Head coach Kasper Hjulmand made three changes to his starting line-up compared with the goalless draw in the UCL play-off second leg against Olympiacos during the week: Arthur started on the right in place of Lucas Vázquez, Ezequiel Fernández came in for Aleix Garcia in holding midfield and Ernest Poku was in the starting XI in attacking midfield in place of Ibrahim Maza. Wearing the special edition white fan club jersey, the Werkself started with a lot of control and patience, while FSV Mainz - without the injured former Leverkusen player Nadiem Amiri in the squad - looked out for counter-attacking opportunities.
In a tight opening phase, the match played out predominantly in midfield and a shot from Jonas Hofmann into the arms of the Mainz keeper Daniel Batz on four minutes remained the only attempt on goal for a while. Janis Blaswich was called into action on 18 minutes making his first save to deny Paul Nebel. The Werkself keeper was not tested again until the break behind a disciplined three-man defence. However, Leverkusen also found few solutions in attack despite 65 per cent possession with Patrik Schick failing to get enough power on his header on 37 minutes. The two sides were level at 0-0 at half-time.
After the restart, Mainz 05 mainly defended and hoped for chances on the break, while Bayer 04 had the majority of possession as they looked to break through. One such gap was found on 63 minutes by substitute Martin Terrier but Schick's pass was too central from a promising position. However, that good chance was then followed by a setback for the Black and Reds: After a Leverkusen corner, Mainz countered down the right, and Sheraldo Becker volleyed in Paul Nebel's cross to give the visitors the lead (67').
The Werkself now finally shifted play into the Mainz half - and were rewarded with the equaliser shortly before the end of the game. Substitute Christian Kofane won a foot race and found Jarell Quansah in the Mainz box and the England international netted to level at 1-1 (88'). Leverkusen almost scored the winner, but a shot from Ibrahim Maza was blocked (90+6’) and a header by Edmond Tapsoba (90+7’) went wide of the target. The game ended all square in a 1-1 draw.
The Werkself have another midweek game coming up, this time in the Bundesliga. The rearranged match at Hamburger SV is on Wednesday, 4 March (kick-off: 20:30 CET). The away ticket allocation for this match has been sold out. That fixture is followed on Saturday, 7 March, by the away game at SC Freiburg - a few tickets are available HERE.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Blaswich - Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba - Arthur (Tape 46’), Fernández (Kofane 72’), Palacios (Garcia 82’), Grimaldo - Hofmann (Maza 59’), Poku (Terrier 59’) - Schick
Mainz 05: Batz - Kohr, Posch, Potulski - Widmer (Da Costa 80’), Nebel, Sano, Lee (Maloney 89’), Mwene - Becker (Silas 69’), Tietz
Goals: 0-1 Becker (67'), 1-1 Quansah (88')
Yellow cards: Tapsoba - Posch, Maloney
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Sölden/Black Forest)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has secured a new network partner in Extreme Networks GmbH. The leading provider of AI-powered network automation has agreed a five-year partnership with the Bundesliga club, running until 30 June 2031. As part of this, the club’s existing Wi-Fi 5 infrastructure will be replaced by more than 400 Wi-Fi 7 access points, which are specifically designed to meet the requirements of a stadium with a high user density. The aim is to enhance the fan experience while optimising operational processes and security.
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With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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