Head coach Xabi Alonso made six changes to his starting line-up compared with the last Saturday's charity match against Spanish Champions League team Real Sociedad (0-1): Patrick Pentz was in goal in place of Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah, Arthur, Noah Mbamba, Nadiem Amiri and Adam Hlozek all started this time round. These were the first starts for Bayer 04 for Pentz and Mbamba.
On the impressive stage of the Orange Vélodrome, the hosts started on the front foot but were unable to create any clear-cut chances. The Werkself upped the pressure as the game went on and were rewarded with the opening goal. Alejandro Grimaldo hit a corner from the right into the penalty area on 15 minutes, the OM keeper Pau Lopez punched the ball straight onto the head of Tah at the far post leaving him with a simple header into the net.
After that, most of the action was in midfield with no real chances for either side. It was another corner that led to the second Leverkusen goal just before half-time. With 40 minutes on the clock, Amiri took a corner from the left and he curled the ball in the direction the goal – and with the help of the Marseille keeper Lopez made it 2-0. Four minutes later, Lopez saved an Amiri shot from the edge of the box at the second attempt. Half-time soon followed.
Exequiel Palacios and Jonas Hofmann replaced Mbamba and Adli at half-time. The French team were again first out of the blocks as they applied pressure. However, as in the first half, Granit Xhaka and Co. stood firm in defence. Alonso made five substitutions just after the hour mark with only the keeper Pentz and the back three remaining on the field from the starting line-up. There was one special substitution on 72 minutes: Robert Andrich, who suffered a fractured metatarsal in the game against AS Roma at the start of May, joined his teammates on the pitch the first time since then.
The hosts came back into the game with ten minutes to play thanks to an unfortunately deflected cross: The ball flew over Pentz towards the far post and substitute Francois Mughe was on hand to score with a tap-in from two yards out. That brought the crowd alive and they really got behind their OM team. But there were no more goals so Bayer 04 were able to head home with a win under their belts.
The Werkself end this week with a home game that serves as a curtain raiser for the new season: This Saturday 5 August (kick-off: 13.30 CEST) sees West Ham United from the Premier League visit the BayArena. The match against last season's winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League forms the sporting highlight of the Bayer 04 season launch. Tickets are available HERE. The Werkself are then in action a week later in the first round of the DFB Cup away to Hamburg Cup winners FC Teutonia 05 Ottensen. The tie will be played at the Millerntor Stadium on Saturday 12 August with the kick off at 15.30 CEST.
Match stats:
Olympique Marseille: Lopez (Blanco 46') - Clauss (Negouai 74'), Gigot (Touré 65’) , Balerdi (Mbemba 46'), Soglo (Lodi 65’) - Veretout (Rongier 46'), Kondogbia (Gueye 65’), Ounahi (Harit 74') - Sarr (Mughe 74'), Aubameyang (Guendouzi 74'), Ndiaye (Vitinha 58’)
Bayer 04: Pentz - Kossounou (Fosu-Mensah 81'), Tah (Andrich 72'), Tapsoba (Monamay 72') - Arthur (Frimpong 61'), Mbamba (Palacios 46’), Xhaka (Puerta 61'), Grimaldo (Münz 61') - Adli (Hofmann 46’), Amiri (Wirtz 61') - Hlozek (Boniface 61’)
Goals: 0-1 Tah (15’), 0-2 Amiri (40’), 1-2 Mughe (79’)
Booked: Touré - Münz, Alonso (head coach)
Referee: Angoula (Le Havre/France)
Bayer 04 Women produced an excellent performance to beat Wolfsburg 1-0 at home on Friday night and knock the She-Wolves off top spot in the Google Pixel Bundesliga as the season reached its halfway stage. Cornelia Kramer got the only goal early in the second half in front of a crowd of 1,510 at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The result makes it five straight wins in all competitions for Leverkusen, who go top overnight on 26 points – the best total in the club’s history from the first half of a Bundesliga season – ahead of the DFB Pokal holders with 25.
Show moreThe head-to-head record with St. Pauli is still slightly in favour of the Hamburg club, who have eight wins to seven for Bayer 04, plus seven draws from the 22 competitive meetings to date. With the 23rd encounter coming up this Saturday, bayer04.de takes a look back on some of the notable games from down the years.
Show moreBayer 04 welcome St. Pauli to the BayArena in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with the club using the game to call for fans to donate food to the Leverkusen Foodbank.
Show moreBayer 04 Women are looking to finish what’s already the best first half of a Bundesliga season in their history with the huge scalp of the league leaders as Wolfsburg come to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Friday (kick-off: 6.30pm CET). Victory would even see Roberto Pätzold’s side go top of the table overnight at least.
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