Compared with the 2-0 home win against FC Augsburg, head coach Xabi Alonso made three changes to his starting line-up. Arthur, Robert Andrich and Nathan Tella made way for Piero Hincapie, Aleix Garcia and Jeremie Frimpong. Victor Boniface was not in the squad due to a thigh injury. The kick-off at the Europa Park Stadion was a special moment for the skipper Jonathan Tah as he made his 400th appearance for the Black and Reds – only Rüdiger Vollborn, Ulf Kirsten, Carsten Ramelow and Stefan Kießling achieved that before him in the Bundesliga history of Bayer 04. SC Freiburg, the only team in the Bundesliga with the maximum nine points from the last three games, faced a dominant Werkself from the start as they controlled the game through lots of possession. But the first shot on goal came from the hosts when an effort from Vincenzo Grifo was saved by Matej Kovar at the second attempt on 17 minutes.
Most of the action took place between the two penalty areas with both teams very solid in defence. Safety first was the main priority with 35,000 fans, including 2,400 Leverkusen supporters, witnessing an intense encounter but with few shots on goal. Up to the 34th minute when Kovar made a save with his foot to deny Freiburg taking the lead in a one-on-one with Patrick Osterhage. Then shortly before half-time, Eggestein tried his luck from outside the box and Kovar was unable to get to his shot (44') – 1-0 to the hosts and the scoreline at half-time
SC Freiburg were on the front foot after the restart. Piero Hincapie attempted to clear a ball headed on by Johan Manzambi in the six-yard box but, under pressure from Junior Adamu, only turned the ball into his own net – 2-0 to SC Freiburg (48'). Xabi Alonso reacted by making a triple substitution bringing on Arthur, Exequiel Palacios and Amine Adli for Edmond Tapsoba, Garcia and Buendía (58'). Freiburg remained more determined, invested more effort with the Werkself failing to make an impression in front of the opposition goal. Nathan Tella then came on for Frimpong (76').
The visitors were suddenly back in the game out of the blue: Florian Wirtz beat several SCF players and then scored with the help of the inside of the post to make it 2-1 (82'). Bayer 04 saw their chance with five minutes of added time and a possible leveller. And it was Jonathan Tah, making his 400th appearance for Bayer 04, who turned a Tella cross into the net with his shoulder to level at 2-2 (90+3'). The Werkself are now unbeaten in 33 Bundesliga away games in succession – equalling the record set by Bayern Munich 2014 to 2016.
Bayer 04 are next in action on Bundesliga matchday 33 with the Werkself hosting Borussia Dortmund in the final home game of the season at the BayArena (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) on Sunday, 11 May.
Match stats
SC Freiburg: Müller – Rosenfelder (Kübler 69'), Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo – Eggestein, Osterhage – Doan (Beste 81'), Manzambi (Röhl 69'), Grifo (Sildillia 89') – Adamu
Bayer 04: Kovar – Tapsoba (Arthur 58'), Tah, Hincapie – Frimpong (Tella 76'), Garcia (Palacios 58'), Xhaka, Grimaldo – Buendía (Adli 58'), Schick, Wirtz
Goals: 1-0 Eggestein (44’), 2-0 Hincapie (48’ o.g.), 2-1 Wirtz (82’), 2-2 Tah (90+3’)
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)
Yellow cards: Manzambi – Adli, Grimaldo
Attendance: 34,700 at the Europa Park Stadion (sold out)
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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