In a first half that perfectly summed up Schalke’s woeful campaign so far, the hosts failed to excite the 60,000 home fans inside the VELTINS-Arena.
Their only shot on target came four minutes in, with Moritz Jenz rising highest in the box to head goalwards, only for Koln goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe to thwart the effort with a smart save down to his right.
While both sides lacked any real quality throughout a largely drab first period, the half-time team talks from both managers worked, with the game finally opening up after the restart.
Effzeh came closest to an opener when Timo Hubers’ stooped low inside the penalty area to connect with Florian Kainz’s whipped cross, but the Koln defender could only watch on as his header clipped the top of the crossbar.
At the opposite end, Tom Krauss threatened with a looping header of his own, whereas Rodrigo Zalazar’s whistling strike from 25 yards out sailed just wide of the upright.
Zalazar’s introduction would eventually prove the turning point for Schalke, even if the hosts were unable to find a winning goal.
Jere Uronen’s cross found the substitute inside the penalty area, but Zalazar’s ambitious header was unable to trouble Schwabe in the Koln goal.
Despite the result, there were still signs of improvement for Reis’ Schalke, who bounce back from a midweek drubbing against RB Leipzig with a resilient performance.
Regardless, they stay adrift at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, with the gap between them and safety now six points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rodrigo Zalazar (Schalke)
