Schalke vs FC Nurnberg. German Bundesliga.
Veltins ArenaAttendance61,000.
Saturday 27 October 2012 18:56, UK
Schalke completed a week to remember with a 1-0 win over Nurnberg taking them up to second in the Bundesliga.
Schalke completed a week to remember with a 1-0 win over Nurnberg taking them up to second in the Bundesliga, just four points behind Bayern Munich. After beating Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal on their travels, the Royal Blues were back at the Arena AufSchalke on Saturday, but the outcome was the same as they triumphed thanks to a Jefferson Farfan goal. The Peruvian's late strike broke the Bavarian side's resistance and earned Huub Stevens' team their sixth win of the season while Nurnberg's slump continues with their fifth defeat in their last six games. Schalke set out their stall early on, but it was clear that Nurnberg only had one thing on their mind - defend a point. Their tactics were working too as Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Farfan were kept at a safe distance from the Nurnberg goal. When they did find a way through, debutant goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky ensured they did not come any further, although he was not seriously tested in the first half of his first Bundesliga game. He was beaten early in the second half, but Joel Matip's header was cleared off the line by a defender before Rakovsky got his hands on the ball again to deny Ibrahim Afellay's from distance. The linesman's flag came to Nurnberg's rescue next as Huntelaar's goal was ruled out. Schalke's persistence was ultimately rewarded, though, when Christian Fuchs and Julian Draxler combined to set up Farfan, who dispatched the ball with aplomb. Nurnberg's heads dropped and Huntelaar and Jermaine Jones both missed chances to make it two, although the priority of getting the three points was achieved all the same.
