
“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

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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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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The next footballing highlight is just around the corner: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of the tournament, will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and feature 48 teams for the first time. Bayer04.de has all the latest on the Werkself players called up to represent their countries.
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While the majority of the Bayer 04 Women are enjoying their summer break, nine Werkself players will be on duty for their national teams in the coming days. Three of them are competing for a place at the World Cup, while six are involved in two friendlies with the Germany U23 team.
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