After returning to the Bundesliga, Schalke 04 prevented a false start at the last minute and collected the first point for the big goal of staying in the league.

After the opening defeat at 1. FC Köln, the Gelsenkirchen team beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-2 (1-0) thanks to a very late hand penalty.

In the 1,800th Bundesliga game in the club's history to date, Rodrigo Zalazar gave Schalke the lead in front of 62,271 spectators in the sold-out arena after an exemplary counterattack (30').

National player Jonas Hofmann equalized for the guests (72'), Marcus Thuram (78') turned the game around.

But Marius Bülter made sure of the celebrated equalizer (90' + 3'), Patrick Herrmann had clearly deflected a cross into the penalty area with his hand.

The Ultras had celebrated the first home game in the upper house in 455 days with a tremendous choreo - hundreds of blue and white flags underlined a huge club logo on the north stand.

With the loud support, the promoted started energetically, after four minutes the Czech accession Alex Krahl headed just wide.

The Royal Blues, for whom the second division record scorer Simon Terodde stormed from the start for the first time this season, initially let the Gladbachers have the ball. After winning the ball, the Gelsenkirchen team switched quickly.

First Zalazar shot over the goal from a distance, then Bülter failed at guest goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

After the hotly debated 3-1 defeat in Cologne, during which Schalke had three bad luck with VAR decisions, coach Frank Kramer called for a compact defense.

But after around 20 minutes, the first holes opened up in the defensive network: Gladbach created the first chances through quick interface passes.

Schalke had the perfect answer to the first urge phase of the foals.

Zalazar escaped in the center and hit the bottom left corner from 20 meters.

The game became more heated, and the last few minutes before the break were dominated by pitching.

Gladbach, who started the season with a 3-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim, couldn't cope with the hosts' tough but by no means unfair stance even after the break.

Again and again Hofmann and Co. bounced off the strong Krahl, who won almost all important duels in defensive midfield.

In the closing stages, the attacking efforts of coach Daniel Farke's team intensified.

Hofmann and Thuram turned the game in favor of the guests, then Bülter came and made the stadium tremble.