The #Morethanfootball Action Weeks start today, Monday 21 March. The action weeks run up to 14 April and highlight how football clubs can live up to their social responsibility through a wide range of activities. The global project initiated by the European Football for Development Network offers participating clubs and organisations the opportunity to inform their supporters and fans about their own activities in the area of community affairs and social responsibility on and off the pitch and thereby increase awareness of the role of football within society.
The Werkself are taking part in the campaign again as was the case last year. Bayer 04 will again present a wide range of activities over the coming days. That includes in the areas of accessibility, social inclusion, sustainability and climate protection, mental health and much more. The Werkself and the Bayer 04 Women’s team will raise the profile of the action weeks at forthcoming home games.
Kicker usually only marks players in Bundesliga matches who have been on the pitch longer than 30 minutes. But the football journal made an exception in yesterday's 2-0 win for the Werkself at VfL Wolfsburg: Paulinho, who only came on as a substitute on 81 minutes, was awarded top marks for his brace. In addition, the Brazilian was named Man of the Match.
But that's not all: The Werkself forward was named Man of the Matchday. The reasoning from the management at kicker: "Just as many observers […] in Wolfsburg were coming to terms with a goalless draw given the missed chances at either end, his chance came. Paulinho demonstrated how to score goals in just eleven minutes. […] Paulinho’s double whammy – a late lesson in clinical finishing who the kicker awards, against their usual procedures and in spite of the short time on the pitch, the top mark: a 1."
Paulinho was also included in the kicker team of the matchday – as was his Leverkusen teammate Odilon Kossounou. The Ivory Coast international, who played at right back against Wolfsburg, was awarded a mark of 2.5. Both are in the kicker team of the matchday for the first time.
The Rheinische Post and the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger also both awarded the top mark of 1 to Paulinho.
Bayer 04 today remember Hans-Josef Kretschmann (1902-2002). ‘Sepp’ played for SC Charlottenburg and Preußen Duisburg. Kretschmann was the coach of a number of clubs – he was at the helm of the Black and Reds for three years from 1953 to 1956. He took the Werkself to seventh spot in 1953/54 and third in the table the following season. Kretschmann moved on to VfL Wolfsburg after relegation from the Oberliga West a year later.
The unbeaten run continues: The Werkself beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 (HT: 2-1) on Bundesliga Matchday 32, remaining unbeaten for 48 competitive matches in a row. Granit Xhaka put Bayer 04 in front after 11 minutes before Eintracht’s Hugo Ekitiké levelled the scores (32’). Patrik Schick (44’), Exequiel Palacios (58’, pen), Jeremie Frimpong (77’) and Victor Boniface (89’, pen) then sealed a deserved away victory for the Werkself.
Show moreBayer 04 travel to the Rhine-Main region for the match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Bundesliga Matchday 32. The game kicks off today, Sunday 5 May, at 17:30 CEST. All the key info on the clash at Deutsche Bank Park is in the Matchday News.
Show moreBundesliga champions Bayer 04 have also dominated the division’s Team of the Season after football fans around the world named Jonathan Tah, Alejandro Grimaldo, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface in the Bundesliga’s best XI for 2023/24, in cooperation with EA Sports.
Show moreEintracht Frankfurt currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga and are well placed for European qualification once again this season. On Sunday (kick-off: 5.30pm CEST), they welcome unbeaten champions Bayer 04 to Deutsche Bank Park, where Dino Toppmöller’s team could well take a decisive step towards a place in continental competition. Here’s a look at our next opponents…
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