5.08.2017Bayer 04

Werkself fight back in tough test against Celta Vigo

The Werkself are increasingly on track ahead of the first competitive match of the season in the DFB Cup at Karlsruher FC. The final pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo ended all square at 3-3 but the results does not really reflect the match at the BayArena.

Heiko Herrlich's team were clearly the better side but they failed to make the most of their goalscoring opportunities. In contrast, the visitors proved efficient and were ruthless in converting their chances. "The result in no way reflects the course of the game," declared the Bayer 04 coach.

From the kick-off, the Werkself showed intent to produce a performance in the final pre-season friendly. However, in spite of the bright start, it was the visitors from Spain who took the lead on six minutes – after excellent control of the ball, the Vigo striker John Guidetti fired his shot under the bar leaving the Bayer 04 keeper Bernd Leno helpless.

Clear excess of chances for the Werkself

The Werkself refused to be cowed after going behind and they asserted their presence on the game leaving the Spanish top-flight side little chance to open up. That led to the Werkself creating a lot of good goalscoring opportunities: Kevin Volland (11', 36'), Dominik Kohr (12', 25'), Karim Bellarabi (15', 23') and Admir Mehmedi (31') were unable to find the back of the Celta Vigo net. The Herrlich team were unlucky to go into half-time 1-0 down. Apart from the goal, there was little to see of the visitors in attack.
An unchanged Werkself eleven continued in the same vein after the restart. An aggressive approach to challenges saw Bayer 04 win possession and create chance after chance. The second goal of the match came out of the blue with Celta Vigo doubling their lead thanks again to Guidetti who beat Leno in the penalty area on 61 minutes. There appeared to be a foul on Sven Bender near the halfway line in the build-up but to the surprise of many of the Bayer 04 players it was not seen by referee Sven Wachitzki.

Three goals in twelve minutes

Anybody who thought the Werkself might fold after conceding a second goal was to be disappointed. Driven on by Kevin Kampl and Dominik Kohr, the 15,000-strong crowd saw the hosts stand-up bravely and it was all one-way traffic after that. There was great belief amongst the Black and Reds when Admir Mehmedi chested down the ball to hit a powerful volley into the far corner to pull a goal back on 65 minutes. Four minutes later came the equaliser from substitute Joel Pohjanpalo with a fine low effort. And celebrations were even more evident at the BayArena when Kevin Volland hit a shot from the edge of the box on 77 minutes with the ball ending in the back of the net to put the Werkself 3-2 up.
The brilliant performance of the Werkself was then tarnished slightly by an equaliser for the Celta Vigo scored by Maxi Gómez on 83 minutes. "It's annoying that it ended 3-3. We deserved to win today. Unfortunately, we again failed to convert our chances, particularly in the first half," said Heiko Herrlich who is convinced his team is on course for the forthcoming cup game in Karlsruhe.

Bayer 04: Leno – Henrichs (Baumgartlinger 81’), Tah, S. Bender (Ramalho 68’), Wendell – Kampl, Kohr – Bellarabi (Bailey 81’), Mehmedi – Havertz (Pohjanpalo 60’), Volland

Related News

Partnerschaft der Bayer 04-Frauen mit BIOGENA

Women - 22.07.2026

BIOGENA new performance partner for Bayer 04 Women

BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.

Kids-PK mit Janis Blaswich und Simeon Rapsch

Football Academy - 22.07.2026

‘I was a striker for a long time’: Kids’ press conference with Blaswich and Rapsch

100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.

Bayer 04 - 21.07.2026

Alejo Sarco joins Sporting Gijón

Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Bayer 04 - 20.07.2026

Bayer 04 agree long-term deal with Gabriel Minutillo

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.