Schalke 04 can continue to hope to stay in the Bundesliga after an emotional point. The team of coach Thomas Reis fought their way to a 2-2 (1-1) draw in the charged "final" against Eintracht Frankfurt after going behind. This means that the Royal Blues are 16th, but VfB Stuttgart can pass on Sunday.
Simon Terodde (1st) gave Schalke a perfect start in the sold-out arena, Daichi Kamada (21st) and Tuta (59th) turned the game around. However, Sebastian Polter managed the much-acclaimed equaliser shortly before the end (85th).
Should Stuttgart win at FSV Mainz 05, the Royal Blues will go into next weekend's Bundesliga final in the relegation zone. RB Leipzig, however, will be without key player Moritz Jenz, who, like Terodde, received his fifth yellow card.
The Europa League winner from Frankfurt, on the other hand, kept the small remaining chance of the international ranks. In the DFB-Pokal final against Leipzig on 3 June, however, the eagle bearers have another opportunity to play in Europe again in the coming season.
Coach Reis had described the last game in his own living room as a "final", his team had to be "courageous" and "rigorous in the duels". The Schalke supporters did the rest: the spectators in the lower tier came dressed in white, those in the upper tier in blue. Together, they whipped their team forward.
The hosts got off to a lightning start: in the first minute of the game, Terodde headed in a free-kick cross, and deafening cheers erupted in the stadium. Schalke fought passionately, but often left the centre open - as was the case with the equaliser, when Kamada moved inside, finished and goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow let the unplaced shot slip through.
The Eintracht of coach Oliver Glasner, who stood on the sidelines for the third-to-last time for Eintracht, were more eager to play. However, the invited Schalke team repeatedly worked Randal Kolo Muani and Co. with excessive harshness.
In attack, Schalke achieved little without the suspended top scorer Marius Bülter. Unlike Eintracht, who took command at the beginning of the second half. The hosts seemed inhibited - and mistakes crept in. After a cross, the released Tuta only had to push in from a few meters.
The goal had an effect, but Schalke pulled themselves together again. Driven by their own fans, the home side mobilised the last of their strength, and Reis also brought in more attackers in Sebastian Polter and Tobias Mohr for the final offensive. Schalke rewarded themselves - and yet they don't know what will happen next.