The team under head coach Xabi Alonso were on top in the opening stage of the game and they succeeded in creating promising chances in the first 20 minutes from the impressive Kerem Demirbay (10’) and Jeremie Frimpong (16’). At the other end, the record champions proved to be efficient with Joshua Kimmich scoring in their first attack with a deflection off Odilon Kossounou at 1-0 (22’). After the restart, the match developed into a truly curious affair: In two fast counter-attacks, Amine Adli was twice shown the yellow card for diving by referee Tobias Stieler. However, on both occasions, the VAR official intervened with the referee overturning his decisions and rightly awarding a penalty to the Werkself. The Argentinian World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios scored from the spot to both make it 1-1 (56’) as well as 2-1 (73’) and thereby succeeded in turning the game round. The record champions pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages but Lukas Hradecky pulled off a number of impressive saves. The game ended in a 2-1 win. HERE is the match report.
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The skipper Lukas Hradecky showed respect for the performance of the referee: “Today is actually proof that VAR makes sense. Perhaps the referee had problems identifying the situation – but he stood corrected twice: very impressive.” In addition, the captain praised the determined performance of his team: “Today was an absolutely impressive team performance and you can’t focus on one particular individual. We are working from game to game but from today you can really say that a positive trend is recognisable.”
Robert Andrich concurred with that assessment: “Slowly you can see that we are achieving a certain stability and on top of that our attacking is working better and better.” The Werkself number eight added: “We had a good plan. We were on top until we conceded and we created good chances. Bayern were simply on the spot at the crucial moment but we didn’t let that put is off. I think we did really well over 90 minutes. The win was absolutely deserved!”
Xabi Alonso pulled off a tactical master stroke in the game against the record champions from Munich. Compared with last Thursday’s 2-0 win at Ferencvaros in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16, Alonso opted for a 3-4-1-2 formation rather than the usual 3-4-2-1 line-up. The Spaniard made an unusual selection in the back three: Midfielder Robert Andrich started in the centre of defence in between Odilon Kossounou and Edmond Tapsoba. The midfield included Kerem Demirbay, Piero Hincapie moved out of the back three onto the left flank where he replaced Mitchel Bakker.
How did Andrich find out about his new role? The 28-year-old: “After a sleep in the afternoon, I got a message from the coach on my mobile: ‘Rob, your playing as a sweeper again today!’” The Werkself number eight made his first appearance as a defender in the 1-1 draw in Freiburg and he did a good job. Back then, Alonso talked about a “possible option for the future.” And lo and behold: The plan of the Spaniard came up trumps against the record champions. Andrich added: “The idea behind it was that we would be less predictable on the ball. Because a holding midfielder might have a different sense for space.”
A look at the shots on goal stat shows that both teams both had eleven attempts. And it was head-to-head in terms of possession and challenges with FC Bayern winning 53% of challenges and having 60% possession. Another interesting fact: Up to yesterday, FC Bayern had not lost any of their last 86 Bundesliga games after leading at half-time. The last such defeat was on 2 February 2019, the opponents back then? Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Moreover: Exequiel Palacios scored from the penalty spot for the first time for the Werkself and then he did it for a second time. That makes the Werkself number 25 only the third player ever to score two penalties for Bayer 04 in a Bundesliga fixture. Only Ulf Kirsten (in 2001 against VfB Stuttgart) and Dimitar Berbatov (in 2006 against FC Kaiserslautern).
The kicker headline is: “Palacios crowns Xabi Alonso’s masterpiece” and furthermore: “It was a tactical master stroke.” The player who bagged the brace was named Man of the Match by the football journal: “Exequiel Palacios was extremely valuable and not just because he scored the two penalties. The Argentinian was good at winning the ball, aggressive and played a lot of good deep passes.”
And the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger praised the tactical work of the Spaniards calling it an “interesting chess move.” The newspaper also awarded top marks four times for the performances of the Werkself players Lukas Hradecky, Exequiel Palacios, Robert Andrich and Kerem Demirbay. The KStA described Demirbay’s display as follows: “Great game by the playmaker. Shone many times thanks to his good technique [...] Was not averse to a hard physical challenges.”
The Rheinische Post highlighted Hradecky and Palacios and awarded the duo top marks. The newspaper wrote about the performance of the Argentinian World Cup winner: “A refreshingly confident performance by the Argentinian who created chances for the Werkself with well timed passes [...] The form of the World Cup winner is definitely on the ascendant.”
More than ten Werkself players are away with their national teams in the second international break of the year. For the other Bayer 04 players, there are three open training sessions on training pitches one and two at the BayArena this week before a well-deserved weekend without games or training. League action returns on Saturday 1 April. The Alonso team are away to Schalke 04 with the kick-off at 15.30 CEST.
Contribute to a good cause and win something special! The Bayer 04 jersey competition is entering its third round: From 10 October and up to and including 29 November, raffle tickets can be purchased for five euros each at the Fanwelt on the south side of the BayArena for the chance to win one of two signed away jerseys. The proceeds from the raffle will be donated to Tafel Leverkusen e.V. as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations.
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Heads up, girls! Do you dream of wearing the Bayer Cross on your chest? To play in black and red like your role models Carlotta Wamser, Kristin Kögel, Friederike Repohl and Co. from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga? Then take your chance now. Our female youth teams are once again on the lookout for new talent. That's why Bayer 04 is organising trials for female junior players on 26 October 2025 for the second time this year.
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A strong and successful partnership that will be continued: Bayer 04 and Energieversorgung Leverkusen GmbH & Co. KG (EVL) have extended their contract for energy supply and related services until 30 June 2027. As part of this, EVL will continue to hold the naming rights to the family section at the BayArena.
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Just over a year after Bayer 04 Leverkusen fans in the New York City area crowded into a beer garden in Brooklyn to celebrate Die Werkself with an early season Bundesliga win, another enthusiastic crowd dressed in black and red gathered at The Banshee pub in Boston on Saturday morning to watch the boys take down 1. FC Union Berlin, 2-0, on Matchday 6.
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