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Dominick Drexler: It’s crunch time at the top and we want to be involved
Schalke’s third goal to seal the win on Sunday against Ingolstadt was scored by Dominick Drexler in the 81st minute. The midfielder made it 3-0 with an ice-cold finish following some lovely play by Rodrigo Zalazar. It was the 31-year-old’s second goal of the season, and he’s hoping not the last one.
“We want to get in the habit of winning games. It’s crunch time at the top and we want to be involved. Teams that pick up points towards the end of the season always have a good chance of being at the top,” stated Drexler ahead of the vital run-in.
Thanks to the win in Ingolstadt and other results in the second division over the weekend – Darmstadt, St. Pauli and Bremen all failed to win – Schalke have reduced the gap to the promotion places to just four points. The Royal Blues also have to play that trio, plus Nürnberg in fourth, before the end of the season.
Midfielder praises Matthias Kreutzer’s team talk
Drexler believed from the first whistle that the team would win the game in the south of Germany. The victory ultimately proved to be hard work, even if the final scoreline doesn’t reflect that. “Ingolstadt were tough to play against. You could see that both teams were fighting for important points,” said S04’s number 24.
Teams that pick up points towards the end of the season always have a good chance of being at the top.
Following a goalless first half, the team regrouped during the break. “Matze Kreutzer found the right words for us. He’s very clear about what he wants and has lots of good ideas. We had a good week of training with him and the whole coaching team prepared us really well for the game,” revealed Drexler, who added: “We said to ourselves in the huddle before the second half that these are the kind of games that you win after the break.”
That then proved to be the reality. It took less than 10 minutes for Schalke to break the deadlock in the second period, substitute Rodrigo Zalazar getting the goal just minutes after coming off the bench. The Uruguayan then assisted the other two goals for Malick Thiaw and Drexler. “We’ve always got plenty of quality on the bench and can change the game, which we saw once again,” praised Drexler. “I can hardly remember a game this season in which we haven’t scored in the second half.”
Excitement for a home game with a big crowd
The goalscorer was already looking ahead to the next home game on the way back to Gelsenkirchen on Sunday. “We need to build on this win against Hannover,” demanded the midfielder ahead of Saturday’s home game (19/3), which should see a big crowd at the VELTINS-Arena.
“Together with our fans, we can achieve our goals,” summarised Drexler.
