A single effort from Srdjan Lakic on 42 minutes was enough to take three points against die Knappen, who had five changes made to their previous line-up.
There was no shortage of chances on goal for both teams in the first half, but the visitors were just clinical enough to take the lead before the interval thanks to Lakic, who tucked a fine finish inside the left post. The Croat’s goal came just seconds after Julian Draxler missed a sitter at the opposite end, when he had just goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to beat.
Erwin Hoffer was particularly effective for the visitors, but on several occasions, the Austrian’s final touch let him down. The same could be said for Schalke’s Jefferson Farfan, who fired one good shot straight at Trapp and saw another close-ranged volley sail well over the bar.
With all things considered, the visitors’ lead was well deserved after Christian Tiffert forced a tremendous save from Neuer, and Hoffer missed an open net after a rare mistake from the Schalke goalkeeper.
After the interval, the introductions of Jose Jurado and Alexander Baumjohann saw the hosts improve initially, but they ultimately had few clear chances on goal. Edu burst through in the 52nd minute before Trapp did well to block his effort. The hosts increased their pressure as full time approached, but Raul had his low drive saved, and Joel Matip had an effort from close range deflected just around the post.
Kaiserslautern had just one clear chance to double its advantage, but Matip made a tremendous recovery to put the ball out of play. Ultimately the visitors did just enough to secure three points in their fight to avoid relegation.
The result sees Kaiserslautern move 12th in the Bundesliga standings, with 37 points from 31 matches. Schalke remains tenth, three points clear of its opponents.
Go here to see the original:
Schalke 0-1 Kaiserslautern: Lakic Seals Three Points For Visitors