2nd Bundesliga
Schalke jumps to first place – setback for Hannover
Updated on November 8, 2025 – 3:18 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Schalke 04 celebrates a very important victory in the promotion battle. Arminia Bielefeld achieved a surprisingly clear home success.
FC Schalke 04 defeated SV Elversberg and is, at least for the time being, top of the 2nd Bundesliga. Coach Miron Muslić’s team defeated the Saarland team 1-0 (1-0) in the top game of the two promotion candidates.
With their success, the Gelsenkirchen team stopped their small negative trend. Schalke had lost the previous two competitive games. For Elversberger, who started the game in third place and therefore directly behind Schalke, it was the fourth game in a row without a win. The Revierklub now has 27 points, Elversberg another 23 points.
In front of 61,818 spectators in Gelsenkirchen, Hasan Kuruçay scored the decisive goal for the hosts in the fourth minute. Elversberg actually didn’t play badly and even showed better technical football for a long time. However, there was a lack of precision when it came to the last pass or when finishing. A goal from Younes Ebnoutalib did not count due to an offside position. The Schalke team, who lost several top performers, were particularly convincing in their fighting spirit.
In the second half, a medical emergency caused an awkward mood among the spectators. Paramedics brought a fan from the stands on a stretcher. “We wish you all the best,” Schalke wrote on
Hannover 96, on the other hand, missed the return to a promotion place. Due to the turbulent 2:3 (2:1) against Darmstadt 98, coach Christian Titz’s team is currently in fifth place; a win against the Lilies would have been enough for third place. Darmstadt improved to fourth place.
Darmstadt’s double packer Kilian Corredor also managed to equalize (50th) for the guests after his opening goal (5th) and Hannover’s goals from Ime Okon (18th) and Kolja Oudenne (33rd). Hiroki Akiyama scored the winning goal (90+4). In total, both teams only hit the post or crossbar five times in a game full of variety and opportunities.
Oudenne’s goal alone was worth the price of admission. The Swede shot the ball beautifully into the corner just outside the edge of the penalty area. Until the break, Hannover had further great chances to extend their lead, Benjamin Källmann (41′) and Oudenne (43′) only hit the woodwork – as did Akiyama (45’+3).