Newly promoted Schalke hold champions Bayern Munich 0-0 in Gelsenkirchen

Bayern Munich's perfect start to the Bundesliga title defence lasted exactly one matchday. Newly promoted Schalke 04 held the champions to a goalless draw at the Veltins-Arena, the first time Vincent Kompany's side have failed to score in the league in more than 18 months.

It was Schalke's first home Bundesliga game since May 2023, and head coach Miron Muslić set his side up to defend deep and compact. It worked. Bayern had the ball for long spells and forced goalkeeper Loris Karius into repeated work, but could not find a way through.

How each side arrived in Gelsenkirchen

Bayern arrived unbeaten after a very different day out. On matchday 1 they had put five past VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena, needing only six second-half minutes — Michael Olise's finish on 55 and Josha Vagnoman's own goal on 58 — to turn a 1-1 game into a rout that finished 5-1, backed by 21 shots to Stuttgart's 11. Vincent Kompany's side had scored in every league game since the season began, which is part of why a goalless afternoon in Gelsenkirchen stood out as much as it did.

Schalke's own build-up had been rougher. Their long-awaited Bundesliga return had ended in a 3-0 defeat at Augsburg, Ron Schallenberg sent off on 62 minutes after Michael Gregoritsch had already scored against his old club, and Augsburg adding two late goals with the extra man. Miron Muslić's side went from that chastening opener to shutting out the reigning champions seven days later, a response that looked nothing like a team that had just conceded three and finished the game a man down.

One save, one final word

The closest Bayern came was in the 87th minute, when Harry Kane — introduced from the bench for the second half — struck a goal-bound effort from outside the box. Karius flew across his goal to turn it away, the decisive moment of the afternoon. Kompany had also brought on Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala on 57 minutes as he searched for a breakthrough that never arrived.

Schalke were happy to sit in and soak up pressure, and did so impressively: Bayern managed 15 shots to the hosts' 4, and an expected-goals reading of 1.70 to 0.10, but none of it counted for anything on the scoreboard. "In terms of chances, we could've won this game, but that's football," Kompany said afterwards.

Match facts

Only the rows confirmed by bundesliga.com's own match report are included here — possession, shots on target and card counts were not published for this fixture, so they are left out rather than estimated.

What's next

The draw leaves Bayern 6th on the Bundesliga table with 4 points after two games, still unbeaten. Schalke sit 14th with a single point from their first two matches back in the top flight, a solid platform after taking on the champions in only their second game since promotion.

Bayern have no time to dwell on it: their first Champions League group games of the season are just around the corner. Schalke's focus stays on the Bundesliga survival fight, aiming to build on a result that will feel like a lot more than a point by the end of the season.