Schalke 04 defender Nikola Katić delivered a historic defensive performance against Union Berlin, recording 28 clearances – the most by any player in a single match across Europe’s top five leagues since the 2015/16 season, when Opta deep stats became available in Sofascore.

Schalke secured an impressive 3-1 away victory over Union Berlin, but one of the standout stories of the match came at the heart of their defence. Katić was under constant pressure throughout the game and responded with an extraordinary 28 clearances, setting a new benchmark in the Sofascore database.

Before Katić’s performance, the highest total in that period belonged to Younès Kaboul, who registered 25 clearances for Sunderland against Leicester City in April 2016. Leandro Cabrera followed with 24 for Getafe, while Waldemar Anton, James Collins and Willi Orbán had all reached 23.

Katić did not simply move to the top of the list – he broke the previous record by three clearances, becoming the first player in the database to reach or surpass 26 in a single top-five-league match.

Most clearances in a single match since 2015/16

#	Player	Club	League	Clearances	Match	Date	Score
1	Nikola Katić	Schalke 04	Bundesliga	28	Union Berlin – Schalke	11 Sep 2026	1–3
2	Younès Kaboul	Sunderland	Premier League	25	Sunderland – Leicester	10 Apr 2016	0–2
3	Leandro Cabrera	Getafe	LaLiga	24	Eibar – Getafe	15 Feb 2019	2–2
4	Waldemar Anton	Borussia Dortmund	Bundesliga	23	Hoffenheim – Dortmund	5 Sep 2026	2–3
5	James Collins	West Ham	Premier League	23	West Ham – Liverpool	2 Jan 2016	2–0
6	Willi Orbán	RB Leipzig	Bundesliga	23	Mainz – Leipzig	13 Sep 2025	0–1
7	Ragnar Klavan	FC Augsburg	Bundesliga	22	Wolfsburg – Augsburg	23 Apr 2016	0–2
8	Bartosz Salamon	Frosinone	Serie A	22	Genoa – Frosinone	3 Mar 2019	0–0
9	Steve Cook	Bournemouth	Premier League	22	Leicester – Bournemouth	3 Mar 2018	1–1
10	Federico Fazio	AS Roma	Serie A	22	Genoa – Roma	8 Jan 2017	0–1

For a centre-back, clearances are often a reflection of both sustained opposition pressure and the ability to repeatedly deal with dangerous situations. Against Union, Katić was Schalke’s last line of resistance time and again, helping his side protect their advantage and leave Berlin with all three points.

Katić dominant both on the ground and in the air

Katić’s remarkable performance was not limited to his record-breaking clearance numbers. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international was virtually impossible to get past, dominating Union’s attackers both on the ground and in the air.

Alongside his 28 clearances, Katić won an outstanding 14 aerial duels and added three ground duels won, repeatedly coming out on top whenever Union attempted to challenge Schalke’s defensive line.

His aerial dominance was particularly impressive. Winning 14 aerial duels while simultaneously producing the highest number of clearances by any player in a top-five-league match since 2015/16 underlines just how much of Union’s attacking pressure Katić personally dealt with.

Whether the danger came from crosses, long balls or direct duels, Katić was simply impassable on the night. His combination of 28 clearances and 17 duels won made his performance much more than a statistical curiosity – it was a commanding defensive display at the heart of Schalke’s 3-1 victory.