Schalke finally have a Bundesliga victory to celebrate. The newly promoted side marked their return to Germany's top flight with a convincing 3-1 win over Union Berlin in the capital, ending a remarkable 1,225-day wait for a league victory at this level.

There was an added touch of drama as former Union Berlin favourite Robin Gosens opened the scoring for Schalke. His goal was the club's first in the Bundesliga since May 2023 and immediately turned the former player's return to his old ground into a memorable occasion.

The visitors were the better side throughout the first half, controlling possession and exploiting a series of defensive errors from Union Berlin. The hosts struggled to find a rhythm, while Schalke looked increasingly dangerous whenever they moved forward.

The Gelsenkirchen side doubled their advantage shortly after the interval when Hachim Aouachiche finished off a slick attacking move involving Sekou Koita Adamu. With a two-goal cushion, Schalke were able to manage the game and absorb increasing pressure from the home side.

Union Berlin pushed for a way back, but Loris Karius delivered a composed performance between the posts, repeatedly keeping the hosts at bay. The Berliners eventually found a breakthrough when Tim Skarke pulled one back deep into stoppage time, briefly raising hopes of a dramatic finish.

Those hopes were quickly extinguished. Schalke broke forward on the counter and Weber calmly finished in the 93rd minute to make sure of the points.

2026-27, Germany - Bundesliga

Union Berlin - Schalke 04 1:3 (0:1)
Goals: Gosens, 25 (0:1); Aouchiche, 46 (0:2); Skarke, 90 (1:2); Woeber M., 90 (1:3)

Union Berlin: Roennow; Uduokhai; Rothe; Juranovic; Aebischer (Haberer, 85); Kemlein (Schafer, 46); Khedira R.; Burcu (Ljubicic M., 46); Wooyeong Jeong (Skov, 90); Querfeld; Latte Lath (Skarke, 76)
Substitution: Schafer (from 46); Ljubicic M. (from 46); Skarke (from 76); Haberer (from 85); Skov (from 90)
Bench: Raab; Van den Bosch; Trimmel; Güther L.
Yellow Cards: Kemlein 45; Ljubicic M. 74; Uduokhai 78

Schalke 04: Karius; Kuruçay; Becker T.; Gosens (Woeber M., 80); Katić; Tanaka S.; Ljubicic D. (Dina Ebimbe, 21); El-Faouzi; Aouchiche (Bachmann J., 90); Karaman K. (Dzeko, 80); Adamu C. (Hwang Hee-chan, 80)
Substitution: Dina Ebimbe (from 21); Woeber M. (from 80); Dzeko (from 80); Hwang Hee-chan (from 80); Bachmann J. (from 90)
Bench: Müller Ke.; Becker; Ayhan
Yellow Cards: Karius 90