The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger writes under the headline: 'Still flying high':"When it went dark, fluorescent lights, which had been placed on the seats or on the terrace for the fans, flickered around the BayArena. The performance of the Werkself in the last home game of the year was not quite so spectacular. However, they continued their rise to the top spots in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against Werder Bremen although there was an unnecessary scare at the end. But that is a new quality of Bayer 04: One goal is enough if required. That was the twelfth game unbeaten in succession across all competitions." Leon Bailey was named the man of the match: "Of course, the man for the special moment in Leverkusen's game did it once again. The assist for the goal to make it 1-0 was again a mix of high pace and precision that few players possess."
The Kölnische Rundschau headline "Clever Werkself" refers to the coming year: "Bayer Leverkusen have continued their impressive run and are now in a Champions League place. Thanks to the 1-0 win against Werder Bremen, the Werkself are unbeaten for the eleventh time in succession on Bundesliga matchday 16 and have moved up to fourth place. If Bayer, with Lucas Alario scoring the winner on 11 minutes, win in the final matchday of the year at Hannover 96 then the opening match of the second half of the season against league leaders Bayern Munich on 12 January should be a real cracker."
The Kicker observes: "Bayer 04 are back in a Champions League position for the first time in 18 months after the Werkself were 17th in the table after three games. The climb up the league continues." And the specialist magazine also emphasises the successful rotation performed by Heiko Herrlich: "Lucas Alario, who is only been in the starting eleven once in the last six games, scored the only goal of the game. In addition to the introduction of the €19 million signing, Heiko Herrlich made three changes from the side that won 2-0 at Stuttgart. The fact the Werkself coach regularly changes his line-up is now readily accepted in Leverkusen... "So the Herrlich rotation moves Bayer up the league. And not just because Alario scored. Julian Baumgartlinger was also impressive in the holding midfield role against Werder."
The Bild Zeitung has even made the exact calculation: "Back in a Champions League spot after 579 days: Alario wins it for Bayer. The long drought is over!"
The Express writes: "The Werkself are unstoppable – even against bogey teams. Heiko Herrlich (46) and his team remain unbeaten for the eleventh game in succession after a 1-0 win against Werder Bremen. The victory takes Leverkusen up to a Champions League spot of fourth place – thanks to the sniffer Lucas Alario (25). 'El pipa' finally showed he has recovered his nose for a goal. After hitting the woodwork twice in Frankfurt, Lucas Alario was on the spot to score with his first chance in the game against Werder."
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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