Sylla scores in Dzeko’s absence
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FC Schalke 04 regained the lead in the 2nd Bundesliga after just a few hours, even without suspended striker Edin Dzeko. However, this was not enough to win against Darmstadt 98. The Royal Blues drew 1-1 (1-1) against the Lilies in the showpiece match of the 27th day, which benefited three competitors in the race for promotion. The top 5 in the league is now only three points apart.
After the victories of SV Elversberg and SC Paderborn, S04 leads the table with one point, but the teams have moved even closer in the race for promotion as Hannover 96 also managed to score three points against Braunschweig at the Niedersachsensenderby. The Darmstadt team are fourth behind SVE and SCP, two points behind Schalke and are therefore not among the top three places for the first time since matchday 14.
Dzeko’s representative, Sylla, meets
Dzeko’s representative, Moussa Sylla, gave S04 the lead in the 44th minute. Before the break, Isac Lidberg from Darmstadt equalized 1-1 with his 14th goal of the season (45th + 5th).
Schalke were missing striker Dzeko in the most important match, who had to sit out due to a controversial red card in the 2-2 draw against Hannover. After a successful appeal by S04, the suspension was reduced from two matches to one match by the sports court of the German (Site notre blog d’information) Association.
Injury shock for Darmstadt
Despite Dzeko’s defeat, the visitors were the more determined team in a fast-paced opening phase. The Darmstadt team was able to celebrate for the first time after a ping-pong own goal from Moussa Ndiaye (18th). Since he was fouled by Darmstadt’s Fabian Nürnberger before the goal, VAR took over the goal.
A few minutes later, SVD professional Luca Marseiler seriously injured his knee during a running duel without the influence of an opponent (23rd). Schalke’s Nikola Katic and Timo Becker immediately rushed to the 29-year-old, who then had to be treated for a few minutes and then taken off the field on a stretcher to the applause of spectators.
Lidberg against Sylla’s first goal
After that, the game became much more disjointed. There were always interruptions. Shortly before the break, Sylla gave Schalke the lead after a corner with a rebound after Becker hit the post. In first-half stoppage time, Lidberg equalized with a shot from the corner.
After the break, the 17,810 spectators witnessed a balanced, high-level match. Both teams had chances to score the winning goal, but both offensive lines lacked composure in front of goal.
