Schalke pay price for Matip's slip

Schalke 0-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach

(Stindl '42, Hazard [pen] '53)

You know Schalke have had a bad week when local rivals Borussia Dortmund bang in seven goals at home, only for BVB fans to seem at their cheeriest when the Schalke result rolls in.

Schalke's supporters in Gelsenkirchen didn't manage the same tone. Just days after their league defeat to the resurgent Borussia Mönchengladbach - overshadowed by Johannes Geis' horrendous tackle on the Foals' Andre Hahn - the Royal Blues blew their chance for immediate vengeance.

Fans, lauded at first for their signs wishing Hahn a good recovery, seemed to lose their good cheer as the team slumped to defeat. Before long, the well-wishes were replaced with a rather tasteless chorus of "Where is Andre Hahn?"

Hardly a Veltins-Arena high point, but to be fair, the supporters' frustration surely lay elsewhere. Both Gladbach goals came out of nothing on Wednesday, and Schalke had dominated the first half.

"The first half was maybe the best 45 minutes we've played this season," Schalke coach Andre Breitenreiter said afterwards. "But the biggest point of criticism is that you simply have to score a goal from those opportunities, and not just one, but two or even three. Clear chances went begging."

Joel Matip's slip in possession in his own half (remember Steven Gerrard's Chelsea blunder?), gifted Lars Stindl a run on the hosts' goal - just moments before half-time. As if to compound the error, Schalke conceded almost out of thin air eight minutes after the break. One Ibrahima Traore through-ball was all it took to release Stindl again; he won a penalty, which Thorgan Hazard duly dispatched.

Many home fans didn't stay to the end, most likely because Yann Sommer was having such a quiet second half in the Foals' goal after fending off shot after shot before the break. Apart from some Leroy Sane moments, Breitenreiter's side lost their impetus after falling behind.

Calendar concerns

After a fast start to the season, best displayed in Sane's breakout, Schalke have lost three of their last five - and the Dortmund derby's looming in just 10 days' time. The Royal Blues must complete a tricky home tie with Ingolstadt and a Europa League trip to Prague between then and now.

After Dortmund, it's Bayern Munich making the trip to Gelsenkirchen, followed by Bayer Leverkusen a week later. November's not the month for Schalke's form to dip.

Given Schalke's regular Thursday commitments in the Europa League, there's a case to be made that a cup exit's a blessing in disguise, allowing the side to focus on just two competitions.

The young squad, coming to terms with Julian Draxler's departure for Wolfsburg, has built the perfect early platform from which to chase Champions League football next season. Sitting third, they lead Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Gladbach in the table as it stands.

The test now for youngsters like Sane, Max Meyer, and Leon Goretzka - returning from his injury layoff - is to steady the ship before the big waves roll in. Given the rest of the month's fixture list, Schalke simply cannot become Ingolstadt's next shock scalp on Saturday.

Other DFB Pokal second round results, Wednesday, October 28:

Werder Bremen 1-0 FC Cologne

Carl Zeiss Jena 0-2 VfB Stuttgart

Reutlingen 0-4 Eintracht Braunschweig

SV Sandhausen 0-0 FC Heidenheim (Heidenheim won 4-3 in penalty shootout)

Borussia Dortmund 7-1 SC Paderborn

Viktoria Cologne 0-6 Bayer Leverkusen

SC Freiburg 0-3 FC Augsburg