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Played
March 18, 2012 10:30 AM EDT
Fritz-Walter-Stadion — Kaiserslautern
Referee: P. Gagelmann
Attendance: 49780
March 18, 2012 10:30 AM EDT
Fritz-Walter-Stadion — Kaiserslautern
Referee: P. Gagelmann
Attendance: 49780
Top of the Match
To Be Announced Shortly
Raúl
Schalke 04
Schalke 04
Flop of the Match
To Be Announced Shortly
Tobias Sippel
FC Kaiserslautern
FC Kaiserslautern
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Kaiserslautern 1-4 Schalke: Holtby, Huntelaar, Raul and Farfan help Huub Stevens' men overturn early Rodnei strike
The hosts took a surprise lead after just three minutes, but were soon pegged back by the rampant visitors, who dominated proceeding throughout the match
By Enis Koylu
Bongarts
Schalke extended its winning streak to three matches, recording a thoroughly convincing 4-1 away victory over Kaiserslautern.
Rodnei netted a shock opener to put the hosts ahead, but after some heavy pressure, Schalke got its reward, with Lewis Holtby, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Raul overturning the deficit, before Jefferson Farfan rubbed salt in Kaiserslautern's wounds.
Schalke had been rampant in its convincing win over Twente in midweek, but it showed some early signs of sluggishness here.
Itay Shechter won an early free kick, which Christian Tiffert swung straight on to Rodnei's head, putting the hosts into an early lead.
However, conceding a goal so soon after the start of the match woke the visitors up, with Kyriakos Papadopoulos having muted appeals for a penalty turned down minutes later.
As the first half wore on, Schalke began to dominate possession more and more, and gradually began to make it count.
Christian Fuchs swung in a set piece which narrowly missed Joel Matip's outstretched head, before a melee from a similar situation saw the ball break to Jermaine Jones, who scuffed a shot wide when he should have done better.
The visitors began to edge ever closer to an equalizer. Raul swung in a deep cross onto Huntelaar's head, only for the Dutchman to nod the ball wide of the far post from an unmarked position.
Eventually though, the inevitable equalizer arrived. Huntelaar fed Holtby on the edge of the box, and the 21-year-old picked his spot and drove a powerful left-footed effort past Tobias Sippel.
The Kaiserslautern keeper was forced into a spectacular save to keep a Farfan free kick out of the net, but soon enough, the comeback was complete.
A sloppy pass from Olcay Sahan gifted Christian Fuchs possession. The Austrian drove forward and passed the ball to Huntelaar, who cut inside Mathias Abel and beat Sippel at his near post.
Shortly after the break, Huub Stevens' men gave themselves the luxury of a two-goal lead.
Raul had already squandered one opportunity when the ball broke to him on the edge of the box, leaving the Spaniard to blast a glorious effort into the top corner.
It seemed as though it would only be a case of how many goals Schalke could muster. Julian Draxler bent an effort wide of the post with the keeper beaten, before Holtby weaved through the hosts' defense, only for Sippel to claim the ball at his feet.
Draxler had an effort ruled out for a questionable offside decision, but it was to matter little.
With 10 minutes remaining, Farfan galloped away from his own box, played a neat exchange with Holtby, and tapped the ball home to round off the rout.
This result leaves Schalke a mere point behind Borussia Monchengladbach in third, for Kaiserslautern, meanwhile, the situation looks ever more bleak, with six points separating Marco Kurz's side from safety.
Rodnei netted a shock opener to put the hosts ahead, but after some heavy pressure, Schalke got its reward, with Lewis Holtby, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Raul overturning the deficit, before Jefferson Farfan rubbed salt in Kaiserslautern's wounds.
Schalke had been rampant in its convincing win over Twente in midweek, but it showed some early signs of sluggishness here.
Itay Shechter won an early free kick, which Christian Tiffert swung straight on to Rodnei's head, putting the hosts into an early lead.
However, conceding a goal so soon after the start of the match woke the visitors up, with Kyriakos Papadopoulos having muted appeals for a penalty turned down minutes later.
As the first half wore on, Schalke began to dominate possession more and more, and gradually began to make it count.
Christian Fuchs swung in a set piece which narrowly missed Joel Matip's outstretched head, before a melee from a similar situation saw the ball break to Jermaine Jones, who scuffed a shot wide when he should have done better.
The visitors began to edge ever closer to an equalizer. Raul swung in a deep cross onto Huntelaar's head, only for the Dutchman to nod the ball wide of the far post from an unmarked position.
Eventually though, the inevitable equalizer arrived. Huntelaar fed Holtby on the edge of the box, and the 21-year-old picked his spot and drove a powerful left-footed effort past Tobias Sippel.
The Kaiserslautern keeper was forced into a spectacular save to keep a Farfan free kick out of the net, but soon enough, the comeback was complete.
A sloppy pass from Olcay Sahan gifted Christian Fuchs possession. The Austrian drove forward and passed the ball to Huntelaar, who cut inside Mathias Abel and beat Sippel at his near post.
Shortly after the break, Huub Stevens' men gave themselves the luxury of a two-goal lead.
Raul had already squandered one opportunity when the ball broke to him on the edge of the box, leaving the Spaniard to blast a glorious effort into the top corner.
It seemed as though it would only be a case of how many goals Schalke could muster. Julian Draxler bent an effort wide of the post with the keeper beaten, before Holtby weaved through the hosts' defense, only for Sippel to claim the ball at his feet.
Draxler had an effort ruled out for a questionable offside decision, but it was to matter little.
With 10 minutes remaining, Farfan galloped away from his own box, played a neat exchange with Holtby, and tapped the ball home to round off the rout.
This result leaves Schalke a mere point behind Borussia Monchengladbach in third, for Kaiserslautern, meanwhile, the situation looks ever more bleak, with six points separating Marco Kurz's side from safety.
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Results
Times In EDT
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Striker Schalke |
29 | 6 |
|
Mario Gomez
Striker FC Bayern München |
26 | 4 |
|
Robert Lewandowski
Striker Borussia Dortmund |
22 | 0 |
|
Lukas Podolski
Striker FC Koln |
18 | 3 |
|
Claudio Pizarro
Striker Werder Bremen |
18 | 2 |