The Werkself were the dominant team from the start. It took exactly 15 minutes for striker Amine Adli to latch onto a diagonal ball from teammate Piero Hincapie and put it in the back of the net for the opening goal. The hosts continued to press for a second goal after the opener – with success. A cross from Jeremie Frimpong five minutes later saw Kerem Demirbay beat the Foals keeper Jan Olschowsky to the ball with his head to extend the lead. The comfortable lead was the score at half-time. After a number of missed chances, it was a misplaced pass by Mitchel Bakker to keeper Lukas Hradecky was exploited by Mönchengladbach's Jonas Hofmann to pull a goal back (58'). The game was now evenly balanced. The last-minute equaliser was scored by Lars Stindl (90'). Nadiem Amiri failed to see the Borussia striker Marcus Thuram as he attempted a back pass to Hradecky. Thuram set up the unmarked Stindl a few yards from the Werkself goal. HERE is the match report.
Jonathan Tah said immediately after the game: "It's a pity we gave away control above all after having a clear lead. We were no longer dominant, compact and aggressive enough in the second half."
Xabi Alonso also expressed himself clearly at the post-match press conference: "We were good in the first 20 minutes. We found space and played without complicating things. But then we made the biggest mistake and were too relaxed. You can't do that in the Bundesliga, you have to remain focussed. We eased off at the end of the first half and even more so in the second. It's down to us that we didn't win and I'm not happy." The Spaniard then said: "We are a young team with young players. If we want to be competitive at this level then we have to learn from this game. We should remember this day so that something like that doesn't happen again. We will definitely be mentally ready against Bochum. It's the last game. It's like a final for us and we will be up for it."
Amine Adli played his 50th Bundesliga game against Mönchengladbach – congratulations. Less pleasing was the fifth yellow card for Kerem Demirbay, which means the midfielder will be suspended for next weekend's game against Bochum. The same applies to Piero Hincapie who will also be unavailable after being sent off.
The Werkself had 13 shots on the goal minded by Borussia keeper Olschowsky, two more than the efforts on Hradecky's goal. The Foals had the edge in possession with 53%. It was different with duels where Leverkusen had the advantage with 55%. Also interesting: Bayer 04 played their 750th home game in the Bundesliga – come on Leverkusen!
A unanimous verdict from the press: The Frankfurter Rundschau called both goals "ludicrous gifts." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger called them "bizarre errors” under the headline "Bayer punish themselves" and added: "Everything seemed to be going right for Bayer Leverkusen. Bayer led 2-0 against a harmless Gladbach side. Then Leverkusen gave away two goals and the victory. And now they are under pressure on the final matchday." The Bild sees it similarly: "Double howler" as well as the kicker, "Two errors bring Gladbach a point."
The final match of the current season for the Werkself is on Saturday 27 May away to VfL Bochum. A win for Leverkusen would seal sixth place and qualification for Europe. For Bochum it is all about staying up. All the games kick off at 15.30 CEST.
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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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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