There were a number of personnel changes for the Werkself this afternoon: Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky led the team out onto the pitch as captain. The central defenders in front of the Finn were Panagiotis Retsos and Odilon Kossounou this time, in part because Jonathan Tah is suspended for the DFB Cup tie at Lokomotive Leipzig next weekend. Charles Aránguiz was back in the starting line-up just a few days after his return from the Copa América along with the front two Lucas Alario and Patrik Schick. Florian Wirtz and Julian Baumgartlinger were sidelined with slight muscular problems.
It was the visitors who had the first chance at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium after just one minute; but the former Leverkusen U19 player Tim Stappmann only hit the left upright. At the other end, Karim Bellarabi had a clear-cut opportunity after a quick counter-attack but was unable to beat the Oberhausen keeper Justin Heekeren (2'). The first goal of the game was scored by the Werkself: Moussa Diaby raced away down the left flank and pulled the ball back from the byline into the box. Alario was able to turn the ball into the net for the opening goal (10'). And it was the Argentinian who doubled the advantage four minutes later. This time the assist came from Jeremie Frimpong with a low cross.
What Alario had achieved twice, evaded his strike partner Schick on 26 minutes – the Czech Republic striker put a shot just wide of the target. But the second striker for the Werkself found the back of the net just before half-time: After some great work from Kerem Demirbay, who beat a number of Oberhausen players in the centre of the park, Schick scored with a follow-up shot from three metres out to make it 3-0 (40'). Shortly after that the two teams went into the dressing rooms at the neighbouring BayArena.
With two new defenders – Mitchel Bakker and Tah replaced Daley Sinkgraven and Frimpong – the Werkself quickly conceded the first and only goal of the match at the start of the second half; Oberhausen’s Shaibou Oubeyapwa scored with a left-foot shot (47'). There were no further clear-cut chances until 72 minutes. Alario just failed to connect with a diagonal ball from Demirbay in front of goal. Bellarabi also missed out – our number 38 was denied by the RWO keeper Heekeren (75). It was all quiet after that at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with the match ending in a 3-1 win for the Werkself.
The Seoane team play their first competitive match of the 2021/22 season in a weeks’ time. The opposition on Saturday 7 August are Lokomotive Leipzig in the first round of the DFB Cup. The kick-off is at 15.30 CEST and just over 1,000 Werkself fans will be able to follow their team to the Bruno Plache Stadium.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Frimpong (Tah 46'), Kossounou, Retsos, Sinkgraven (Bakker 46') – Bellarabi (N. Pesch 86’), Aránguiz, Demirbay, Diaby – Alario (Gedikli 75’), Schick (Sertdemir 69’)
RWO starting eleven: Heekeren – Obst, Stappmann, Öztürk, Odenthal – Oubeyapwa, Propheter, Holthaus, Heinz – Buckmaier, Kreyer
Goals: 1-0, 2-0 Alario (10’, 14’), 3-0 Schick (40’), 3-1 Oubeyapwa (47’)
Booked: Bellarabi - Dorow
Referee: Dr. Robert Kampka (Mainz)
Attendance: 400 (sell-out) at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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