Schalke 04 secured a valuable home victory against VfL Bochum in the third matchday of the 2. Bundesliga, winning 2-1.
The early stages of the match were largely uneventful, with limited attacking opportunities for either side. The 25th minute saw a significant moment when Kurucay handled the ball in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty for Schalke. However, Bochum goalkeeper Karius made a crucial save, denying Vogt’s attempt.
Play remained largely stagnant until added time in the first half, where Antwi-Adjei found himself through on goal, only to be thwarted by Schalke’s keeper Horn. Consequently, the teams entered halftime with the score still level.
The second half began with Schalke showing greater attacking intent, but it was Bochum who broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. Hofmann’s pass found Pannewig in the box, whose shot was initially saved by Karius, but Holtmann was on hand to convert the rebound.
Schalke responded quickly, equalizing in the 75th minute through Porath, who scored from 16 meters after a corner, the ball going in off Kurucay’s leg. Schalke then took the lead just four minutes later, with substitute Lasme skillfully evading Kleine-Bekel and scoring past Horn.
Bochum pressed forward in search of an equalizer and nearly conceded again in the 86th minute as Horn denied efforts from Becker and Sylla. Two minutes later, Kleine-Bekel made a vital intervention to prevent Sylla from finding the back of the net with an open goal. Ultimately, Bochum were unable to find a way back into the match, resulting in a narrow defeat, while Schalke earned an important victory on home soil.
