
The online edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger singles out Bayer 04's defensive solidity: "Heiko Herrlich's team, with a reorganised defence led by Julian Baumgartlinger after numerous absentees , produced a solid to good defensive performance. The Bayer defence was alert and proactive. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno had a very quiet afternoon."
The analysis in the Kicker: "Werder Bremen remained unbeaten in their twelfth Bundesliga home game under coach Florian Kohfeldt. Werder were disappointing up front in the 0-0 draw with Leverkusen but were very determined at the back The Werkself were livelier but were short of ideas in attack... The visitors tried hard but were unable to make the breakthrough."
The Kölner Express summed it up with the following point: "The Werkself now have their final for Champions League qualification on matchday 34 at home to Hannover 96.“ Their reports mentions the strange scene involving Lucas Alario: "It could have turned out worse for the Werkself following a fifth booking for Kevin Volland: Substitute Lucas Alario was also shown a yellow card with five minutes to play. Nobody in the stadium new why. Referee Hartmann withdrew the caution shortly afterwards when the the Video Assistant Bastian Dankert intervened. Luck and bad luck for Heiko Herrlich and his team."
The verdict of the Welt am Sonntag read: "90 minutes of superiority was not enough for Leverkusen to take the next step towards the Champions League against a tame Bremen side."
The online edition of the Rheinische Post reported: "Actually, everything went to plan from a Bayer 04 perspective: Hoffenheim, the closest rivals for fourth place, lost at Stuttgart and Dortmund slipped up against Mainz. Leverkusen, playing against coach Florian Kohfeldt's Bremen side still unbeaten at home, missed numerous chances. The 0-0 draw puts them level on points with Hoffenheim – and sets up an exciting showdown on the final matchday of the season... Leverkusen tried to land the knock-out blow right to the end but the Bremen defence held firm."

Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
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Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
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