FC Schalke 04, a prominent traditional club, is making its comeback to the Bundesliga after a three-year absence. Their victory against Düsseldorf secured their promotion.
The Schalke promotion heroes immediately gathered in a massive celebratory huddle, while successful coach Miron Muslic offered a quick prayer to the heavens amidst deafening noise. Schalke 04 is back in the German Bundesliga, and in impressive fashion!
The Gelsenkirchen-based team utilized their first promotion match point, securing a 1-0 victory against relegation-threatened Fortuna Düsseldorf. This win ensures S04 cannot be pushed out of the top two spots.
«We desperately wanted this win and to celebrate it with our fans. We’ve made it, that’s what’s important. Now we want to be champions too,» stated star striker Edin Dzeko to Sky. When asked about his future with Schalke, he replied, «We’ll see. First, we celebrate. I’m very satisfied that I made this decision in January and came here,» Dzeko said, wearing a blue promotion shirt with the inscription: «Up we go, Schalke.»
As hoped, there was no pitch invasion by fans. During their last promotion in 2021/22, several supporters were injured when jumping from the stands onto the field. The match-winner was captain Kenan Karaman (15th minute), who scored the golden goal for Schalke and later walked through the arena with tears in his eyes. Muslic embraced every player amidst loud fan chants.
«I can’t find the right words. We’ve waited a long time for this moment,» Karaman told the RTL microphone. «The entire club, the whole city has gone through very difficult years. I am incredibly proud of the club and the team; we absolutely deserved this.»
Extraordinary Scenes in Gelsenkirchen! FC Schalke 04 Promotes to the Bundesliga
The fact that he scored the decisive goal «fits my story at Schalke. I wear the jersey with passion and pride; I am incredibly happy about the goal.» Schalke secured their fifth consecutive win and now have 67 points. If their closest rival, SC Paderborn, falters on Sunday (1:30 PM/Sky) away at SV Elversberg, Schalke could even celebrate the championship this weekend.
Düsseldorf, on the other hand, is increasingly worried about staying in the league and could even slip into a direct relegation spot this matchday.
Everything was prepared: An extraordinary atmosphere prevailed in Gelsenkirchen from midday. Starting at 4 PM, tens of thousands of Schalke fans marched the approximately 3.5 kilometers from Buer’s market square to the arena, loudly gearing up for the evening’s highlight. Well over the nearly 60,000 ticket holders were milling around the arena.
Star striker Dzeko returned to the squad after his shoulder injury, but Muslic initially opted for his proven starting lineup that had secured the match point last week in Paderborn (3-2). «We won’t let this slip away,» Muslic had said.
And the favorites immediately demonstrated their intent under the watchful eyes of numerous legends like Klaus Fischer and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the stands. Sofiane El-Faouzi won the ball at midfield, Adil Aouchiche set up Karaman, who scored a spectacular goal into the top corner, making the arena erupt. Aouchiche could have added to the lead immediately, but his free-kick from 20 meters hit the right post (19th minute).
The visitors offered little offensively until Shinta Appelkamp suddenly found himself in front of Loris Karius, forcing a brilliant save from the Schalke goalkeeper (59th minute). After 68 minutes, Dzeko made his much-anticipated comeback. With the final whistle at 10:24 PM, the dam of emotions broke.
FC Schalke 04 vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf 1:0 (1:0) — Match Data
| Match | FC Schalke 04 vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf |
| Result | 1:0 (1:0) |
| Goals | 1:0 Karaman (15th) |
| Competition | 2. Bundesliga, Matchday 32 |
| Venue | Veltins-Arena (Gelsenkirchen) |