Germany's fiercest derby? A lookback at four epic Revierderby matches
Ahead of Saturday's Revierderby, we take a look at four memorable clashes between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.
The Revierderby between the two North Rhine-Westphalian giants Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 is widely regarded as the fiercest derby in Germany.
With just 33 kilometres between the two Ruhr clubs, the rivalry started as a battle between the steel-forging workers of Dortmund and the coal-mining workers of Schalke, and there is local bragging rights at stake every time the two clubs meet.
Below, we take a look at four of the most memorable Revierderby meetings between the two rivals.
Borussia Dortmund 2-4 Schalke 04, 27/04/2019
The 2018/19 campaign's Revierderby at Signal Iduna Park is definitely up there with the most memorable meetings between the two rivals. Schalke had an underwhelming 2018/19 campaign to say the least, but their fans will surely remember this win. Dortmund, who were chasing the Bundesliga title at the time, made it 1-0 through Mario Götze, but Daniel Caligiuri and Salif Sané turned the score around to give Schalke a 2-1 lead. Surprisingly, 'The Royal Blues' ended up winning the game 4-2 after the hosts had both Marco Reus and Marius Wolf sent off after the break.
Borussia Dortmund 4-4 Schalke 04, 25/11/2017
One of the most dramatic Revierderby ever was played in November 2017 when Schalke made an amazing comeback at the Signal-Iduna Park. Dortmund were all over the visitors in the first half, and with just 25 minutes played the hosts were in front by 4-0 thanks to goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Benjamin Stambouli (own goal), Mario Götze and Raphael Guerreiro.
It inevitably looked like a day to forget for Schalke until Guido Burgstaller made it 4-1 after about an hour. It seemed like a consolation goal at the time, but when Amine Harit got Schalke another goal shortly after, the visitors started feeling they could actually take something from the game - particularly after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sent off with 72 minutes played. With five minutes remaining, Daniel Caligiuri made it 4-3, and the amazing comeback was completed when Naldo headed in the equaliser deep into injury time.
Borussia Dortmund 3-3 Schalke 04, 13/9/2008
Another great comeback – but this time from Dortmund. Schalke 04 were 2-0 up at the break after goals from Jefferson Farfan (penalty) and Rafinha, and when Heiko Westermann made it 3-0 after 54 minutes, it looked like game over. But Dortmund didn’t give up and made the comeback after an assist and two goals from super-sub Alexander Frei who was sent onto the pitch at half-time.
With 67 minutes played, Neven Subotic headed in Frei's corner, and a few minutes later the Swiss striker got on the scoresheet himself as he made it 2-3 with a nice shot from distance. Schalke were reduced to ten men shortly after as Christian Pander was shown his second yellow card, and when Fabian Ernst received a straight red card with 15 minutes left, it was 11 against 9. Schalke’s nine men fought admirably, but in the 89. Minute Frei completed the comeback with a goal from the penalty spot.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Schalke 04, 19/12/1997
A classic derby match that ended with a goal from a very unexpected goalscorer. Borussia Dortmund got into the lead for the second time with 79 minutes played when Andreas Möller scored directly from a free-kick. During the final period of the match, Schalke keeper Jens Lehmann advanced upfield for every set piece to see if he could help Schalke getting that valuable equalizer – and in injury time, it turned out he could. Olaf Thon delivered a corner from the right, and the ball eventually ended up at the back post where Lehmann headed it into the net. Not only did the German keeper earn Schalke a draw – he also set the record of being the first goalkeeper to score from open play in the Bundesliga.