Schalke got off to a convincing start to the season with a 2-1 win over Hertha. Not everything went perfectly, but there were plenty of positives to take away. to celebrate the goal that made it 2-0 against Hertha BSC, which the new man had just scored and which was the decisive step towards a deserved 2-1 (2-0) opening victory against Hertha BSC, putting the Royal Blues in a great mood at the start of the second division season.
Even before kick-off, there was plenty to put the crowd in a good mood in the arena: Arnd Kotlenga, singer of the Florians, belted out the Schalke anthem “Königsblauer S04” live, the Ultras presented a huge choreographed display – and the many new faces on the team sheet also contributed to the atmosphere of optimism: Defensive stalwart Katic (28), midfield speedster Soufiane El-Faouzi (23) and home-grown talent Vitalie Becker (20), as well as, somewhat surprisingly, Peter Remmert (20), a 1.93-meter-tall but very quick striker who threw himself into every tackle with relish.
Schalke played with bite, commitment and aggression
In fact, Schalke played with exactly the same bite, aggression and commitment that coach Miron Muslic had repeatedly promised. The Hertha professionals, who had been tipped by all the experts as favorites for promotion, didn’t know what had hit them in the early stages. They played as if they hadn’t seen a single preseason game of the Royal Blues, as if they were surprised by the intense pressing, quick transitions, and straightforward play going forward. Remmert resolutely pursued a ball from Adrian Gantenbein that was actually too long, and both players fell in a duel with Marton Dardai. But only the Schalke player remained in the game, sliding the ball to Moussa Sylla while lying on the ground, and he did what Moussa Sylla does when he gets the ball in the penalty area: he coolly slotted it home (16′).
Schalke youngster Remmert missed a great chance to make it 3-0
And it didn’t take long for the impressive Christopher Antwi-Adjei to take a corner, Katic rushed in and headed home (23′). By then, the arena was boiling, the fans were singing, the players were celebrating wildly, and Hertha coach Stefan Leitl called all ten Berlin field players to the sideline for a brief crisis meeting.
This worked to some extent, with the visitors getting a foothold in the game and combining well in Schalke’s half at times, but without really posing a threat – while at the other end, Remmert missed a great chance to make it 3-0 when Hertha goalkeeper Tjark Ernst Ernst let Ernst Gantenbein’s cross bounce forward, but Remmert shot his follow-up too high (40′).
Loud cheers from Schalke at half-time
The Schalke players were sent into the half-time break to loud cheers, and the crowd was just as loud when the exhausted Remmert was substituted after 60 minutes and Max Grüger came on. Otherwise, nothing happened for a long time that could fundamentally threaten the Schalke mood. They continued to work hard against the ball with great concentration and a lot of heart, always getting a leg or some other body part in the way of Hertha’s shots or final passes. Until the 89th minute, when Hertha broke through on the left and substitute Sebastian Grönning flicked the cross into the center with his heel and into the goal. Schalke had to endure another nervous moment when Katic was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time, especially as the team’s play was still far from impressive compared to last season’s disappointing campaign. However, that was ultimately of little consequence to the Schalke fans on this evening. The faint hope that things might finally start looking up again this season has been given a new lease of life.