After a balanced first half it was the hosts who struck first at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Akkaynak got on the end of a good ball and found the back of the FC Köln net to give Bayer 04 the lead.
Following substitutions during the break, Köln improved in the second half. Within 10 minutes the visitors turn the game round with two goals.
Late decider
Instead of an equaliser, a breakaway attack in the closing stages led to FC Köln sealing victory with a third goal. "The lads gave everything right to the end but were unable to find the finishing touch," said coach Markus von Ahlen.
Schalke 04 next up
The Bayer 04 U19s do not have time to let their heads drop. The next big challenge is on Sunday when the team travels to the big away game at FC Schalke 04. With two games to play the U19s are level on points with the Royal Blues in second position.
At the end of the season that position would be enough to qualify for the German Championship semi-finals.
Match stats:
Bayer 04 U19: Prinz - Popovic, Nesseler, Rhein (Yalcin 72’), Osawe, Mbay, Grym (Handwerker 46’), Abu Hanna, Stanilweicz (Shala 59’), Akkaynak, Schreck (Bednarczyk 59’).
Arminia Bielefeld U19: Theißen - Goden (Wendel 87’), Jakobs, Sonnenberg (Miotke 46’), Brackelmann, Akalp, Rittmüller (Bezerra 59’), Ciftci, Churlinov, Szöke, Ametov (Karweina 46’).
Goals: 1-0 Akkaynak (45’), 1-1 Jakobs (68’), 1-2 Bezerra (78’), 1-3 Karweina (87’).
Booked: / - Churlinov.
Referee: Orbach (Cologne).
NEXT U19 GAMES:
| Competition |
Opponents |
Venue | Date |
Kick-off |
| Bundesliga | FC Schalke 04 | A | 30.04. | 13:00 |
| Bundesliga | Viktoria Köln | H | 06.05. | 13:00 |
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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