
Xabi Alonso made five changes to the team that started last week’s 1-1 draw at St. Pauli, including Matej Kovar in goal. Augsburg had lost only one of their last 14 Bundesliga games but were unable to get to grips with Leverkusen’s fluid movement and passing.
The reigning champions got their reward after just 14 minutes when Granit Xhaka, Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella combined before setting up Schick, who fired the ball – via a slight deflection – under the crossbar for his 19th goal of the campaign. The ball was in the Augsburg net again 10 minutes later when Tella headed in a Wirtz cross, but it was ruled out for offside. The Werkself kept playing their game but lacked the final ball in their search for a second. That finally came in the first minute of added time when Buendia came inside from the left and picked out the far bottom corner with a curling effort.







The hosts kept up the pressure after the restart and had the first effort of the second half through Wirtz. Augsburg’s best chance fell to Samuel Essende, who failed to hit the target from a tight angle. Further opportunities came and went for Alexis Claude-Maurice and Phillip Tietz without really testing Kovar. At the other end, substitute Jonas Hofmann had a crack and Amine Adli had a headed effort off the bench as well as the game ended with three deserved points for Leverkusen.







Bayer 04’s next game takes them to Freiburg a week on Sunday at 5.30pm CEST. The final home fixture of the season is then against Borussia Dortmund the following Sunday at 3.30pm. The curtain comes down on the campaign in Mainz the Saturday after that.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Kovar - Arthur (Frimpong 86'), Tah, Tapsoba - Tella (Hincapie 63'), Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo - Wirtz (Garcia 82'), Buendía (Hofmann 63') - Schick (Adli 63')
Augsburg: Dahmen - Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Zesiger - Wolf (Koudossou 55'), Jakic, Onyeka, Giannoulis (Gumny 55') - Rexhbecaj (Kömür 55'), Claude-Maurice (Jensen 81') - Essende (Tietz 71')
Goals: 1-0 Schick (14'), 2-0 Buendia (45'+1)
Yellow cards: Zesiger
Referee: Christian Dingert
Attendance: 29,563 at the BayArena

A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
Show more
Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
Show more
Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
Show more