"The opening stages of the game clearly belonged to Leverkusen, who were committed, played high up the pitch with all the players in the Dortmund half at times, and looked to press," was the assessment in the Rheinische Post. The best chances for the Werkself fell to Nadiem Amiri (5') and Moussa Diaby (16') but the first goal of the game was scored by the visitors from Dortmund. Julian Brandt provided the assist for Karim Adeyemi to give BVB a 1-0 lead (33'). Edmond Tapsoba was unlucky to score an own goal in the second 45 minutes to make it 2-0 (53'). At the other end, Leverkusen were unable to beat the Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel with the result that the Werkself ended the game with no points after a run of five Bundesliga wins.
"We definitely had our chances today but we didn't use space well and we weren’t sharp enough – we just made too many mistakes," said Jonathan Tah after the final whistle. His teammate Robert Andrich agreed: "The crucial factor today was converting chances. The smarter team definitely won today. But we never let our heads drop and always tried to keep on going." Head coach Xabi Alonso also looked forwards at the post-match press conference: "After five wins we had to accept defeat today. Of course, our target remains European qualification but we have to pick up a lot of points for that. Now we are looking forward to Friday where we can expect an intense match in Augsburg."
Seven is the number - That is the number of shots by the Werkself forward Moussa Diaby against Borussia Dortmund. However, the 23-year-old Frenchman was mostly denied by the BVB keeper Gregor Kobel. And the Rheinische Post also saw Diaby as the "stand-out player in the flexible Werkself attack," but the best scorer and provider for Bayer 04 (six goals, three assists) this term was unable to add to his tally on the night.
A look at the stats reveals the number of goals scored was the only one favouring the visitors from Dortmund in the game: The Werkself had 56.7% possession, won more challenges (54.2%) and had a better pass completion rate (86%, BVB: 81.2%). In addition, Moussa Diaby and Co. had three times as many shots on goal as the opposition.
The Leverkusener Anzeiger describes the opening stages as follows: "Bayer 04 could have had the edge in the game that they dreamed of. The fact there were no more chances than the one (Diaby was kept out by the BVB keeper Gregor Kobel on 70 minutes, ed.) was down to the Werkself themselves as they were unable to use the space created after winning possession." The kicker talks about a "setback for Bayer in the battle for Europe," the "most impressive start" by the Werkself went unrewarded on the night.
The Werkself are back in action as soon as Friday night 3 February with an away game at FC Augsburg. The fixture in Bavaria marks the start of Bundesliga matchday 19 and the kick-off is at 20.30 CET.
Bayer 04 are then at home again with the Black and Reds with TSG Hoffenheim the visitors on 11 February at 15.30 CET.
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Rieden reloaded: Just like last year, the Bayer 04 Women’s team are spending their summer training camp in this idyllic corner of Bavaria. From this Sunday, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team will be based in Rieden in the Upper Palatinate for a week.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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