Back
9.01.2017Bayer 04

Werkself make winning start to Florida Cup

The Werkself have won their first game of the year. In the opening game of the third Florida Cup Roger Schmidt's team beat the Argentinian top-flight club Estudiantes de La Plata 5-3 on penalties. Sam Schreck levelled the scores on 71 minutes and the game went to penalties straight after the final whistle. Aleksandar Dragovic netted the winning penalty. That means the Werkself have secured the first two points in the Florida Cup.
© Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fussball GmbH

What an atmosphere at the former baseball stadium in St Petersburg/Tampa. Spectators streamed to the home ground of the Tampa Bay Rowdies – above all, to support their superstar Chicharito. The Mexican played in the first half with Schmidt changing the whole team at the break with the exception of goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan. Karim Bellarabi, who has completed all the training sessions to date at the training camp in Orlando, was not in the squad.

Behind at the break

The steel of the South Americans was evident from the start. "We've seen that in the past two years: They quickly change to competitive mode in friendlies like this," said Schmidt. After intensive sessions over the past five days, his team initially found it difficult to play their normal game. Estudiantes took the lead on 30 minutes through Elias Umeres. "The opposition sat back very deep after that," said Schmidt.

Bayer 04 had a chance to level before the break. The referee awarded a penalty for a handball in the box and the fans cried out for Chicharito to take it. He confidently stepped up but his shot was saved by the Argentinian keeper. Juan Sebastián Verón (41) spent the 90 minutes on the bench for Estudiantes who were reduced to ten men just before half-time when Rodrigo Brana was dismissed for a serious foul in midfield

Schreck nets first goal

The Werkself started the second half with ten fresh players and the extra man. That included U19 players Sam Schreck and Atakan Akkaynak who both livened up Leverkusen's game with Schreck scoring the first goal of 2017. The youngster coolly converted an excellent cross from Charles Aránguiz to level the scores at 1-1 on 71 minutes. Bayer 04 pressed for the winner but without reward. The match ended all square on 90 minutes with the game to be decided on penalties in accordance with the rules of the competition.

Stefan Kießling, Aránguiz and Julian Brandt all scored and, because Rambo made two saves, it fell to Aleksandar Dragovic to take the last shot of the match. "I chose the one corner and then placed my shot," he said. The ball was in the back of the net to secure an additional point for the Werkself in the Florida Cup.

The second game for Bayer 04 is in the night of Wednesday to Thursday (01.00 CET) against Atlético Mineiro.

Match stats:

Bayer 04 (First half): Özcan – Boeder, Jedvaj, Toprak, Wendell – Kampl, Yurchenko – Havertz, Calhanoglu – Chicharito, Pohjanpalo.

Bayer 04 (Second half): Özcan – da Costa, Dragovic, Tah, Henrichs – Aránguiz, Akkaynak – Schreck, Brandt – Mehmedi, Kießling.

Goals: 1-0 Umeres (33’), 1-1 Schreck (71’)

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fussball GmbH

Related News

T-Shirt-Verkauf für den guten Zweck mit Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza und Christian Kofane
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026

Big crowd at shirt sale for a good cause with Tapsoba, Maza and Kofane - last chance at home matchday

This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.

Show more
Spaß im Training
Women - 01.05.2026

Bayer 04 Women on hunt for records in Essen

With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).

Show more
Rudi Vollborn
Bayer 04 - 01.05.2026

Rudi recounts…: Vollborn’s May highlights

Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…

Show more
Fierté Burkinabè - Edmond Tapsoba: Playing for More
Bayer 04 - 29.04.2026

‘Fierté Burkinabè’ documentary – visiting Edmond Tapsoba at home in Burkina Faso

From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.

Show more
Edmond Tapsoba mit Fernando Carro und Simon Rolfes
Bayer 04 - 29.04.2026

Contract until 2031: Defensive ace Edmond Tapsoba commits long-term to Bayer 04

Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.

Show more