Manuel Neuer lauds 'very good' Loris Karius as Schalke halt Bayern Munich's historic scoring run

Vincent Kompany benched both Harry Kane and Michael Olise during a disjointed opening period that saw Luis Diaz waste two golden one-on-one opportunities. Bayern drastically raised the tempo after the break by introducing Kane, Olise, and Jamal Musiala for his first outing of the campaign. Yet Schalke's stubborn rearguard and an outstanding fingertip stop from Karius to thwart Kane earned the hosts a hard-fought opening point.

An inspired display from the 33-year-old goalkeeper completed quite the redemption arc after previously considering early retirement following difficult spells on the European stage. As quoted by the Bundesliga, Karius said: "It was great for me. I only had to shout to keep going, move up, drop back. Real credit to the guys for what they did. They kept so much away and made things so incredibly hard for Bayern. The guys really worked hard until they couldn't go anymore. Everyone today can be proud of their performance."

The goalless stalemate at the Veltins-Arena brought an end to Bayern's remarkable run of scoring in 59 consecutive competitive fixtures dating back to July 2025. That blank also knocked the reigning champions off the Bundesliga summit for the first time in 67 matchdays. Neuer had no hesitation in praising his opposite number: "Loris Karius was very good and definitely the right choice for Man of the Match. We had three big chances that he kept out. That was definitely key to us not winning this game."

Kompany's men must swiftly sharpen their finishing ahead of Thursday's Champions League league-phase opener at home to Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt. Domestic duties resume with a trip to face Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg on September 13 as the Bavarian heavyweights look to reclaim top spot. For Schalke, proving their defensive resilience against Germany's elite provides a huge psychological boost for their survival battle.