Geraerts is “not satisfied” but still “proud of all the players”

FC Schalke 04 was eliminated by FC St. Pauli in the 2nd round of the DFB Cup. S04 lost 1:2 after extra time.

0:3 at Karlsruher SC, 3:2 against Hannover 96 and on Tuesday evening (October 31, 2023) the 1:2 DFB Cup exit at FC St. Pauli: This is the result of Karel Geraerts after three matches as coach of FC Schalke 04.

The cup exit in Hamburg was a disappointment for the Belgian. After all, Schalke led 1:0 after a very good 45 minutes.

Karel Geraerts spoke at the press conference after the 2-1 defeat against FC St-Pauli about…

… the first half: “We played a good first half, were organized and allowed very little overall against a strong opponent who has been very successful in recent weeks and months. It was to be expected that our opponents would have a lot of possession. It was also to be a tough game in which we had to suffer in some phases. However, St. Pauli only had one really good chance before the break. Ralf Fährmann reacted brilliantly. We scored the 1:0 ourselves at the right moment.”

We certainly did some things well too. But that doesn’t make me happy after a defeat. Nevertheless, I’m proud of all the players, they gave their all right up to the last moment. Now we have to keep our heads up.

Karel Geraerts

.. the second half: “In the second half, we continued to play in an organized manner overall and made a few tactical changes. Our opponents had more of the game after the break. The equalizer came from a penalty, so we went into extra time, in which St. Pauli scored once more.”

… the extra time: “The winning goal annoyed me. Our opponents did well, but we showed the team scenes like that beforehand in the video analysis.

… the lessons learned from the game at FC St. Pauli: “We certainly did some things well too. But that doesn’t make me happy after a defeat. Nevertheless, I’m proud of all the players, they gave their all right up to the last moment. Now we have to keep our heads up. The next task awaits us in Nuremberg in four days’ time. I congratulate my colleague Fabian Hürzeler on making it through to the next round. “