Wagner relieved as lucky Schalke hang on

Schalke boss David Wagner admitted his side got lucky as they held on to beat Arminia Bielefeld 3-2 in the DFB-Pokal. Schalke were leading 3-0 at the break and looked to be cruising into the last 16 of the competition before the home side hit back with two goals of their own to set up a very nervy finish.
Alessandro Schopf got the opener with a fine long-range strike on 16 minutes, before Benito Raman doubled the advantage on 25 minutes.
Raman then grabbed his second on 31 minutes with a fine goal on the counter-attack, and missed chances to complete his hat-trick just before the break.
Fabian Klos pulled one back for Armina on 72 minutes, before a Salif Sane own goal set up a tense finish.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser but Schalke managed to keep them out, much to the relief of Wagner, who admitted they got lucky. “We definitely got a bit lucky tonight,” Wagner said after the game. “Fortune favours the brave and we were brave tonight. Nevertheless, it was a deserved win as the first half was excellent. We are continuing to development and tonight’s game will help us to do that as the lads will now know that a 3-0 lead needs to be taken seriously as one goal can quickly change the complexion of a game. “We will speak about all 90 minutes of the game, not just the last 20. The only thing that really matters in the cup is getting through – and we earned our place in the next round tonight.”