Schalke and Elversberg share spoils in goalless draw
Schalke and Elversberg battled to a goalless draw at the Veltins-Arena, with the Royal Blues' Hasan Kuruçay named Man of the Match after a commanding defensive display.
Schalke 0-0 Elversberg
Schalke head coach Miron Muslić made two changes to his starting XI from the 3-1 victory against Union Berlin on Matchday 3, with Edin Džeko and Junior Dina Ebimbe starting in place of Junior Adamu and Dejan Ljubičić.
Vincent Wagner made one change to his Elversberg line-up following the defeat against Bayern Munich, with Noah Darvich making his first Bundesliga start in place of Francis Onyeka.
Cagey opening half
Schalke started brightly, with Džeko heading wide from a corner inside four minutes, but Elversberg gradually settled and Darvich fired narrowly over from a Cole Campbell cutback in the 13th minute.
The best chance of the half came in the 21st minute when Kenan Karaman's cross was almost turned in by Lukas Pinckert, only for goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof to make a fine save to prevent an own goal.
Felix Keidel and Darvich were both booked for tactical fouls either side of the half-hour, and Adil Aouchiche's late effort for Schalke drifted wide as the sides went in level at the break.
Post and saves keep score blank
Elversberg almost broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half when David Mokwa's first-time shot rattled the post, though the striker was flagged offside anyway.
Nikola Katić headed just over from an Aouchiche free-kick, and goalkeeper Loris Karius produced a smart double save to deny Maurice Krattenmacher and Lukas Petkov after the hour.
Ebimbe then forced Kristof into a comfortable stop, while a late chance for Petkov also went off target as the match finished goalless.
Man of the Match: Hasan Kuruçay
Kuruçay was central to Schalke's defensive effort, winning 17 challenges and posting the highest pass efficiency figure of any player on the pitch.
He continued to make crucial interventions, including dispossessing Mokwa when the striker looked set to break clean through on goal.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Schalke 0.92 - Elversberg 1.28
Fastest player: Luca Sirch (Elversberg), 33.85 km/h
Most pressed player: none recorded
Pass efficiency: Hasan Kuruçay (Schalke), +4.49
Fantasy Heroes: Pinckert (Elversberg, 255 Points), Kuruçay (Schalke, 250 Points), Petkov (Elversberg, 213 Points)
