The footballers of FC Schalke 04 defend themselves as best they can, but that’s just not enough against FC Bayern. In the last Bundesliga game before the World Cup break, the Gelsenkirchen team played courageously, but were clearly put in their place by Germany’s great World Cup hopes.
FC Bayern Germany bid farewell to the World Cup in Qatar with a lackluster, but never threatened, mandatory win. With six German World Cup drivers in the starting XI, the Bundesliga leaders prevailed 2-0 (1-0) at bottom FC Schalke 04 and extended their lead to six points with their sixth league win in a row.
National player Serge Gnabry (38th) and Cameroon’s World Cup participant Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (52nd) also secured Bayern’s ninth three-pointer in a row against the royal blues. Schalke goes into the World Cup break five points behind the relegation place. Three days after the 1-0 win against Mainz 05, the team kept the game open for a long time and confirmed their upward trend in the first half under new coach Thomas Reis.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann called on goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich at right-back, Jamal Musiala and Leon Goretzka on the double six, and Gnabry and Leroy Sane on offense from Hansi Flick’s squad. Only Thomas Müller was missing, who was supposed to recover from various injuries in Munich.
“You need rhythm for the World Cup,” said Nagelsmann on Sky, “that’s why we choose the full band.” The national team will meet in Frankfurt on Sunday for direct preparation for the World Cup. Musiala wrote club history with the record champions right from the start: At 19 years and 259 days, he was the youngest player since the Bundesliga was founded to reach the mark of 100 competitive games for FC Bayern.
Reis made only one change to the win against Mainz: Dominick Drexler replaced Florent Mollet in attacking midfield. Bayern initially found it very difficult to find a gap against the highly concentrated defending hosts. Schalke had the first chance to score, who, as requested by Reis, “didn’t play with a ball in the chest”: After a sprint down the left flank, Marius Bülter failed at Neuer (24′).
Two minutes later, Bayern managed the first dangerous shot: After Gnabry’s header, U21 national player Tom Krauss saved for Schalke keeper Alexander Schwolow. Then Schwolow fended off a header from Choupo-Moting with the post (33′). In doing so, the Royal Blues achieved something almost “historical”: For the first time in six years and ten Bundesliga duels with the record champions, they had not conceded a goal at that point. However, the Gelsenkirchen team did not last until half-time: Gnabry still scored for Bayern’s lead after a back-heel by the outstanding Musiala. Shortly after the break, ex-Schalke Choupo-Moting made the decision. Always in the spotlight: Musiala. His dribbles, his passes, his lightness, they overwhelmed Schalke’s defense again and again.
