Kuranyi's four goals bring Shalke sweeping win

BERLIN, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Schalke 04 striker Kevin Kuranyi bagged four goals to bring the troubled German soccer powerhouse a 5-0 sweeping win over Energie Cottbus on Tuesday night.

It was the first time that the German national team striker scored four in a Bundesliga match, and Schalke's highest win of the season.

Kuranyi has thus handed interim coaches Mike Buskens and Youri Mulder, who replaced Mirko Slomka on Sunday, a dream debut.

It was an important win for Schalke in the race for a place in next season's Champions League, and Energie - who had won three games in a row - came back down to earth with a bang.

Schalke needed a bit of good fortune, and it came on the half-hour mark when Energie defender Vragel da Silva put Marcelo Bordon' s header through his own net.

Then it was time for Kuranyi. Six minutes later he was in the right place to turn home Fabian Ernst's cross, and after 41 minutes he scored with a beautiful curler into the top corner from18 meters.

Another defence-splitting pass from Ernst set Kuranyi up for a cool finish with 59 minutes gone, and he added a fourth with a header ten minutes from time.

Buskens and Mulder had changed the starting line-up in just one position, with Brazilian Rafinha taking Mladen Krstajic's place.