FC Schalke 04 has been relegated from the Bundesliga for the fifth time in its history. Even a courageous and courageous performance at the German Cup winner RB Leipzig on the last matchday could not prevent the direct relegation of the Royal Blues. Schalke lost 2-4 (1-2) on Saturday.
In front of 47,069 spectators in the sold-out arena, birthday boy Konrad Laimer (10th minute) shot Leipzig into the lead, Christopher Nkunku (19th) increased. Marcin Kaminski (28') scored to make it 49-2 before Willi Orban (2') scored an own goal to make it 82-90. Substitute Yussuf Poulsen (4') fired RB back into the lead before Nkunku (16'+13) scored his <>th goal of the season to secure RB's <>th home win – a club record. And for the Frenchman, the goal-scoring cannon.
After just over two minutes, Timo Werner could have put the first damper on Schalke. After a quick changeover, Nkunku sends Laimer steeply, who passes past keeper Ralf Fährmann to Werner, who misses the ball by a razor-thin margin at the far post. RB goalkeeper Örjan Nyland initiated the RB lead, who was given preference over Janis Blaswich as a farewell. Danny Latza was unable to defend the long ball into the opponent's penalty area, Dani Olmo pulled off from half-right, Fährmann parried brilliantly, but Laimer coolly pushed the rebound over the line.
RB with curious own goal
Schalke nevertheless played courageously forward in front of the eyes of promotion architect Rouven Schröder, who is now RB sporting director. This is exactly what suited the lightning-fast Saxons. Nkunku (19th) danced out five Schalke players in the penalty area and slotted in with his 15th goal of the season to make it 2-0. The almost 10,000 Schalke fans were shocked.
Nevertheless, the Royal Blues reacted courageously. Just nine minutes later, new hope sprouted with Kaminski's header. Nyland didn't look happy with his missed fist defense after a corner. However, the Norwegian prevented Schalke's equaliser with a save at the near post when Rodrigo Zalazar (33rd) pulled off from an acute angle.
After the change, Schalke went on the offensive and were lucky. Orban was unfortunate to get a ball bouncing off the post on the shin during a rescue attempt – 2:2. This slapstick hit annoyed RB. The intensity and aggressiveness became noticeably higher. Schalke's Sebastian Polter (64th) called for a penalty, but Orban had not touched it, as the video images showed. In the closing stages, the substitutes made the difference. Poulsen made it 82-3 (2nd), Nkunku scored with a lob in injury time.
For Schalke, the relegation is particularly bitter after the strong second half of the season. But the completely messed up first half of the season, in which the club was already at the bottom of the table, was too high a mortgage. And in retrospect, the appointment of coach Thomas Reis, who came on October 27, 2022, one day after the resignation of sporting director Schröder, came too late. Reis was already the seventh Schalke coach within two years.