The small derby in the Regionalliga West has the same winner as in the 2nd Bundesliga: Schalke 04’s U23 team continues its winning streak against VfL Bochum.

Eight days after the “neighborhood duel” between Schalke 04 and VfL Bochum, the two clubs met again, only this time in the Regionalliga West. Schalke had recently picked up speed with two wins in a row after a mixed start. Bochum had recently lost the derby against Borussia Dortmund.

There was nothing to cheer about in the next game either. As in the 2nd Bundesliga, Schalke turned the game around and won 3-2 (1-2). The third win in a row was secured.

Both teams started without much hesitation. Edion Gashi for Schalke and Henri Matter for Bochum made their teams’ presence felt in the first quarter of an hour. Schalke slowly gained the upper hand.

However, it was VfL who benefited: Schalke had pushed far forward, and Bochum counterattacked. In the end, the ball landed at the feet of Lirim Jashari, who coolly slotted it home (26′).

S04’s response came almost immediately. The ball bounced off Keanu Kerbsties’ hand in the penalty area. Yassin Ben Balla confidently converted the resulting penalty (30′).

But that wasn’t all: Bochum regained the lead after a corner. Stevan Tasic headed in to make it 2-1 (42′). There was even a great chance to make it 3-1, but the score remained 2-1 at the break. After the break, it didn’t take long for Gerrit Wegkamp to equalize for Schalke. He pushed a Hauswirth cross over the line (47′). Things got even better for the Royal Blues: substitute Bojan Potnar turned the game around (65′). For the first time, the Royal Blues were in front. Schalke also had the chance to score another goal, but ultimately played it out confidently. Six minutes of added time did not change anything. Schalke will travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach II at the same time.

Here’s how they played:

S04: Podlech – Lamby, Rösner, Pöpperl, Wegkamp (84. Zeil), Dietrich, Gashi (78. Osmani), Sachse (46. Potnar), Jung (69. Weick), Ben Balla, Hauswirth (84. Ndiaye)

VfL: Rölleke – Tasic, Hülsenbusch, Holtkamp, Matter (69. Dreca), Abdat (69. Jahn), Jashari (74. Koerdt), Akaegbobi, Kerbsties (82. Özdemir), Turudija (69. Korzynietz), Hartwig

Goals: 0:1 Jashari (26.), 1:1 Ben Balla (30., penalty), 1:2 Tasic (42.), 2:2 Wegkamp (47.), 3:2 Potnar (65.)

Referee: Niklas Simpson