
Goals: Leverkusen competed on equal terms for 15 minutes and were looking good when Juve used their first chance to take the lead. Mamadou Kaly Sene hit a shot into the bottom left corner of the net from 22 yards out to make it 1-0 with the Bayer 04 keeper Marcel Lotka helpless thanks to the well-placed effort. Juventus were clearly on top from this point and increased the lead with Pablo Moreno scoring the second goal following a counter-attack on 28 minutes. Just over ten minutes later, Nicolo Fagioli converted a penalty to make it 3-0 (39') following a handball by the captain Ayman Azhil.
Bayer 04 missed the chance to make the half-time score more palatable when Hans Anapak-Backe could only hit the underside of the bar from a penalty arising from a foul against Marco Wolf. The proceedings remained the same after the restart: Juve had control of the game and were rewarded with Daniel Cosimo Osvaldo Leo scoring to make it 4-0 on 52 minutes. Shortly before the end of the game, substitute Phil Kemper scored a consolation goal with a powerful header from an Ayoub Asrihi corner (86').
State of play: The U19s have slipped down to fourth place in Group D of the UEFA Youth League after matchday two with Atlético Madrid beating Lokomotiv Moscow 3-2 in the other game. There is still all to play for as the Werkself U19s could still finish in second place. "We started really well and tried to play on the break. Then the first shot on our goal went in. After that we didn't defend well at times. The team showed good mentality in the second half despite being well behind and they never let their heads drop," was the assessment of Bayer 04 coach Patrick Weiser.
What's next: The Werkself U19 side are away to the Bundesliga South side SSV Ulm at the weekend in the Round of 16 of the DFB Youth Cup (Sunday, 11.00 CET). After a friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt (9 October in Wirges) the next Bundesliga fixture follows the internationals on 19 October with an away game at Alemannia Aachen. That is followed three days later by the next game in the Youth League away to Atlético Madrid on 22 October (14.00 CET).
Match stats:
Juventus U19: Siano – Leo, Dragusin, Gozzi Iweru, Anzolin (Verduci 59') – Ahamada (Francofonte 46'), Fagioli (Leone 59’), Tongya – Sekulov, Moreno (Petrelli 71’), Sene (Da Graca 46’)
Bayer 04 U19: Lotka – Gaedicke, Lamti (Kemper 46’), Bukusu (Fünger 64’), Rüth – Wolf (Asrihi 64’), Azhil, Stanilewicz, Anapak-Baka (Sarpei 61’) – Türkmen (Gedikli 46’), Scott
Goals: 1-0 Sene (16’), 2-0 Moreno (28’), 3-0 Fagioli (pen. 39’), 4-0 Leo (52’), 4-1 Kemper (86’)
Notable incidents: Anapak-Baka misses penalty (45’)
Booked: Anzolin – Azhil, Kemper, Scott
Referee: Jorgji (Albania)

A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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