Head coach Xabi Alonso made eight changes to his team from the 5-2 DFB-Pokal win in Sandhausen during the week, reverting to the XI that began the 2-1 success at home to Freiburg. The Werkself were immediately on the front foot attacking towards the 3,000 travelling fans, mostly looking to get down the right through Jeremie Frimpong. However, the opening goal came from the left as Wirtz slipped in Victor Boniface, who got to the by-line and returned for Wirtz to tuck home inside nine minutes. The first opportunity for Hoffenheim came shortly after as Lukas Hradecky parried a swerving Marius Bülter shot from range.
Things became more even as the game wore on, but Leverkusen posed the greater threat when going forward. Frimpong struck the side netting on the break before a clever corner routine doubled the advantage as Jonas Hofmann delivered the ball low to Grimaldo arriving on the edge of the box. The Spaniard buried with aplomb on his left foot a minute into first-half added time.
Alonso made a change at the break with Josip Stanisic replacing Odilon Kossounou. Hoffenheim soon got a goal back out of nowhere 10 minutes into the half when Anton Stach chipped the ball over Hradecky from 40 yards after a misplaced pass. And the hosts were level only two minutes later when Weghorst turned home the rebound from a Maximilian Beier shot that came back off the post.
The Werkself were somewhat fortunate when Weghorst headed over unmarked but then responded as Boniface, who’d originally missed a header of his own, recycled the ball and picked out Grimaldo, who curled one into the same post as he’d done the first. Substitutions from both sides saw the tempo drop. No further goals meant Leverkusen had their ninth win of the Bundesliga campaign, a new club record and a five-point lead at the top ahead of Bayern Munich’s evening visit to Borussia Dortmund.
Bayer 04 are next in action in the UEFA Europa League with a trip to Azerbaijan and Qarabag for Matchday 4 in Group H on Thursday, 9 November (18:45 CET). They return home for Sunday’s Bundesliga game against Union Berlin at the BayArena (15:30).
Match stats:
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann - Kabak, Vogt, Akpoguma (Conté 87') - Skov (Bebou 78'), Stach, Prömel, Bülter - Becker (Kramaric 78') - Weghorst, Beier (Berisha 87')
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Kossounou (Stanisic 46'), Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo - Hofmann (Andrich 80'), Wirtz (Hlozek 90'+1) - Boniface (Adli 88')
Goals: 0-1 Wirtz (9'), 0-2 Grimaldo (45'+1), 1-2 Stach (56'), 2-2 Weghorst (58'), 2-3 Grimaldo (70')
Yellow cards: Weghorst, Kabak, Prömel - Hradecky, Tah
Referee: Frank Willenborg (Osnabrück)
Attendance: 30,150 (sold out) at the PreZero Arena
A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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