This archive report was first published on 30 November 2019.
On Friday, Schalke 04 secured a crucial 2-1 win over Union Berlin, with Suat Serdar scoring the decisive goal in the 86th minute. This victory provisionally propelled the Royal Blues into second place in the Bundesliga.
The match saw Schalke dominate the second half, with Union Berlin running out of steam. Schalke's level on 25 points with leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach, who welcome Freiburg on Sunday, while Champions Bayern Munich, a point behind, host Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Benito Raman opened the scoring for Schalke in the 23rd minute with a powerful strike, but Union Berlin equalized with a Marcus Ingvartsen penalty 13 minutes later. Schalke's goalkeeper, Alexander Nuebel, made several crucial saves to keep his team in the game.
After the break, Schalke managed to control the pace and find more space, ultimately securing the win with Serdar's late goal. Union Berlin's goalkeeper, Rafal Gikiewicz, made several impressive saves, but could not prevent Serdar's shot from going in four minutes from the end.
