Darmstadt exact brutal revenge on Schalke with cup victory
| Man of the Match performance from Hornby | Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images |
Schalke extended their winning streak to five games in 2. Bundesliga with a narrow win over Darmstadt on Friday, but their cup duel went in a completely different way. Florian Kohfeldt’s side deservedly entered the half-time break with a 2-0 lead.
The first couple of chances of the game arrived after 18 minutes, with Fraser Hornby and Kenan Karaman failing to put their respective sides in front. Isac Lidberg was missing from the weekend’s squad, but Darmstadt were boosted by his return in the attack.
The Swedish international scored eight league goals, while no other player in the squad has two in 2. Bundesliga. However, he was the provider for Hiroki Akiyama’s opener in the 23rd minute. From Schalke’s corner-kick, Darmstadt operated a perfect counterattack with Akiyama making it count on his second attempt.
Darmstadt continued their surge with Matej Maglica doubling their lead five minutes later with a close-range header. It should’ve been three before the break had Lidberg converted a one-on-one chance against Lorius Karius.
However, they didn’t have to wait long for the third goal. Hornby finished the move he started only two minutes after the break. Before Miron Muslic made his first substitutions, it was four for the hosts with Bartosz Bialek joining the party.
The Polish striker scored within a few seconds after replacing Lidberg as Hornby played his part by not being involved from an offside position. It was a lost cause by now, but Janik Bachmann missed a glorious chance late on for Schalke.
