Edin Dzeko is “healthy and absolutely fit,” coach Miron Muslic announced on Friday, making thousands of royal blue hearts beat faster. The prospect of the Bosnian international’s first appearance with the leaders of the second Bundesliga dominated around 98 percent of the conversations in the corridors of the Veltins Arena on Sunday afternoon. Tenor: When does he come in and how many goals does he score for his debut? First of all, no surprise, the 39-year-old, much-admired newcomer from Serie A took a seat on the bench. But shortly after half past two, Dzeko started warming up with the other reserves, and a quarter of an hour later he was called in to come on as a substitute: the need was too great, Schalke 04 needed help quickly, 1. FC Kaiserslautern had just scored 1-0.
And how else can you say it other than Gaius Julius Caesar? Edin Dzeko came, saw and scored a wonderful goal. Closely guarded, he accepted a high pass with his chest, turned into the barrel and shot straight into luck. The clear testimony of a class striker. But it wasn’t until three minutes later that Dzeko visibly celebrated, because it was only now that his goal was not just the next goal and a glimmer of hope, but the beginning of a resurrection: it was only Kenan Karaman’s 2-2 that rounded off his contribution and turned Dzeko’s premiere into an event with an aha effect. Who would have thought that was possible after FCK had made it 2-0 with a counterattack as icy as the Gelsenkirchen winter air? Answer: There weren’t many.
:Beatable, even with Augsburg resources
For the first time since March 2025 and for the first time this season, FC Bayern will lose a Bundesliga game. Coach Manuel Baum explains after the game how FC Augsburg achieved this.
However, this was apparently the Sunday of the center forwards in the second division. Kaiserslautern’s coach Torsten Lieberknecht also changed his striker with careful timing: Norman Bassette left, Ivan Prtajin came and scored even faster than his famous colleague Dzeko – with the first touch of the ball he headed the score 1-0 (61st minute). The 2-0 was also his work. And while Schalke and Kaiserslautern had to be content with one point each after the appropriate 2-2 draw in the end, another goalscorer was celebrated in the east of Westphalia: Steffen Tigges scored SC Paderborn to a 2-1 win against Preußen Münster. League leaders Schalke’s lead over their pursuers Darmstadt and Paderborn has now shrunk noticeably after three games without a win.
Before the home crowd could welcome the new goalscorer, Schalke first had to say goodbye to his predecessor. In the morning, the surprising news came from the club headquarters that Moussa Sylla, 25, would not be part of the squad. A move abroad is imminent. The partner of the advertised sales transaction is the MLS club New York City FC. The conditions – six million euros transfer fee plus bonuses – make it easier for Schalke to say goodbye to the center forward, who scored 16 goals last season, but who had problems with the system determined by work and constant running this season. It wasn’t easy for a penalty area striker like Sylla.
Dejan Ljubicic, formerly of Cologne, is supposed to come to Schalke from Zagreb
Schalke football wouldn’t have been much fun for him on Sunday either; his team once again had a hard time getting into the penalty area. There was no visible coordinated offensive play, only occasionally did Soufiane El-Faouzi and Amin Younes manage to open up space for attacking moves. On the other hand, there was little movement on the wings, which were sparsely manned due to injuries, and sometimes not even that. A header from defender Hasan Kurucay, strongly blocked by goalkeeper Julian Krahl, was the most dangerous moment that the FCK had to survive. Not much changed in the second half, only the goals forced with vigor and desperation in the final phase reconciled the audience for a weak performance. After all: Edin Dzeko’s presence had immortalized the memory of the visit to the stadium.
But in order to enjoy the noble acquisition in the long term and defend their place at the top, Schalke need progress in the game. Midfielder Dejan Ljubicic, 28, who comes from Dinamo Zagreb, should help on the next matchday. Until last summer he was under contract with 1. FC Köln. Part of the millions for Sylla should also be invested immediately, as sports director Frank Baumann explained on Sunday. “We are of course prepared,” he said.
