
Support from ‘outside’ was not hidden from the press. "Around 80 Bayer fans vocally celebrated the victory against their archrivals in front of the stadium," wrote the EXPRESS, "their chants could be heard in the ground and on TV in the closing stages."
The fact they were able to celebrate the derby victory was in part due to a lightning start by the Werkself. "Diaby left Jannes Horn standing on the right and then provided a pinpoint cross to Bailey at the far post," reports kicker online in praising the assist for the first goal.
The online report on the Eurosport website describes the goalscorer returning the favour in the second half as follows: "Bailey and Diaby counter-attacked following a Köln corner but this time it was Bailey who provided a perfect assist for Diaby with the Frenchman turning the ball into an empty net from close range after Bailey had already taken Timo and Jannes Horn out of the game."
Double goalscorer Bailey received top marks from RP online – also due to his excellent individual move for the final goal. "The 23-year-old was put through by substitute Kerem Demirbay, he evaded Rafael Czichos, Noah Katterbach and Sebastiaan Bornauw in succession and slotted the ball away to make it 3-0," is their assessment.
For the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Bailey was the 'Man of the Match' and 'Best man on the pitch'. "Bayer 04's Jamaican winger scored two goals and provided one assist in his first start under Hannes Wolf," reports the newspaper. "His great solo run to make it 3-0 was the result of his pace and his determination."
BILD reviews the impressive start made by Hannes Wolf and looks to the immediate future. "Leverkusen are back on course for the Europa League after the win," writes the newspaper. "The club have picked up seven points in three games under Wolf. They now face the almost certain champions in Munich on Tuesday."
The assessment in Die Welt looks even higher. "Leverkusen (…) move above Borussia Dortmund into fifth place at least overnight and reinforce (…) their European ambition," is in the online edition of the newspaper. "Fourth place and qualification for the Champions League is still six points away with five games left in the season."

This afternoon, Saturday 24 January (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayer 04 host SV Werder Bremen, who are winless in their last seven league games. Nevertheless, in their last outing, a 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, where they conceded a late equaliser, the Green and Whites did show their team spirit. The Werkself, led by birthday boy Patrik Schick, will be looking to counter this and secure their first three points of the new year on this ‘!Never Again’ remembrance matchday to commemorate the victims of National Socialism. Read on for the latest information in today's matchday news.
Show more
Happy birthday, Patrik Schick! On his special day, it's not just the Czech striker who can look forward to lots of presents and hopefully many more goals – Bayer 04 fans can also get their hands on a free number 14 print when they buy a Werkself jersey today, January 24! In addition, a match-worn jersey belonging to the now 30-year-old will be raffled off among all purchasers next week.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 win at 1. FC Union Berlin on the 15th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
Despite a severely depleted squad and being a player down, the Bayer 04 Women made a winning start to their 2026 campaign. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 2-1 at newly promoted FC Union Berlin on Friday night thanks to a last-minute goal. Vanessa Fudalla scored from a direct free-kick (78') and Kristin Kögel (90+2’) in stoppage time for the Werkself, who were reduced to ten players on 68 minutes, on an atmospheric stage at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. As a result, the Black and Reds are now fifth in the table for at least one night at the start of matchday 15.
Show more
The Werkself are looking for the first win of the new calendar year: Ahead of the sold-out Bundesliga home match against SV Werder Bremen on Saturday, 24 January (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about taking chances, possible winter transfers and a “Lion" returning to the Leverkusen matchday squad.
Show more