Setback for our number 11: Nadiem Amiri suffered a shoulder injury in the home game against the team from Berlin. The Germany international, who had to be substituted at half-time due to the injury, will now start rehab at the Werkstatt in the BayArena.
Amiri's teammate Karim Bellarabi was not only able to celebrate equalising at 1-1 and his assist to make it 3-1, but he was also named Man of the Match. With half of all the votes in the DFB poll, the 29-year-old came top ahead of Union’s Markus Ingvartsen and yesterday's Werkself captain Kai Havertz.
Bayer 04 fans shared that view on Twitter: Over 41% voted substitute Bellarabi as the Man of the Match. That put Bellarabi ahead of Charles Aránguiz (25.4%) and Moussa Diaby (23.4%). Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on Bellarabi's nomination: "He deserved to be the Man of the Match!"
After coming on for the second half, Werkself winger Moussa Diaby really shone in the DFB Cup quarter-final against Union Berlin. The new dad – his son Ismail is one week old – treated himself to the goal to make it 3-1 (90+1'). And a suitable celebration obviously had to follow (see photo).
An average of one million viewers (market share of 3.9%) watched the quarter-final game between the Werkself and Union Berlin on the free to air TV channel Sport1. At its peak, 1.4 million viewers switched on to Sport1. The highlights of the game on ARD at 23.00 CET were watched by 3.57 million viewers (market share of 20%).
Who the Werkself will play in the DFB Cup semi-finals will be revealed on Sunday night from 18.00 CET on the ARD Sportschau, which will be broadcast live from the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Bayer 04 goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has expressed a wish for Germany women’s goalkeeper Almuth Schult who is making the draw: "Who do I want? Anyone but Bayern away." The Werkself and FC Bayern are joined in the draw by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt and Regional League FC Saarbrücken. The latter are the first fourth division side in a DFB Cup semi-final – and they will be at home.
The initial fear that the former Bayer 04 central defender Ömer Toprak had suffered a fracture of the fibula was happily not confirmed. The 30-year-old Werder Bremen defender was fouled by Filip Kostic (90+1') in last night’s 2-0 defeat in the DFB Cup quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Serbian was sent off while Toprak was carried off the pitch on a stretcher. An exact diagnosis has been confirmed: The Turk suffered a lacerated and contused wound to his calf. Toprak made 203 appearances for the Black and Reds between 2011 and 2017. He scored seven goals and provided five assists along the way. Bayer 04 wish him a speedy recovery and a quick comeback.
The Werkself are back in action on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15.30 CET) in a Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt: The BayArena will be bursting at the seams with the Werkself in such good form – and one or two goals appear guaranteed. At least if you believe the statistics: Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer 04 have played each other 69 times in the Bundesliga and there has never been a 0-0 draw – a Bundesliga record.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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