Schalke advanced to the second round of the DFB Cup after extra time. Bryan Lasme scored the 1-0 winning goal against Regionalliga side Leipzig.
FC Schalke 04 had endured 107 minutes of DFB Cup action, including a stoppage due to alleged insults, numerous fouls, interruptions, conceded chances, and missed opportunities. Yet the second-division side could not break the 0-0 deadlock in the heated atmosphere at Regionalliga club 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. Then a cross from Soufiane El-Faouzi flew into the penalty area, defensive leader Nikola Katic laid the ball off—and substitute Bryan Lasme scored with a low shot. Schalke won 1-0 in extra time and will receive a bonus of approximately 423,772 euros for the victory.
Schalke had expected a difficult match, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. This was also due to the opponent, a fourth-division club that trains under professional conditions. In recent years, the club from the Leipzig district of Propstheida has made considerable efforts to shed its negative image, coming close to promotion to the third division as regional league champions. The Bruno-Plache-Stadion may be showing its age and not meet the standards of modern soccer stadiums—but where else can you find a main grandstand carpeted in blue and a locomotive in front of the fan section?
It was the 13th minute of the game when the Leipzigers, however, were not promoting tradition, but rather an attack on professional soccer. Schalke’s Christopher Antwi-Adjei was about to take a throw-in in front of the main stand but stopped and went to referee Dr. Max Burda. A minute-long interruption followed; apparently, Antwi-Adjei had been insulted. Play resumed only after a warning from the stadium announcer, but from then on, Antwi-Adjei was booed by all the Leipzig fans.
On the field, too, it was no easy task for Schalke in the stadium, which had been sold out for two weeks with 11,900 spectators. Although Schalke—as coach Miron Muslic had expected—had significantly more possession, the Royal Blues, who had made five changes to their lineup, failed to create many chances. The difference in class was evident only in the first 15 to 20 minutes, when Schalke managed to impress the Leipzigers. The longer the score remained 0-0, the more momentum the fourth-division side gained. And the stoppage time helped the underdog.
Regular time consisted of many tackles and headers, but rarely any fluid combinations. Both teams had chances to take the lead. Leipzig came close to scoring the 1-0 just before halftime when Ayodele Adetula twice failed to beat goalkeeper Justin Heekeren—who was brilliantly filling in for Loris Karius—with long-range shots (41st/43rd). In stoppage time, Djamal Ziane beat Heekeren, who had rushed out of the goal, with a chip, but Felipe Sanchez cleared the ball.
Striker Moussa Sylla had Schalke’s three best chances (19th, 63rd, 85th). In the 63rd minute, he found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Andreas Naumann but shot straight at him. Five minutes before the end, he hit the crossbar. The score remained 0-0 after 90 minutes. “Propstheida again and again!” the fans chanted at the “Bruno”—as the locals call it—and looked forward to extra time. And the Schalke players? According to coach Muslic, they had just completed their “most intense training week”; there wasn’t much evidence of that on the field.
It wasn’t until extra time that Schalke gained a clear advantage and pressed for the opening goal. This time, only they had clear chances, not the fourth-division side. Moussa Sylla (101’) and Bryan Lasme (104’) were denied by goalkeeper Naumann, who rose to the occasion during this phase. The score remained 0-0 even after the first half of extra time, and a penalty shootout seemed imminent. But Schalke kept at it and prevailed: In the 107th minute, Lasme scored the winning goal. Schalke had survived the heated cup battle.