The Werkself sealed qualification for the Champions League with a game to play thanks to an outstanding second half in the away game at TSG Hoffenheim. The man of the match for the third placed team from Leverkusen was once again striker Patrik Schick who scored a brace and also provided an assist for Moussa Diaby.
kicker justifiably named the Czech striker as the Man of the Match. The reasoning in the football journal: "There were three world-class actions. Three pieces of magic and three moves that demonstrate the capabilities of the centre-forward. The Czech Republic international, who scored goals 23 and 24 on his 26th appearance, impressively demonstrated his class and importance to Bayer 04."
Schick, who is in the kicker Team of the Day for the fourth time, is joined by his teammates Diaby (for a sixth time), Edmond Tapsoba (two) and Charles Aránguiz (one). Schick is also included in the team of matchday 33 on Sportschau.de.
Bild-Zeitung included both Diaby and Schick in their Team of the Day. And Werkself head coach Gerardo Seoane was named Coach of the Matchday for his decisions in the game. The trio all received top marks.
Lukas Hradecky, Patrik Schick and Co. looked particularly good in the red T-shirts in Sinsheim and the celebration of the 13th campaign in Europe's premier club competition went down well the fans. Minutes after the start of sales, the first run of the "Back again – Bayer in the Champions League" T-shirts were sold out. And the second run is going fast. Anyone wanting a shirt should grab the chance now. The last of 1,800 T-shirts are changing hands. Click here for the T-Shirt.
The impressive performances and results for the Werkself in 2022 are clearly reflected in the Bundesliga second half of the season table: Bayer 04, like the former and new champions Bayern Munich, have picked up an impressive 33 points from 16 games since the start of the year. Only RB Leipzig (35) have picked up more points. In addition, FC Bayern and the Werkself both have the same goal difference of +20.
The Black and Reds and 28 points in the first half of the season – putting them fourth. Bayer 04 have one game left play this season: the home game against SC Freiburg on Saturday 14 May at 15.30 CEST at the BayArena.
Bayer 04 congratulates Jupp Heynckes on his 77th birthday. The Gladbach-born player and coach was in charge of Bayer 04 from 1 July 2009 and he went 29 games without defeat across two seasons – back then a record in the Bundesliga. The Black and Reds finished runners-up in 2010/11 and reached the Round of 16 in the Europa League with Heynckes in charge.
Thanks to the second-place finish the year before, Heynckes was the first coach in seven years to take the Werkself back into the Champions League. Up to his departure at the end of the 2010/11 season, his time in the dugout over 38 games included 20 wins, 8 draws and 10 defeats. Heynckes together with his assistant coach and club legend Peter Hermann then moved on to Bayern Munich.
There were also plenty of congratulations amongst the Bayer 04 Women's squad at training today as two players celebrated their birthdays. Caroline Siems is 23, Julia Pollak 20. Full-back Siems joined Leverkusen at the start of the season from English club Aston Villa and has played 17 times for the Black and Reds. The youth international Pollak also joined the club in the summer of last year. The defender on loan from Bayern Munich has made nine appearances for the Bayer 04 Women's team. Many happy returns.
MG Motor is continuing their close partnership with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The official automotive partner for the Werkself will additionally remain a Leverkusen Premium Partner in the coming 2025/26 campaign as was the case last season. The dual commitment of MG Motor means the car manufacturer continues to provide reliable and important support to the Champions League club.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB-Pokal 2025/26...
Show moreBayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show moreThere were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show more