2. Bundesliga Friday round-up | OneFootball

Miron Muslic’s side continued their strong form to move top of the table - at least temporarily - while Karlsruher added to Thomas Kleine’s woes at Greuther Fürth.

Schalke 04 1 - 0 SV Darmstadt

Schalke made the perfect start in a clash between two early promotion contenders, taking the lead inside nine minutes. Soufian El-Faouzi picked up the ball in midfield and threaded a defence-splitting pass to Moussa Sylla, who coolly slotted past Marcel Schuhen to make it 1-0.

After the opener, Schalke dropped deeper, allowing Darmstadt to dominate possession while looking to strike on the counter. The plan nearly paid off again when El-Faouzi’s pressing forced a turnover from a Darmstadt free-kick, sending Sylla through once more - but this time Schuhen came out on top. It remained 1-0 at the break, with Darmstadt clearly missing key man Isac Lidberg, absent due to illness.

Schalke pushed for a second after the restart, with Vitalie Becker whipping in a teasing cross on the hour mark, though Janik Bachmann couldn’t make proper contact. Die Lilien struggled to create anything meaningful in attack, much to the visible frustration of head coach Florian Kohfeldt.

Darmstadt thought they had found an equaliser in the 77th minute when Kilian Corredor raced through and finished past Loris Karius, only for the offside flag to go up seconds later - much to the relief of the home supporters. Despite ten minutes of added time, Schalke comfortably held firm, with Darmstadt unable to fashion a real chance of note.

A huge three points for Muslic’s men, who leapfrog Elversberg into top spot once more in the ongoing tussle at the summit. For Darmstadt, it’s now back-to-back games without scoring and three without a win - plenty for Kohfeldt to ponder if they’re to remain in the promotion conversation.

Greuther Fürth 1 - 4 Karlsruher SC

Fürth’s miserable run continued as they endured another night to forget at home. Just three minutes in, a poor headed clearance fell to Christoph Kobald, whose shot deflected off Fabian Schleusener’s head and looped over Pelle Boevink to give KSC the perfect start.

Desperate for a reaction, Fürth pushed forward but created little of substance - and were punished again in the 34th minute. Another failed clearance from a corner dropped kindly for Lilian Egloff, who lashed home a brilliant volley from the edge of the area to make it 0-2 at half-time.

Thomas Kleine’s half-time words seemed to spark his side briefly after the break, with Noel Futkeu denied one-on-one by Hans Christian Bernat early on. But Karlsruher remained dangerous on the counter, with Schleusener passing up two good chances to seal the game.

The decisive third finally came in the 79th minute when Schleusener turned provider, squaring for captain Marvin Wanitzek to tap home unopposed. Substitute Branimir Hrgota pulled one back for the hosts in the 90th minute, but Wanitzek struck again moments later - curling a stunning effort from distance to complete the rout at 1-4.

Fürth are now winless in four home matches and could slip further down the table depending on other results, as tensions grow between coach Thomas Kleine and the frustrated home support. For KSC, it was a vital first away win of the season, moving them up to sixth and back in contention for the promotion race.