Bayern Munich dropped their first points of the season on Sunday, playing out a 0-0 draw at FC Schalke 04 for their first goalless domestic match in over 18 months. The result also cost them top spot in the table, as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made an emotional return to his former club, according to a report by The Guardian Football.
Schalke were playing their first home game in the Bundesliga since May 2023 and relied on a familiar face in goal. Loris Karius, who began his career with the Royal Blues at age five and made over 200 appearances for the first team, delivered a strong performance. His stunning flying save in the dying moments denied Harry Kane a late winner for the Bavarians.
How has Loris Karius developed at Schalke?
Karius returned to Schalke in January 2025 after his Newcastle United contract expired. Initially signed as second choice by coach Kees van Wonderen, he made the starting spot his own by February 2025 before a calf injury sidelined him for four games. Last season, he started 30 of 34 matches and was key to the promotion campaign, as Schalke conceded a league-low 31 goals to win the 2. Bundesliga. His contract was extended again in summer 2025 to 2028.
His career seemed in jeopardy after his costly error in the 2018 Champions League final for Liverpool. "Even today, I don’t know what I should have done differently," Karius reflected. "I just felt empty. I even considered ending my career, but I was only 25 years old and couldn’t just stay home." Loans to Besiktas, where he had disputes over unpaid wages, and Union Berlin, where he made four Bundesliga appearances, followed before he covered for Nick Pope in the Carabao Cup final a year prior to joining Newcastle.
Why did Vincent Kompany rotate his Bayern stars?
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany did not start either Harry Kane or Michael Olise. Jamal Musiala made a comeback from the bench following his injury layoff. Kompany had rotated his star pair in the latter stages of last season as well. At full-time, the Bayern coach sought out Karius and warmly congratulated him on his performance.
The shared points have implications for the standings. Borussia Dortmund lead the table with maximum points after coming from behind to win 2-0 against Hoffenheim. Serhou Guirassy and Fábio Silva brought Dortmund level before debutant Ethan Nwaneri engineered an unlikely winning own goal by Albian Hajdari.
How did the other Bundesliga matches play out this weekend?
FC Augsburg came back from a half-time deficit to demolish Eintracht Frankfurt in the second half. SC Freiburg sit second after a single-goal win at SC Paderborn. A dramatic turnaround also unfolded at Borussia Mönchengladbach, where SV Elversberg recovered from 3-1 down to win via Maurice Krattenmacher's stoppage-time winner.
In Leverkusen's 4-0 win over Union Berlin, Jarell Quansah, who came on for the injured centre-back Filippo Mané, impressed as a rampaging right-back. Niclas Füllkrug scored a header in Werder Bremen's 3-1 win over RB Leipzig. A full overview of all player statistics is available on our stats page.
For Bayern, the focus now shifts to addressing their lack of goals. The next test comes with the home fixture this coming Saturday. All upcoming match schedules are listed in the fixtures calendar.
