A breathtaking reception for the team bus, masses of fans on Bismarckstraße and a deafening stage at the BayArena: Everything was set up for a game yet to win. Head coach Xabi Alonso made seven changes to his starting XI for the game against Werder Bremen: only Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Granit Xhaka and Amine Adli were still in the line-up from the last outing.
Leverkusen were cautious at the start of the match. Piero Hincapie had the first effort on goal on nine minutes: Nathan Tella won the ball on the right flank and crossed into the middle with Hincapie racing in at the far post. Mitchell Weiser put in a sliding tackle and the Werder keeper Michael Zetterer made the save. The match was calm even after the first big chance. The Werkself had more of possession with Werder Bremen mounting a resolute defensive response. The next clear goalscoring opportunity came on 22 minutes:Victor Boniface gained possesion in midfield and passed to Tella who crossed the ball straight into the opposition six-yard box. Jonas Hofmann was in the right spot to finish but Julian Malatini caught the Werkself player on the foot. Play continued before VAR intervened. Referee Harm Osmers then went to the monitor and awarded a penalty after reviewing the action. Boniface calmly converted the penalty to give the Werkself a 1-0 lead (25').
Bayer 04 maintained pressure after the opening goal with Xhaka and Hofmann also having good chances from outside the box (28’), Adli hit the bar from a tight angle (38,'). Just before the break, the visitors had a promising opportunity with Romano Schmid crossing the ball for several teammates before Lukas Hradecky intervened – the hosts took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
The Werkself also made a quiet start to the second half but remained on top – and it did not take long for the hosts to find the back of the net again: Xhaka tried his luck again from distance on 61 minutes and his impressive effort hit the top left corner of the net to make it 2-0. The game then took off. Florian Wirtz, who came on at start of the second half, produced an equally impressive finish seven minutes later: He turned on the edge of the box and fired a shot into the roof of the net to make it 3-0 (68'). Not much happened after that until the 84th minute as the Werkself moved up a gear again: Wirtz scored again from a long pass from Exequiel Palacios to make it 4-0 and he completed his hat trick a few minutes later for the final score of 5-0. From 80 minutes, fans were massed on the edge of the pitch supporting their team. When the final whistle came there was no holding back and the fans streamed onto the pitch. Bayer 04 Leverkusen are champions of Germany for the first time!
Winning the league title is followed by the next game in the Europa League: The Werkself are away to West Ham United on Thursday 18 April to decide progress to the semi-final stage. The match at the London Stadium kicks off at 21.00 CEST.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky - Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie (Grimaldo 77') - Xhaka (Palacios 77'), Andrich - Tella (Frimpong 63'), Hofmann, Adli (Wirtz 46’) - Boniface (Schick 63')
Werder Bremen: Zetterer – Malatini, Groß, Veljkovic – Weiser, Lynen, Agu – Schmid, Bittencourt (Hansen-Aarøen 77') – Woltemade, Ducksch
Goals: 1-0 Boniface (25’), 2-0 Xhaka (61’), 3-0 Wirtz (68’), 4-0 Wirtz (83’), 5-0 Wirtz (90’)
Booked: Adli - Bittencourt
Referee: Harm Osmers (Hannover)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Back from the international break: On Saturday 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to Mainz 05. Ahead of the clash at the MEWA ARENA against the side currently sixth in the table, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the team’s work during the extended international break. The Spaniard also commented, when asked, on a number of squad matters, including Ibrahim Maza.
Show more
FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
Show more
Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
Show more
