News in brief: How will the year end?

In the first round of the DFB Cup , the team under head coach Peter Bosz secured a runaway 7-0 win against North Regional League Eintracht Norderstedt. The cup run should continue – and hopefully there will be a repeat of last season when the Werkself reached the final in Berlin. That involves winning in the next round.

The hurdle for the Black and Reds will be decided on Sunday 8 November. At the same time as the Bundesliga home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach (kick-off: 18.00 CET) former Germany international Inka Grings will be drawing the teams on the ARD Sportschau. ‘Das Erste’ channel will be broadcasting from 18.30 CET live. In addition to the 16 first and eleven second division plus two third division and three Regional League teams are still in the competition.

The second round will be played on 22 and 23 December. That match marks the end of an historic year for the Werkself in 2020 against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic – just before Christmas, Lukas Hradecky and Co. will find out their opponents in the next round of the DFB Cup.

Sidney Sam’s ‘Goal of the Month’

2-1 for the Werkself, with just six minutes on the clock: A corner from the left, Arturo Vidal puts the ball in the box. A Kaiserslautern player heads the ball away. But the attempt to clear ends with ball at the feet of Sidney Sam, who fires a volley into the top corner from 20 metres out. The subsequent celebrations were a real explosion of joy.

Sam’s strike to make it 3-1 on 7 November 2010 against the team from the Betzenberg was the ‘Goal of the Month’ on the ARD Sportschau. The player moved to Leverkusen for six months – from Kaiserslautern, where he scored ten goals and provided seven assists in the Bundesliga. A video of the goal is HERE.

Werks11 Magazine for members

At the start of the weekend, the new Werks11 Magazine will land in the letter boxes of Bayer 04 members. As usual, the fans of the Black and Reds will have a comprehensive and exclusive insight of the whole club. That includes Edmond Tapsoba talking about his first months at Bayer 04 and his home country of Burkina Faso. Summer signing Patrik Schick takes a bird’s eye view of his new hometown from the Leverkusener Water Tower.

The new edition of the Werks11 Magazine will be available online at bayer04.de. HERE are all the previous editions including the 2020/21 yearbook free of charge.

Report on TSG home game

The Bayer 04 Women’s team have gone three weeks without a game; the international break and the DFB Cup are now in the past. The focus is now on the coming challenge: The team under head coach Achim Feifel are at home to TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday 8 November (kick-off: 14.00 CET). TSG are in sixth place behind the Werkself Women with a point less than Bayer 04 in fifth spot on eleven points. Everything on the top match at the Performance Centre is available in the ‘Rasenreport’. The online edition is available HERE!

Double congratulations!

This duo have a combined total of 144 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04: André Schürrle, who hung up his boots in the summer, played 65 times for Bayer 04 in the top flight between 2011 and 2013. The 2014 World Cup winner scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists in those games. Robson Ponte, who joined Leverkusen in 1999, made 79 Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds (6 goals, 19 assists). In 2005, the Brazilian moved on to Japan, and he later played for Wolfsburg on loan for two years.

The two former players celebrated their birthdays on Friday. Schürrle was 30 and Ponte 44 – Bayer 04 wishes both a very happy belated birthday!