The Bild am Sonntag reports: "Leverkusen have to worry about their Champions League place again after the heavy defeat – and they also lost Jonathan Tah (22) due to a hip problem. Goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan (33) came in for Bernd Leno (knee): 'The result and the way we played – that hurts. That wasn't Bayer Leverkusen today.' Sporting director Rudi Völler (58): 'We were too soft and too naïve. A willing sparring partner for Dortmund.'"
The Cologne-based Express opted for the headline "Bitter evening in Dortmund: Bayer lose out to strong BVB." The article reads: "The hosts took control early on and had two great chances through Götze (9'), still playing for a place in the World Cup squad, and Sancho (12'). However, a shot from the World Cup winner went just wide and Özcan produced a reflex save to deny Sancho's first effort. The 18-year-old went one better a minute later as he scored his first Bundesliga goal after fine work by Christian Pulisic producing a deserved lead against an unsettled Heiko Herrlich team after the 6-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the cup semi-final.
The online edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger described the effects of the defeat on the league table: "Bayer 04 Leverkusen lost 4-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga top game on Saturday afternoon. Following the defeat, the Werkself now have to worry about qualification for the Champions League again. BVB are now three points ahead, Hoffenheim in fifth our two points behind." Sporting director Rudi Völler was quoted as saying: "You could see the level of performance BVB are normally capable of."
The analysis in the Kicker reads: "Thanks to a brilliant display from Jadon Sancho, BVB earned a highly deserved 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. The 18-year-old Englishman was very busy on the left flank and posed the Werkself with many a (unsolvable) problem. In addition to Sancho, Reus also came up trumps although the Germany international needed a few attempts to get going."
The online edition of the Rheinische Post came to the following conclusion: "The Leverkusen mission for the top game on matchday 31 was clearly defined: On the same points and only in fourth place due to a minimally worse goal difference, the close rivals Borussia Dortmund were to be kept at the same distance to open up wide the path to the Champions League. That failed miserably: Bayer lost 4-0 to a direct competitor for a place in Europe's premier club competition and now have to look out for TSG Hoffenheim who have moved two points closer. Jadon Sancho, Maximilian Philipp and Marco Reus scored for BVB who were on fire in the second half... The only consolation for the Werkself fans is: The remaining fixtures against Stuttgart, Bremen and Hanover are apparently easier. However, it could be very difficult against these teams on current form."
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss at VfL Wolfsburg on the 20th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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Bayern Munich come to the BayArena this Saturday with an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga as they look to take a step closer to the title. As imperious as they may seem, a weakness has emerged of late that the Werkself proved they can exploit in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League. Leverkusen are also looking to make it four Bundesliga home games unbeaten against the Bavarians. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the 15:30 CET kick-off in our matchday news.
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Another home game, another top opponent - another marker? Three days after their convincing performance in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, Bayer 04 continue their Bundesliga campaign with an equally high-calibre fixture. Matchday 26 sees league leaders Bayern Munich visit the sold-out BayArena. Ahead of the clash, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about a comparison between Arsenal and the Bavarians, Bayern's high-scoring performance in Europe's premier club competition and a return to the squad for one Werkself player.
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High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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