A solid all-round performance earned Schalke their first win in five competitive outings, with Marcelo Bordon (15.), Kevin Kuranyi (19.) and Jefferson Farfan (68.) securing them a 3-0 victory away to KSC.
For the home team, this was the fourth defeat in a row, with their misery compounded by the 56th-minute sending off of captain Maik Franz for a second bookable offence.
Strong opening
Kuranyi pulled a save out of home keeper Markus Miller after all of 45 seconds, sounding in a furious start from the visitors, with Halil Altintop (3.), Jermaine Jones (8.), Kuranyi again (10.) and Ivan Rakitic (14.) all testing Miller and finding him equal to the task. A minute later, however, even the on-form keeper could do nothing to prevent Bordon's opener.
KSC responded instantly to the setback, going right up the park and nearly scoring through a Joshua Kennedy header. Levan Kobiashvili cleared off the line with S04 keeper Manuel Neuer beaten.
Minutes later Kuranyi headed the visitors two up, with Miller on this occasion cutting a far less happy figure.
Hectic after the break
Rakitic called the home keeper into action once again (39.) before the break and Schalke continued to press for a third after the restart. The game then became bogged down in a flurry of fouls, culminating in Franz's sending off for unsporting conduct.
Ten minutes later Altintop pulled another save out of Miller, before Farfan banged the final nail in the home side's coffin.
“The ‘Royal Blues’ are in my heart”
S04 miss out on fourth straight win
Hard-fought win for Schalke