
"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."

The situation ahead of the showdown is clear - and promising. The Bayer 04 U19s host Newcastle United on the sixth and final matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Youth League phase. A win at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium would see the Werkself go through to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time. Ahead of the clash on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/livestream on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app), coach Kevin Brok spoke about the successful build-up, his assessment of the match and the danger of underestimating the already eliminated English side.
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The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
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In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
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The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
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