The 2007-08 campaign delivered a dramatic blend of European ambition and domestic turmoil for Schalke. Die Knappen secured a 3rd-place Bundesliga finish and, in a historic run, advanced to the UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals, memorably defeating Porto in the Round of 16 before falling to Barcelona. Leading the charge was the clinical Kevin Kurányi, whose 15 league goals were crucial, in a season that also featured the emergence of young talents like a formidable Manuel Neuer and the dynamic Ivan Rakitić, despite a mid-season managerial change from Mirko Slomka.