Schalke’s Bundesliga comeback ends in disappointment at Augsburg | OneFootball

Schalke 04's long-awaited return to the Bundesliga ended in disappointment as Augsburg secured a convincing 3-0 victory on Matchday 1. Michael Gregoritsch opened the scoring against his former club before Anton Kade doubled Augsburg's lead, with Rodrigo Ribeiro completing the win late on.

Match report

There was a fierce battle for the opening goal as Schalke returned to the Bundesliga away at Augsburg.

Both teams created promising opportunities during the opening 15 minutes, with Augsburg's Robin Fellhauer and Schalke's Ron Schallenberg going closest. However, both goalkeepers - Loris Karius for Schalke and Finn Dahmen for Augsburg - made important saves to keep the score level.

The deadlock was finally broken after 18 minutes. Anton Kade delivered a superb outside-of-the-foot cross into the box, finding former Schalke striker Michael Gregoritsch perfectly. The Austrian had little difficulty finishing from close range to put Augsburg 1-0 ahead.

The hosts took control for the remainder of the first half and created several more chances, but were unable to add a second goal before the break.

The second half continued at a high tempo, with both teams remaining heavily involved. Despite being newly promoted and trailing, Schalke even enjoyed more possession - a characteristic that has quickly become associated with head coach Miron Muslic's approach.

However, Schalke's task became considerably more difficult in the 62nd minute. Schallenberg caught Gregoritsch on the ankle from behind during a challenge and was shown a straight red card. The decision was justified, leaving the visitors with ten men for the remainder of the match.

Augsburg immediately looked to take advantage of their numerical superiority and began pushing for the decisive second goal.

It arrived in the 79th minute, with Kade once again at the centre of attention. The 22-year-old received the ball from Fabian Rieder before cutting inside and curling an unstoppable effort past Karius, with the ball hitting the inside of the post before finding the net.

Kade's performance was particularly noteworthy given recent reports linking him with a potential Germany call-up under new head coach Jürgen Klopp. Germany's head coach was in the stadium for the match.

There was, however, a special moment for Schalke earlier in the second half. Edin Džeko made his long-awaited Bundesliga comeback, returning to Germany's top flight after 5,734 days away from the competition.

Augsburg ultimately put the result beyond any doubt shortly before the final whistle. Substitute Rodrigo Ribeiro fired home from a tight angle to make it 3-0 and give coach Manuel Baum a memorable birthday present.

The final whistle confirmed a dominant start to the campaign for Augsburg, while Schalke's Bundesliga comeback ended with a sobering defeat.

Final score: Augsburg 3-0 Schalke 04.