VfB Stuttgart
| 1-0 | Ibisevic | (2. Min) |
| 2-1 | Ibisevic | (38. Min) |
| 3-1 | Ibisevic | (61. Min) |
FC Schalke 04
| 1-1 | Marica | (12. Min) |
Vedad Ibisevic
Gotoku Sakai
Stats 
Hat-trick from Ibisevic
VfB beat Schalke 04 3-1 (2-1) in an eventful and entertaining match though Gotoku Sakai saw the red card.
Not even all of the 55,878 spectators at the Mercedes Benz Arena had taken their seats when the celebrations already began.
After an excellent attack down the left side, Vedad Ibisevic struck home a perfectly-timed pass from Ibrahima Traoré to make it 1-0 for VfB in the second minute.
Two goals in the first quarter-hour
Bruno Labbadia’s team was highly motivated by the strong start and looked to add on but Raphael Holzhauser’s blast went wide of Timo Hildebrand’s goal. Schalke slowly recovered from the shock and had a decent chance in the seventh minute on a header by Jermaine Jones.
VfB were again on the attack as Traoré twice had shots from the edge of the area in the 11th minute but failed to convert. Ciprian Marica proved better at the other end as the former VfB player blasted in a pass from Jones in the 12th minute to equalize 1-1.
Ibisevic scores for halftime lead
On offence, VfB were dangerous in the 34th minute on a through ball from Christian Gentner though Hildebrand rushed out in time to clear the ball just before Martin Harnik could get to it.
Shortly thereafter, the VfB captain Gentner jumped up in the box and was fouled by Christian Fuchs – the result being a penalty. Ibisevic stepped up to the spot and converted calmly to give VfB a 2-1 lead after 38 minutes. And that was the score at the break.
VfB head coach Bruno Labbadia: "That was a big victory for us." Post match comments
Ibisevic tallies a third time
The spectators were provided plenty of entertainment after halftime. The tempo remained high as VfB continued to push forward and Schalke also had their chances. Labbadia’s men created the next dangerous situation.
In the 61st minute, Gentner sent a through ball to Holzhauser, whose shot was blocked away by Hildebrand but right into the path of Ibisevic, who hit home the rebound for his third goal and a 3-1 lead.
Red cards for Sakai and Jones
The VfB supporters’ good spirits were dampened slightly in the 67th minute when Gotoku Sakai was sent off with a red card for his challenge on Lewis Holtby. But the playing field was leveled in 73rd minute as Jones was also disqualified for a red card. And in the end, VfB were the deserved 3-1 victors over Schalke 04 in an exciting and entertaining match.
