The assessment of the 3-1 defeat at home to VfL Wolfsburg on kicker.de reads: "Bruno Labbadia beat his former club Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga for the first time at the thirteenth attempt. As in the surprise victory against FC Schalke on matchday one, Labbadia's VfL Wolfsburg produced an impressive display at the BayArena to secure a 3-1 win with a brace scored halfway through the second 45. The Werkself threw away the lead from a strike by Bailey and remain pointless."
There is a similar view in the report in the online edition of the BILD: "Yesterday, the lead came first followed by the mistakes: Leon Bailey (21) scored with a curler for the opener on 24 minutes. Wofsburg's response: Gerhardt crossed from the byline and the Bayer keeper Özcan (34) punched the ball into his own net (36'). Unlucky: 'Anyone can make a mistake and I've made one too. But the way I've caught myself out, that's how everybody should do it. We lacked determination, ambition and sharpness.' That's right! Nothing went right for Leverkusen after the restart. A double whammy from Weghorst (55') and Steffen (60') sealed the away win for Wolfsburg."
The Rheinische Post headline reads 'Perfect false start from Bayer' and the paper identified the double blow at the start of the second half as the decisive phase of the game: "Weghorst headed Bruno Labbadia's team into a 2-1 lead on 55 minutes. The Werkself looked shaky after going behind. Just as Herrlich reorganised his defence, the Wolves scored the next goal. Renato Steffen exploited the completely disorganised defence of the hosts to make it 3-1 on 60 minutes… Herrlich then gave Paulinho his Bundesliga, and Isaac Kiese Thelin his home debut. The 26,247 fans at the BayArena waited in vain for a fight-back from the ambitious hosts. The game ended with a deserved 3-1 win for the visitors."
The Sonntags Express looks ahead and describes the difficult situation: "It's off to Munich next. And a third defeat threatens away to Bayern. 'We won't moan and look for excuses. We have to grit our teeth and look to turn it round," said Ramazan Özcan. The coach was also disappointed: 'Two defeats don't meet our expectations. No points is a difficult situation. It will be a tough challenge in Munich and we have to be more organised in defence."
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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The Bayer 04 Women’s squad for the coming season is continuing to take shape: Centre-back Emily Wallrabenstein has moved to Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt’s reserve team, who play in the Women’s Bundesliga 2. The 19-year-old has penned a contract until 30 June 2028.
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Bayern 04 Women have confirmed another summer signing, with midfielder Paulina Platner moving to Leverkusen from SGS Essen. The 20-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the Werkself.
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The German Football League (DFL) has shortlisted Martin Terrier’s scorpion kick goal against 1. FC Köln for the 2025/26 Bundesliga Goal of the Season. Bayer 04 fans can vote for their favourite goal via the Bundesliga app from now until Monday 25 May (23:59 CEST).
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Bayer 04 will be preparing young talents for a potential sporting career in an even more systematic way in future. The club is breaking new ground to help develop their academic, social and personal skills as well. With the ‘Haus der Talente' or 'Talent House’, Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH is creating a new centre for the development of young athletes in a central location in Leverkusen. Once completed – expected to be in the summer of 2027 – the project will be run in partnership with TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V.
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