Schalke come back to earn point and dent Dortmund's title charge
Having begun this clash unbeaten in six, Schalke hoped to shut out their opponents once again, but it wasn’t to be in a first half fraught with chances at both ends. For their part, Dortmund were looking to respond to Bayern Munich’s victory earlier in the day, and began firmly on top.
Yet, the first big chance instead came for the home side, courtesy of a mistake from Mats Hummels, which allowed Rodrigo Zalazar to go through with just the goalkeeper to beat, but the Uruguayan sent his strike well over the bar.
An undeterred Dortmund pushed on, and Ralf Fahrmann had to be in imperious form to defy the yellow waves starting to pour forward. He made assured saves from close-range attempts by Raphael Guerreiro, Donyell Malen and Marius Wolf, but finally conceded for the 300th time in Bundesliga action when Nico Schlotterbeck strode goalward from defence, before firing a powerful strike from distance that nestled into the far corner.
Whatever Thomas Reis said at half time worked wonders soon after the restart, and it wasn’t long before the majority of the 62,000 in attendance were able to celebrate a deserved leveller. Jude Bellingham had a rare moment to forget as he lost the ball in midfield, and Schalke hit on the counter.
That culminated in Michael Frey’s across-goal pass being turned in by Marius Bulter, levelling the clash to send the Veltins Arena wild at the sight of a first Revierderby home goal since December 2018.
However, it wasn’t long before the visitors from across the Ruhrpott put themselves into the driving seat once again. Emre Can’s excellent pass fed Guerreiro, who got his reward for a strong first-half display as he smashed into the top corner with aplomb.
But with Schalke still firmly in the game, Dortmund were made to regret Jamie Bynoe-Gittens’ subsequent missed chance as the home side forged a late equaliser. Bülter’s looping cross allowed the newly-introduced Kenan Karaman to latch onto the ball and head it beyond Alexander Meyer.
The Schwarzgelben defenders could but stand and stare as the home crowd erupted once more, and with the match in the balance, both sides saw late chances go begging.
The clearest of those fell to Eder Balanta, but the Colombian couldn’t turn the game in the Royal Blues’ favour. While Dortmund have now lost their 100% Bundesliga record in 2023, Schalke will be delighted to overcome the odds and earn an unlikely point in their quest for survival.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marius Bulter (Schalke)
