
"The Bundesliga sensation Union Berlin have again upset a top team and stormed into fourth place for at least a day," is the start of the match report in the EXPRESS.
There is a similar assessment in the Tagesspiegel. "With the 1-0 win against Leverkusen, Union secured a good result against a strong opponent at the Alte Försterei for the second time in succession," it says in the report. "After two defeats last season, Union clocked up their first win against Leverkusen at the third attempt."
"Late blow in Berlin," is the headline in the Leverkusener Anzeiger that describes the course of the game as follows: "Bayer 04 had more possession as expected but almost exclusively in areas where there was no danger. Union sat back and waited for mistakes." The Werkself only posed problems "when they were able to bring their fast wingers into play."
There is a similar analysis in the Kölnische Rundschau. "Leverkusen tried to use their greater pace in attack to find a gap in the Union defence and came close to scoring at the end of the first 45 minutes," writes the paper. "Nadiem Amiri and Kerem Demirbay (38') and Julian Baumgartlinger (41') had chances to open the scoring but missed promising opportunities."
Overall, the Rheinische Post believes Bayer 04 made "little capital" from their "large amount of possession." Particularly in midfield, it was "no easy mission" for Nadiem Amiri & Co. to "break through the tightly packed Berlin centre."
For the BILD, the game retreated into the background due to an incident involving Nadiem Amiri. "Union Berlin beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 but nobody was talking about the 90 minutes after the game," writes the tabloid – and only mentions the events on the pitch as an aside.

In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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