Report | Schalke 2-1 Hertha Berlin – Moussa Sylla stars as Mario Muslić’s tenure off to a winning start | OneFootball

Mario Muslić got his tenure at Schalke off to a winning start with a 2-1 win against Hertha Berlin in the 2. Bundesliga curtain-raiser on Friday night. Moussa Sylla – last season’s top scorer – opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a tidy finish under Tjark Ernst before Nikola Katić doubled Schakle’s lead seven minutes later with a towering header on his debut. S04 were though with their backs against the wall after Sebastian Grønning brought the visitors to within one goal after scoring in the 89th minute.

The Royal Blues will certainly want to improve on last season after finishing just three points above the relegation playoff, which prompted the club to appoint Muslić following Plymouth’s relegation from the Championship. Appointing the Austrian-Bosnian – who made his name as head coach of Cercle Brugge – was certainly a coup by Schalke, and it signals their intent heading into the 2025/26 season.

Although the bar is certainly low for Schalke, who have flirted with relegation from the 2. Bundesliga after consistently finishing in the bottom half since dropping down a division. Muslić – who remains their most exciting appointment in some time – is S04’s fifth head coach to take charge since their relegation. The Royal Blues should at least have the ability to challenge for promotion, but it’s a long season ahead, and fans certainly won’t get carried away.

The Moussa Sylla show

Schalke fans will be hoping that Sylla – who scored 16 league goals in 27 games – remains fit for the entire campaign as they look to return to the Bundesliga following their relegation in April 2023. The Malian forward – who had interest from Milan in January – certainly has an eye for goal and was one of the 2. Bundesliga’s leading players last season. The 25-year-old only had 27 touches, but registered six shots – four were on target – which shows his intent, and how accurate his shooting is.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder