Schalke coach Felix Magath believes the 2-0 Champions League win over Benfica shows his players are turning the corner after a difficult start.
The Royal Blues have won only once all term in the Bundesliga, but Wednesday night's first victory in the Champions League will give them confidence for the coming weeks.
"This win was a further step in the right direction," said Magath. "I am glad that we managed to control a difficult opponent and not concede any goals.
"We had never managed that all season and this success should give us more strength for the coming challenges."
Klaas Jan Huntelaar was on target for the third game in a row and his partnership with Raul is now beginning to flourish.
"He has helped us with his goals in the last few games," acknowledged Magath. "He has proven his excellent goalscoring instinct once again."
The Holland striker was humble, saying that the "most important thing was winning".
"We had to win this game and we now have three points, just like Benfica," he added on his club's website.
Schalke next face Hapoel Tel Aviv, who have lost both of their opening matches, home and away before hosting Lyon and ending their group stage campaign at Benfica.
