2nd Bundesliga
Late goal in the thriller: Schalke wins and is top of the table
Updated 11/28/2025 – 8:39 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Schalke and Paderborn met in a direct duel for the lead in the table. The decision was only made late in the game.
FC Schalke 04 is the new leader in the 2nd Bundesliga. In the direct duel for first place, the Royal Blues beat the previous league leaders SC Paderborn 2-1 (1-1) and thus moved past.
The guests from Paderborn struck first and took the lead in the 38th minute through Laurin Curda. But shortly before the break the home team equalized through captain Kenan Karaman (45th minute +3). In the second half, the “Knappen” increasingly took control of the game and were rewarded with Bryan Lasme’s winning goal in the 86th minute.
Schalke are guaranteed to end the match day in first place with 31 points. Paderborn is in second place with 29 points, but can still be overtaken by SV Elversberg over the course of the weekend. In the parallel game, Hannover 96 won 3-0 against Karlsruher SC and jumped to third place for the time being.
As was the case last weekend, it remained quiet in the stands for the first twelve minutes in protest against planned security measures by politicians in German stadiums. Things got hectic on the pitch early on. After a duel between Paderborn’s Calvin Brackelmann and Schalke striker Moussa Sylla, referee Tobias Reichel initially awarded a penalty. After studying the video images for a long time, he reversed his decision. Reichel saw a foul, but outside the penalty area.
It turned out to be an even game, with no real chances to score for a long time. Curda immediately used the best match up to that point to give Paderborn the lead. The 24-year-old beat Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius with a well-placed header.
However, the lead didn’t last long. Karaman brought the ball under control after an inaccurate pass, processed it in a technically demanding manner and scored the equalizer before the break.
After the break, Sylla let the hosts celebrate again. The stadium announcer already celebrated him as the goalscorer. However, Sylla was just offside. The hit was disallowed again.
The Schalke team now pushed for victory and were rewarded. Lasme, who was celebrating his comeback after a long injury break, scored the euphorically celebrated 2-1.