Karius saves Schalke in goalless draw with Hertha

League leaders Schalke salvaged a point away from home against fellow promotion hopefuls Hertha BSC.

Loris Karius was the star performer as Schalke drew goalless at Hertha in the first Topspiel of 2026. The league leaders came into the game knowing second-placed Elversberg lost some ground with a 3-2 defeat in Nürnberg earlier on Saturday.

However, this result means Darmstadt and Paderborn now have a chance to close the gap with Schalke to just two points if they win in Kiel and Bochum, respectively. Hertha will drop into seventh place if Kaiserslautern beat Hannover in the other fixture on Sunday.

Karius made six saves at the Olympiastadion, while Schalke finished the game with no shot on target. In addition, Hertha’s striker Luca Schuler was denied by the woodwork at the midpoint of the second-half. It’s the third draw in the trot for the club from the capital city. Hertha’s highly-rated youngster Maurice Krattenmacher forced off with injury in the first-half.