
“We didn’t play well in the first half and we conceded possession too easily after winning the ball,” said coach Markus von Ahlen. That sort of situation saw the first goal conceded on 19 minutes when Schalke 04 mounted a quick counter-attack after gaining possession.
It was 2-0 a few minutes later when the hosts seized on the ball in the Bayer 04 penalty area and the Schalke forward turned the ball into the net on 26 minutes.
More risks after the break
“The team showed great spirit in the second half and they tried to get back in to the game,” said von Ahlen in praise of his players. The Werkself youngsters took more risks after the restart, had more of the game and created more chances.
Güven Yalcin missed the target twice when well placed in front of the Schalke goal. The Royal Blues also had more space up front but were unable to improve on their two-goal lead. The game ended in a 2-0 win for Schalke.
Home game against Bielefeld on Wednesday
After the 3-2 defeat away to Dynamo Dresden in the DFB Youth Cup, the U19s also lose to Schalke in the Bundesliga. The Bayer 04 U19 team play the first match at home on Wednesday night. Arminia Bielefeld are the visitors at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with an 18.00 CET kick-off .
The team from East Westphalia drew 0-0 with local rivals SC Paderborn in their opening match. Entrance to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium is free.
Match stats:
FC Schalke 04 U19: Weiner - Göring, Hempel, Wiemann, Fleckstein, Kübler, Goller (Neiß 67’), Boujellab, Kutucu (Can 84’), Ceka (Ahrend 71’), Taitague (Yildiz 80’).
Bayer 04 U19: Kucz - Popovic (Samoura 38’), Stappmann, Boller, Arik (Fragapane 62’), Schreck, Yalcin, Tokac (Mbay 77’), Shala, Bukusu (Grym 72’), Akkaynak.
Goals: 1-0 Ceka (19’), 2-0 Ceka (26’).
Booked: / - Stappmann, Boller.
Referee: Fleddermann (Nordhorn).
Attendance: 500

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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