1. FC Köln held to a goalless draw by Schalke 04 despite dominating possession
1. FC Köln had 62% of the ball and five shots on target but could not break down Schalke 04, who kept a 0-0 draw on Bundesliga matchday 7 despite picking up three second-half bookings.
1. FC Köln could not find a way past a well-organised Schalke 04 at the RheinEnergieStadion, the two sides settling for a point apiece in a goalless draw on matchday 7. Köln had the better of almost every statistic that matters, but neither side could turn control of the ball into a goal.
The hosts controlled 62% of possession, completed 457 of 545 passes (83.9%) and put five shots on target, against a Schalke side that managed only one shot on target and 226 of 324 passes (69.8%) all afternoon. Goalkeeper Loris Karius was the busier of the two shot-stoppers and kept his line intact, helped by a back five that gave Köln's forwards almost nothing clean to work with inside the box.
Match stats
| Stat | 1. FC Köln | Schalke 04 |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 62% | 38% |
| Shots on target | 5 | 1 |
| Corners | 6 | 5 |
| Pass accuracy | 457/545 (83.9%) | 226/324 (69.8%) |
| Fouls committed | 8 | 12 |
| Offsides | 4 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
Line-ups
- 1. FC Köln (4-2-3-1): Marvin Schwäbe — Luka Lochoshvili, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Borna Sosa, Sebastian Sebulonsen — Mikey Moore, Tom Krauss — Ísak Jóhannesson, Marius Bulter, Said El Mala — Linton Maina
- Schalke 04 (5-3-2): Loris Karius — Nikola Katic, Hasan Kurucay, Timo Becker, Robin Gosens, Junior Dina Ebimbe — Satoshi Tanaka, Adil Aouchiche, Soufian El-Faouzi — Hwang Hee-Chan, Junior Adamu
A point that suits Schalke's form more than Köln's
The draw ends back-to-back defeats for Schalke, who had lost to Freiburg and then to Mainz in their previous two outings — this is their first point in three Bundesliga matches. Köln, by contrast, had won their previous home-and-away pair against Mönchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt separated by a loss at the latter's ground, and will feel this was two points surrendered against the run of play given their control of the ball.
What's next
The point takes Köln to 8 points from seven games, moving them up to 11th, while Schalke stay 15th on 6 points, their goal difference unchanged at -3. Neither side is yet in the relegation zone, but both remain firmly in the lower half of the table heading into the next round.
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