Schalke just completed the most understandably horrible week in the short history of modern soccer, a pair games that left one of the most affluent clubs in Europe on the wrong end of a 11-2 scoreline over their last 180 minute. Perhaps the Miners aren’t in the same spending category as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, its opponents over the last four days, but regularly ranked among the 12-20 most valuable clubs in the world, Schalke’s plight highlights the ever-growing divide between Europe’s elite and the merely enviably huge.
Real Madrid’s 6-1 win in the team’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 opener was the low point – los Blancos putting up six goals in Gelsenkirchen before Jens Keller’s team got Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s spectacular consolation. On Saturday, however, the Schalke boss had the misfortune of seeing his team move from Europe’s second-best team to its defending champions. Bayern Munich, having lost only once since Pep Guariola took over, welcomed the Blues on the Allianz Arena.
The result, superficially, wasn’t as embarrassing as their loss at the Veltins Arena, but after giving up four goals in the match’s first 29 minutes, the disappointment was far more swift. David Alaba, Arjen Robben, Mario Mandzukic, and a second from Robben had Bayern up 4-0 before Schalke even registered a shot, let alone an attempt on target. An own goal from Rafinha eventually provided the visitors some consolation, but when Robben completed his hat trick with a 77th minute penalty conversion, the Bundesliga’s leaders completed their 5-1 demolition of the league’s fourth place club.
Yet as disheartening as the last four days have been for Keller’s club, they’ll likely prove irrelevant to the team’s ultimately goal – getting back into Champions League. So Schalke can’t compete with Bayern or Real? That’s not exactly an above-the-fold revelation. The fact that they were so far behind Europe’s two best teams only amplifies something that wasn’t news in the first place. Schalke, despite their nine-goal deficit over the last 180 minutes, is still a team that should be favored to grab Germany’s final Champions League spot. Their horrible week was completely understandable.
Bayern, however, did offer us something interesting in Saturday’s game. If Real Madrid’s mid-week rout was a message to Europe, Bayern Munich’s first half hour at the Allianz was a rebuttal. Four goals and no shots allowed may not have led to a more lopsided final, but in its own way, it was more remarkable.
There’s still no doubt. Bayern is the best team in Europe.
Elsewhere
- Hertha Berlin 0, Freiburg 0 – Admir Medmedi peppered the hosts’ goal with four shots on target, but thanks to five saves from Thomas Kraft, Freiburg stays in the drop.
- Borussia Dortmund 3, Nurnberg 0 – BVB recovers from last weekend’s embarrassment in Hamburg with a second half outburst, with Mats Hummels, Robert Lewandowski, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan allowing Dortmund to claim second place.
- Werder Bremen 1, Hamburg 0 – Whatever momentum HSV garnered from last week’s win was left at the Imtech Arena, with Werder extending their unbeaten streak to three thanks to a Zlatko Junuzovic’s 19th minute winner.
- Augsburg 1, Hannover 1 – Mame Biram Diouf’s 21st minute opener allowed Hannover to end their three-game losing streak, with a second half response from Ragnar Klavan salvaging a point for the hosts.
- Braunschweig 1, Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 – An own goal from Marc-André ter Stegen cancelled out Raffael’s opener, sending previously Champions League-competing Gladbach to seventh.
- Bayer Leverkusen 0, Mainz 1 – Sami Hyypia’s team ran their losing streak to four, giving up second place in the process. Thanks to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s first half winner, Bayer now have to worry about their top-four survival, with fifth place Wolfsburg only four points back.
Sunday
Hoffenheim vs. Wolfsburg
Einfracht Frankfurt vs. Stuttgart
Others
Bayern Munich 5, Schalke 1
Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Bayern Munich | 23 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 10 | 56 | 12-0-0 | 9-2-0 | 65 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 54 | 27 | 27 | 8-1-3 | 6-2-3 | 45 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 23 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 8-1-3 | 6-0-5 | 43 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 23 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 7-2-2 | 5-3-4 | 41 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 8-1-2 | 4-2-5 | 39 |
| FSV Mainz 05 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 35 | -3 | 6-2-3 | 5-2-5 | 37 |
| Mönchen | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 8-2-2 | 2-4-5 | 36 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 27 | 7 | 5-2-5 | 5-3-3 | 35 |
| FC Augsburg | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 33 | 2 | 6-2-3 | 4-3-5 | 35 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 3-5-3 | 3-3-5 | 26 |
| Hannover 96 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 6-3-2 | 1-1-10 | 25 |
| Werder Bremen | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 26 | 46 | -20 | 4-4-4 | 2-3-6 | 25 |
| 1. FC Nürnberg | 23 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 2-5-4 | 2-6-4 | 23 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 38 | -14 | 2-5-4 | 3-2-6 | 22 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 35 | 47 | -12 | 2-3-6 | 3-1-7 | 19 |
| Hamburger SV | 23 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 38 | 52 | -14 | 3-1-7 | 2-3-7 | 19 |
| SC Freiburg | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 44 | -22 | 2-4-5 | 2-3-7 | 19 |
| Eintracht Braunschweig | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 42 | -25 | 3-2-7 | 1-2-8 | 16 |