Schalke defeat Union Berlin 3:1 for first Bundesliga victory since May 2023

Early lead through former Union players

Schalke 04 secured a 3:1 away victory over 1. FC Union Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Friday night. The result delivered Schalke their first Bundesliga win since May 2023, following a 1,203-day wait for a top-flight goal. Schalke head coach Miron Muslic started team captain Kenan Karaman after a hip injury, while striker Moussa Sylla missed the match due to the birth of his child. Muslic defended starting Karaman before kickoff.

Untouchable for us and also irreplaceable.

Union head coach Mauro Lustrinelli made two changes to his starting lineup following a 0:4 loss to Bayer Leverkusen, selecting Leopold Querfeld in defence and starting Woo-Yeong Jeong in attack. In the 25th minute, Robin Gosens opened the scoring from close range against his former club, redirecting the ball off the inside post after Querfeld deflected an El-Faouzi cross.

Quick restart and referee substitution

Union held substantial possession following the opening goal, but struggled to create clear chances against Schalke's defensive shape. Frederik Rönnow prevented a larger deficit before halftime by stopping shots from Adil Aouchiche and Junior Adamu, while Loris Karius denied Emmanuel Latte Lath in the 28th minute after a header from Rani Khedira. Schalke extended their advantage thirty seconds after the restart when Aouchiche completed a one-two with Adamu and scored from a tight angle under the crossbar. Lustrinelli brought on András Schäfer for Aljoscha Kemlein and Marin Ljubicic for Livan Burcu at halftime to generate attacking momentum. The game was subsequently halted for a long period when referee Timo Gerach sustained an injury. Fourth official Jarno Wienefeld entered to make his Bundesliga debut, leading to twelve minutes of second-half stoppage time.

Stoppage-time exchanges and late goals

Union Berlin mounted sustained pressure in the closing stages, forcing Karius into saves against Woo-Yeong Jeong, Schäfer, and Tom Rothe. Schalke almost scored a third on a breakaway, but Marin Ljubicic hit the post. In the 96th minute, substitute Tim Skarke scored with a volley to reduce the deficit to 1:2. Skarke had an opportunity to equalize moments later, but Karius saved his second attempt to preserve Schalke's lead. Schalke then launched a decisive counter-attack in the 13th minute of added time, with Maximilian Wöber scoring from a pass by Hwang to seal the 3:1 win.

Table positions after three matchdays

The defeat leaves Union Berlin with one point from their opening three Bundesliga fixtures under Mauro Lustrinelli. The Köpenick side had previously drawn 3:3 with Eintracht Frankfurt and lost 0:4 to Bayer Leverkusen, conceding ten goals across their first three matches. Swiss midfielder Michel Aebischer started the match for Union before being substituted in the 85th minute. Schalke climbed to four points in the table after adding this victory to their Matchday 2 draw against FC Bayern Munich. The match was attended by 22,012 spectators at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.