“Even if it might have been one – I can’t fully understand the red card in a friendly. That ruined the game after 20 minutes. A yellow and a free kick would have been fair. Marcelinho Garcia (the Valencia coach, ed.) saw it the same way,” declared Peter Bosz baffled by the decision of the referee Sven Weschitzki to show Aleksandar Dragovic a red card for a professional foul. “I feel particularly sorry for the spectators that the game was no longer evenly balanced and therefore less exciting,” said the Werkself head coach who had to manage without Lars Bender (muscular problem), Mitchell Weiser (bruised foot), Joel Pohjanpalo (set back after ankle injury) plus Sven Bender and Karim Bellarabi (rested).
Kevin Gameiro opened the scoring for the team that finished fourth in La Liga last term with a penalty on nine minutes after he was brought down in the box by Kerem Demirbay – a debatable decision but the referee turned away the protests from the Werkself. As expected, Valencia provided tough opposition in the last pre-season friendly ahead of next Saturday’s DFB Cup tie in Aachen (15.30 CET, live text commentary and web radio on bayer04.de) and they put the Werkself under pressure with long balls.
After the dismissal of Dragovic (20’), the Bosz team quickly fought their way back into the game and competed on equal terms with the Spanish cup winners and Champions League starters. The reward came on 26 minutes: The Werkself were awarded a penalty for a handball and Kevin Volland tucked the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to make it 1-1.
The pace of the game slowed in the second half in the hot summer weather and neither side looked effective up front. Apart from the goal to make it 2-1 on 57 minutes scored by Valencia’s Gameiro with a long-range effort that beat Lukas Hradecky who did show what he could do on a number of occasions. Peter Bosz made five changes on the hour mark – including the introduction of Nadiem Amiri for his first game for Bayer 04. The fourth summer signing for the Werkself played well but was unable to change the outcome of the game played as part of the Bayer 04 season launch at the BayArena.
Bosz did not make too much of the defeat: “It’s true our friendly results were not satisfactory but I can see a positive development for us. I recognise our improvement and the confidence is there. We now have a week before the Aachen game – we have to make the most of it and continue to work hard,” said Bosz.
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Jedvaj (Retsos 20’; Stanilewicz 86’), Dragovic, Tah, Wendell – Baumgartlinger (Sinkgraven 61’), Demirbay (Aránguiz 61’) – Bailey (Amiri 61’), Havertz, Paulinho (Diaby 61’) – Volland (Alario 61’)
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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