This team has no time to lose: After the Werkself took a 2-0 lead after eight minutes in the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, they also secured an early double blow at FC Augsburg with own goals from Iago (3') and Niederlechner (14'). Niederlechner's goal on the half-hour mark and a stronger Augsburg phase after the half-time break were countered by Leverkusen with goals from Patrik Schick (75’) and Florian Wirtz (81’). HERE is the match report.
It is always good to go into the first international break of the season on the back of a win like that. "Compliments to the team for their spirit" was the view of coach Gerardo Seoane and he added after the game at the WWK Arena: "We got stuck into challenges and our transition play was good. Fortune was on our side with the two own goals. In the second half we were able to bring on quality and that helped us."
And comments from Bayer 04 players also spoke volumes. "I'd be happy to play the next game on Tuesday or Wednesday," said Kerem Demirbay, who praised the "variable and versatile" performance of the team. Jeremie Frimpong conveyed this message on social media: “Nice way to head into the break!”
Werkself supporters were pretty unanimous in their vote for Man of the Match: Over 1,100 people on Twitter took part in the vote that saw Patrik Schick race ahead: The scorer of the important goal for 3-1, who also hit the bar and played an important part in the opening goal, picked up 44% of the votes. That put him ahead of Florian Wirtz (24%), Jeremie Frimpong (16%) and Kerem Demirbay (15%).
At the age of 18 years, three months and 25 days, Florian Wirtz is the youngest player in the history the Bundesliga to score seven goals. Wirtz, just called up to Germany squad by coach Hansi Flick, takes over from the previous record holder Timo Werner.
The clash at Augsburg is similar to the previous match against Borussia Mönchengladbach in terms of numbers: Some statistics show a balanced game but with the most crucial factor, the number of goals scored, the Werkself were clearly ahead. This time both teams were identical in terms of shots on goal (14:14) as well as in the number of challenges (50 per cent). The Werkself were on top in terms of possession (58:42 per cent) as well as the pass completion rate (85:78 per cent).
In the online edition of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger attention is drawn to a run of unbeaten matches without equal: "Bayer 04 were able to extend an impressive run against Augsburg with not one defeat in the 21 Bundesliga meetings to date." Also the best return in the league are the five goals scored by Leverkusen in the opening 15 minutes. The Kicker chose the following outline for their online report: "Bayer sink FCA" and they witnessed an "extremely entertaining match." The Rheinische Post assessment of the first half in their online edition was "a half full of curiosities and high points" and they talked about "slapstick on the pitch" with the two Augsburg own goals plus the failed attempt to clear by Mitchel Bakker ahead of the goal making it 2-1.
After the first home game against Gladbach, the second match for the Werkself at the BayArena brings another big match in the west: Bayer 04 entertain Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 11 September with the kick-off at 15.30 CEST. The team under new coach Marco Rose started with home wins against Eintracht Frankfurt (5-2) and, on Friday, against TSG Hoffenheim (3-2) but they lost out on matchday two away to SC Freiburg (1-2). An attacking encounter between B04 and BVB would not be much of a surprise as both teams joined Bayern Munich as the most prolific teams in the league with nine goals from three games.
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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