Raul scored his 400th professional goal to set Schalke 04 on their way to an emphatic 4-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday, handing visiting coach Felix Magath an unhappy return to the club he left just under one year ago.
Raul, signed by Magath before the start of last season, opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar helped himself to two goals and he missed a penalty, while Joel Matip scored the other.
“I didn’t know it was my 400th goal, but I’m happy, it’s nice to reach this milestone,” Raul told Sky. “The best thing was that we won today.”
Photo: Reuters
Magath was making his second return to Schalke since his departure in March last year, the previous visit to Gelsenkirchen having ended in a 1-0 defeat.
Christian Pander set up two goals and scored to help seventh-placed Hannover 96 beat ninth-placed VfB Stuttgart 4-2 in the late game.
Pander’s pin-point corners allowed Karim Haggui and Mame Diouf to score with first-half headers, before he got on the score sheet himself with a 20m rocket straight after the restart.
Lars Stindl made it 4-0, before Stuttgart staged a late fightback when Martin Harnik and Shinji Okazaki each grabbed a goal.
Wolfsburg were quickly in trouble as they fell 2-0 behind within 15 minutes.
Jefferson Farfan’s corner was headed on at the near post by Matip and Raul, left unmarked at the far post, turned the ball in.
Five minutes later, Schalke broke down the left and Christian Fuchs sent over an inviting low cross which Huntelaar side-footed past Diego Benaglio.
Wolfsburg could have pulled one back when Yohandry Orozco was sent clear, but his shot was blocked by Lars Unnerstall, then Mario Mandzukic fired wildly over.
Huntelaar was twice denied by Benaglio before halftime, the first from the penalty spot, but the hosts increased their lead four minutes after the break when Matip scored with a cheeky back-heel following a corner.
Huntelaar completed the scoring in the 72nd minute, heading his 18th league goal of the season after Fuchs crossed from the left at the second attempt.
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