Erzgebirge Aue vs FC Schalke 04

Head coach Miron Muslic changed all 11 outfield players at half-time, giving the entire second-string squad a run-out. The new lineup picked up where the first left off.

Within five minutes of the restart, Bryan Lasme was hauled down in the box by Bastian Strietzel, earning a penalty — but Lasme's spot-kick was saved by Uhlig. Fortunes turned quickly: Christian Gomis converted the rebound after an initial save from Uhlig (51'), and Lasme made amends three minutes later, slotting home from close range to make it 4–0.

Erzgebirge Aue refused to fold. Experienced forward Marcel Bär pulled one back in the 62nd minute, and Chadi Ramadan added a second in the 71st, halving the deficit to 4–2. Schalke substitute Gomis struck the post late on, but the scoreline remained unchanged.

The half-time wholesale change risked disrupting Schalke's rhythm, but the second-string side scored twice in four minutes (51', 54') to put the game to bed. Lasme's missed penalty could have been a momentum-swing, yet Gomis scored from the rebound immediately, and the 4–0 cushion proved insurmountable even as Aue pushed late.

• Moussa Sylla — Two goals in the first half, the first a well-timed near-post header, the second a poacher's finish from a corner routine. The French striker now has two goals in two pre-season appearances.
• Adil Aouchiche — Involved in both first-half goals, providing the assist for Sylla's opener and the corner that led to the second. Creative outlet from the left flank.
• Christian Gomis — Scored and struck the post in a lively second-half cameo, showing sharp movement inside the box.

Schalke's 4–2 win reflects a game of two distinct phases. The first half was controlled but not dominant — the opening goal came from a well-worked cross and the second from a second-phase corner. The 0–4 lead after 54 minutes suggests the game was out of sight, but Aue's late double (62', 71') shows Schalke's intensity dropped after the hour mark, a common pattern in pre-season when fitness loads are high. The fact that both Aue goals came after the 60th minute, against a completely overhauled XI, underlines that the scoreline flattered Schalke's second string less than the first.

For Schalke, this is two wins from two pre-season friendlies as they head to a training camp in Stubaital, Austria. The 2. Bundesliga season — their first back in the division after relegation — does not begin until early August. Erzgebirge Aue, relegated from the 3. Liga, start their Regionalliga Nordost campaign on the weekend following this fixture. Aue's pre-season record of seven wins and 45 goals scored before this match shows they had been ruthless against lower-level opposition, but Schalke's quality told.

Next fixtures: Schalke 04 continue pre-season in Stubaital; Erzgebirge Aue begin their Regionalliga Nordost season on 25–26 July 2026.

A comfortable pre-season workout for Schalke, capped by a Sylla double and a fluid first-half display. The drop-off after the mass substitution gave Aue a foothold, but the 4–2 scoreline tells a fair story of the gap between a 2. Bundesliga side and a Regionalliga outfit. The key takeaway for Muslic: the first XI looked sharp, while the second-string still needs cohesion.