Back
20.12.2020Bundesliga

What the papers say: Impressive display in enthralling match

Despite the bitter last-minute defeat against FC Bayern, the Werkself can go into the short winter break with their heads held high. That is illustrated by the press reports that express clear recognition of the Bayer 04 performance on Saturday night.
crop_20201219_JS_B04_FCB_0499.jpg

‘That’s how they are’ is the headline for the match report in the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine and the article continues: “And Bayern win in the end: Lewandowski made it 2-1 in added time against an impressive Leverkusen side.”

The Werkself won particular recognition for the performance in the first half. "Bayer 04 approached this game with an energy and precision that no other team has shown against Bayern Munich and coach Hansi Flick," praised the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. "The Werkself restricted the record champions to 35 per cent possession. The lead made the relative strengths even clearer."

Schick's "brilliant cracker of a volley" – Bayern fortunate

The goal is described as follows in the BILD: “Leverkusen took a quick corner on the right. Amiri sent in a long cross to the unmarked Schick who thumped the ball into the back of the champions’ net with a brilliant cracker of a volley from fourteen yards out. 1-0 to Leverkusen. That again demonstrated the new Werkself strength at set pieces.”

The Welt am Sonntag takes a look at the stats: “It was Leverkusen's ninth goal from a corner this season." The newspaper also declares: "The Munich side were fortunate on 28 minutes when a goal from Schick was ruled out due to an offside decision."

"An enthralling match"

RP Online saw the half-time score of 1-1 as flattering for Bayern and not just because of that. "The Flick team only had the better of the game in the 15 minutes before half-time," said the match report. "Yet the equaliser at 1-1 from world footballer of the year Robert Lewandowski had not really been on the cards (43')."

"The equaliser gave Bayern a boost," was the view of the EXPRESS, "the visitors only posed a threat after half-time."

In contrast, the WAZ declares: "Bayern were very strong at the start of the second half but Leverkusen quickly recovered and it developed into an enthralling match that could have gone either way at any time." The final sentence of the match report may well sound rather bitter for all Werkself supporters: "But then the world footballer of the year struck again."

Related News

Schnappschuss im Training
Women - 20.11.2025

‘Establish ourselves in the chasing pack’: Women welcome SGS Essen

A week after the disappointing DFB Pokal exit at Hamburger SV, the Bayer 04 Women return to league action. In a home match against SGS Essen on Saturday, 22 November (kick-off: 14:00 CET at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium), coach Roberto Pätzold's team will be fighting to maintain a good position in the chasing pack in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.

Show more
Frauen-Heimspiele
Women - 20.11.2025

Women: Tickets on sale for home games against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich

Tickets are on sale for the last two Bayer 04 Women's team home games in 2025. Fans can now purchase tickets for the matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against RB Leipzig and the final fixture of the year in the Rückrunde opener against German champions Bayern Munich. The latest information at a glance.

Show more
Marc Landwehr
eSports - 19.11.2025

#B04eSports: Leverkusen miss out on a place in the offline round of showdown two

Eliminated ahead of the offline round: On Tuesday, 18 November, the Leverkusen console pros played the two remaining matches in the online preliminary round of showdown two. After picking up six points from the first four games last week, the #B04eSports team bagged another three in the two final duels - but it wasn't enough. The Leverkusen team missed out on a place in the offline knockout round, which will take place in this second showdown on 23 November in Frankfurt am Main.

Show more
Aleix Garcia for Spain
Bayer 04 - 19.11.2025

International updates: Quansah debut, Garcia plays full 90 minutes

Several Bayer 04 players are currently away with their respective national teams in the final international break of 2025, with most of them involved in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Our blog will keep you up to date on the matches involving the Werkself.

Show more
Gegner-Check
eSports - 18.11.2025

#B04eSports: Our next opponents in second showdown

The VBL Club Championship by WOW 2025/26 continues today, Tuesday 18 November, with the last two of the six online preliminary round matches in the second showdown. Starting at 18:00 CET, Bayer 04 face Karlsruher SC, followed by Borussia Mönchengladbach at 19:00 CET. The games will be streamed live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. The lowdown on our next opponents.

Show more