Dejan Ljubičić goes down in the 16th minute after a challenge from Tom Rothe. He tries to play on, but five minutes later Miron Muslić decides to take him off, sending on Cameroonian midfielder Junior Dina Ebimbe in his place. Ebimbe would not leave the pitch again: 69 minutes later, Schalke 04 sealed their first win of the Bundesliga season, 3-1 over Union Berlin, on September 11, 2026, at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
The scoreline stayed tight until the very end. Robin Gosens opened the scoring in the 25th minute, followed by Adil Aouchiche just before halftime, in the 46th. Union Berlin pulled one back late through Tim Skarke, in the 90th+6, before Maximilian Wöber sealed it in a lengthy stoppage time, in the 90th+13. The 3-1 win lifts Schalke to 7th place in the Bundesliga, with 4 points after three matchdays — a week after a 0-0 draw snatched against Bayern Munich.
On the pitch, Ebimbe touched the ball 50 times and earned a 6.8 rating according to Sofascore. Trained at Eintracht Frankfurt's academy and signed at Schalke through 2028, he was repositioned by Muslić as a right wing-back — an unusual role for a player more accustomed to central midfield, but one his impromptu introduction against Union Berlin confirmed as a viable option.
Schalke travel to Elversberg for matchday 4, where Muslić will look to confirm this renewed momentum in Germany's top flight, reclaimed this season after last year's 2. Bundesliga title. For observers following Cameroonian footballers in Germany, Ebimbe's performance adds to a growing list of countrymen making their mark, week after week, across Europe's major leagues.
