Few would have expected this result beforehand. Schalke had started their Bundesliga campaign with a 3-0 defeat away to FC Augsburg, while Bayern opened with a 5-1 win over VfB Stuttgart. The result also meant Schalke claimed a Bundesliga point against the record champions for the first time since a 1-1 draw in Munich on 4 February 2017. In between, the Gelsenkirchen club had lost ten consecutive league meetings with Bayern.
Kane and Olise start on the bench
Vincent Kompany made several notable changes in Gelsenkirchen. Harry Kane and Michael Olise were both named among the substitutes, with 18-year-old Lennart Karl handed a starting role instead, while new signing Ismael Saibari led the attack. Luis Díaz and Nathaniel Brown completed the attacking line behind him. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović formed the double pivot, while Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah and Alphonso Davies lined up in defence in front of Manuel Neuer.
Jamal Musiala was also back in the squad. The Germany international had suffered two collapses during pre-season friendlies, with short absence episodes linked to a neurological dysfunction subsequently diagnosed. After adjustments to his treatment, Musiala had been able to return to full training and was back on the bench against Schalke for the first time since those incidents.
Schalke coach Miron Muslić opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation. Timo Becker, Nikola Katić and Hasan Kuruçay formed the back three in front of Loris Karius, with Junior Dina Ebimbe and Robin Gosens operating out wide. Satoshi Tanaka and Soufian El-Faouzi occupied the centre, while Dejan Ljubičić and Adil Aouchiche supported Moussa Sylla. The shape made Schalke’s approach clear from the outset: protect the central areas and break forward quickly after regaining possession.
Schalke threaten on the break as Bayern struggle to find space
The expected pattern of the game developed almost immediately. Bayern took control from the start and pushed Schalke deep into their own half. The best chance of the opening stages fell to Brown, who got a close-range effort away, but Karius reacted superbly to prevent an early breakthrough for the favourites.
Schalke gradually settled after that. The hosts rarely enjoyed sustained spells of possession, but they did manage to launch two or three promising counter-attacks in the first half. Bayern’s rest defence, led by Tah and Upamecano, ensured those situations never developed into genuinely clear-cut chances.
Schalke’s most dangerous moment came after Upamecano fouled Sylla. Aouchiche took the resulting free-kick from the right edge of the penalty area and struck it with plenty of pace, but Neuer was alert to the danger. Overall, the 0-0 scoreline at half-time was notable: Bayern had dominated possession almost completely, yet rarely managed to work their way into truly dangerous shooting positions against Schalke’s compact defensive block.
Schalke stand firm under relentless Bayern pressure
Kompany reacted at half-time. Brown stayed in the dressing room and Kane was introduced to lead the attack. After 57 minutes, the Bayern coach added even more attacking quality: Olise replaced Saibari and Musiala came on for Karl. At that point, almost all of Bayern’s most prominent attacking players were on the pitch together.
From then on, the match became even more one-sided. Schalke had almost no controlled possession and spent virtually the entire second half defending around their own penalty area. What the hosts lacked on the ball, they made up for with enormous commitment. The whole team worked back, doubled up in wide areas and repeatedly threw themselves in front of shots and passing lanes.
Olise in particular repeatedly forced Schalke’s defence to shift after his introduction. The Frenchman added pace and creativity on the right, but neither he nor his team-mates could find a way through. An effort from Luis Díaz was blocked, while Laimer hit the side netting from a tight angle. Late on, Karius also produced an important save to deny Kane.
The statistics underline just how one-sided the contest was territorially. Bayern finished with 83 per cent possession, led the shot count 15-4 and recorded 52 touches in the opposition box compared to Schalke’s ten. They also created considerably more in expected-goals terms, with Bayern finishing on 2.10 xG compared to Schalke’s 0.21.
Even so, the record champions did too little with their overwhelming territorial dominance. Their huge possession advantage was not translated consistently enough into genuinely clear chances. The second half was played almost entirely in Schalke’s half, yet Bayern still managed only three shots on target after the break.
That was also down to an outstandingly committed defensive performance from the hosts. Schalke defended deep, but did so with intensity and a clear willingness to block every ball and contest every duel. Muslić had deliberately told his players to “enjoy defending and suffering a little” in this match, and that attitude was visible for long spells. For the Schalke coach, mentality, resilience and a readiness to suffer were decisive. Bayern were never going to stop applying pressure, he said – “but neither were we”.
Karius was there whenever Bayern did manage to break through, while practically the entire Schalke team worked tirelessly in front of him until the final whistle. That is why the point was not merely fortunate despite Bayern’s clear statistical superiority, but deserved on the basis of Schalke’s disciplined and uncompromising defensive display.
Brief confusion at the final whistle
There was a short moment of confusion after the final whistle due to the match clock. Three minutes of added time had been indicated, but the stadium screen appeared to show that the referee had blown slightly early, while the television clock showed that the full three minutes had already elapsed. Several Bayern players approached the referee, who explained that the stadium clock had not matched the official timekeeping.
Schalke claim their first point
For Bayern, the 0-0 draw represents their first dropped points of the young Bundesliga season. After beating Stuttgart 5-1, they now have four points from two matches. Schalke, meanwhile, collected their first point since returning to the top flight following the opening-day defeat in Augsburg. It is still far too early to draw major conclusions from the table after only two rounds, especially with the matchday not yet complete until Sunday.
Both teams will be back in action soon. Schalke travel to 1. FC Union Berlin next Friday. Bayern begin their Champions League campaign at home to FK Bodø/Glimt on Thursday before returning to Bundesliga action three days later away to fellow promoted side SV Elversberg.
