German Bundesliga: Schalke down Hoffenheim 1-0
Gelsenkirchen club recorded only their second win in nine outings
A choir of pitmen of shut down coal mine pit Auguste Victoria in Marl sing on the pitch ahead of the German First division football match FC Schalke 04 vs 1899 Hoffenheim in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, on December 18, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
BERLIN:
A solitary goal credited to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gave Schalke 04 a welcome 1-0 win against struggling Hoffenheim in their final Bundesliga outing of the year late on Friday.
The Gelsenkirchen club had managed just one victory in their previous seven outings to put pressure on coach Andre Breitenreiter but Cameroon forward Choupo-Moting struck in the 28th minute to give Schalke the lead they deserved on the basis of their first-half display.
Johannes Geis sent in a cross from the right towards the far post and it was not entirely clear whether the decisive touch came off Choupo-Moting or Hoffenheim’s Czech defender Pavel Kaderabek.
Dortmund's Aubameyang hits 27th goal of season
Before that Leon Goretzka had fired narrowly wide and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar forced a save out of Oliver Baumann, and while Hoffenheim improved after the break, they rarely looked like equalising, although Eduardo Vargas sent a shot just over.
Schalke sit on 27 points, courtesy eight wins, three draws and six losses, while Huub Stevens’ Hoffenheim remain in the relegation zone, a point from safety.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2015.
A solitary goal credited to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gave Schalke 04 a welcome 1-0 win against struggling Hoffenheim in their final Bundesliga outing of the year late on Friday.
The Gelsenkirchen club had managed just one victory in their previous seven outings to put pressure on coach Andre Breitenreiter but Cameroon forward Choupo-Moting struck in the 28th minute to give Schalke the lead they deserved on the basis of their first-half display.
Johannes Geis sent in a cross from the right towards the far post and it was not entirely clear whether the decisive touch came off Choupo-Moting or Hoffenheim’s Czech defender Pavel Kaderabek.
Dortmund's Aubameyang hits 27th goal of season
Before that Leon Goretzka had fired narrowly wide and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar forced a save out of Oliver Baumann, and while Hoffenheim improved after the break, they rarely looked like equalising, although Eduardo Vargas sent a shot just over.
Schalke sit on 27 points, courtesy eight wins, three draws and six losses, while Huub Stevens’ Hoffenheim remain in the relegation zone, a point from safety.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2015.