Schalke ease into League Cup final with 2-1 win over Bremen
27.07.2005
Schalke got off to a successful start at the VELTINS Arena on Wednesday evening, overcoming Werder Bremen by two goals to one in the League Cup semi-final. Goals from Zlatan Bajramovic and Ebbe Sand were enough to book a place in the final against VfB Stuttgart, with Nelson Valdez getting a late consolation goal for the visitors. The only dampener on a great match was the injury to Christian Poulsen.
Ten days before the start of the league season the two Champions League participants put on an attractive game right from the outset. The Royal Blues should have gone ahead in the 10th minute when Lincoln set up Kevin Kuranyi with a peach of a pass, but the Germany international was foiled by a great save from Tim Wiese in the Werder goal. Thirteen minutes later Sand found space to meet Lincoln's free-kick, only to see his close‑range effort land wide of the left-hand post.
Schalke were almost made to pay when Bremen launched a dangerous counterattack. But when Miroslav Klose squared the ball across the face of goal, the unchallenged Tim Borowski screwed his shot wide of the upright. Fabian Ernst was the next to try his luck on the half-hour, but his shot from just outside the area flashed past the post.
But the goal everyone was so desperately waiting for finally arrived in the 34th minute. Lincoln dispatched a precise, 30-metre diagonal pass to Bajramovic, whose first-time volley bounced into the net at the near post. The Royal Blues were given a rousing round of applause by the 56,781 crowd – a League Cup record, of course – as they left the field at half-time.
The second half began with a blow for Schalke when Christian Poulsen was injured after an aerial challenge. The Denmark international was not fouled, but twisted his ankle and had to be carried off on a stretcher.
Schalke's second goal on 70 minutes came as something of a surprise. Wiese and Sand went up for the ball in the Bremen goal area - normally a clear advantage for the Werder keeper, being able to use his hands. But Sand somehow got his head to the ball, nodding it into the net to send the Royal Blues away in celebration as the Bremen players appealed for a foul.
Lincoln was on brilliant form yet again. With eight minutes left he struck the post with a curling free-kick from 25 metres and 60 seconds later saw a shot turned away for a corner by Wiese. But in the final minute the visitors sprang Schalke's offside trap to grab a consolation goal. Klose broke clear of the defence to set up Valdez, who slid the ball into the empty net. Sand could have restored the two-goal lead in stoppage time, but headed Ernst's superb cross narrowly over the crossbar. The result leaves Schalke in the League Cup final for the third time since 1997.
Schalke: Rost – Altintop, Bordon, Krstajic, Kobiashvili – Poulsen (Varela 54') – Bajramovic, Ernst – Lincoln (Hoogland 85') – Sand, Kuranyi (Asamoah 58')
Bremen: Wiese – Davala, Fahrenhorst, Pasanen, Schulz – Baumann (Hunt 79') – Frings, Borowski (Vranjes 46') – Micoud – Klasnic (Valdez 46'), Klose
Goals: 1-0 Bajramovic (34'), 2-0 Sand (70'), 2-1 Valdez (90')
Attendance: 56,781
Referee: Dr Fleischer (Hallstadt)
Yellow cards: Baumann, Micoud, Davala
