Alonso handed debuts to summer signings Alejandro Grimaldo, Jonas Hofmann and Granit Xhaka. Alongside captain Lukas Hradecky, the starting XI also featured Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Odilon Kossounou, Exequiel Palacios, Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli and Azmoun in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The crowd of roughly 1,890 saw the Werkself start strong in their newly released away strip for the coming campaign. The first chance of the game fell to Adli from Xhaka with eight minutes gone, but it was saved. Moments later, Hofmann delivered a teasing cross into the box, but nobody could get on the end of it.
Then Paderborn carved out their first chance, which Hradecky turned behind for a corner. The second division club had the ball in the back of the net from the subsequent set piece, but referee Nico Fuchs signalled offside. A chip from Palacios and a free-kick from Grimaldo midway through the first half came close to putting Leverkusen ahead.
The Werkself finally got the first goal of the day when a through ball from Tapsoba found Azmoun, who finished into the bottom right corner to open Bayer 04’s account for 2023/24. Paderborn responded in the 45th minute, however, with a long-range effort from Florent Muslija.
Paderborn opened the second half with another attempt from distance that went just wide. Although substitute Adam Hlozek almost restored the advantage for Leverkusen, it was the opposition who struck next when a cross from the left found Filip Bilbija.
The Werkself pushed for an equaliser of their own but were unable to find a way through an assured Paderborn defence. Nadiem Amiri almost did it with 10 minutes to go but fired narrowly wide as Bayer 04 slipped to a 2-1 defeat but learned some valuable lessons in the first game of pre-season.
Alonso and his team head off to their training camp in Saalfelden, Austria on Sunday, 23 July. They will then go directly to San Sebastian in Spain on Friday, 28 July for the second friendly against Champions League qualifiers Real Sociedad. The game on Saturday, 29 July kicks off at 18:00 CEST at the Estadio Reale Arena.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky (Pentz 45') - Frimpong (Puerta 65'), Tapsoba (Fosu-Mensah 73'), Kossounou (Monamay 45'), Grimaldo (Bäuerle 65') - Palacios (Mbamba 45'), Xhaka (Marsenic 73') - Hofmann (Arthur 45'), Wirtz (Demirbay 45'), Adli (Amiri 45') - Azmoun (Hlozek 45')
Paderborn: Huth - Schuster, Musliu, Hoffmeier - Curda, Klefisch (Hansen 72'), Rohr, Ezekwem - Kinsombi, Bilbija, Muslija
Goals: 1-0 Azmoun (40'), 1-1 Muslija (45'), 1-2 Bilbija (58')
Yellow card: Musliu
Referee: Nico Fuchs
Attendance: 1,890 at the IMS Arena in Velbert
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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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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