and strike partner Mahir Saglik did the rest from close range. Damm could have got on the scoresheet himself in the 44th minute, but in a one on one with Mathias Schober he came out second best, and so at half-time it stood 2-1 to Mirko Slomka's men.
Larsen had two chances in quick succession after the restart - a 47th minute header that substitute goalkeeper Sascha Samulewicz turned away for a corner and a left-foot shot after a fine pass by Heppke - neither of which found the target. Wuppertal's best chance of the second half fell to Damm on 63. But his well-placed shot from the edge of the area was headed behind for a corner by Wassi, who had been switched to the right-back position by Slomka just moments earlier.
Larsen had another good opportunity on 70 minutes, but after opting for accuracy rather than power the Dane slid his shot wide. He made no mistake eight minutes later, however. When the Wuppertal keeper spilled a Grossmüller cross the Schalke number nine had no trouble knocking the ball over the line from close range to make it 3-1. The visitors almost pulled one back in the 88th minute, but Ramiz Pasiov was unable to get any accuracy on his header and the ball sailed over the bar.
After the game Zlatan Bajramovic said: "Wuppertal were good-quality opposition. They pushed us all the way. One positive factor is certainly the fact that we created so many chances against a side who are challenging for promotion to the second division."
Schalke: Schober - Rafinha (Pisano 56'), Höwedes, Westermann (Zambrano 46'), Lorenz - Latza (Wassi 46'), Bajramovic, Azaouagh, Grossmüller - Larsen, Heppke
SV Wuppertal: Maly (Samulewicz 46') - Lejan (Michalsky 46'), Wiwerink, Stuckmann, Malura (Oppermann 60')- Bölstler (Zaskoku 60'), Dogan (Tavarez 56'), Lintjens, Jerat (Altin 70') - Damm (Pasiov 79'), Saglik (Hammes 60')
Goals: 1-0 Heppke (6'), 2-0 Grossmüller (36'), 2-1 Saglik (41'), 3-1 Larsen (78')
Referee: Stefan Tendyck (Gelsenkirchen)
Attendance: 800
