
With the backing of the fans greeting the team bus and 04 changes to the starting line-up, the Werkself were under pressure from Köln early on. The hosts did create several good chances in the first half – but Paulinho (10', 17') was equally unsuccessful as Moussa Diaby (35’) and Kerem Demirbay (41’). The Werkself went into dressing room at half-time with the score at 0-0 but with two injuries (see below). A third substitution was made for the start of the second half as Odilon Kossounou was unable to continue due to a muscular problem.

The substitutions by the other side had a crucial effect on the afternoon: The only goal of the game was scored by Köln’s Kingsley Schindler from an assist by Dejan Ljubicic on 67 minutes – both came off the bench three minutes before the goal. Bayer 04 came close to equalising including two efforts from Sardar Azmoun (74’, 79’) but the ball did not end up in the back of the net. HERE is the match report.
Central defender Jonathan Tah spoke after the game: "We're all incredibly disappointed. Our performance wasn't good enough in the first half." Head coach Gerardo Seoane came to the following conclusion: "Overall it's a bitterly disappointing afternoon for us with the three injuries and the defeat. We could have got more out of it – not just in the taking of chances but also in terms of being combative and our tackling."
Gerardo Seoane already referred to it: Jeremie Frimpong (13’), Florian Wirtz (28’) plus Odilon Kossounou (46’) all had to be substituted because of injuries. While the season is over for Wirtz due to a torn cruciate, it remains to be seen how long the two defenders will be sidelined. Frimpong complained of pain in his ankle and Kossounou had muscular problems. Get well you two and fit again quickly.

It says a lot about the course of the game that the football journal kicker named the Köln keeper Marvin Schwäbe as the Man of the Match. While the team from Cologne used one of their few clear-cut opportunities, the Werkself were ineffective in front of goal on the afternoon. The chances ratio of 7 to 4 confirms that. The Black and Reds also had their noses in front in terms of possession and challenges won – even if narrowly.
"Torn cruciate" – this short and sharp headline in the Süddeutsche Zeitung probably hits all Leverkusen and German football fans hard. Bayer 04 published the diagnosis of the injury to Florian Wirtz on Sunday evening. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung headline reads "Leverkusen shocked" and Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger also talks about a "shock" and the Kölnische Rundschau opts for the word "nightmare". The Bild reports: "He's out for months. His playing in the World Cup is at great risk."
Following the derby, the Werkself the have another very important fixture coming up: Atalanta visit Leverkusen on Thursday 17 March (kick-off: 18.45 CET) in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 second leg. That is followed three days later by the Bundesliga away game at VfL Wolfsburg (kick-off: 17.30 CET). The next international break comes after that.

Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
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Bayer 04 have agreed a loan deal for Jeanuel Belocian to join fellow Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old defender’s contract in Leverkusen runs until 30 June 2029.
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After Leverkusen's eSports team spectacularly won the first showdown in the history of the VBL Club Championship last year, two rather sobering editions followed with two early exits. Now, in Showdown Four, cousins Marc and Sean Landwehr have once again made it into the offline knockout phase. And in this phase, Bochum awaits on Monday, 2 February (live on the VBL's Twitch channel from 16:00 CET). Here's a look at their opponents and what might happen next.
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SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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The Werkself were impressive in the 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt with clinical finishing and a first half "at a high level" that head coach Kasper Hjulmand draws a lot of positives from. The same should apply to Arthur, who scored for the first time in the Bundesliga. Edmond Tapsoba, for his part, was happy about his 250th appearance in a Bayer 04 jersey. "I think we're slowly finding our feet again," said goalscorer Malik Tillman, summing up the performance. The Werkself review.
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