Schalke pay penalty after six-goal thriller against Vissel Kobe

By Sports Reporter/DohaVissel Kobe beat Schalke 04 in a penalty shootout at Aspire Zone yesterday after sharing six goals in normal time.Both sides were playing for pride after finishing bottom of their respective groups. The German side had found the going understandably tough in previous games against Aspire International and Real Madrid, two of the standout teams in the tournament. Meanwhile Kobe had battled well against Arsenal before capitulating against Aspire Academy.Yesterday afternoon a dust storm over Aspire Zone blotted out the sun as the teams took the field, but that the Japanese seemed determined to lift the gloom. They took an early lead when Akito Mukai intercepted a poor square ball from Schalke captain Sanchelis Sachpazidis across his own area, making no mistake from 12 yards out.Mukai had been Kobe’s standout performer in their previous matches, combining tenacious running with skilful close control, and he had two great chances to double the lead soon after. With 10 minutes gone he advanced into the area down the right channel, clipping his shot past the keeper but also the post, and on 20 minutes he went close again, only to see his lobbed effort rise just too high.On the half hour the Germans produced their first attack of note, and levelled the scores after Kobe keeper Kaito Tsurata had blocked several shots in succession before Luke Hemmerich blasted home from close range.Kobe were ahead again within five minutes when the electric Mukai sped through the middle before feeding midfielder Takuya Yasui, who slotted low into the right-hand corner. Mukai nearly added a third almost immediately after a sublime piece of skill took him past two defenders with a deft turn, but keeper Hendrik Sauter did well to smother his effort.Kobe continued to dominate possession early in the second period, with Mukai the fulcrum of all their most promising moves.Schalke had the ball in the net on 55 minutes, but referee Eissa al-Mudaikhi correctly adjudged that Lukas Kunze had handled and the effort was ruled out. However, the disallowed goal heralded Schalke’s best spell of the game as they kept the ball more successfully, but with little end product to speak of until the 75th minute, when they equalised after Janik Steringer headed home substitute Maurice Stocker’s corner from the left.With 10 minutes remaining Kobe attacked again and Noda hit a first time shot from close range onto the post before smashing the rebound onto the bar. It was a sign that their luck had temporarily run out for, five minutes later, Schalke unexpectedly snatched the lead after a slick passing move through the middle allowed Julius Alt to supply Nassim Boujellab, who slotted home from close range.Still, Kobe refused to lie down and as the game drifted into added time captain Tatsuki Noda fed Yasui from the left, whose first time pass was converted by Mukai from the middle of the penalty area. There was still time for Schalke to win it as substitute Nassim Boujellab ran clear in the dying seconds but, with the last kick of the match, he put his shot wide. A tense penalty shootout ensued, with Japanese keeper Tsurata the hero after saving two spot kicks before Ryosuki Nagasawa dispatched the winning effort.