Three days after the 4-0 win against Twente Enschede, Bayer 04 sealed another victory in a friendly against the team third from bottom in the Dutch first division (Eredivisie). "3-1 is a good result," was the assessment of Bosz. "Today we tried to do a couple of things better that we didn't do so well in the game against Twente. In the first friendly for example, the build-up from the back took too long for my liking and we did it better today. But there are also other things we have to do better in future," added the 55-year-old Dutchman.
Bosz separated his squad into two teams for the first of two friendlies of the day: A side for the match against Zwolle and another for the friendly against Preußen Münster, which followed directly after the first game behind closed doors. "We don't have much time and it's important for me to get to know all the players. And it's good for the players to get 90 minutes on the pitch," said the new Werkself head coach in explaining the approach.
In front of a crowd of 470 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, the Werkself got off to the poorer start against the visitors from Holland – in the opening ten minutes, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky kept his team from going behind three times. The Black and Reds then came into the game and created a number of goalscoring opportunities. After shots from Julian Brandt, Leon Bailey, Kai Havertz, Charles Aránguiz and Lars Bender failed to find the back of the net it was Kevin Volland who opened the scoring on the half-hour mark. Brandt provided the assist with some impressive dribbling and the final pass. Just three minutes after the opener, Bailey, who was playing on the right flank, doubled the lead – this time Volland provided the assist in the penalty area. Havertz was then twice frustrated by saves from the alert PEC keeper Mickey van der Hart. Bayer 04 went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, the Werkself carried on where they had left off in the first 45 minutes, playing on the front foot and pressing the visitors back. Of the best chances created for the Werkself, only Bailey was able to reap the benefit when on 75 minutes – put through by Brandt – he coolly slotted the ball past the Zwolle keeper van der Hart to double his tally. Seconds before the final whistle, Zwolle prevented a second win for Bayer 04 without conceding when Stanley Elbers converted a rebound from close range to make it 3-1.
Bayer 04: Hradecky – L. Bender (Stanilewicz 69'), Tah, S. Bender, Wendell – Aránguiz – Bailey, Havertz, Brandt – Volland, Bellarabi
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
Show more
In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
Show more
