Meier strike seals Frankfurt win at Schalke
January 27, 2017
Schalke 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (Meier 33')
Schalke made a furious start to the match, pressing high and putting the visitors under a great deal of pressure. New signing Guido Burgstaller went close to adding to his debut goal from last week, but saw his powerful header tipped over the bar by Heinz Lindner in the Frankfurt goal. As mistakes began to slowly creep into Schalke’s game, the visitors began to gain a foothold. Midfield pair Gacinovic and Barkok dominated and looked very comfortable dictating the play. However, Frankfurt looked most threatening from set-pieces and took the lead from a well-worked free-kick just after the half-hour mark. Hasebe’s low cross was swept home from around the penalty spot by Alex Meier. Replays suggested that Schalke defender Naldo was held back by Abraham as he tried to block Meier, but the goal stood.
Determined to get back into the game, Schalke started the second half full of intent and went close to equalizing twice through Burgstaller. Coach Markus Weinzierl made a couple of attacking substitutions, bringing on Avdijaj and Caliguri. Although they increased the pressure, Schalke almost fell further behind when Meier’s first-time volley from a Hasebe free-kick narrowly missed the target. There was little in the way of goalmouth action after that as Schalke failed to register a single shot on target. Frankfurt looked solid at the back and deserved to hold on for all three points.
Read the match as it happened below