German Cup: Kimmich strike sends Bayern into final four

Schalke 0-1 Bayern Munich, Veltins-Arena
(Kimmich 40')

Bayern Munich booked their place in the final four of the German Cup with a 1-0 win at Schalke.

Schalke had created the best chances in the first half, with Alessandro Schöpf and Guido Burgstaller both going close, with the latter seeing his shot bounce off the bar.

But that was as close as Schalke got, and Bayern’s dominance was finally rewarded five minutes before the break, when Joshua Kimmich drilled in a low shot from the edge oft he box after Schalke failed to fully clear Phillipe Coutinho’s corner.

Coutinho came close to scoring a fine goal when his dipping drive from distance hit the bar and Leon Goretzka should have wrapped up the win when his free header somehow drifted wide. Schalke coach David Wagner decided to drop Bayern-bound keeper Alexander Nübel, and his deputy Markus Schubert pulled off a string of key saves.

At the other end, Schalke should have leveled through Benito Raman, who was fresh off the bench when he couldn’t finish a rapid counterattack led by Rabbi Matondo. That was the chance for Schalke to force extra time, but Bayern held firm to progress. 

As it happened...

FT Schalke 0-1 Bayern —That's it! Bayern are through courtesy of that first-half strike by Kimmich. Schalke are out.

90' Alaba puts another free-kick over the bar.

86' McKennie is in the book.

84' Bayern sub: Zirkzee on, Tolisso off.

83' Schalke sub: Kutucu on, Matondo.

78' Pavard flicks on Coutinho's corner and Gnabry almost pokes it in at the far post.

75' Neuer doesn't need any encouragement to come 40 meters out of his goal to clear before Burgstaller can reach a loose ball.

72' Goretzka trys to make amends with a spectacular overhead kick, but it's just over. That would have been some atonement.

70' GORETZKA CHANCE! The chances are really stacking up now, at both ends. This time Goretzka's free header from a corner bounces wide. The former Schalke man was under no pressure there, and that's very disappointing.

67' The referee dishes out a couple of Schalke yellow cards in quick succession. One for Nastasic for a foul on Tolisso, and then another for Burgstaller for getting up in the ref's grill.

65' HUGE SCHALKE CHANCE! What a chance for the subsitute, less than a minute after coming on! Matondo races away into space on the right and put it on a plate for Raman, but there's a little touch on it by Thiago which put off Raman, and his tame shot from close range is saved. Had to score, even with Thiago's intervention.

64' Schalke sub: Raman on, Boujellab off.

63' McKennie goes close at the other end... things livening up a bit.

62' OFF THE BAR! Coutinho rattles the upright with a sizzling effort after twisting and turning the Schalke defence inside out. That would have been a highlights moment from a highlights player.

60' Bayern have continued in the same vein in the second half as they ended the first. Dominant and in control. A second goal would seal it for them here.

57' Schubert again forced to keep the ball out from one of his own players, and once again it's Todibo, who seems determined to score an own goal tonight.

52' Schubert gets down well again to keep out Gnabry. It's been a confident performance by the stand-in keeper thus far.

50' An embarrassing moment for Muller, who puts a corner straight out of play down on the right. It has been a difficult game for the forward so far.

46' We're back underway.

45' HT Schalke 0-1 Bayern.

41' Schalke had created the better chances, but Bayern have been dominating the game. The goal had been coming.

40' GOAL! Schalke 0-1 Bayern — Kimmich scores! Schalke only half clear a Coutinho corner from the left and Kimmich hammers a low drive in, first time, from the edge of the box. 

37' Schubert makes a crucial stop to keep Bayern out. But it's one of Schalke's own players, Todibo, who almost put it past him as the ball glanced off his head.

28' McKennie catches Tolisso late and Bayern get the free-kick just outside the box... but Coutinho hammers it into the wall, and Alaba does the same on the rebound.

26' A teasing free-kick almost finds Burgstaller, but Neuer just beats the Schalke forward to it.

24' Another Bayern half-chance, but Müller can't keep it down.

22' At the other end, Pavard has another pop with a nicely-struck volley — but Schubert makes the save.

20' GOAL DISALLOWED! Burgstaller puts the ball in the net but it's ruled out for offside. It was very close, but Burgstaller's knee was just beyond David Alaba and it goes down as an excellent call by the referee's assistant.

17' Nice dummy by Müller almost lets in Goretzka, but the former Schalke man wasn't on the same wavelength as his teammate.

15' A speculative effort from distance by Pavard drifts wide. That was never going to trouble Schubert, who is yet to be tested.

12' OFF THE BAR! Schalke go even closer to opening the scoring, and what a chance this is. Schalke break into space behind Davies down the right, McKennie crosses early for and outstretched Burgstaller, whose shot bounces off the turf and on to the top of the bar. Reall close.

10' Bayern seeing plenty of the ball but not doing a great deal with it. 75% to be exact.

7' Bayern are looking for Davies at every opportunity. The young left-back is very eager to get forward.

5' SCHALKE CHANCE! Schöpf with a chance for Schalke! the former Bayern youth player gets a sight of goal some 25 yards out, and bends it just outside the far post. Nice effort, and an early shot across the bows for Bayern.

3' Bayern controlling possession in the opening minutes, as you might expect. 

1' KICK OFF — We're underway.

20:45 — Bayern are without the injured Robert Lewandowski tonight as the striker begins his recuperation from a knee injury. Other than that, the reigning champions are at full strength...

20:30 — This is how Schalke line up tonight. The big news is that their Bayern-bound goalkeeper Alexander Nübel is benched.

Bayern come into Tuesday night's encounter in Gelsenkirchen as the overwhelming favorites, coming off a 6-0 win in Hoffenheim on the weekend and a big 3-0 victory at Chelsea in the Champions League last week. They also haven't been defeated in a competitive match since their loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach in early December.

Schalke, other hand, have been looking completely out of sorts of late, with first-choice goalkeeper Alexaner Nübel looking very leaky in their 3-0 defeat in Cologne and 5-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. There is much speculation that Markus Schubert will be between the sticks on Tuesday night and could take the No.1 job until the end of the season — when Nübel be on his way to the Bavarian capital.

This quarterfinal is also highly anticipated for what may happen off the pitch. Bayern and Hoffenheim effectively went on strike for the last 13 minutes of their match on Saturday, passing the ball among each other in the center circle after a group of Bayern fans unfurled a banner attacking Hoffenheim's billionaire investor, Dietmar Hopp. Schalke have pledged to walk off the pitch if any such "insults or defamatory expressions" come from the stands during Tuesday night's match.