Harit at the double as Schalke see off Paderborn

Paderborn 1-5 Schalke
Goals: 1-0 Cauly (8'), 1-1 Sane (33'), 1-2 Serdar (49'), 1-3 Harit (71'), 1-4 Kutucu (83'), 1-5 Harit (85')

Paderborn have been fast starters in every game this season, and this time they needed just eight minutes to find the back of the net when the Bundesliga newcomers won possession inside the Schalke half and Sven Michel crossed from the left for birthday boy Cauly to power past Paderborn youth product Alexander Nübel with his head. Schalke reacted, though, and carved out chances for Mark Uth and Guido Burgstaller – both denied by Jannik Huth before Sane rose highest from Bastian Oczipka’s lofted cross to cancel out the header at the other end. Michel then had a golden chance to restore the Paderborn lead on the stroke of half-time, but he skewed his shot into the side netting after a clever reverse pass from Sebastian Vasiliadis.

David Wagner’s side made them pay straight after the restart, though, when Suat Serdar’s effort from the edge of the box deflected through the legs of Uwe Hünemeier and past Huth into the corner. Burgstaller and Streli Mamba then exchanged shots at either end before Harit added a third, curling home from just inside the box after excellent British-American cooperation between August Rookie winner Jonjoe Kenny and substitute Weston McKennie to set up the Morocco international. Another substitute, Kutucu, then made it 4-1 after rounding Huth before Harit bagged his brace with a finish into the bottom corner, wrapping up a big Schalke win.

• Paderborn have scored in the opening 15 minutes in all four Bundesliga matches this season.
• Eleven of Sane’s 13 Bundesliga goals have been with his head, including the last five.
• Sane’s goal was Schalke’s first away from home in the league this season, but the 1000th on the road in their Bundesliga history.
• Harit’s goals were his first since November 2018, while this was also his first brace in the Bundesliga.
• A game after scoring his first Bundesliga goal, Kenny now has his first assist in the German top flight.
• Paderborn have now squandered a league-high eight points from winning positions.

Paderborn: Huth - Dräger, Strohdiek (c), Hünemeier, Collins - Cauly, Vasiliadis, Gjasula (Sabiri 78’), Antwi-Adjei – Mamba (Pröger 73’), Michel (Gueye 58’)
Unused subs: Zingerle, Ritter, Kilian, Jans, Zolinski, Holtmann
Out: Schonlau (foot)
Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Schalke: Nübel (c) – Kenny, Sane, Stambouli, Oczipka – Mascarell, Serdar (Kabak 86’) – Caligiuri (McKennie 61’), Harit, Uth (Kutucu 67’) – Burgstaller
Unused subs: Schubert, Miranda, Nastasic, Boujellab, Skrzybski, Mercan
Out: Bentaleb (groin), Raman (ankle)
Coach: David Wagner