After an energetic performance, the big promotion party began: 382 days after the relegation, Schalke 04 returned to the Bundesliga. The leaders of the second division defeated FC St. Pauli 3: 2 (0: 2) after being behind 0: 2 and can no longer be thrown out of one of the first two places on the last day of the match.
At 22:26 all dams in Schalke broke: The fans stormed the pitch after returning to the Bundesliga, goal scorer Simon Terodde howled like a fox, and coach Mike Büskens hugged his players. “The S04 is back,” shouted the overjoyed supporters at the top of their lungs. It was the start of a long night of partying in Gelsenkirchen.
“The feeling is incredible. It was our dream. We had to fight for it, you can not get it for free,” said Büskens sky: “A huge compliment to the squad. It’s incredible. I said to the boys at the break: It was the best first half we’ve played. We’ll still talk about this night in a decade or two with this dramaturgy.”
“It was an incredible journey,” stressed Büskens, who was promoted from assistant to head coach in early March, after the seventh three in eight games under his leadership, “we developed a spirit that was sensational.” When he took on the suspended Dimitrios Grammozis, Schalke were six points behind the relegation zone. “I think very few people thought we could still do it,” he said, “it was intense, the journey was difficult.”
Schalke 04 is promoted: “Everyone deserves it”
S04 Sports Director Rouven Schröder agreed sport 1: “It feels like I’m shocked. It’s unbelievable what happened today. Big compliments to everyone in the club who believed in it and supported the team. Everyone deserves to have this feeling. We’re all overjoyed. From 0: 2 to 3: 2 – that’s exactly what we need. The boys all believed in it. Schalke 04 is alive again. “
Gerald Asamoah, Head of Licensing, was also over the moon: “What the boys did against us is just sick. We’re down 2-0, but this team is just amazing. The fans pushed us forward, the atmosphere was so amazing.”
To return to the German royal family after 382 days, an energy benefit was required. The leaders of the second division defeated FC St. Pauli 3: 2 (0: 2) after being behind 0: 2 and can no longer be thrown out of one of the first two places on the last day of the match.
Goal scorer Terodde with his season goals 28 and 29 (47th, penalty kick / 71.) and joker Rodrigo Zalazar (78th) shot the Royal Blues back into the Bundesliga for the fourth time after 1982, 1984 and 1991 in front of 62,271 spectators in sold-out Veltins Arena – for third time after just one other division season. On April 20, 2021, the Royal Blues sealed their fourth relegation with a 0-1 draw at Arminia Bielefeld.
Matanovic hoop strikes Schalke 04
Igor Matanovic (9th and 17th) put Hamburg in the lead with a thrill. After the sixth game in a row without a win, the chances of promotion for St. Pauli, a month ago leading, only theoretical. Marcel Beifus also saw the red card for a serious foul (81 ‘), Matanovic was sent off with a yellow card (90’ + 5 ‘).
Even before the kick-off, the Royal Blues celebrated: their Eurofighters, who sensationally won the UEFA Cup 25 years ago and made the biggest success in the club’s history perfect. The team around the century’s coach Huub Stevens met on the lawn for the anniversary, the fans sang about the legendary journey through Europe.
Büskens, himself part of the 1997 squad, has been busy with the current Schalke. The 54-year-old switched to two positions relative to the emotional 2-1 win at Sandhausen, bringing Thomas Ouwejan and Dominick Drexler back into the starting 11. His opponent Timo Schultz had to replace half a dozen players after the Corona outbreak last Sunday.
Schalke goalkeeper Fraisl fails before conceding another goal
The two coaches almost saw the first goal after 32 seconds, but Terodde failed to save Dennis Smarsch. St. Pauli’s goalkeeper also saved against Marius Bülter (5th). On the other hand, the first shot was a hit: Matanovic carried out the first, largely undisturbed Hamburg attack with the lead.
Schalke goalkeeper Martin Fraisl gave the visitors 2-0: The goalkeeper, who had recently been noticed repeatedly with dropouts, made a catastrophically poor pass in the build-up to the game that Matanovic used. Schalke responded and celebrated – too soon: Ko Itakura’s supposed equalizer was preceded by a handball by the Japanese (23 ‘). Then Terodde shot defender Jakov Medic on the goal line from two meters (33 ‘).
Just seconds after the restart, Medic Terodde tore into the penalty area, the second division record scorer scoring from the penalty spot. Then Schalke, driven by the fans, stormed with the courage of desperation. Terodde used a template from Darko Churlinov for his 171st second division goal. Zalazar finally turned the arena into a madhouse.
FC St. Schalke 04 Pauli: Game data
Schalke: Fraisl – Vindheim (55. Aydin), Itakura, Kaminski, Ouwejan – Flick, Latza (79. Palsson) – Drexler (67. Zalazar), Churlinov (79. Idrizi) – Terodde, Bülter. – Coach: Buskens
St Pauli: Smarsch – Zander, Beifus, Medic, Paqarada (80. Makienok) – Aremu (58. Ritzka) – Irvine, Benatelli (79. Daschner) – Hartel – Matanovic, Kyereh. – Coach: Schulz
Porte: 0: 1 Matanovic (9th), 0: 2 Matanovic (17th), 1: 2 Terodde (47th penalty), 2: 2 Terodde (71st), 3: 2 Zalazar (78th)
Red card: Beifus for gross foul play (81.)
Yellow-red card: Matanovic (St. Pauli) for repeated foul play (90 + 5)
Yellow card: Latza (5), Vindheim (3), Idrizi (3) – Aremu (5), Medic (4), Kyereh (5)