Schalke 04 3 - 0 Wolfsburg: Wolfsburg's away struggles continue against rampant Schalke

Posted Sunday, February 07, 2016 by PA

Wolfsburg's woes on the road continued as they were beaten 3-0 by Schalke - a result which saw Dieter Hecking's men slip to eighth in the Bundesliga.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Johannes Geis struck in the first half, with Alessandro Schopf adding a late third to keep Schalke's push for a place in the Champions League next season alive.

The Royal Blues were good value for the points as Julian Draxler's return to the Veltins Arena ended in bitter disappointment.

The 22-year-old, who spent 14 years on the Schalke books before joining Wolfsburg in August, was booed each time he touched the ball as the home fans showed their anger at his decision to leave.

Daniel Caligiuri went close to opening the scoring for the visitors with a 25-yard effort which rattled the crossbar, but minutes later Huntelaar put the hosts in front from the same distance to conclude a swift counter-attack after a Draxler shot was saved.

Geis made added another 10 minutes before half-time with one of his trademark free-kicks, which curled over the wall and bounced passed Diego Benaglio's desperate attempt to keep it out.

Another free-kick just outside the area had the expectant home fans on their feet, but Geis' effort this time just missed the far post.

Some Leroy Sane trickery almost carved another opening for a dominant Schalke side as Wolfsburg, who have picked up just six points on their travels all season, look bereft of ideas.

A simple loss of possession in midfield was punished ruthlessly by Schalke, with Schopf scoring his first Bundesliga goal to wrap up victory late on.