Schalke is headed to the Champions League next month, but the German power had an opening week to forget.
Knocked out of the German Cup on Monday by third division Dynamo Dresden, the Gelsenkirchen side saw a 1-0 lead evaporate at Hannover Saturday and lost their opening Bundesliga game of the season, 2-1.
The winning goal was a brilliant, 26-yard strike from newly-acquired striker Joselu, whose powerful drive curled just inside the lower right corner of the Schalke goal in the 70th minute, That came just three minutes after Edgar Prib had pulled Hannover 96 onto level terms when he made a perfect run down the inside left channel, got inside a defender and first-timed Leonardo Bittancourt's cross from eight yards.
Joselu, who picked up on a four-year deal this summer from Hoffenheim, should have put Hannover ahead in the 38th minute, but dragged his breakaway shot past the far post. That meant that when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was sent in by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to open the scoring in the 47th minute that Schalke had a lead.
Hannover's two goals in three minutes put paid to that and Joselu narrowly missed grabbing another in the 87th minute.
Another summer signing, Hertha Berlin's Julian Schieber scored twice for his new club and gave them a 2-0 lead but that disappeared when Werder Bremen scored twice in three minutes to share the spoils on their visit to Berlin.
Schieber left Borussia Dortmund for a new deal with Hertha this past July and he looked full value. Drifting into space at the far post he headed home a Roy Beerens cross in the 16th minute to put Hertha on top 1-0. Bremen goalkeeper Raphael Wolf then produced two magical saves, first denying Ronny, then Schieber in the 21st minute to keep his team in the contest although when Schieber tappped in from a 47th minute scramble in the box Hertha looked in solid control.
Assani Lukimya-Mulongoti pulled the first one back for Bremen when he met a Zlatko Junowicz free kick, then the visitors stunned the crowd with a counter down the left. Eljero Elia's cross was controlled by Franco DiSanto, who blew down the center of the box in a two-on-one raid that produced the equalizer.
Elsewhere, newly-promoted FC Koln played a 0-0 home draw against Hamburger SV, the side which had to survive a relegation playoff to remain in the Bundesliga last season. A 15th-minute strike from Harris Seferovic was all Eintracht Frankfurt needed to defeat SC Freiburg, 1-0. Two goals in two minutes, from Adam Szalai and Tarik Elyounoussi gave Hoffenheim the 2-0 success over Augsburg.
Borussia Dortmund met Bayer Leverkusen in the evening kickoff.
