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
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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