Muslic after defeat: "We can't blame ourselves"
Schalke suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday evening at Kaiserslautern. Coach Miron Muslic, however, had little to criticize his team for and quickly identified the crucial point.
Schalke coach Miron Muslic saw his team's first defeat of the season. IMAGO/RHR-Foto
"The boys played a decent game, especially defensively. Kaiserslautern's only dangerous shot on goal came after 60 seconds, and then we kept FCK away from our own goal until the penalty," S04 coach Miron Muslic analyzed on RTL, adding: "Then there was this unfortunate incident, which I think was a penalty. Then you're 1-0 down."
The scene Muslic was referring to occurred in the 52nd minute: Ron Schallenberg attempted to clear the ball and hit Daniel Hanslik in the leg. Referee Martin Petersen initially allowed play to continue, but after reviewing the video footage, he pointed to the penalty spot. "I didn't see him, he wanted to clear the ball, and he did it cleverly. I felt like it was a penalty straight away; I expected nothing else. Of course, I feel sorry for the team," Schallenberg openly admitted on Sky .
Marlon Ritter coolly converted from the penalty spot. It ended up being the only goal of the night, handing FCK their first three points and Schalke their first defeat of the young season. "We gave Lautern a bit of the upper hand and only came back at the end, but we couldn't create any clear chances. We need more power going forward, more clear chances, even though we're not playing at home and don't have our fans behind us to push us," said goalkeeper Loris Karius .
"We went all-in in the end"While Schalke's defensive play was absolutely fine and they conceded very little, it's also true that Schalke posed virtually no threat offensively. The visitors didn't have any clear-cut chances on Saturday evening, which is why the defeat is, overall, acceptable.
"We can't blame ourselves for anything; we gave it our all until the end," said coach Muslic, adding: "We went all-in at the end, but unfortunately, we couldn't reward ourselves. Lautern defended well and passionately, and the penalty was decisive."
After two matches in the league, the win against Hertha and the defeat in Kaiserslautern, Schalke will continue in another competition next Sunday: In the first round of the cup, S04 will face regional league side Lok Leipzig.
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