Chapter 1018: Another Humiliating Defeat?!

In the end, Higo had to extend his little break from one game to two, and the team also had to accept that they were not going to have their guardian angel protecting their back in the next game.

This definitely dampened the team’s spirit, especially when they realized that their next game was far from being easy.

No, their next opponent would be Borussia Monchengladbach, a team in the 10th position in the standings. They were one spot behind Schalke, who was currently at the 9th position, so they would be way more determined to win the next game than ever.

This was going to be an important game, as a defeat would be enough to drag them out of the top ten position.

Yeah, even though the competition on top of the table had already died since Bayern Munich just dominated everything, the whole middle section was a completely different game, as everyone could still get a spot in at least the Europa League.

Most of the team still had a gap that could be overtaken by one win, so losing any game was not an option at all.

With that in mind, the team got themselves ready to face their guest in the Veltins Arena, fighting with any members remaining that could still be used by the team.

Unfortunately for them, though, Monchengladbach came with better momentum. They had been unbeaten in their last five games, winning three and forcing a draw twice against Frankfurt and Leipzig.

This was an achievement that Schalke gained in December, the one that allowed them to carry a strong momentum that lasted until January.

Now, M?nchengladbach was in a similar situation, so beating them was not going to be easy.

True enough, the away team didn’t hesitate to go all out since the beginning of the game. They put pressure on the frontline immediately, intending to copy what Dortmund had done for them.

Monchengladbach knew that without Higo on the back, Schalke was prone to panic, so the best way to deal with them was to occupy their space as quickly as possible.

It didn’t take long before their tactic bore a result, though, as Marcus Thuram somehow managed to snatch the ball from Sebastian Rudy, who was trying to play it short after receiving a pass from Fahrmann.

As a result, the French winger punished that mistake immediately, driving through the penalty box from the flank side before making a cutback pass to Alassane Plea, their striker, who was mingling inside the box.

The game had just been running for 7 minutes, and yet, Schalke had already been in a disadvantageous situation.

"Fucking hell! Tell Fahrmann and whoever on the defensive line not to hold the ball for too long! We are not a fucking Bayern Munich, for God’s sake!"

On the sideline, Frohling had already been screaming in fury at all of his players in the backline. He couldn’t help but compare it with when Higo was between the posts, finding that the boy’s pragmatic approach in possession of the ball somehow became more suitable for the team.

’Yeah, to think that I had time in the past where I asked him to try playing everything short... What a na?ve idea I had...’ He couldn’t help but smile bitterly here.

Higo, who watched the game from the stands, also shook his head, finding himself not approving of how the defensive line handled the situation.

’It is one thing to lose the ball in our own territory, but their reaction, though...’ He murmured inwardly while assessing the situation earlier inside his head.

’Instead of shrinking back to the penalty box, Rudy just chased from behind even though he had already lost two steps, and Malick also rushed hastily to cover that space, leaving their striker wide open in the middle. Their coordination is so terrible today...’

Now that the away team got the early lead, though, Schalke was forced to go out of their comfort zone, trying to push back with all of their might.

The combination of Morita, Hofmann, and Mustafi was still being used in this scenario, as they were trying to dominate the tempo with their control.

Unfortunately, their effort failed to bear any result, as Monchengladbach showed that it wasn’t just Schalke who could drop back instantly after scoring a goal.

If anything, though, the away team seemed to use this moment to consolidate their offense, and right before the first half was over, a long ball from the back managed to reach Marcus Thuram on the frontline, allowing the French striker to dance freely inside their own territory.

In the end, the man beat Rudy so easily on the flank before sending another cutback pass, and this time, it was Lars Stindl, the opponent’s attacking midfielder, who dealt with the ball perfectly.

0-2 for M?nchengladbach.

This made the situation worse for Schalke, especially since the goal happened in the last minute before the first half was over.

This hurt their spirit more, making them believe that this game was just another lost cause that they could never recover from.

Even though in the second half, Frohling tried to put three more offensive players, this still didn’t change anything, as the team’s spirit had already dropped into a rock bottom after the second goal happened.

Hell, if anything, it was M?nchengladbach who took advantage of the situation to secure the lead, as they managed to add one more to lock the win for them.

The last one came from a corner kick scenario, where Sead Kolasinac got beaten by Stefan Leiner, who rushed from behind, stealing the header before the Bosnian striker could clear it away.

That was also the final goal before Monchengladbach finally decided to drop back, not intending to add more salt to the home team’s wound.

No, this time, they abandoned the attack, just playing around their territory while also wasting time so that the game could be finished as quickly as possible.

In the end, Schalke also didn’t show any resistance, letting the opponent control the rest of the game easily.

Once the game was finally over, all the Monchengladbach players finally took a deep, relieved sigh, realizing that they finally managed to steal a win from the stadium where even Bayern Munich fell here.

With that result, Monchengladbach rose to the 8th position, and Schalke had to be satisfied with falling into 11th place in the standings.