Werkself review #B04BOC: Keep calm and 'lay down a marker'

Summary: Werkself beat battling VfL

VfL Bochum managed to keep the Werkself away from their goal for 20 minutes. Leverkusen went ahead thanks to a long-range effort with an unstoppable and impressive shot from Aleix Garcia on 20 minutes. The lead only lasted for a short time as Felix Passlack equalised with another long-range shot (26'). 1-1 was the scoreline at half-time. Bayer 04 built up pressure after the restart and were rewarded on the hour mark with the lead regained with a tap-in scored by Victor Boniface following a successfully executed free kick move. The victory over the battling Bochum side was finally sealed with a goal from substitute Amine Adli (87'). HERE is the match report.

Reaction: "We deserved the three points"

Head coach Xabi Alonso summed up the game as follows at the post-match press conference: "It was a tough game for us. Bochum played well and were well organised. We remained calm and were always confident we would get our just rewards. That calm is exactly what we need for the last seven Bundesliga matches." The view of skipper Lukas Hradecky: "We dominated from the start and we deserved the three points. We had a good game. No more, no less. Now the focus is on the semi-final against Bielefeld,"  Jonathan Tah added: "Of course, we are happy we picked up the three points. That was a marker: We want to and will give 100% right to the end to win every game. That's our target!"

What the papers say: "Race for title exciting again"

The assessment in kicker: "The visitors battled hard but were unable to keep the Werkself attack led by Boniface in check." The Bild-Zeitung reported: "The race for the title is exciting again! A big win for Leverkusen." The headline in the Rheinische Post relates to the title race: "Bayer beat Bochum and remain on the heels of Bayern. The double winners [...] came out on top in the second half after a tough first 45 minutes." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger said “Palacios was the best player on the pitch" and accordingly gave him top marks.

Personnel: Tah's special Bundesliga milestone

Tah made his 300th Bundesliga appearance on Friday – 284 of them for the Werkself. Asked about this impressive number, the Germany international said: "I'm extremely proud and grateful to be able to play so many games. And that I was able to enjoy them. And to be able to do what I love every day. I hope I can clock up a few more!" He made his debut in Germany's top flight in the summer of 2013 playing for Hamburg SV and his first Bundesliga appearance for Bayer 04 came on 15 August 2015. Only seven players in the history of Bayer 04 have played more games in the Bundesliga for the Black and Reds – including sporting managing director Simon Rolfes (four more).

Aleix Garcia was able to celebrate his first Bundesliga goal at the BayArena. It was his third goal of the season with two coming from long-range efforts. The Werkself have scored eight goals from outside the box in the 2024/25 campaign – the highest number in the league behind Bayern Munich (12). Amine Adli scored in a Bundesliga home game again for the first time since April of last year.

Stats: Early birds with lots of possession

The early birds of the league have struck again. The opening goal scored by Aleix Garcia was the 24th strike in the first half hour – the highest number in the league. And the total of 36 goals before half-time in the previous 27 league games is also a top number.

Match stats: Two thirds possession and 14 to 8 shots on goal with an equal number of duels won reflect the Werkself performance.

Outlook: DFB Pokal semi-final in Bielefeld

The Werkself are next in action in the DFB Pokal semi-finals. The game at third division Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday, 1 April, kicks off at 20:45 CEST. The next match in the Bundesliga away to FC Heidenheim is on Saturday, 5 April.