Regional league side Hessen Kassel lost 5-0 to Bundesliga club Schalke 04 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, though the hosts held their own for more than half an hour before the visitors pulled away.
All 18,000 seats at the Auestadion were filled for the match, which opened with a show featuring confetti cannons, a parachutist and a marching band. The occasion was dampened early when Schalke’s Robin Gosens was forced off injured, followed shortly by Kassel goalkeeper Jonas Nikisch.
Kassel held the score level until the 36th minute, when Kenan Karaman struck. Junior Adamu added a second just before half-time. Adil Aouchiche and Moussa Sylla extended the lead after the break, and Satoshi Tanaka completed the scoring in the 74th minute.
Kassel open their Regionalliga Südwest season next Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt’s under-21 side. Schalke’s first competitive fixture is a DFB-Pokal tie at Halle on 24 August.
