Head coach Xabi Alonso kept faith with the same starting line-up as in the 4-1 home win against Heidenheim. With the support of a sold-out away section, the Werkself looked to gain control of possession from the start but Mainz were initially more often in and around the opposition box. The first effort from the visitors came from Alejandro Grimaldo on ten minutes but the Spaniard hit his free kick just over the target.
The first goal of the game came from the Mainz player Sepp van den Berg when the defender turned the ball into his own net from a whipped-in cross from Jeremie Frimpong – giving the Werkself the lead (18'). The hosts, starting the matchday next to bottom in the table, adopted a physical and intensive approach to the game to counter the Leverkusen passing play. They were unable to beat the in form Lukas Hradecky in the Werkself goal so that Bayer 04 went into the break 1-0 up and with almost two thirds of possession.
Werkself keeper Hradecky was centre stage for the first goalmouth action in the second half when he pulled off a brilliant reflex save to turn a Karim Onisiwo header over the bar (54’). The second goal of the game came at the other end: Grimaldo hit a free kick from the left of the box over the wall into the left corner of the net to score his second goal of the season (59') following on from his first free kick strike in Munich. Jonas Hofmann increased the lead to 3-0 six minutes later with a volley – and his celebration in front of the away end put the travelling Werkself support in a party mood.
Victor Boniface missed a chance to make it four for Leverkusen with 15 minutes to play when the Nigerian was denied by the Mainz keeper Robin Zentner. Bayer 04 eased off somewhat and the numerous changes on both sides saw a quiet end to the game. The Werkself maintained the three-goal advantage and are now temporarily at least top of the Bundesliga table.
Bayer 04 will set off to Norway on Wednesday for the second group match in the UEFA Europa League at Molde kicking off at 21.00 CEST on Thursday. The double fixture week ends with a home derby against FC Köln on Sunday at 15.30 CEST.
Match stats:
Mainz 05: Zentner - van den Berg, Bell, Fernandes - da Costa (El Ghazi 69’), Barreiro, Kohr (Krauß 69’), Caci - Gruda (Ajorque 76’), Lee (Barkok 69’) - Onisiwo (Richter 84’)
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong (Stanisic 86’), Palacios, Xhaka (Andrich 79’), Grimaldo - Hofmann (Amiri 86’), Wirtz (Adli 63’) - Boniface (Hlozek 79’)
Goals: 0-1 van den Berg (o.g. 18’), 0-2 Grimaldo (59’), 0-3 Hofmann (65’)
Booked: Fernandes, Gruda, Richter, Barreiro - Xhaka
Referee: Benjamin Brand (Unterspiesheim)
Attendance: 33,305 (sold out) at the Mewa Arena
Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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