"Leverkusen picked up a point against Bremen (1-1) after two league defeats in succession," notes the BILD before going on to consider the situation in the leading group in the table in view of the defeats for Bayern and Leipzig: Bayer 04 "have not let the gap to the top of the table grow any bigger."
The Welt am Sonntag describes the Werkself approach to the game as follows: Bayer sought salvation in controlled attacking. And they had the first chance through Bailey. But he failed to connect properly with the ball from eight metres out on nine minutes."
Overall, the WAZ report sees "the expected picture on the pitch developed at the bitterly cold BayArena. Bremen (…) sat back and got behind the ball. The Werkself had lots of possession but lacked ideas and penetration."
The opening goal from Bremen shortly after the restart was quite a surprise for RP ONLINE. "Although Werder showed hardly any signs of even wanting to score a goal in the first half, the visitors took the lead shortly after the restart," says the match report. "With a free kick from Ludwig Augustinsson, Leverkusen lost sight of Ömer Toprak. (…) It was the first goal in four years for the 31-year-old – back then in a Werkself shirt."
The reaction of the Werkself is described in the EXPRESS as follows: "Bayer pressed for the equaliser. Demirbay's free kick (56') was the next decent chance."
An even better one was to follow. "The Leverkusen equaliser on 70 minutes was initially ruled out by referee Benjamin Cortus," writes the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger in describing the leveller at 1-1. "However, the VAR footage showed that Lucas Alario did not touch the ball with his hand when controlling it before laying off to Patrik Schick who put the ball in the back of the net with the help of Friedl's leg. So the somewhat curious goal was allowed."
The final sentence in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung looks at the much discussed refereeing decision of the day: "As Cortus saw the handball by Mbom just before the end of the game (90+2') as unintentional, Werder deservedly earned a point."
It's finally Champions League time again! Under the motto 'Sound of Dreams', the Werkself's European journey begins on Thursday 18 September (kick-off 18:45 CEST) at FC Copenhagen. The Danes relied on their experience and solid defence in particular to come through qualifying. Nevertheless, their record against German teams is not good, and Bayer 04 also have positive memories of their previous two encounters with FCK. The Matchday News rounds up all the info on the match.
Show moreThe opener in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26: On Thursday, 18 September (kick-off: 18:45 CEST), the Werkself will kick off the new UCL campaign at FC Copenhagen. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about his return to Parken, the Danish record champions' home ground. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken, for his part, was looking forward to his first Champions League game.
Show moreBayer 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.
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