With the fourth win in the fourth game under interim coach Mike Büskens, Schalke 04 jumped to the top of the table for the first time in the final sprint of the 2nd Bundesliga.
The extremely effective Royal Blues defeated 1. FC Heidenheim 3-0 (1-0) and benefited from the 1-1 (1-0) of their rivals FC St. Pauli and Werder Bremen.
In front of 57,126 spectators, Dominick Drexler converted Schalke's only chance to score in the first half to make it 1-0 (35').
Ko Itakura increased with a worthwhile individual action (52'), scorer Simon Terodde scored the final point with his 22nd goal of the season (90'+6').
With five games to go, the Bundesliga relegated team has an immediate return in mind.
Heidenheim said goodbye to the promotion race with the third away bankruptcy in a row.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (43rd) gave St. Pauli the lead, Niclas Füllkrug (58th) equalized for Bremen with his 15th goal of the season.
The hosts complained that there was a handball on the part of the guests before the goal, but the goal was awarded.
Like SV Werder, Schalke has 53 points in the close promotion race.
One point behind is the club from Millerntor.
Fourth is SV Darmstadt 98 (51), who are guests at 1. FC Nürnberg in the evening and can take the lead in the table with a win.
Meanwhile, the descent from the Erzgebirge Aue is getting closer and closer.
The Saxons lost to Hannover 96 1:3 (0:2) and are still at the bottom of the table after the fourth bankruptcy in a row.
Julian Börner (3rd) scored the early 1-0 for Lower Saxony, who had not won four times in a row and suffered three bankruptcies.
Hendrik Weydandt (24th) increased after video evidence.
Nikola Trujic (54th) scored the connecting goal.
Sebastian Kerk (75th) made everything clear.