Back
12.05.2024Bundesliga

Werkself end season unbeaten away from home after 5-0 win in Bochum

Bayer 04 are still unbeaten in 2023/24 after a 5-0 win away at Bochum on Matchday 33 in the Bundesliga. Despite a bold start by the hosts, they were reduced to 10 men after a red card for Felix Passlack, before Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface set the Werkself on course for victory with first-half goals. Amine Adli, Josip Stanisic and Alejandro Grimaldo then added the gloss late on to ensure Leverkusen end this campaign without a single loss on the road.
20240512_JS4_3685.jpg

Head coach Xabi Alonso made eight changes to his team from the one that started Thursday’s UEFA Europa League semi-final success at home to Roma. Only Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Granit Xhaka retained their places and were initially faced by a Bochum side who had come to play in their push to guarantee top-flight survival. The hosts enjoyed the first forays forward, but that soon ended when Passlack took down Nathan Tella as last man just before the penalty area and was shown red with only 15 minutes played.

Schick and Boniface net after red card

The Werkself’s numerical superiority soon became apparent as they started to dominate the play in a controlled and calm manner. Alonso’s men pressed the hosts further back into their own half and Leverkusen chances began to flow. Schick had a header from an Arthur cross on 23 minutes before Xhaka struck the crossbar with a curling left-footed effort from right of centre. A goal finally came four minutes before the break when Arthur’s lower cross this time was swept home by the left foot of Schick from 12 yards out. A second quickly followed when Keven Schlotterbeck took down Tella in the area and referee Benjamin Brand pointed to the spot. Boniface stepped up to coolly slot down the middle and make it 2-0 for half-time.

Schick und Arthur

Bayer 04 remained the dominant side after the restart and had the first chance of the half through Schick as he fired just wide from a tight angle after pouncing on a loose ball between goalkeeper Manuel Riemann and substitute Erhan Masovic. Boniface struck the post with one of his trademark powerful shots on the hour mark. At the other end, Kevin Stöger hit an effort wide of captain Lukas Hradecky’s net.

Substitutes add gloss

Alonso started to freshen things up as the game went on, introducing Jonas Hofmann for Odilon Kossounou, as well as Amine Adli and Borja Iglesias for the front two of Schick and Boniface. It was another golden touch from the Spanish coach – as so often seen this season – as two of the new men combined when Adli powered home a header from Hofmann’s corner to make it 3-0 with 76 minutes gone.

The scoring wasn’t over there as Stanisic picked out the near bottom corner with a shot from right of centre four minutes from time. Another substitute made it a round five three minutes beyond the 90 when Grimaldo put away Stanisic’s square ball as the Werkself made it 50 straight games unbeaten in all competitions at the ground where they last tasted defeat on the final day of last season.

Adli Jubel

Final league game against Augsburg

After another busy period with games every few days, Leverkusen now have a week to prepare for their last Bundesliga game of the season as Augsburg come to the BayArena next Saturday (3.30pm CEST), when the Meisterschale will be presented to the new champions.

Match stats:

Bochum: Riemann - Passlack, Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo (Masovic 46') - Losilla (Bero 60'), Osterhage, Asano (Oermann 20'), Stöger, Wittek - Hofmann

Bayer 04: Hradecky - Kossounou (Hofmann 64'), Tah, Tapsoba - Stanisic, Andrich, Xhaka (Puerta 79'), Arthur - Tella (Grimaldo 79'), Schick (Adli 69'), Boniface (Iglesias 69')

Goals: 1-0 Schick (41'), 2-0 Boniface (45'+2), 3-0 Adli (76'), 4-0 Stanisic (86'), 5-0 Grimaldo (90'+3)

Yellow cards: Ordets

Red cards: Passlack

Referee: Benjamin Brand

Attendance: 26,000 at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion

Related News

Endspiel
U19 - 18.05.2025

U19s lose 5-4 to Köln in national final despite comeback

A thrilling final but with no reward: the Bayer 04 U19s lost 5-4 to 1. FC Köln in the final for the German championship. Sergi Runge's side went into a commanding lead through goals by Artem Stepanov and Jeremiah Mensah, but the visitors battled back and turned it into a 4-2 lead before half-time. Leverkusen then showed their own comeback qualities in the second period, with Francis Onyeka and Kerim Alajbegovic restoring partiy, but Luis Stapelmann snatched the winner for Köln late on.

Show more
Alonso
Bundesliga - 18.05.2025

Werkself Review #M05B04: Strange start, positive ending

They had their hands full in the VAR centre in Cologne: eight goals were scored at the MEWA Arena on Saturday afternoon, but only four of them were allowed in the end as the Werkself and 1. FSV Mainz 05 closed the season with a 2-2 draw. It means Bayer 04 end the 2024/25 campaign as runners-up with 69 points, representing the fourth-best season in the club's history. What's more, the Werkself are now unbeaten away from home in two whole Bundesliga seasons, with their last away defeat coming exactly two years ago on Matchday 34 of the 2022/23 season at VfL Bochum. The Black-and-Reds can continue the record run next season - albeit without Alonso and Tah. Read what else the eventful final game for the head coach and the defensive leader had to offer in the Werkself Review.

Show more
Werkself end 2024/25 with away record | 34th matchday
Werkself-TV - 17.05.2025

TV highlights of 2-2 draw at Mainz 05

Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-2 draw at Mainz 05 on the 34th matchday of the Bundesliga 2024/25...

Show more
Letzter Spieltag
Bundesliga - 17.05.2025

Werkself end 2024/25 with away record after 2-2 draw in Mainz

Bayer 04’s final game of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season saw VAR drama and produced a new record for away results with a 2-2 draw in Mainz. The hosts had several goals ruled out before Paul Nebel put them ahead. Patrik Schick’s brace then turned things around in the second half before Jonathan Burkardt’s penalty levelled the game again. It means Leverkusen have now gone 34 away games without defeat in the Bundesliga, which no team has ever done before.

Show more
Bayer 04
Bundesliga - 17.05.2025

Matchday news #M05B04: 3,500 travelling supporters for final game

The Werkself bring down the curtain on their 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign with a game away at Mainz on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 meeting at the MEWA Arena.

Show more