Schalke 04 vs Atalanta BC

Atalanta made light work of Schalke in a one-sided pre-season friendly at the Veltins-Arena, cruising to a comfortable 3-0 win on what was meant to be a celebration of the German club's Bundesliga return. The Italian side controlled the first half from start to finish and never looked back, leaving the home fans with little to cheer despite a lively atmosphere for Schalke's traditional season-opening day. Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring in the 30th minute, finishing off a slick move set up by Gaetano, before Lazar Samardžić doubled the lead just before the break with a quick counterattack. Nikola Krstović came off the bench to add a third late on, rounding off the scoring after Atalanta's reshuffled second-half side kept its composure. Scalvini picked up a yellow card for a robust challenge, while goalkeeper Carnesecchi was called into action to deny Schalke's best chances. For Schalke, the result offers a reality check just weeks before their first Bundesliga fixture back in the top flight, though they did dominate possession and corners after the break without finding a breakthrough. For Atalanta, it was a useful workout ahead of their Conference League playoff assignment, with fringe players like Krstović making the most of their minutes.