Head coach Xabi Alonso's starting line-up showed two changes from the 1-1 draw at Bochum before the international break: Exequiel Palacios and Aleix Garcia came in for Robert Andrich and Jonas Hofmann, who has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a muscle strain. In an early spell of dominance for Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka had the first attempt (4') before Jeremie Frimpong couldn't quite get on the end of Florian Wirtz's ball two minutes later. The first goal came at the other end, however, with Heidenheim's first attack. Marvin Pieringer won the ball by the corner flag and cut it back to Niklas Dorsch, who netted the opening goal from a central position. Just after that, Lukas Hradecky stopped another shot from Pieringer (13').
Bayer 04 regained control of the ball after that but came up against well-drilled opponents - who also found the net with their second real chance. Mathias Honsak got through with a solo run and found the far corner to make it 2-0 after 21 minutes. Five minutes later, Edmond Tapsoba came within a whisker of pulling a goal back, hitting the post from distance. But Palacios did so on the half-hour mark, firing home on the turn. The goal fest continued at the Bay Arena, with Patrik Schick levelling at 2-2 just two minutes later with a neat lob. FCH goalkeeper Kevin Müller then stopped the Czech from scoring again (40'). There was bad news for Alonso's side just before the break as Frimpong was forced off in stoppage time following a collision, with Nathan Tella taking his place.
Wirtz fired the first warning shot of the second half (50'), before the playmaker set up the Werkself's third goal of the afternoon a mere three minutes later. His low cross from the right was converted by a typical poacher's first-time finish from Schick from close range - 3-2, turnaround complete! Bayer 04 had long shaken off their poor start and were enjoying themselves now. Tella's deflected shot missed by millimetres (55'), bouncing off the inside of the post. There were no notable attacking actions for a while after that, although Piero Hincapie made a crucial intervention to stop substitute Sirlord Conteh on 69 minutes.
Then came the next goal for the home side: Xhaka played a well-timed pass into the path of Arthur on the right, and he crossed towards the far post - where who else but Schick was in position to head in and make it 4-2 (71'). Hat-trick for Schick, whose name rang out from the stands of the BayArena. Xhaka completed the scoring with a superb long-distance strike in the 82nd minute - the closing point of an eventful contest, in which the Werkself never threw in the towel and were rewarded with three vital points.
The games come quickly for the Werkself now, continuing with a home match in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday 26 November (kick-off 21:00 CET), when FC Salzburg from Austria are the visitors. The next Bundesliga assignment is on Saturday 30 November (kick-off 15:30 CET) at 1. FC Union Berlin.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky - Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie - Frimpong (Tella 45'+3), Palacios (Andrich 77'), Xhaka, Garcia (Arthur 69'), Grimaldo - Wirtz (Terrier 77') - Schick
Heidenheim: Müller - Traoré, Mainka, Gimber, Föhrenbach - Schöppner, Maloney (Kerber 84') - Beck (Scienza 61'), Dorsch (Kaufmann 61'), Honsak (Conteh 61') - Pieringer (Wanner 28')
Goals: 0-1 Dorsch (10'), 0-2 Honsak (21'), 1-2 Palacios (30'), 2-2 Schick (32'), 3-2 Schick (52'), 4-2 Schick (71'), 5-2 Xhaka (82')
Referee: Bastian Dankert (Rostock)
Attendance: 29,103 (home section sold out) at the BayArena
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
Show more
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
Show more
A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
Show more
It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
Show more
Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
Show more
