“The match on Saturday night may very well (…) go down as one of the best in this Bundesliga season,” declares the WELT am Sonntag. “Both teams endeavoured to seek salvation in attack.”
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger holds a similar view. “This wild 4-3 – Bayer took the lead, went behind and finally came out on top – was one of the most entertaining games in the current Bundesliga campaign,” the paper reports. “A gripping drama, great moves, outstanding goals.” The Werkself have thereby laid down “a marker in the battle for the top spots. Furthermore: “That should provide a boost for the forthcoming challenges in the Bundesliga, Europa League and the DFB Cup. Particularly as Leverkusen have rediscovered efficiency after weeks of squandering chances,” was part of the match report. “A win that, in retrospect, could be a real turning point in the season.”
And BILD talks about a “crazy game in Leverkusen” and provides an interesting statistic on double goalscorer Kevin Volland: “The striker has been involved in the opening goal nine times (4 goals, 5 assists) – top performer in the league!”
The EXPRESS refers to the double strike at the end of the game – and clearly cut out the time between the two Werkself goals scored by Leon Bailey and Lars Bender: “Bayer comeback in 80 wild seconds” was the headline of the match report. The newspaper agrees with the songs of praise about the match: “The spectators at Leverkusen were treated to a crazy spectacle! The cracker against BVB – it lived up to its promise.”
Why is analysed at RP Online: “Both the match and the atmosphere for the capacity 30,210 crowd at the BayArena were worthy of being called the top game,” it reports. “Both teams provided an intense encounter on the pitch – with the expectedly large number of attacking moves.”
The online edition of kicker describes the win as a “rousing home win” for the Werkself, “that could not have come at a more important point in time. As these three points put the Rhinelanders back in close touch with the Champions League positions.” Overall, it was a “great night of football.” Werkself supporters would find it hard to deny that.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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