“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.
Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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It took exactly 60 minutes for the Werkself to take the lead through a perfectly finished counter-attack by Patrik Schick in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off at Olympiacos. Referring to the meeting in the league phase and the initially squandered opportunities, coach Kasper Hjulmand said afterwards: "I thought: 'Oh no, déjà-vu.'" But after the opening goal, it took just 144 seconds for the Czech to spark more wild celebrations among those in black and red in the Greek cauldron, when Schick nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo's corner. Much to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans, his teammates and his coach, who had warm words for the striker in the aftermath. The Werkself Review.
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