Schalke off the bottom after winning relegation six-pointer with Bochum
Schalke traded places with Bochum at the foot of the table after recording a crucial three points over their Ruhr rivals in the five-way dogfight to stay in the Bundesliga.
Bochum 0-2 Schalke
Goals: 0-1 Riemann (o.g. 45'), 0-2 Bülter 79' (assist: Zalazar)
Unbeaten in five and the form team in the relegation battle, Schalke got lucky in the opening stages as Philipp Hofmann spooned over from just six yards with the goal at his mercy. Ralf Fährmann was the busier of the two goalkeepers, Schalke's recently reinstated No.1 clawing away a dangerous back-post cross and racing out to deny Christopher Antwi-Adeji at the end of a promising breakaway. Manuel Riemann was called into a spot of evasive action of his own as Michael Frey threatened to pull the trigger from inside the box, before Takuma Asano forced Fährmann into a full-stretch diving save at the other end. The tale of two stoppers continued as Riemann flapped at a Rodrigo Zalazar cross, before inadvertently bundling in Marius Bülter's goal-bound shot in his attempts to clear the danger.
Schalke went close to a extending a lead they barely deserved when Zalazar rifled goalwards from the right-hand side of the area, only to see his rasping shot beaten away by Riemann. Bochum had to wait until past the hour to return fire. Antwi-Adeji collected a pass into the box, but his low shot met the outstretched boot of Fährmann. Riemann then made a stunning point-blank save to prevent substitute Simon Terodde - a former Bochum player - from finding the net with a bullet header. Zalazar cut the ensuing corner back for Bülter, who drove through a ruck of bodies and into the back of the net to double his team's lead. Bochum defender Keven Schlotterbeck had a goal ruled out soon after as Schalke moved off the bottom of the Bundesliga for the first time since Matchday 10.
Match stats
- The Royal Blues ended an unwanted Bundesliga record run of 38 away matches without a win, dating back to November 2019 (2-1 vs. Werder Bremen).
- Schalke have kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches.
- Bülter is Schalke's five-goal top scorer this season.
- Schalke scored from a corner for the first time this season.
- Bochum have lost a league-high 16 times already this season. Only once before has a team with so many defeats on the board at this juncture avoided relegation (Hannover, 1971/72).
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Teams
Bochum: Riemann (c) - Janko (Osei-Tutu 72'), Masovic, Schlotterbeck, Soares - Stöger, Osterhage (Kunde 85'), Förster - Asano (Broschinski 72'), Hofmann, Antwi-Adjei
Unused subs: Esser, Stafylidis, Ordets, Lampropoulos, Heintz, Ganvoula
Out: Grave (shoulder), Holtmann (knee), Losilla (suspended), Zoller (thigh)
Coach: Thomas Letsch
Schalke: Fährmann - Brunner, Yoshida (c), Jenz, Matriciani - Kral, Balanta (Mohr 60'), Krauß - Zalazar (Kaminski 89'), Bülter - Frey (Terodde 72')
Unused subs: Schwolow, Greiml, Müller, Can Aydin, Karaman
Out: Drexler (thigh), Heekeren (cruciate ligament), Kozuki (ankle), Latza (muscular), Ouwejan (muscular), Polter (knee), Skarke (foot), Tauer (match fitness), Uronen (adductor), van den Berg (ankle)
Coach: Thomas Reis
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