Werkself Review #B04BVB: “My time here will always be an important part of my life”

Summary: Dominant start, BVB clinical

But first to the sporting side of things. The Werkself got off to a dominant start in the sold-out BayArena and deservedly went ahead through Jeremie Frimpong in the 31st minute after numerous chances were saved. Dortmund responded promptly with Julian Brandt to make it 1-1 and then took a 2-1 lead just before the break. Before that, Gregor Kobel had made two brilliant saves from shots by Nathan Tella and Florian Wirtz. He then made another after from Amine Adli and was also helped by the crossbar. Leverkusen started the second half applying pressure again, but the goals came from the other side. First Karim Adeyemi made it 3-1 before Serhou Guirassy added a fourth immediately after. Patrik Schick had a goal ruled out for offside, but Jonas Hofmann did reduce the deficit to 4-2 in stoppage time. Click HERE for the full match report.

Reaction: “Eternally grateful for the support”

Alonso said: “We started well. Unfortunately, we were a bit all over the place after going behind. But the result is of secondary importance to me today. Saying goodbye to Jona, the other players and me personally was more important to me today. I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. I'm proud of what we've achieved, am grateful for what we've experienced together with the fans. These moments have been some of the best in my life. My time here will always be an important part of me and my family.”

Hofmann stated: “The fact that we only scored one goal in the first half despite all the chances was the big shortcoming. We were a bit unfocused when we conceded the goals.” On the farewells, he added: “Of course you get goosebumps when a player like Jona is given such a fitting send-off. He put in 10 years of hard work. The fans gave him a wonderful moment.”

Jonathan Tah himself said of his last game in the BayArena, in which he also captained the team: “I feel a lot of emotions. Joy, love and also sadness that you're leaving now. It's not easy to process that. It was very nice to feel the appreciation. I was told again and again: ‘No matter what you do, we are eternally grateful to you’. And I can only say the same back. I am forever grateful for the support and hope that the energy that the fans have always had is maintained.”

What the papers say: “Numerous top chances”

kicker summarised the sporting action as follows: “On the day of Xabi Alonso and Jonathan Tah's home farewell, Bayer Leverkusen created numerous top chances before the break, but only capitalised on one and fell behind against a clinical Dortmund.” Bild wrote: “Thanks to a tactically very strong second half, the victory is fair, although the Black & Yellows could certainly not have complained about being 3-0 or even 4-0 down at the break.” The Rheinische Post summarised: “Bayer Leverkusen lost 4-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the last home game under coach Xabi Alonso. The visitors maintained their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.’

Personnel: Emotions high in last home game

Even before the start of the game, the farewells to Alonso and Tah as well as the three loan players Nordi Mukiele (Paris Saint-Germain), Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) and Mario Hermoso (Roma) took centre stage. Werner Wenning, chairman of the shareholders' committee, CEO Fernando Carro and managing director for sport Simon Rolfes officially bid farewell to the players on the pitch and presented them with thank-you gifts.

Tah received a picture collage and a bouquet of flowers. The fans also paid tribute to the Leverkusen number 4 for his 10 years under the Bayer cross, applauding loudly, rising from their seats and chanting for several minutes. Alonso was presented with a special jacket with the 2023/24 title-winning kit sewn into it and the well-known street sign from Xabi-Alonso-Allee - the once renamed Bismarckstraße. As with Tah, the fans honoured the Spaniard's achievements over the past two and a half years with a standing ovation and cheers. Very long chants of “Xabi! Xabi! Xabi!” echoed around the BayArena. “You came as a coach and are leaving as a fan,” announced stadium announcer Tobias Ufer.

Emotions came out again after the final whistle. A banner was unfurled for Tah with the words: “Came as a talent, left as a double winner. Thank you for over 10 years, Jona.” The team stood in front of the north stand as Tah grabbed a microphone: “Now is the time to say goodbye. It's not easy for me to find the right words. What we achieved with the double, we achieved together. Nobody will ever take that away from us again. Thank you for the years, you will always be in my heart. I will never forget you. Thank you for everything!” Tah received thunderous applause and then went up to the podium in the Nordkurve. After loud shouts of “Xabi”, the Spaniard followed. The two joined in the Uffta chant and celebrated in the midst of the fans. They were emotional scenes and intense moments, and the result of the match made no difference whatsoever.

Bild described the scenes as a “goosebump farewell for Alonso and Tah” and ran the headline: “They leave as legends”. The paper added: “They were moments that got under your skin. Thank-you posters for Tah and Alonso could be seen everywhere in the stands.”

Stats: Superior in all areas

Returning to the match itself, the Werkself dominated the shot count by 19-9, possession with 62.1 percent and corner (12-0). Leverkusen played 604 passes to BVB’s 384. However, the defeat means Bayer 04 can no longer achieve the second-best season in the club's history in terms of points. The Werkself are currently on 68, meaning that the 73-point mark from the 1999/2000 season is no longer achievable.

Outlook: Finale in Mainz

The Werkself’s final fixture of 2024/25 takes them to Mainz on Saturday for the last game of the Bundesliga season. All matches kick off that day at 3.30pm CEST.