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Max Meyer's first goal of the season was enough to see Schalke through to the DFB Cup quarter-finals. - © © gettyimages / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images
Max Meyer's first goal of the season was enough to see Schalke through to the DFB Cup quarter-finals. - © © gettyimages / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images

Schalke edge Cologne to reach DFB Cup quarter-finals

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Schalke rounded out a sensational first half of the 2017/18 season as they edged Cologne to reach the DFB Cup quarter-finals and extend their unbeaten run to 13 games in all competitions.

Schalke 1-0 Cologne

Goals: 1-0 Meyer (63')

Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco named a strong side for this final outing of 2017 - with just two changes from the weekend's last-gasp draw at Eintracht Frankfurt - but the Royal Blues struggled to break down a well-organised Cologne side in a first half of precious few chances. They upped the tempo after the break, though, and after a flurry of chances Max Meyer finally broke the deadlock with his first goal of the campaign. The Germany Under-21 international looked to flick on a corner from the right, and his header ended up looping over Timo Horn and in off the post. The Royal Blues had opportunities to add to their lead, with Guido Burgstaller and Weston McKennie going close, but they did enough to secure their place in the last eight of the DFB Cup, as well as extending their impressive unbeaten run to 13 games in all competitions.

Match stats

    Schalke are through to the DFB Cup quarter-finals for the second successive season. Last term they were knocked out at the last-eight stage by Bayern Munich.The Royal Blues have eliminated BFC Dynamo (2-0), Wehen Wiesbaden (3-1) and Cologne (1-0) on their way to the quarters.Meyer scored his first goal in any competition since 16 February 2017, when he was on target in a 3-0 win at PAOK in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League.Schalke are now unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, their best run since the 2006/07 campaign.Cologne have not progressed beyond the last 16 since 2009/10.

Line-ups

Schalke: Fährmann (c) - Kehrer (Stambouli 46'), Naldo, Nastasic - Meyer - Caligiuri, Schöpf (McKennie 79'), Harit, Oczipka - Burgstaller, Di Santo (Embolo 75')
Unused subs: Nübel, Konoplyanka, Reese, Riether
Absentees: Insua (ribs), Bentaleb (pelvis), Goretzka (shin)
Coach: Domenico Tedesco

Cologne: T. Horn - Olkowski (Clemens 39'), Sörensen, Mere, Heintz, J. Horn - Jojic, Lehmann (c), Özcan - Klünter (Goden 70'), Führich (Höger 70')
Unused subs: Müller, Kusic, Rausch, Ouahim
Absentees: Kessler (knee), Quieros (back), Maroh (thigh), Bittencourt (hip), Hector (fitness), Risse (knee), Cordoba (thigh), Guirassy (toe), Osako (lung infection), Pizarro (muscle strain), Zoller (thigh)
Coach: Stefan Ruthenbeck

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