FC Schalke 04 has had a dream start to the new 2. Bundesliga season. Two double-packers led their team to a convincing victory.
What a start to the new 2nd Bundesliga season for Schalke 04: The “Knappen” won the first top game of the season against Eintracht Braunschweig with 5:1 (2:1). This means that coach Karel Geraerts' team is currently top of the table.
Tobias Mohr put Schalke in the lead early on with a dream goal. He lobbed a long ball from goalkeeper Justin Heekeren over guest keeper Lennart Grill (9th minute). New signing Moussa Sylla increased the lead midway through the first half with a ping-pong goal (25th minute). Braunschweig was able to shorten the lead after a corner by Kevin Ehlers (33rd minute).
In the second half, both teams neutralized each other for long stretches before Schalke's new captain Kenan Karaman put the lid on it. The Turk scored to make it 3-1 (73'). Braunschweig then fell apart. Sylla with his second goal of the day and Karaman again increased the score even further with a lightning double strike in the final minutes and finally made the stadium shake (82'/83').
Schalke will be travelling to Nuremberg for a friendly next week. The “Club”, where coach and world champion Miroslav Klose made his debut, lost its opening match of the new season 2-3 in Karlsruhe in the early afternoon after leading 2-0.
After a disastrous start to the season, Braunschweig will have to play at home against Magdeburg next week. The team from Saxony-Anhalt had picked up a point in their home game against Elversberg at the same time as Nuremberg's match against KSC. The two teams parted ways goalless.
Meanwhile, promotion hopefuls Hertha BSC lost their first game of the new season somewhat surprisingly 1:2 against SC Paderborn. Hannover 96 celebrated a comfortable 2:0 home win against newly promoted Jahn Regensburg and are in second place behind Schalke.
