
Sadly there was little to celebrate on the final matchday of the season even though the U19s did secure a comfortable 4-2 victory over relegated Viktoria Köln. After going behind on four minutes the game was turned round with two quick goals before the break. Simon Rhein (37') and Güven Yalcin (38'). Yalcin scored again three minutes after the restart to make it 3-1. With 79 minutes on the clock Sam Schreck netted a fourth goal for the Werkself before Viktoria scored a consolation goal two minutes from full-time.
However, as Schalke 04 (1-1 at Wuppertal) and Borussia Dortmund (1-0 at Duisburg) both secured points it meant the team under Markus von Ahlen and Iraklis Metaxas were unable to take one of the top two spots that would have qualified the team for the German Championship final.
Third place in the end
That could only have happened if Schalke 04 and lost or Dortmund had failed to win. At the end of an exciting season the Leverkusen lads are in third place on 56 points behind Dortmund (58 point) and Schalke (57).
"The lads gave their all again today and did their job," said coach von Ahlen after the game, "but it wasn't to be. Of course, we wish Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund all the best for the final rounds."
Dortmund play VFL Wolfsburg as Western champions in the semi-final. Schalke meet Bayern Munich in a two-legged tie.


Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Jonas Omlin. Bayer 04 have signed the 32-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach until the end of the season. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes described the Swiss shot stopper, signed by the Werkself in reaction to the long-term absence of first choice keeper Mark Flekken, as an "internationally experienced keeper." Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing, who will wear the number 18 jersey.
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Under the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26’, Bayer 04 are turning this season's UEFA Champions League season into a festival. In addition to a Spotify playlist that fans can use to get in the mood for the Champions League nights, there is also a tour pass with stickers for the respective UCL matches exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members. These could be picked up in the respective weeks of the matches. The sticker for the final clash in the league phase (Villarreal, 28 January, 21:00 CET) is now available at the Fanwelt. The competition for all diligent sticker collectors is also now open. Read on for further information.
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