Schalke players felt the angry backlash of supporters on Tuesday night after a 1-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld confirmed relegation and triggered a terrifying attack which saw ultras pelt stars with eggs and fireworks.
In shocking scenes a small section of Schalke fans mobilised after the match in order to channel their fury toward their underperforming team, who will play next season in Bundesliga 2.
A 600-strong mob of Schalke fans reportedly waited for the team bus to return to their Veltins-Arena home in Gelsenkirchen at 1am before unloading a torrent of abuse, according to the Sun.
Former Arsenal men Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi were among the stars to be targeted, as fans made their move on the players as soon as they left the vehicle.
Kolasinac returned to his former club on loan during the January window and will soon head back to Arsenal, while Mustafi signed in a permanent deal.
A video of the ugly incident captured from a distance away appears to show a crowd of fans sprinting after a few players who had made a dashing exit from the team coach.
Several players were reportedly left bloodied after being struck with objects during the onslaught, while eggs and fireworks were thrown.
Local police are said to have been aware of fans gathering during the small hours to express their disappointment in the team, though did not expect the scenes to turn violent.
Local police chief Matthias Buscher told reporters: 'We were expecting a group of fans to speak their minds to the Schalke players when their bus returned to the stadium.
'We'd been tipped off about it beforehand, so police were present in numbers.
'Suddenly however there were massive attacks. Two players were struck, and eggs and fireworks flew through the air.
Schalke have since slammed the deplorable action in a strongly worded club statement.
The German side said: 'Despite the understandable frustration and anger with our relegation to the Bundesliga 2, the club can never accept the physical endangerment of our players and staff.
'That is exactly what occurred during last night's confrontation.
'The club strongly condemns this behaviour and stands behind our staff. An investigation into the incident is already underway.
'FC Schalke 04 will give no further comment on this matter until things are cleared up.'
Schalke's relegation marks just the first time in the last 33 years in which the club have dropped from Germany's top division.
It comes just three years after they finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga, and only two years after they were playing in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Fireworks were also seen crackling above the Gelsenkirchen skies following the aftermath of the match, with local reports attributing this to ultras of Borussia Dortmund - historic rivals to Schalke.