Head coach Xabi Alonso made four changes to his team that started Sunday’s 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Josip Stanisic and Piero Hincapie replaced Odilon Kossounou and Edmond Tapsoba in defence. Robert Andrich was in for the suspended Exequiel Palacios in midfield, while Schick made his first Bundesliga start in some 14 months as he got the nod over Boniface, who dropped to the bench. In a once again sold-out BayArena, Jeremie Frimpong led the first attack of note in the seventh minute, but his low delivery was gathered by goalkeeper Manuel Riemann. The visitors then had a couple of opportunities of their own through Takuma Asano and Christopher Antwi-Adjei.
The Werkself then struggled to play in their usual dominant manner for a period as Bochum pressed hard. However, Leverkusen finally found a gap in the visitors’ rearguard just before the half-hour mark as Schick was played in behind, knocked the ball beyond Riemann before being taken down. Referee Daniel Schlager pointed to the spot, with Schick himself dispatching the penalty for the lead. The next attack moments later also came off as Jonas Hofmann and Frimpong worked their way down the right. The Dutchman passed the ball into the middle and into the path of Schick, whose first-time finish doubled the advantage with 31 minutes gone. Alonso’s men seemed to find their groove now, with Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo both having further chances. Yet it was Schick who struck again in added time, heading in a Grimaldo corner under pressure to bag his hat-trick inside the first half.
With the Werkself three goals to the good coming out after the break, things were initially quiet until the 62nd minute when Grimaldo played the ball back from the by-line for Andrich to turn in. However, a VAR review ruled out the goal due to offside in the build-up. A fourth did come soon after, though, as Florian Wirtz’s vision found Boniface, who had only been on the field for a couple of minutes, to put away his 10th goal of the season with 69 minutes gone. Leverkusen didn’t look done there as Tapsoba and Frimpong looked to add another, but Riemann denied both. The damage was already done, however, as Bayer 04 extended their unbeaten start to 2023/24 to a German record 25 games and go into the winter break with a four-point advantage over Bayern Munich.
And straight after the game, the team joined the fans inside the BayArena for some Christmas singing to round off an eventful year in Leverkusen.
The Werkself are now off on their well-deserved holidays before returning to training on Wednesday, 3 January. The first match of the year is then the following Sunday with a friendly against Italian Serie B side Venezia at the BayArena. Tickets are available for the game HERE.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Stanisic, Tah (Tapsoba 67'), Hincapie (Puerta 73') – Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo – Hofmann (Hlozek 73'), Schick (Boniface 67'), Wirtz (Amiri 87')
Bochum: Riemann – Gamboa, Masovic (Loosli 69'), Schlotterbeck, Bernardo – Losilla (Oermann 87'), Osterhage, Bero – Asano (Soares 46'), Paciencia (Förster 63'), Antwi-Adjei (Broschinski 63')
Goals: 1-0 Schick (pen, 30'), 2-0 Schick (31'), 3-0 Schick (45'+1), 4-0 Boniface (69')
Referee: Daniel Schlager (Hügelsheim)
Yellow cards: Masovic, Schlotterbeck
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
Bayer 04 player Carlotta Wamser is part of a VIP group joining together for the launch of the DFB campaign Punktespiel 2.0. The Germany international, who signed for the Werkself in the summer, will be speaking tonight (Monday) alongside former Leverkusen managing director sport Rudi Völler, now the current DFB sporting director, plus DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and DFB vice-president Peter Frymuth at the FC Grenzwacht Hürtgen club house about the new clubs campaign launched by the German Football Association (DFB).
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Show moreEdmond Tapsoba is one of the pillars of the Bayer 04 team. The defender is now in his seventh season with the Werkself and taking on a new role as a leader on and off the pitch. Talking to Werkself Magazine, the 26-year-old Burkina Faso international explains the increased demands placed on his position within the team, his role as a “big brother” and why the squad’s overhaul is an opportunity for him and the team.
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