FC Schalke 04 is tumbling ever deeper into crisis. The first division relegated team lost 1:3 (0:1) at SC Paderborn and is in the bottom of the table in the 2nd Bundesliga with interim coach Matthias Kreutzer. Meanwhile, Hamburger SV has regained the league lead from Fortuna Düsseldorf and ended its mini-crisis.
Muslija pulls Schalke’s teeth
In front of 15,000 spectators in the sold-out Paderborn Stadium, former Schalke player Felix Platte scored the opening goal for the hosts in the 43rd minute. Out of respect for his former employer, the 27-year-old refrained from celebrating – little consolation for the guests. After the break, Florent Muslija first increased the score to 2-0 with a penalty kick (53′) and then scored a remarkable second time (76′). Thanks to the victory, Paderborn climbed to eighth place, at least for the time being.
Schalke initially fought back, but were far too harmless on offense. The Revierclub actually wanted to aim for direct promotion again. Schalke have only won two of their eight league games. Yusuf Kabadayi made it 1:3 in stoppage time (90.9).
Late winning goal makes Hamburg celebrate
In front of 56,100 spectators in the Volksparkstadion, which was not completely sold out for the first time this season, the hosts’ desire to make amends was evident. They tried to control the game and pressed Fortuna, who was defensively trained by ex-HSV coach Daniel Thioune.
There were very few dangerous chances to score, only a header from Bakery Jatta (17th) from close range caused danger. On the other hand, Felix Klaus (35th) missed the opportunity to take Düsseldorf’s lead twice in a row.
Fortuna outnumbered
Düsseldorf came out of the half-time break more courageously, but Hamburg was quickly able to resume its possession game. A free kick from HSV defender Miro Muheim (56th) was extended by Düsseldorf goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier to the post. The Düsseldorf team went into the final phase with ten men. Benes made the decision with his sixth goal of the season.
