"The players are obviously very tired. It's clear there is a lack of freshness but that's only to be expected at this stage of the pre-season. Overall, they took up the challenge very well and did a good job of meeting our targets for today: We didn't want to commit any fouls, looked to play a possession game and create goalscoring opportunities. The result is ok but there is room for improvement. Above all in the second half, we could have scored one or two more goals," summed up Heiko Herrlich after the game.
The reason for the Bayer 04 visit was the fiftieth anniversary of the club that won the Rhineland Cup in 2012. The evening provided three firsts for the Werkself: For the first friendly of the pre-season the Black and Reds had first use of the new team bus and that was followed by the first outing in the new home kit seen in the photo shoot before yesterday's DFl Media Day. Heiko Herrlich had to manage without the injured Charles Aranguiz (knee), Lukas Hradecky (jaw op), Panos Retsos (hand) and Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle). Dominik Kohr also had to take it easy after twisting his knee in the morning training session.
Captained by Julian Baumgartlinger, the Werkself set the pace in summer temperatures at the 'In der Au' Stadium in Roßbach/Wied – the well-organised defence of the hosts around goalkeeper Peter Stegemann initially proved to be unbeatable. "The opposition did well and were very well organised in defence. In the opening stages of the game we found it very difficult to get through to the final third," said Herrlich in praising the hosts. It took half an hour for the Black and Reds to breach the Roßbach bulwark and put the ball in the back of the net: Baumgartlinger scored a deserved opener on 28 minutes after a fine solo run. That was followed by strikes from Kai Havertz (39') and Lucas Alario (41'). Bayer 04 went into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Heiko Herrlich made nine changes at half-time – only Baumgartlinger and Sam Schreck stayed on. Regardless of the many changes it remained a one-sided affair after the restart with the Roßbach team coached by Uwe van Eckeren unable to escape from the stranglehold of the Bundesliga side. Kevin Volland converted a penalty on 48 minutes, before Mitchell Weiser netted on his Werkself debut (65') and Lars Bender (79') with an impressive long-range effort extended the lead. The final goal in the 7-0 victory came from Sam Schreck with an outstanding curler (81').
Bayer 04: Özcan (Kirschbaum 46') – Henrichs (Weiser 46'), Sven Bender (Boller 46'), Dragovic (Tah 46'), Bednarczyk (Wendell 46') – Baumgartlinger (Makreckis 75'), Staniliewicz (Lars Bender 46') – Bailey (Bellarabi 46'), Havertz (Azhil 46'), Schreck – Alario (Volland 46')
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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