Loris Karius has been hailed by his manager, the opposition and German media after he marked his first appearance in more than a year with a clean sheet.
The former Newcastle United and Liverpool goalkeeper was handed a rare start but shone between the posts for Schalke in their 1-0 win over Preussen Munster in 2. Bundesliga on Friday. Karius was made man of the match after completing the full 90 minutes.
It was the shot-stopper’s first appearance since February 24, 2024, when he played in Newcastle United’s 4-1 Premier League defeat at Arsenal. Prior to that, his last game had been in the Carabao Cup final in 2023 when he was parachuted into the team after Nick Pope’s suspension and Martin Dubravka was cup-tied.
Afterwards, German media outlet Bild hailed his ‘charisma’ and control of his penalty area, while journalist Florian Plettenberg enthused: “Two months after his arrival, an incredible comeback for Loris Karius. A top performance in Schalke’s 1-0 win against Preussen Munster made him the match winner.”
The 31-year-old joined Schalke in January, after six months without a club, and had been second choice to Justin Heekeren until Friday night’s match, when he made his first appearance in German football since 2021 when playing for Union Berlin. And Karius showed he wasn’t rusty as he pulled off a string of important stops for Schalke including a double save in the last minute from Niko Koulis and then David Kinsombi to ensure his side’s victory.
Schalke head coach Kees van Wonderen said. “It’s always a difficult decision (to change the goalkeeper). But he’s been here for two months and today he showed that he can make the difference.
“I’m happy for Schalke, for the team and for him. Our goalkeeper made the difference today.”
Karius himself played down his feats, saying he was just doing his job. He told Sky: “For a goalkeeper, it’s always good if you can distinguish yourself. I tried to give the team security and to defuse what came at the goal.
“But that’s my job, I would be disappointed if I didn’t make those saves. That was fine for the debut.”
Karius opened up late last year on his time at Newcastle and his regrets at not starting more games. The German ended up leaving Tyneside last summer after rejecting the chance of another year at the club.
“In the second season, when (Nick) Pope was injured, I expected, or hoped, to play games,” says Karius, who signed for the Magpies as a free agent in September 2022 after Karl Darlow picked up an injury.
“In the end, there was always a reason why it didn’t happen. That’s the only thing I look back on with regret because if I had played the second half of that season, then we probably wouldn’t be talking now and I’d be at another club, starting afresh. But that’s football. You can’t change it.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/loris-karius-charisma-ex-newcastle-31109003
