Head coach Xabi Alonso made six changes to the XI that took on Arsenal on Wednesday. Lukas Hradecky took over from Matej Kovar between the sticks. In addition, Alejandro Grimaldo, Arthur, Robert Andrich, Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface started on Saturday.
The Werkself got off to a controlled start and were solid at the back while relying on many passes in their build-up play as usual. Nabil Fekir missed the first chance for the away side (12’) before Florian Wirtz’ low effort went just wide after a failed clearance (18’). Piero Hincapie let fly following fine interplay down the left, but Betis keeper Rui Silva saved his effort. The Werkself slowly but surely asserted their authority, Sevilla’s Marc Bartra beating Boniface to a Wirtz cross (34’). Hofmann missed a chance before half-time and the sides turned round with the game still goalless.
The Andalusians were dominant after the restart, Aitor Ruibal inviting sub Juanmi to score the opener (52’). Xabi Alonso made four changes now, Martin Terrier, Jeremie Frimpong, Aleix Garcia and Jeanuël Belocian coming on for Hofmann, Arthur, Hincapie and Grimaldo. The Black and Reds went looking for an equaliser and found the net, only for Wirtz’ goal to be chalked off for offside (67’). Three minutes later Boniface’s sumptuous sideways scissor-kick went just wide (70’).
Patrik Schick, Amine Adli and Odilon Kossounou came on now, and Alonso’s changes paid off when Betis keeper parried a Schick header, with Belocian on hand to mop up and score his maiden goal for Bayer 04 (78’). Schick had just found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside again. The Werkself pressed for a winner, but another goal refused to come and the last pre-season friendly ended in a stalemate.
The Werkself contest their first competitive fixture of the new season at the BayArena on Saturday 17 August (kick-off: 20:30 CEST), when German champions and DFB Cup winners Bayer 04 face off with Bundesliga runners-up VfB Stuttgart.
Match stats
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah (Kossounou 74’), Hincapie (Garcia 60’) – Arthur (Frimpong 60’), Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo (Belocian 60’) – Hofmann (Terrier 60’), Wirtz (Adli 74’) – Boniface (Schick 74’)
Real Betis:Silva – Sabaly (Bellerin 61’), Bartra (Cardoso 61’), Llorente, Parraud – Roca (Diao 61’), Carvalho (Altimira 82’) – Fornals, Fekir (Losada 82’), Avila (Juanmi 46’) – Ruibal (Rodriguez 61’)
Goals: 0-1 Juanmi (52’), 1-1 Belocian (78’)
Yellow cards: Llorente, Carvalho
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel)
Attendance: 28,395 at the BayArena
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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