Welt am Sonntag quotes the BVB captain Marco Reus, who included the two Werkself players in his eulogy for Lukasz Piszczek, who was also making the final appearance of his playing career: "We've had lots of emotional moments with Lukasz, Lars and Sven. They are players who have made an incredible impression with their careers."
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger headline above their online report reads, "The legacy of the Benders." The Leverkusen goal is described as followed: And then followed a scene from the Bundesliga Hollywood control room ahead of the goal to make it 3-1: On 88 minutes, Emre Can stood on the foot of the Leverkusen player Patrik Schick in the penalty area. In his final Bundesliga fixture, the popular Manuel Gräfe had the opportunity to award a penalty. He took it. The Leverkusen bench reacted quickly. Coach Hannes Wolf gave Lars Bender a position on the bench following his knee operation with a view to a final few seconds in the Bundesliga. And they came: The former captain came on for his brother in a Bayer shirt for the 342nd time and coolly slotted the penalty into the net for his 27th goal. He survived the rest of the match with his knackered knee."
The online edition of the Rheinische Post looks at the moving moments after the game: "After the last final whistle of his career, Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender forged a bridge between football and society. His words show how much he and his brother Sven will be missed in the professional game in future. …'A football team is a symbol of what society should look like: standing together, standing up for each other and having a common target,' declared the 32 year-old. 'And it doesn't matter at all who is sitting next to you, what he looks like, where he comes from, which religion and views he has or his cultural background – stand together and refuse to be divided is the message I'd like to pass on. That is what I take with me from my career. That's the most important thing.'"
The kicker says he found "impressive words" and the headline in their online report is: "A fairy tale farewell: Lars Bender shares an emotional final plea."
Bild online deals with two other Bayer 04 players who made their comebacks after long lay-offs. "There was Paulinho: The Brazilian played his first match since 20 June 2020. Ten days later, he suffered a torn cruciate and missed the cup final and was sidelined for almost eleven months. He was in the starting line-up against BVB as the centre forward. Paulinho almost levelled at 1-1 and was also very lively otherwise. [...] There was also good news with Julian Baumgartlinger caming on just before the end of the game. The Austria captain also suffered a torn cruciate on 19 January. His rehab went much quicker than Paulinho's. 'Incredible that it's only four months ago,' said coach Wolf. For Baumgartlinger it is a very important step in view of the forthcoming Euros, which the Austria coach Franco Foda ('I'm in constant contact with Julian') will have been very relieved about."
Bayer 04's new coach Kasper Hjulmand will kick off the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in his home country: The Danish double winners FC Copenhagen welcome the Werkself to the Parken Stadium on Thursday, 18 September (kick-off: 18:45 CEST/live on DAZN). Hjulmand not only knows the stadium, but also some of the FC Copenhagen players from his time as the Denmark coach. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show moreBayer 04 are away to FC Copenhagen on the first matchday of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. The game against the Danish record champions is on Thursday, 18 September (kick-off: 18:45 CEST) at the Parken Stadium. Ahead of the match, here are some travel tips from Bayer 04 partner weloveholidays for all travelling fans of the Werkself.
Show moreTickets are now on open sale for two more Bundesliga home games for the Bayer 04 Women. Every Werkself fan can now buy tickets for the matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against runners-up VfL Wolfsburg and promoted club Hamburg SV. The latest information at a glance.
Show moreThe first fixture in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign: The Werkself are away to Danish record champions FC Copenhagen in the new season of Europe’s premiere club competition. The match is on Thursday, 18 September (kick-off: 18:45 CEST) at the Parken Stadium. The Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team brings you the latest information ahead of the game…
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