GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) - Suat Serdar celebrated his 24th birthday by scoring his first Bundesliga goal of the season as basement side Schalke 04 snapped a 12-game winless run to beat Augsburg 1-0 at the Veltins Arena on Sunday.
Having failed to score in their past five home games, Schalke broke the deadlock inside four minutes when Germany midfielder Serdar slotted home from close range after Augsburg goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz failed to collect a low cross.
Augsburg threatened to equalise through forwards Marco Richter and Ruben Vargas but a disciplined Schalke defence held on to claim only their second league win of the campaign. Schalke still have work to do if they are to survive the drop as they remain 12 points adrift of the relegation playoff spot and 13 away from the first survival position.
Meanwhile, Augsburg are yet to secure their top-flight status and sit 11th with a seven-point cushion over the playoff spot.