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Search Login Please log in with your user data. S04 win 5-2 at Hallescher FC in extra time FC Schalke 04 booked their place in the second round of the DFB-Pokal with a 5-2 win over Hallescher FC on Monday evening (24/8). The hosts equalised in the 90th minute to force the game into overtime, where the Royal Blues scored three times to progress. Junior Dina Ebimbe makes first competitive start Kenan Karaman was the only absentee after landing heavily on his hip in the friendly against Atalanta. Timo Becker captained the Royal Blues in his absence. Junior Dina Ebimbe made his first competitive start for S04 at right wing-back, while head coach Miron Muslic later introduced Junior Adamu, Robin Gosens and Satoshi Tanaka, who all made their competitive debuts for the club. Halle take the lead on the stroke of half time The Royal Blues took control from the outset against their fourth-tier opponents. Schalke had more than 70% of the possession in the opening 15 minutes and increasingly pinned Halle back inside their own half. Moussa Sylla was unable to direct Dejan Ljubičić’s quick ball in behind towards goal (3’), before Vitalie Becker then swung in a free kick following a foul on Ron Schallenberg, but nobody could get on the end of it (7’). Dejan Ljubičić tried his luck from around 20 yards out in a central position, however his effort lacked the power to trouble Luca Bendel (11’). The hosts defended deep and looked to counter, as they did in the 13th minute when Niclas Stierlin was quickly released in behind. Timo Becker brought the HFC man down outside the box and was shown a yellow card, before Fabrice Hartmann sent the resulting free kick narrowly wide of the left-hand post (14’). Three minutes later, the fourth-tier side broke quickly again through Soufian Benyamina, whose shot was comfortably gathered by Loris Karius (17’). Those first few attacks from the hosts helped open the game up. The Royal Blues continued to get forward, with Adil Aouchiche in particular repeatedly finding space on the left. After a neat run into the box, the Algeria international went for the near post, but Luca Bendel turned his shot behind for a corner (21’). The Halle goalkeeper then had a slice of luck when Vitalie Becker’s cross looped over him and came back off the crossbar (27’). Moussa Sylla then had Schalke’s best chance of the game up to that point. Soufiane El-Faouzi fired a low ball in from the right towards the six-yard box, where the striker failed to make clean contact and Luca Bendel was able to save the central attempt (36’). The HFC goalkeeper was called into action again a minute later, turning a deflected El-Faouzi cross behind at his near post (37’). The hosts continued to sit in and wait for opportunities on the break, but Vitalie Becker tracked back well to snuff out their next counter (38’). Schalke continued to push, with Adil Aouchiche and Vitalie Becker combining particularly well down the left and repeatedly getting dangerous balls into the box. However, it was the hosts who struck just before the interval. Halle’s first corner of the game dropped kindly for Vin Kastull following a rebound, and he finished from seven yards to put HFC 1-0 ahead (45’). The half-time whistle followed shortly afterwards. Ljubičić and Džeko turn it around, but Halle hit back Head coach Miron Muslic made one change at the break, sending Junior Adamu on for Junior Dina Ebimbe. While HFC focused on keeping things tight at the back, the Royal Blues began to crank up the pressure. Luca Bendel raced out to deal with a ball through towards Moussa Sylla and cleared it into touch (50’). A minute later, Junior Adamu teed up Adil Aouchiche inside the box, but his shot was blocked (51’). Soufiane El-Faouzi then drove into the area from the left, only for the hosts to cut out his ball across goal for a corner, from which Nikola Katic headed narrowly wide of the far post (53’). Moussa Sylla was involved again soon afterwards. Timo Becker launched a long throw into the box, Nikola Katic flicked it on and Schalke’s number nine met it first time, but once again his effort was too central and Luca Bendel gathered comfortably (59’). Three minutes later, however, the Royal Blues finally found a way through. Junior Adamu won possession and fed Adil Aouchiche on the left, whose low cross found its way for Dejan Ljubičić to finish at the near post and make it 1-1 (62’). Head coach Miron Muslic made a double change in the 64th minute. Robin Gosens came on for Vitalie Becker to make his competitive debut for S04, while Edin Džeko replaced his compatriot Nikola Katic and added fresh impetus in attack. Hallescher FC, meanwhile, were struggling to get out of their own half and didn’t register their first attempt of the second half until the 70th minute, when Stanley Rafito sent a harmless header over the bar. The Royal Blues kept pushing for a second. A loose ball fell to Edin Džeko on the edge of the box, but his effort went just past the far post as he went to ground (78’). Moments later, Vin Kastull caught Moussa Sylla inside the area after a long ball forward and referee Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck pointed to the spot. Edin Džeko stepped up and made no mistake, thumping the penalty home to put S04 2-1 ahead (81’). That left the hosts needing a response in the closing stages, and they began committing more players forward. Miron Muslic looked to shore things up by introducing Mertcan Ayhan for Dejan Ljubičić (85’), with the substitute booked soon afterwards for a committed defensive challenge (88’). Halle nevertheless found an equaliser as the game moved into added time. A corner was worked out to Niclas Stierlin on the edge of the box, and he powered the ball into the near corner to make it 2-2 and take the game to extra time (90’+1). Three extra-time goals send Schalke through Extra time began much as the previous 90 minutes had, with the Royal Blues seeing more of the ball and pushing Halle back while the hosts focused on defending. Soufiane El-Faouzi picked out Moussa Sylla with a low ball into the box, but the striker was once again denied by Luca Bendel (97’). Sylla finally got his goal moments later, though. Soufiane El-Faouzi again delivered into the area, Edin Džeko laid the ball off and Moussa Sylla wrong-footed the goalkeeper with a finish into the far corner to put Schalke 3-2 up (98’). The Regionalliga side again looked for a response, but were unable to put Schalke under the same pressure they had after falling 2-1 behind. Instead, the Royal Blues made use of the extra space that was beginning to open up in the Halle half, kept possession and picked their moments to attack, which soon paid off. Edin Džeko found Moussa Sylla, who clipped a measured cross towards Junior Adamu inside the box, and the new signing headed home from close range to make it 4-2 (105’+1). Satoshi Tanaka came on for Adil Aouchiche at the start of the second period of extra time to make his competitive debut for S04. Schalke still had to remain alert at the other end despite their two-goal cushion, with HFC forward Osman Atilgan powering his way into the box before Loris Karius produced a strong save to stop him (109’). Hallescher FC were forced to play the final few minutes with ten men after Vin Kastull was caught on the head by his own goalkeeper from a Schalke corner and was unable to continue following treatment (113’). The hosts had already used all of their substitutions. They still tried to find a way back into the game, but Julien Damelang’s long-range effort flew well wide (115’). Schalke were more clinical at the other end. Robin Gosens crossed for Edin Džeko, whose close-range header was saved by Luca Bendel before the striker tucked away the rebound to make it 5-2 (117’), rounding off an eventful first-round victory. Away to FCA on Sunday Schalke begin their Bundesliga campaign on Sunday (30/8). The Royal Blues travel to FC Augsburg for the final game of matchday 1 at 17:30 CEST, marking their return to the German top flight after three seasons in the second division.