Schalke lose at Hoffenheim as Gosens and Karius collide and go off hurt

Schalke 04 left Hoffenheim with a 2-1 defeat, but the result was only half the story. A nasty collision between Robin Gosens and goalkeeper Loris Karius has left the club worried about two key players.

What happened?

In the 51st minute, Gosens went in to rescue a situation and ran into his own keeper. His studs caught Karius on the nose. Gosens hurt his knee in the process and had to be helped off by two teammates.

Karius looked dazed and had cuts on his face. Both players are due to be examined in Gelsenkirchen.

Coach Miron Muslić did not hide his concern. "It looks bad, we fear a serious knee injury," he told the streaming service Dazn. About Karius he said: "We hope it's not as bad as with Robin."

Why is this so painful for Schalke?

Gosens had only just returned to the squad. Two weeks ago, he and teammate Soufiane El-Faouzi clashed heads in the match in Köln. In Sinsheim, El-Faouzi played with a mask and Gosens with a black bandage.

On the pitch, things went wrong early. In the 10th minute, Karius played the ball straight to Hoffenheim striker Fisnik Asllani, who just had to slot it in. Tim Lemperle made it 2-0 in the 26th minute.

Schalke, newly promoted to the Bundesliga (Germany's top division), fought back after the break. Adil Aouchiche hit the crossbar with a curling shot, and Junior Dina Ebimbe missed another chance. Junior Adamu finally scored in the 81st minute, ending a run of 500 minutes without a Schalke goal. It was not enough.

What's next?

Schalke have now gone six games without a win and head into the international break second from bottom. Hoffenheim climbed to ninth after three games without a victory.

The pressure on the coach is a theme too. Earlier this week, sporting director Frank Baumann gave Muslić a long-term job guarantee and said there would be no debate about him in the coming weeks and months. After the game, Muslić said: "I don't feel untouchable."

For now, the medical checks in Gelsenkirchen will show how long Gosens and Karius could be out.