Union Berlin lost their second Bundesliga home game of the season. FC Schalke 04 won 3-1 (1-0) in Köpenick on Friday, claiming their first Bundesliga victory since May 2023.
Gosens and Aouchiche put Schalke ahead
Robin Gosens put the visitors ahead in the 25th minute, his first Bundesliga goal in 1,203 days without scoring in the league. After the break, Adil Aouchiche made it 2-0 in the 46th minute, set up by Junior Chukwubuike Adamu.
Referee injury halts the match
The game was stopped for almost ten minutes after referee Timo Gerach suffered an injury. Fourth official Jarno Wienefeld took over running the match afterwards.
Union Berlin had chances but found no way back for a long time. Tom Rothe missed in the 75th minute, and Janik Haberer struck the post in the 87th. Only in stoppage time did the game turn: Tim Skarke pulled one back in the 90+6th minute, assisted by Rothe, before Maximilian Wöber, set up by Hwang Hee-Chan, made it 3-1 in the 90+13th minute.
Muslic: no "beauty contest" expected
"That the floodlit game would not be a beauty contest", Miron Muslic, the Schalke head coach, had said before kickoff. His counterpart, Union head coach Mauro Lustrinelli, suffered another defeat, with Loris Karius in goal for the visitors and Frederik Rönnow between the posts for Union.
Union Berlin stay bottom of the table
After two matchdays, Union Berlin sit 15th in the Bundesliga on just one point, five points behind leaders FC Augsburg. The club have won only one of their last five competitive games and have now lost their last two in a row, including a 0-4 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen last time out. With three goals scored and seven conceded, Union currently have the worst record in the league. A full look at the current table is available on our standings page. After the international break, Union Berlin host RB Leipzig, currently eighth, on November 21 in their next Bundesliga home fixture, with the complete calendar available on our fixtures page.
Union Berlin vice-captain Rani Khedira has announced his retirement from the Tunisian national team. Khedira communicated via his agency that he is stepping down after six caps and World Cup participation. The 32-year-old said, "After the World Cup, the time has now come to look forward." Union Berlin is in 15th place with one point after three matchdays.
Referee Timo Gerach suffered a calf injury in the 59th minute. The match was interrupted for nine minutes. Gerach was driven to a hotel after the game. An MRI scan is scheduled for Monday to obtain a diagnosis. Union Berlin is in 16th place with one point after three matchdays. The team has scored four goals and conceded ten.
