"The players are obviously very tired. It's clear there is a lack of freshness but that's only to be expected at this stage of the pre-season. Overall, they took up the challenge very well and did a good job of meeting our targets for today: We didn't want to commit any fouls, looked to play a possession game and create goalscoring opportunities. The result is ok but there is room for improvement. Above all in the second half, we could have scored one or two more goals," summed up Heiko Herrlich after the game.
The reason for the Bayer 04 visit was the fiftieth anniversary of the club that won the Rhineland Cup in 2012. The evening provided three firsts for the Werkself: For the first friendly of the pre-season the Black and Reds had first use of the new team bus and that was followed by the first outing in the new home kit seen in the photo shoot before yesterday's DFl Media Day. Heiko Herrlich had to manage without the injured Charles Aranguiz (knee), Lukas Hradecky (jaw op), Panos Retsos (hand) and Joel Pohjanpalo (ankle). Dominik Kohr also had to take it easy after twisting his knee in the morning training session.
Captained by Julian Baumgartlinger, the Werkself set the pace in summer temperatures at the 'In der Au' Stadium in Roßbach/Wied – the well-organised defence of the hosts around goalkeeper Peter Stegemann initially proved to be unbeatable. "The opposition did well and were very well organised in defence. In the opening stages of the game we found it very difficult to get through to the final third," said Herrlich in praising the hosts. It took half an hour for the Black and Reds to breach the Roßbach bulwark and put the ball in the back of the net: Baumgartlinger scored a deserved opener on 28 minutes after a fine solo run. That was followed by strikes from Kai Havertz (39') and Lucas Alario (41'). Bayer 04 went into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Heiko Herrlich made nine changes at half-time – only Baumgartlinger and Sam Schreck stayed on. Regardless of the many changes it remained a one-sided affair after the restart with the Roßbach team coached by Uwe van Eckeren unable to escape from the stranglehold of the Bundesliga side. Kevin Volland converted a penalty on 48 minutes, before Mitchell Weiser netted on his Werkself debut (65') and Lars Bender (79') with an impressive long-range effort extended the lead. The final goal in the 7-0 victory came from Sam Schreck with an outstanding curler (81').
Bayer 04: Özcan (Kirschbaum 46') – Henrichs (Weiser 46'), Sven Bender (Boller 46'), Dragovic (Tah 46'), Bednarczyk (Wendell 46') – Baumgartlinger (Makreckis 75'), Staniliewicz (Lars Bender 46') – Bailey (Bellarabi 46'), Havertz (Azhil 46'), Schreck – Alario (Volland 46')
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 0-1 loss against TSG Hoffenheim on the 19th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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After a run of seven games unbeaten in all competitions, the Werkself suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Union Berlin despite their best efforts. Captain Robert Andrich, who took responsibility for the goal, said after the match: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past." The Werkself review.
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Bayer 04 were beaten 1-0 away at Union Berlin on Matchday 23 in the Bundesliga. Kasper Hjulmand’s side struggled to create clear chances, while the hosts struck the only goal of the game through Rani Khedira in the 28th minute.
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Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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For the third time in a row, the Bayer 04 Women are up against a rival from the chasing pack in the Bundesliga. A win against TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday, 22 February (kick-off: 14:00 CET), would see the Werkself consolidate third place ahead of a three-week break.
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