‘EN’ knocked out two of the joint favourites on the way to the final. The team coached by Jens Martens and Olufemi Smith beat Regional League newcomers Teutonia 05 Ottensen 1-0 in the quarter-finals. They secured a 3-2 win in the semi-finals against league rivals Altona 03 – and now there is the victory over Sasel.
At the Wolfgang Meyer Stadium in Hamburg-Stellingen, Rico Bork gave Norderstedt the lead on 15 minutes with an impressive long-range effort. Nico Zankl levelled from the penalty spot a few minutes later (23’), Eintracht striker Jan Lüneburg quickly restored the lead (26’) and the scoreline remained the same at the end of the first half.
The EN striker demonstrated his finishing ability after the restart to make it 3-1 on 54 minutes. Substitute Evans Nyarko (71’) and Johann von Knebel four minutes later further extended the lead.
After the final whistle and progress to the DFB Cup, the Norderstedt coach Jens Martens was relieved and happy. “We’re really looking forward to the game against Leverkusen. We’re happy to accept the challenge and we will put on a good show,” said the 64-year-old, who added with a wink: “Of course, I don’t have anything against the result today.”
The first round tie between the Werkself and the Hamburg Cup winners will be played between 11 and 14 September. For last season’s finalists from Leverkusen the match in the Hanseatic city is also the opening fixture of 2020/21 season.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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