Schalke vs. Bayern Munich: Score and Reaction from 2015 Bundesliga Match

Bayern Munich continued their incredible start to the 2015-16 Bundesliga season on Saturday, beating hosts Schalke 3-1 at the Veltins Arena.

David Alaba gave the visitors an early lead, but Max Meyer pulled Schalke level with a superb strike from outside the box. The match seemed destined to end in a 1-1 draw, but a late header from Javi Martinez and a goal from Thomas Muller gave Bayern the win.

Bayern have record a ridiculous 37 points out of 13 matches, a Bundesliga record, and already lead second-placed Borussia Dortmund by eight points.

Manager Pep Guardiola made a number of changes to the squad that beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0, handing Mehdi Benatia a start at the heart of the defence. The Morocco international replaced Jerome Boateng, who was given some well-earned rest:

Bayern enjoyed most of the possession early, but Schalke comfortably held the Bundesliga champions' attackers at bay. Chances were few in the opening stages, but with their first good look on goal, the visitors took the lead.

Alaba tried a shot from distance and got lucky when the ball struck Leon Goretzka's heel and took an odd deflection. Looping into the air, it eventually landed past Ralf Fahrmann, who had already positioned himself in the initial direction of the ball.

Football writer Cristian Nyari had some high praise for the Austrian:

Bundesliga expert Clark Whitney was afraid Schalke would be unable to overcome the early setback:

Robert Lewandowski nearly made it 2-0 minutes later, pulling a shot wide from the top of the area. The Bavarians pushed extremely high up the pitch and chased every ball relentlessly, determined to increase their advantage and put Schalke away early.

But just as it seemed the young hosts would be pummeled into submission, Schalke pulled level with a lovely goal. Teenage sensation Leroy Sane glided past three Bayern defenders before playing the ball into Meyer, who cut inside and curled a wonderful shot past Manuel Neuer.

Whitney was glad his earlier prediction turned out to be wrong:

Sane's run made the difference, but while Meyer's finish was absolutely superb, Neuer perhaps could have done more to keep the shot out.

With momentum now on their side, Schalke saw more of the ball and were happy to run right at Bayern's defenders. Goretzka, Sane and Meyer all found plenty of success, particularly out wide, where the visitors showed very little initiative.

Douglas Costa was kept remarkably quiet, limited to just a handful of crosses that were easy for Fahrmann to deal with. Muller and Arjen Robben both looked frustrated, as Schalke defended expertly and looked the more dangerous side on the counter-attack.

Chances were few, however. Robben finally found some space to work with near the end of the first half, cutting inside from the left before feeding the ball to Muller, who couldn't get off a shot. Philipp Lahm then made a vital clearance after some lovely work from Sane, with his cross seemingly destined to be converted.

At half-time, STV Sport's Stefan Bienkowski was mightily impressed with Schalke:

The pace of the match dropped significantly at the start of the second half, as the rain intensified in Gelsenkirchen. Bayern controlled the ball but couldn't work it around quickly enough to worry Schalke, who continued to sit back.

Sane couldn't finish a quick counter, sending his shot well wide of the post, while Muller did the exact opposite at the other end of the pitch by directing his effort straight at Fahrmann.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was handed the first booking of the match when his arm made contact with Xabi Alonso, but the Spaniard clearly tried to sell it as an incidental strike, and the Dutchman was furious. He responded by sending a fantastic ball through for Sane, but Alaba returned in the nick of time and made a vital stop.

Fox Soccer's Ross Dunbar highlighted the superb defensive play:

Not to be outdone, Dennis Aogo produced his own crucial tackle to stop Robben going through on goal.

Joel Matip was a rock in Schalke's defence and dominated the aerial battle, discouraging Bayern from sending in too many crosses. One fine delivery from Robben changed everything, however, as he picked out a wide-open Martinez, who headed Bayern back in front.

Whitney compared the Spaniard to Belgian defender and Bayern cult hero Daniel van Buyten:

Now back in front, Bayern were happy to lower the pace even more and force Schalke to chase the ball and a goal. 

The hosts tried to press high up the pitch, but Bayern were having little difficulty keeping them at bay and avoiding good looks on goal. On the other side of the pitch, Benedikt Howedes managed to get a touch on a shot from Lewandowski, directing it just past the goalpost.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg took his frustrations out on Alaba in a move that will surely not make him popular with fans of his parent club. The midfielder was booked for his efforts, while Alaba was taken off injured. 

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Teenage starlet Fabian Reese was handed his Schalke debut in the final minutes, and his side came close to earning a deserved last-minute draw when Matip launched a header over Neuer. The ball landed on the wrong side of the post, however.

Lewandowski nearly decided the match after great work from Arturo Vidal, but the Polish striker struck the post. Bayern's third goal came moments later, with Muller striking late to add to his wonderful tally this season.

The Bundesliga title race already seems over, with the Bavarians now leading Dortmund by eight points. This should allow Guardiola to turn his attention more to the UEFA Champions League, where Bayern are among the favourites to take home the Old Big Ears.

Schalke's youngsters showed exactly why the future of the club is considered to be bright, more than holding their own against one of the best teams in the world. Qualifying for the Champions League will be tough this season, but on talent alone, Schalke definitely deserve to be in it.

Post-Match Reaction

Guardiola was happy to grab the three points at the Veltins Arena, a difficult venue to find success, per the club's official Twitter account:

Andre Breitenreiter thought his players put together a strong showing against the Bavarian giants, per Schalke's Twitter account:

Follow @ReverschPass