Fortuna's fine run continues as they near the top half of the Bundesliga table; Dawid Kownacki, Dodi Lukebakio and Benito Raman firing them to a 4-0 win at Schalke where the hosts clearly missed their star USA midfielder Weston McKennie.

Schalke 0-4 Fortuna Düsseldorf

Goals: 0-1 Lukebakio (35'), 0-2 Kownacki (62'), 0-3 Raman (68'), 0-4 Kownacki (84')

A nervy start at the Veltins-Arena burst into life courtesy of VAR, with Fortuna Düsseldorf first denied and then handed the lead by the system. Clear-cut chances were few and far between until Lukebakio raced onto Raman’s through ball and coolly fired into the bottom corner midway through the first half. The forward celebrated what he thought was his eighth league goal of the campaign before VAR stepped in and adjudged Raman to have fouled Amine Harit in winning back possession before releasing Lukebakio. Düsseldorf would have VAR to thank for putting their noses in front ten minutes later, though, as the technology found Matija Nastasic to have handled in the area, allowing Lukebakio to slam home undisputed from the spot and put Friedhelm Funkel’s side in front at the break.

The hosts started the second period much brighter, camping in the Düsseldorf half in the early going. They had a golden opportunity to take the lead but Harit was superbly denied by the onrushing Michael Rensing when through on goal. Schalke were made to pay for that miss on the hour mark as Kownacki confidently lifted the ball beyond Alexander Nübel after being found by Raman’s perfectly weighted through ball. Soon after they had a third and the Fortuna front three were all on the scoresheet; Lukebakio turning provider, laying on Raman who unleashed a thunderous strike into the top corner. And with six minutes to go, the host's misery was complete as Kownacki swept home a fourth.

Dodi Lukebakio (c.) celebrates scoring his eighth goal of the season in Fortuna Düsseldorf's 4-0 win at Schalke. - imago/Nordphoto

Match stats

• The absent McKennie scored his first and only Bundesliga goal to date in the reverse fixture this season, opening the scoring in a 2-0 win for Schalke.
• Five of Schalke's 25 goals this season (20 per cent) have come from penalties.
• Schalke have now gone six games without a win and have lost four of their last five in the league.
• Lukebakio has scored six of his eight league goals this term against each of the teams that finished in the top four last season (three against Bayern Munich, one each against Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund and now Schalke).
• Düsseldorf have now tasted victory in seven of their last nine Bundesliga matches.
• This was Düsseldorf's third away win of the season.

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Line-ups

Schalke: Nübel – Sane, Nastasic (Skrzybski 45'), Bruma - Caligiuri, Stambouli (c), Bentaleb, Mendyl – Uth (Embolo 77'), Harit – Burgstaller (Kutucu 61')
Unused subs: Fährmann, Mascarell, Konoplyanka, Rudy
Out: Serdar (suspended), Schöpf (knee), Oczipka (toe), McKennie (thigh)
Coach: Domenico Tedesco

Fortuna: Rensing – Zimmermann, Ayhan, Kaminski, Gießelmann – Sobottka (Hoffmann 71'), Fink (c) – Lukebakio (Ducksch 86'), Barkok, Raman (Usami 76') – Kownacki
Unused subs: Thießen, Karaman, Suttner, Hennings
Out: Morales (suspended), Drobny (hand), Wolf (concussion), Zimmer (ankle), Wiesner (shoulder), Contento (cruciate ligament), Stöger (illness), Bodzek (muscle)
Coach: Friedhelm Funkel

About the clubs

FC Schalke 04

VELTINS-Arena

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Merkur Spielarena