Schalke off the mark with hard-fought win against Union Berlin
Schalke earned their first Bundesliga win of the season thanks to a 3-1 victory at Union Berlin, whose late fightback fell short.
Both sides went into this Matchday 3 fixture with only a single point from their first two games. Union had drawn 3-3 with Frankfurt before losing 4-0 in Leverkusen, while Schalke had lost 3-0 in Augsburg before holding Bayern Munich to a goalless draw.
Mauro Lustrinelli made two changes to his starting XI, bringing back Leopold Querfeld and handing Woo-yeong Jeong his first league start of the season. Miron Muslić also rotated twice, with Junior Adamu and captain Kenan Karaman coming into the side.
Gosens strikes against former club
Union created the first sight of goal through Querfeld, but Schalke grew into the game and Karaman fired narrowly over. The visitors' pressure told in the 25th minute when Soufiane El-Faouzi's cross was only half-cleared by Querfeld, and Robin Gosens met the loose ball with a fine volley that went in off the post to put Schalke ahead against his former club.
Union goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow then denied Adil Aouchiche and Junior Adamu in quick succession as Schalke went close to a second before the break, with the visitors leading 1-0 at half-time.
Aouchiche doubles the lead
Schalke made the perfect start to the second half. Adamu's pass sent Aouchiche through, and he smashed the ball in off the crossbar from 12 metres for 2-0 just a minute after the restart. The goal was initially flagged offside but stood after a VAR review.
Union responded through Tom Rothe, who headed against the crossbar, before referee Timo Gerach had to be replaced by fourth official, Jarno Wienefeld, following an injury. The hosts kept pressing, and substitute Tim Skarke pulled one back in the 96th minute, heading in from close range after Rothe's flick-on.
Union threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but Maximilian Wöber settled matters in the 103rd minute, finishing off a swift Schalke counterattack after a pass from substitute Hee Chan Hwang to make it 3-1.
Player of the Match: Loris Karius
Loris Karius made several important saves to keep Union at arm's length, denying András Schäfer, Rothe and Skarke as the hosts pushed for an equaliser in the second half.
He was a key figure in stopping Union's late comeback attempt, and his consistent shot-stopping throughout the match earned him 47 percent of the Player of the Match vote.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Union Berlin 1.53 - Schalke 04 2.25
Fastest player: Woo-yeong Jeong (Union), 32.79 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-2 by Tim Skarke (Union), 13 percent
Pass efficiency: Adil Aouchiche (Schalke), +2.46
Fantasy Heroes: Adil Aouchiche (Schalke, 238 points), Tim Skarke (Union Berlin, 210 points), Tom Rothe (Union Berlin, 210 points)
