What a return for Essen-born Noel Futkeu to the Ruhr area. In the 4-3 win at Schalke, he and striker Roberto Massimo caused quite a stir on the pitch.

What a return to the Ruhr region it was for Noel Futkeu. The Essen native triumphed as SpVgg Greuther Fürth beat Schalke 4-3 (3-1) in front of 60,344 spectators. The striker, who was trained by Schwarz-Weiß Essen and Rot-Weiss Essen, even scored a goal.

The striker, who has been in the starting lineup for all of the Kleeblätter’s ten games this season, even scored the goal that made the score 4-1. That has not changed under interim coach Leonhard Haas. Time and again, the speedy striker and his partner Roberto Massimo gave Schalke’s defense a hard time.

While Futkeu was not available to speak to the press afterwards, Massimo, who contributed two goals to the away win, answered the reporters’ questions. “In the end, we became very passive. We probably thought we would just get the 4-1 over with. Then Schalke piled on the pressure again and got their fans going too. It definitely got nasty again. But in the end we were stable and got the three points,” said Massimo, pleased with the important victory against a direct competitor for staying in the league.

Fürth had been successful in using the backdrop at Schalke to their advantage and creating unrest in the stands. That was part of the plan. Otherwise, the new coach didn’t change much to lead Fürth to victory against Schalke. “He just gave us a few things and encouraged us in one-on-one talks. He said that I should be active, play a lot of one-on-ones, but also work defensively,” the striker explained.

In contrast to FC Schalke, where new coach Kees van Wonderen started with two defeats, the change immediately paid off for the clovers. “For me it was already the eighth coach in my career. I’ve also had a few coaching changes. That’s why I already know a little about it and know how to process it. I handled it calmly. It’s all part of the business,“ Massimo had little sympathy for the fired Alexander Zorniger.

”We knew that we had to perform again first, that our performance had to take precedence for now, and that we had to score again. That’s why we all focused and it showed,” Massimo said.

It can be so easy. But the miners showed no sign of this. Hard times for royal blue, whose change of coach has already fizzled out after two defeats.