Head coach Xabi Alonso made three changes to the team that started in the 2-1 win in the opening friendly at Rot-Weiss Essen. Matej Kovar started in goal in place of Lukas Hradecky, while Robert Andrich and Granit Xhaka replaced Arthur and Jonas Hofmann in the starting line-up.
At a sold-out Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where three of the four stands were open in the lower standing tiers, the Werkself started brightly and were rewarded after just six minutes. Amine Adli won the ball high up, Victor Boniface seized on it and rounded Lens' goalkeeper, and although the striker's finish was cleared off the line, the ball fell to new signing Martin Terrier who netted his first goal in a Bayer 04 shirt.
With a 1-0 lead, the German double winners acted with caution and regularly got forward without creating notable goalscoring opportunities. It was the same at the other end as it looked like the visitors would go in at the break with a slender advantage - but Lens struck on the stroke of half-time. Jhoanner Chavez delivered a cross from the left to the head of Wesley Said, who nodded in the equaliser.
Alonso introduced Hradecky, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincapie, Hofmann and Florian Wirtz for the second half, and the latter was in the heart of the action straight away. After a long ball from Aleix Garcia, the 21-year-old sized up and made it 2-1 to the Werkself with a first-time finish into the far corner. Five minutes later, Hradecky had to turn away a long-range strike from Florian Sotoca. After that the game died down a bit with several substitutions being made, including youngsters Andrea Natali and Ben Hawighorst. But then Lens' Jonathan Gradit had a go from distance in the 84th minute - and scored from virtually nowhere into the corner to make the final score 2-2.
Bayer 04 have two more friendlies against first-class opponents this week. On Wednesday 7 August (kick-off 19:00 CEST), the Werkself visit Arsenal in London. Three days later, Real Betis are the visitors to the BayArena as part of the official season-opening event on Saturday 10 August (15:30 CEST). That's the final friendly before the competitive business begins.
Match stats:
RC Lens starting XI: Samba - Medina, Gradit, Khusanov - Aguilar, Thomasson, Mendy, Fulgini, Chavez - Said, Sotoca
Bayer 04: Kovar (Hradecky 46') - Kossounou (Natali 69'), Andrich (Tah 46'), Tapsoba (Hincapie 46') - Tella (Arthur 60'), Garcia (Puerta 77'), Xhaka (Hofmann 46'), Belocian (Hawighorst 77') - Adli (Hlozek 60'), Terrier (Wirtz 46') - Boniface (Schick 60')
Goals: 0-1 Terrier (6'), 1-1 Said (45'), 1-2 Wirtz (51'), 2-2 Gradit (84')
Yellow cards: Medina, Sotoca / Boniface, Hincapie
Referee: Marc Bollengier
Attendance: 38,223 (sellout) at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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