"This is good for all of us": Schalke's U23 team has survival in its own hands

Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Jakob Fimpel celebrate their clear victory against Hohkeppel. IMAGO/Funke Foto Services

Jakob Fimpel , U23 coach at FC Schalke 04, breathed a sigh of relief after the 5-0 thrashing of direct rivals SV Eintracht Hohkeppel . "Second win in a row, another clean sheet: That's good for all of us," said the 36-year-old A-license holder after securing a non-relegation spot in the Regionalliga West. After all, the "Knappen" still have their chances of staying in the league in their own hands.

Fimpel's clear goal is to defend at least 14th place until the end of the season, so as not to be dependent on no NRW team being relegated from the 3rd division. If that were to happen, the three teams that would be relegated would already be decided: Türkspor Dortmund and KFC Uerdingen 05, who have withdrawn, and the insolvent 1. FC Düren , who are hoping to make a fresh start in the Mittelrheinliga . However, if the U23s of Borussia Dortmund or Alemannia Aachen are relegated from the 3rd division, a fourth team would have to leave the Regionalliga West. As things stand, that would be Eintracht Hohkeppel.

"We'll still need one or two wins," says Jakob Fimpel, who is by no means complacent, currently two points and eleven goals clear of the danger zone – and has the remaining schedule carefully in mind. After the matches against SV Rödinghausen (May 3) and 1. FC Bocholt (May 10), Hohkeppel will finally face 1. FC Düren (May 17), which no longer has a squad suitable for the Regionalliga. Meanwhile, Schalke will visit the SC Paderborn 07 reserve team (May 2), host Fortuna Düsseldorf's U23 team (May 10), and face Fortuna Köln (May 17) to conclude the season. They picked up zero points against these three opponents in the first half of the season.

Even in the decisive victory against Hohkeppel, Fimpel's team had to overcome some difficult phases. "You could see the tension in both teams; we didn't start well," the Schalke coach honestly admitted. "Our opening goal just before halftime came a bit out of nowhere."

Responsible for this was long-time Bundesliga pro Pierre-Michel Lasogga (33), who, due to injury (persistent knee problems, torn muscle fiber), made only his eleventh appearance of the current season and once again underscored his vital importance to the young Schalke team. The center forward first opened the scoring with a header. He later provided two assists for substitutes Bojan Potnar and Mauro Zalazar . Lasogga had already played a key role in the previous 3-0 away win at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, scoring a goal and providing an assist.

"The 1-0 goal showed once again what incredible quality Pierre has in the air," said coach Fimpel, raving about his veteran: "We've missed him a lot for a long time."

Special praise also went to goalkeeper Faaris Yusufu (20), who, with a save from Vladislav Fadeev midway through the second half, equalized for SV Eintracht Hohkeppel and thus prevented a potential turnaround. It wasn't until Bojan Potnar headed Pierre-Michel Lasogga's delicate cross into the net to make it 2-0 a quarter of an hour before the final whistle that the visitors' resistance was finally broken. The Royal Blues then doubled the lead.