In his first match as coach of Bayer 04, Xabi Alonso made one change to the starting line-up compared with the 2-0 defeat at Porto in the Champions League group match: Mitchel Bakker started in place of Adam Hlozek, who dropped down to the bench.
The Werkself, fully focused in terms of tactics, found the back of the Schalke net after ten minutes for the first time with an impressive finish by Charles Aránguiz. However, referee Tobias Stieler spotted a foul in the build-up and the goal by the Alonso team was chalked off. Bayer 04 continued to control the ball and the game and mostly attacked down the right flank with the lively Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby. And on 25 minutes there was another goalscoring opportunity with a deflected shot by Patrik Schick.
The Werkself took a long time to find their way through the solid Schalke 04 defence until the 38th minute: Diaby tried his luck from 20 yards out from a central position and his strong left foot fired the ball into the top right corner – the deserved lead for the Black and Reds (38'). Less than three minutes later, Frimpong was rewarded for his impressive performance up to that point: The right wing-back hit a shot from a tight angle into the far corner to double the lead at 2-0 (41'). The Alonso team took that lead into half-time.
Less than ten minutes were played in the second half when the Werkself netted the third goal: Having won the ball in their own penalty area there was a fast counter-attack that ended with Diaby setting up Frimpong in the opposition box – and he coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to make it 3-0 (53'). The Werkself kept it tight at the back and constantly tested the opposition. Substitute Paulinho rounded off the scoring to make it 4-0 (90').
There's hardly any time to rest for the Black and Reds: Porto visit the BayArena on Wednesday 12 October (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) on matchday four in UEFA Champions League Group B. Three days later the Alonso team are away to Eintracht Frankfurt. That match kicks off at 15.30 CEST on Saturday 15 October.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie (Kossounou 88') - Frimpong, Aránguiz (Demirbay 64'), Andrich, Bakker - Diaby (Adli 64'), Schick (Hlozek 72'), Hudson-Odoi (Paulinho 88')
Schalke 04: Schwolow – Brunner, Greiml, Yoshida (Latza 79'), Mohr (Ouwejan 46') - Drexler (Mollet 64'), Krauß, Flick (Kral 64'), Bülter - Polter (Aydin 46'), Terodde
Goals: 1-0 Diaby (38’), 2-0 Frimpong (41’), 3-0 Frimpong (53’), 4-0 Paulinho (90’)
Booked: Hincapie - Yoshida
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Obertshausen)
Attendance: 30,210 (sell out) at the BayArena
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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