
The hosts were fully focussed in the first half against Hoffenheim and succeeded in creating a number of decent chances after winning possession - with the first threats on the TSG net coming from efforts from Dora Zeller (7’) and Viktoria Pinther (12’)
Leverkusen then had the upper hand up to the break. “Hoffenheim were clearly better than us in the first half,” declared Feifel. On 17 minutes, Bayer 04 keeper Anna Klink saved a dangerous effort on goal from Hoffenheim and then kept a clean sheet up to the break. But there was bad news for the Werkself Women in the first half: Jessica Wich pulled up off the ball and went off in pain. The captain had a calf injury.
The hosts were on their toes at the start of the second half. The Feifel team were rewarded for the lightning start with lead on 46 minutes - Dora Zeller scored. However, Hoffenheim did not allow the Bayer 04 lead to hold and Jana Beuschlein netted an equaliser in a break eight minutes later. The Werkself Women looked unsettled with score at 1-1 - and TSG exploited the situation: Jule Brand scored on 63 minutes and the tables were turned. The visitors took control of the game after the hour mark. Lena Lattwein scored from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 at the start of the final fifteen minutes (76’).
The Bayer 04 Women pulled a goal back a few minutes later; Melissa Friedrich converted a spot-kick to make it 3-2 (85’). The Werkself then suffered a double blow. First, Anne Fühner scored on 90 minutes and, just two minutes later, Paulina Krumbiegel rounded off the scoring in added time for the final scoreline of 5-2.
The defeat sees the Bayer 04 Women slip down to seventh in the table. “We have to be a lot calmer in possession and in build-up play. We lose the ball too often and frequently make the wrong decisions. We have to go back being more compact in defence,” explained the coach looking forward to the next opponents.
Next up:
On Sunday 15 November, the Werkself Women are away to SV Meppen on matchday nine in the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga. The kick-off at the bottom-of-the-table side is at 14.00 CET.
Match stats:
TSG Hoffenheim: Dilfer – Brand (Hartig 69’), Naschenweng (Steinert 77’), Rall, Bühler, Wienroither – Harsch (Dongus 77’), Hagel (Krumbiegel 69’), Lattwein – Waßmuth (Fühner 88’), Beuschlein
Bayer 04: Klink – Sahlmann (Kerschowski 46’), Wirtz, Turanyi, Marti (Rackow 84’) – Wich (Csiszár 46’), Brüggemann, Jessen (Kögel 46’) – Zeller, Nikolic, Pinther (Friedrich 46’)
Goals: 1-0 Zeller (46’), 1-1 Beuschlein (54’), 1-2 Brand (63’), 1-3 Lattwein (76’), 2-3 Friedrich (84’), 2-4 Fühner (90’), 2-5 Krumbiegel (90+2’)
Booked: Nikolic (78’) – Dongus (86’)
Referee: Katrin Rafalski (Bad Zwesten)


A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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