FC Schalke 04 had a successful end to their training camp, beating Stoke City 2-1 in the Austrian town of Kufstein. The Royal Blues’ goals were scored by Joel Matip and Tranquillo Barnetta. Alongside a successful friendly match, in which S04 put in a dominant display, most notably in the first half, there was also another reason to be pleased: Christian Fuchs celebrated his comeback following several months out injured.
In the first real tough test of pre-season so far, S04 looked to get forward straight from the off. Sidney Sam fired a shot just wide of the upright after just seven minutes, before testing opposing goalkeeper Asmir Begovic with a placed shot a little later.
Tranquillo Barnetta also tested the Bosnia national team keeper with a shot from range, before Begovic saved superbly from Sam again. There was another close call around the 37-minute mark, with Sam involved once more. The former Leverkusen man, who was brought off shortly before the break with minor muscle problems, took a ball from Barnetta in his stride but couldn’t direct his shot on target.
The Potters, who were playing with former Hannover man Mame Diouf up front, tried to build structured attacks for long spells. However, the Premier League club were unable to create a dangerous chance – the Royal Blues were solid defensively and hardly allowed the ball to enter their own 16-yard box.
Their only notable chance came via former Bremen player Marko Arnautovic, who was denied from the penalty spot by Ralf Fährmann four minutes before the break. The Schalke number 1 saved well, getting down to his left to scoop the ball away. Arnautovic himself had been brought down by Felipe Santana to earn the spot kick.
The second half began with a good opportunity for the Potters. Stephen Ireland had the chance to shoot, but was denied at the very last by Santana’s tackle. The ball did find the back of substitute keeper Fabian Giefer’s net in the 55th minute though. The goalscorer was Bojan, who found the bottom-left corner with a side-footed finish. The Royal Blues responded quickly though in the form of Joel Matip. The Cameroonian World Cup participant got on the end of Fuchs’ corner to head in the equaliser in the 58th minute.
In the minutes that followed, Stoke’s Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam got into the Schalke area on a couple of occasions, but was unable to find a way past Jens Keller’s defence, who remained resolute. The match then dropped off a little as it was clear to see that both teams had some intensive days of training behind them. There were half-chances for youngsters Maurice Multhaup and Max Meyer as the game neared its end but neither were able to grab the winner. Schalke’s Swiss midfielder could though. A wonderful pass from Donis Avdijaj set Barnetta on his way and ‘Quillo’ found the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the 86th minute.
S04’s upcoming opponents are also English clubs. The Royal Blues will face West Ham United on Saturday, 2nd August as part of the Schalke 04 Cup, before a meeting with Newcastle United the following day. Keller’s men also have a friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur on their schedule on Saturday, 9th August. There will be a local match in between for Kevin-Prince Boateng & Co. though, as they’re set to face fellow Ruhr club VfL Bochum on Tuesday, 5th August.
You can also watch the match full video highlights here:
In the first real tough test of pre-season so far, S04 looked to get forward straight from the off. Sidney Sam fired a shot just wide of the upright after just seven minutes, before testing opposing goalkeeper Asmir Begovic with a placed shot a little later.
Tranquillo Barnetta also tested the Bosnia national team keeper with a shot from range, before Begovic saved superbly from Sam again. There was another close call around the 37-minute mark, with Sam involved once more. The former Leverkusen man, who was brought off shortly before the break with minor muscle problems, took a ball from Barnetta in his stride but couldn’t direct his shot on target.
The Potters, who were playing with former Hannover man Mame Diouf up front, tried to build structured attacks for long spells. However, the Premier League club were unable to create a dangerous chance – the Royal Blues were solid defensively and hardly allowed the ball to enter their own 16-yard box.
Their only notable chance came via former Bremen player Marko Arnautovic, who was denied from the penalty spot by Ralf Fährmann four minutes before the break. The Schalke number 1 saved well, getting down to his left to scoop the ball away. Arnautovic himself had been brought down by Felipe Santana to earn the spot kick.
The second half began with a good opportunity for the Potters. Stephen Ireland had the chance to shoot, but was denied at the very last by Santana’s tackle. The ball did find the back of substitute keeper Fabian Giefer’s net in the 55th minute though. The goalscorer was Bojan, who found the bottom-left corner with a side-footed finish. The Royal Blues responded quickly though in the form of Joel Matip. The Cameroonian World Cup participant got on the end of Fuchs’ corner to head in the equaliser in the 58th minute.
In the minutes that followed, Stoke’s Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam got into the Schalke area on a couple of occasions, but was unable to find a way past Jens Keller’s defence, who remained resolute. The match then dropped off a little as it was clear to see that both teams had some intensive days of training behind them. There were half-chances for youngsters Maurice Multhaup and Max Meyer as the game neared its end but neither were able to grab the winner. Schalke’s Swiss midfielder could though. A wonderful pass from Donis Avdijaj set Barnetta on his way and ‘Quillo’ found the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the 86th minute.
S04’s upcoming opponents are also English clubs. The Royal Blues will face West Ham United on Saturday, 2nd August as part of the Schalke 04 Cup, before a meeting with Newcastle United the following day. Keller’s men also have a friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur on their schedule on Saturday, 9th August. There will be a local match in between for Kevin-Prince Boateng & Co. though, as they’re set to face fellow Ruhr club VfL Bochum on Tuesday, 5th August.
You can also watch the match full video highlights here:
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