Schalke 04 lost crucial points in their pursuit of Champions League qualification this evening as they went down 1-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Chelsea loanee Lucas Piazon scored the winning goal at the Commerzbank-Arena as Frankfurt ended their six-match winless run in the Bundesliga.
Roberto Di Matteo's side were at the opposite end of the form table prior to kickoff, having gone unbeaten since December and drawn with runaway leaders Bayern Munich earlier this month.
They had the better of a quiet first half, but Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp won his individual battle with Marco Hoger by denying him from inside the area on 22 minutes and then again on the stroke of the break.
The hosts had failed to register a shot on target during the opening period, with Alexander Madlung dragging their best opening wide, and looked no more likely after the break until Piazon made his mark.
It was a rare headed goal for the playmaker on loan from Stamford Bridge as he jumped above his marker in the centre of the box to glance Timothy Chandler's deflected cross inside the far post on 65 minutes.
A Schalke response was a while in coming, but they ended up peppering the Frankfurt goal in the latter stages and Trapp had to be at his best to keep out efforts from Felix Platte, Maxim Choupo-Moting and Jan Kirchhoff.
Victory in Thomas Schaaf's 500th game as a manager sees ninth-placed Frankfurt close the gap on the sides above them, but Schalke stay fourth on a weekend when Borussia Monchengladbach won to go above them.
Joe Fish
