A fresh start for Loris Karius in Schalke

Lorius Karius kept a clean sheet in his Schalke debut as his performance praised by the coach after a narrow win over Preußen Münster.

While playing in a Champions League final is the stuff of dreams, Lorius Karius’ career hasn’t been the same since his mistakes cost Liverpool in 2018. After struggling for minutes post-Liverpool, the 31-year-old goalkeeper now finds a fresh impetus with Schalke in 2. Bundesliga.

After the Royal Blues lost Ralf Fahrmann to an injury and Justin Heekeren’s performances left plenty to ponder, the club responded by signing the former Germany U21 international on a six-month deal.

Karius only made a single Premier League appearance – a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates – for Newcastle United before leaving the club last summer. With the move to Schalke, he returned to Germany for the first time in four years.

Despite only conceding a single goal in four Bundesliga appearances, he was unable to usurp Frederik Rønnow’s spot in his time at Union Berlin. But there seem to be no such obstacles in Gelsenkirchen after his debut against Preußen Münster brought Schalke’s first clean sheet since the first game of 2025.

“My voice is gone. It was an incredibly great feeling to be playing again. Three important points, let’s move on.” said Karius on his social media after his late saves salvaged a narrow victory for 2. Bundesliga’s struggling side. While he reverted to Roy Keane mode in an interview with Sky (“That’s my job, I would be disappointed if I didn’t save it”), the reactions of his teammates to his heroic stops show how vital for him to start on a positive note.

Schalke’s coach Kees van Wonderen also admitted the importance of Karius’ intervention as his side reached the 30 points mark. “Our goalkeeper made the difference,” said the coach after the hard-fought victory. Schalke will face Hertha Berlin next weekend in yet another 2. Bundesliga fixture between sleeping giants.