Alonso made one change to the side that started the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Roma. That saw Adli replace Sardar Azmoun in attack. The hosts started on the front foot and pushed Borussia back into their own half as they moved the ball around. A sell-out crowd of 30,210 at the BayArena got to enjoy a structured and pressurising display from the Werkself. There were no real chances until the 15th minute, which Leverkusen immediately took when Piero Hincapie played in Adli through the inside left, and the Frenchman finished at the near post to put Bayer 04 ahead.
Alonso’s men looked to find their groove now and doubled their advantage only five minutes later when Jeremie Frimpong’s cross was headed in by Demirbay ahead of goalkeeper Jan Olschowsky. At the other end, there was little to see from Gladbach, thanks mostly from good defensive work by the Werkself.
Stefan Lainer had the first chance for the visitors in the 34th minute, but failed to beat Lukas Hradecky from a central position. Their best opportunity up till that point again fell to the right-back eight minutes later, latching onto a rebound from a Hofmann shot. Hradecky twice denied them. Adli and Moussa Diaby carved out one more chance before the break but were unable to stretch the lead further.
Leverkusen continued to dominate proceedings after the restart. Daniel Farke’s team offered very little but were gifted a way back into the game when Mitchel Bakker’s ball across to Hradecky got too far away from the goalkeeper, allowing Hofmann to nip in and roll home, despite the best efforts of Jonathan Tah sliding in on the goal line with 58 minutes gone. Even after that mishap, Bayer 04 remained the team making all the play and chasing the next goal.
The best chances then fell to Hincapie, whose header from a corner went just inches wide, and Diaby from the edge of the box only seconds later, but his effort flashed narrowly past the wrong side of the post. The Foals soon found their feet and got more into their stride.
Substitute Stindl almost levelled things with a first-time effort that failed to hit the target. But he made no mistake with his next attempt, handed to him on a plate when Nadiem Amiri’s intended ball back to Hradecky went straight to Marcus Thuram, who teed up Stindl for a simple equaliser on 90 minutes.
The Werkself close out the 2022/23 season with a trip to Bochum on Matchday 34. All games on the final day kick off at 15:30 CEST on Saturday, 27 May.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie – Frimpong, Palacios, Demirbay, Bakker – Diaby (Hlozek 83') , Adli (Azmoun 67'), Wirtz (Amiri 72')
Mönchengladbach: Olschowsky – Friedrich, Itakura, Elvedi – Lainer (Herrmann 86'), Weigl, Koné (Plea 76'), Netz (N'Goumou 86'), Hofmann, Kramer (Stindl 64') – Thuram
Yellow cards: Demirbay, Palacios, Amiri – Koné, Friedrich, Stindl
Red cards: Hincapie
Goals: 1-0 Adli (15'), 2-0 Demirbay (20'), 2-1 Hofmann (58'), 2-2 Stindl (90')
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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