The sports journal kicker has named defender Sven Bender in their team of the matchday after the 1-0 home win against FSV Mainz 05. That is the third nomination of the completed season for the 31-year-old.
After his impressive display in the victory over Mainz 05, Sven Bender has shared his first assessment of the unusual 2019/20 Bundesliga season that ended with the Black and Reds in fifth place on 63 points – and that sets a new record for team finishing a season in that position. “We picked up lots and lots of points. In a normal season, that total would have been enough to qualify for the Champions League. The fact that isn’t the case this year shows how high the quality is at the top this season. We have to accept we’ve had a very good Bundesliga season overall,” said the former Germany international.
The Werkself attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz, more than deserved to gain his nomination with an outstanding second half of the season: The 21-year-old qualified for the team of the season thanks to appearing five times in the BILD team of the matchday. The line-up is made up almost exclusively from players from the top five in the Bundesliga – with the exception of keeper Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg) and Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin). The coach of the season, according to BILD, is FC Bayern boss Hansi Flick and Deniz Aytekin is the best referee.
Wins on the final matchday of a Bundesliga season are a regular occurrence for Leverkusen these days. The most recent three points earned by the Werkself against Mainz marks the fifth win in succession on the last day of the season. Nine of the last ten seasons have ended with a victory – a remarkable return.
Following the win at the end of the league campaign, the Werkself players had another reason to celebrate yesterday – for their now 36-year-old goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan. The Austrian has played for Bayer 04 since 2016 and has proved to be a reliable reserve keeper, motivator and contact.
Former Werkself defender Hans Sarpei was also able to celebrate on reaching his 44th birthday. Sarpei played for the Black and Reds from 2007 to 2010 and he made 55 appearances during that time. Bayer 04 wish them a belated happy birthday.
And finally, we come to the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga and the Bayer 04 Women. The team led by head coach Achim Feifel were able to be happy having stayed up in spite of yesterday’s 5-0 defeat at the former and current champions VfL Wolfsburg. That was primarily due to the deserved 3-1 derby win against FC Köln in the previous week. The season ended with 17 points and a tenth-placed finish.
“We wanted to ensure staying up much earlier in the season. We aimed to finish eighth this season. Nevertheless, I’m happy we’re playing in the Bundesliga next season. In the next few weeks, we’ll review and analyse the season,” said Feifel, whose players can look forward to a well-deserved summer break after a small end of season party today, taking place in observance of the coronavirus measures.
Bayer 04 are away to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 5 of the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off on Thursday 26 November at 18:45 CET at the Maksimir Stadium. All the information on ticket sales.
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It wasn’t just on the pitch that there was cause for celebration around the Werkself’s 2–1 home win against SC Freiburg. Plenty of happy faces could be seen near the dugouts at half-time too. Once again, CEO Fernando Carro, alongside former striker and club ambassador Stefan Kießling, paid tribute to eight supporters’ clubs celebrating up to their 30th anniversary on behalf of Bayer 04.
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It was a match that will live long in the memory of everyone involved: The Bayer 04 U19s celebrated their seventh win in seven matches in the DFB Youth League preliminary round – and yet it was a very special victory indeed: in the 4–3 (1–1) win at VfL Bochum 1848, no fewer than five goals came in the final quarter of an hour. As the 90th minute approached, coach Patrick Greveraars’s side found themselves behind, but then fought back in true ‘Laterkusen’ style.
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Under Carles Martínez, the Werkself have so far proved unbeatable at the BayArena. The Spaniard has led his team to victory in all three of their most recent home matches – and, it's worth noting, without conceding a single goal. On Sunday, 18 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST / live on DAZN and Werkself Radio), current league leaders SC Freiburg will make the trip to Leverkusen, but will be without their top scorer. What's more, the Werkself have won all three of their previous home matches against the Black Forest club. With a goal, Patrik Schick could not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also set a memorable record. Meanwhile, on what will be the ‘Health Day' at the BayArena, much of the focus will be on physical wellbeing. Today's matchday news.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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