“You could see in the players that we’ve been working hard in training this week. If you take the overall conditions and the heat into account then my players’ commitment has been fine,” said Herrlich in a positive summary of the game. The new Bayer 04 coach made no bones about not being pleased with everything his players did on the pitch. “There is lots to improve on,” he said. That included Herrlich complaining about his team committing unnecessary fouls. “We want to get away from that,” he added. Herrlich also saw the conversion rate of the chances created, particularly in the first half, as an area for improvement.
Kießling nets the first goal of the new season
Five days after the start of the pre-season, the Werkself were clearly on top in the first 45 and they produced a lot of very good moves. Overall, they found it hard to finish against a battling Oberliga team from Mülheim with many opportunities being wasted. Only Stefan Kießling was able to find the back of the opposition net with a header after a delightful cross from Kevin Kampl to enable the Werkself to go into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Eleven changes at half-time
Herrlich fielded eleven new players for the second half. Again, the flow of the game was in one direction and the fresh pairs of legs of the Werkself were able to make chances - at times one minute after the next. It did take until the 66th minute before the impressive visiting keeper Robin Offhaus had to pick the ball out of the net for a second beer: From a corner taken by Vladlen Yurchenko, Joel Pohjanpalo doubled the lead with a well-placed flying header.
That finally opened the floodgates. Yurchenko made it 3-0 from the penalty spot three minutes later. Bayer 04 were unlucky shortly after that when Kevin Volland hit another penalty against the post. In the closing stages Kai Havertz, Admir Mehmedi and Volland, with an admirable long-range effort, made it the 6-0 to finish with.
The next friendly for Bayer 04 is on Friday (17.30 CET). The Werkself play third division Würzburger Kickers at the JAKO Arena in Hollenbach. The game will again be streamed live on the Bayer 04 Facebook page.
Bayer 04 in the first half: Öczan – Frey, Bender, Abu Hanna, Wendell – Boller, Baumgartlinger – Bellarabi, Kampl, Schreck – Kießling.
Bayer 04 in the second half: Lomb – Bednarczyk, Ramalho, Dragovic, Handwerker – Yurchenko, Akkaynak – Havertz, Mehmedi – Volland, Pohjanpalo.
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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