
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."

The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
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Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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During the first international break of the 2026/27 season, set to last just under three weeks, nine Bayer 04 first-team players are in action with their respective national teams. Read on for updates on matches featuring Werkself players…
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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