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.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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The Bayer 04 Women have kept their chance of qualifying for the Champions League alive in the Bundesliga run-in. Coach Roberto Pätzold's team won 4-0 at SGS Essen on Sunday afternoon, improving their record from last season to 14 wins this term. With 43 points, the Werkself equalled another record from the 2024/25 season and at the same time reduced the gap to third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to two points, at least for tonight. Loreen Bender (4’), Kristin Kögel (41’, 68’) and Cornelia Kramer (89’) scored for the Black and Reds, who dominated the game to record their fourth win on the bounce.
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With the 4-1 home win against RB Leipzig, the Werkself not only ended the run of five consecutive victories for RBL, but also moved up to fourth place, which would ensure qualification for the UEFA Champions League. While the media praised the impressive performance of Leverkusen's hat-trick hero Patrik Schick in particular, the team and coach were delighted with the "fantastic energy" from the stands and are looking to take the momentum into the remaining two games: "We have to perform like we did today in Stuttgart!" The Werkself review.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 4-1 win against RB Leipzig on Matchday 32 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
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