Heiko Herrlich, who gave his players the day off on Sunday after the match, kept to his word by fielding a completely different starting eleven for the match against Preußen Münster. Only the U19 player, Jakub Bednarczyk, who played for 15 minutes against Fürth on Friday, was back on the pitch against the third division side. Benny Henrichs returned after recovering from a bruised foot and he lined up in defence alongside Tin Jedvaj and Wendell. Leon Bailey, suffering from a cold, was rested with the Jamaican completing a one-to-one session with fitness coach Daniel Jouvin in the morning. Bayer 04 played with three up front: Joel Pohjanpalo, Stefan Kießling (captain for the day) and Lucas Alario.
The powerful attacking trio were the focus of attention from the start in front of the 1,500 crowd. After a one-two with Alario, Pohjanpalo put the ball just wide of the top corner on six minutes. The Argentinian then opened the scoring from a precision pass from Kießling on eight minutes. The busy Alario remained centre stage and, after being thwarted by the Münster keeper Nils-Jonathan Körber on 27 minutes, then doubled the lead on 33 minutes – the central striker initially slipped from Bellarabi's cross but he was quick to make amends and cease his chance. Bayer 04 could have had a clearer lead if Pohjanpalo not missed good chances on 30 and 38 minutes. Münster then took advantage of the hosts losing possession in the build-up with almost the whole team moving up the pitch. Ramazan Özcan made a save, Wendell then cleared off the line before Lennart Stoll turned the ball into the net to make it 2-1 on 39 minutes.
There were two changes at half-time: Niklas Lomb took the place of Özcan in goal, Sam Schreck replaced Bednarczyk as an attacking midfielder on the left. And then there were clear-cut chances for the Werkself: A powerful shot from Bellarabi on 50 minutes was saved by the keeper Schulze Niehues, and Alario failed to convert the rebound to complete his hat-trick. The visitors were now more effective and they levelled the scores at 2-2 with a free kick from Akono on 63 minutes. Münster, who changed the whole team at half-time, looked much more lively. Bellarabi then went off injured on 79 minutes with the winger being replaced by Hajdar Shala. Both sides had the chance to win before the end of the match: A shot from Adriano Grimaldi was saved by Lomb with his foot on 88 minutes and the Münster keeper kept out Pohjanpalo at the other end a minute later.
"Of course, we can't be happy with the conversion rate. But I'm satisfied with the performance. Most of the players had to cope with jet lag or not having played 90 minutes recently. As they were supposed to put the opposition under pressure the whole time, it was clear to me we would ease off after 60 or 65 minutes," said head coach Heiko Herrlich after the game. The Werkself have time for a breather on Sunday before returning on Monday for a double training session in preparation for the game against Bayern.
Bayer 04: Özcan (Lomb 46') – Henrichs, Jedvaj, Wendell (Akkaynak 72') – Bellarabi (Shala 79'), Frey, Aránguiz, Bednarczyk (Schreck 46') – Pohjanpalo, Kießling, Alario
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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