GELSENKIRCHEN (Germany)— Schalke will play in the German top flight next season after beating Fortuna Duesseldorf 1-0 to secure promotion.
Kenan Karaman’s 15th minute goal, his 15th in the league this season, put the seven-time German champions Schalke on track to return after three seasons in the Bundesliga 2.
“We wanted this win. We wanted to celebrate with our fans,” Schalke striker Edin Dzeko said according to AFP.
The 40-year-old former Manchester City and Inter Milan striker has six goals and three assists in eight games since joining the club in winter.
“We’ll see,” Dzeko said when asked if he would stay with the club in the top flight. “I’m really, really happy I made the decision to come here in January.
Schalke now have 67 points, 10 more than third-placed Hannover, who have three matches remaining.
The top two sides in the second division at the end of the season return to the top flight, while the third-placed side takes on the third-last team in the Bundesliga in a two-legged playoff.
One of Germany’s best supported clubs who were in the Champions League semifinals as recently as 2010-2011, Schalke have fallen on hard times in recent seasons.
The club were relegated in last place at the end of the 2020-21 season but returned to the top flight immediately as second division champions the season after.
But Schalke were once again relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season. Last season, the club dangled just above the drop zone before finishing 14th.
Another fallen giant, Hamburg, returned to the top flight last season after seven seasons in the Bundesliga 2 and is on track to stay up this season.
