The Werkself took an early lead in the game: Victor Boniface opened the scoring for the Werkself after just nine minutes. Leverkusen continued to play on the front foot and created chance after chance. However, the Black and Reds failed to score the next goal and it was Heidenheim who netted on 58 minutes to level at 1-1. The Werkself response was impressive with Jonas Hofmann restoring the lead five minutes later (63’). The other goals from Boniface (75’) plus from substitute Amine Adli (83') secured a deserved 4-1 home win.
Following the Bundesliga match, Exequiel Palacios, who provided the assists for the first two goals, explained: “I know the runs the lads make and I'm glad I was able to set up their goals. It's important for us all to pull together. We're on the right track." Hofmann also spoke after the game with praise for the team's desire to win: "We didn't allow ourselves to be blown off course when we conceded and then we took the lead again straightaway. That was impressive." But the Germany international also admitted: "Heidenheim stretched us a lot. One negative was that we didn't score the second goal soon after the first."
Head coach Xabi Alonso summed up the match as follows: "We were ready for a tough game and we remain focused after the equaliser. I'm happy with the performance and the commitment of the players." The Spaniard also had positive words about meeting the Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt: "It was good to talk to him today. And thanks to him for the book he gave me." Schmidt countered: "It's my pleasure, thank you very much. But that's almost a bit uncomfortable. I shouldn't think I'm more important than I am."
The Heidenheim coach also spoke about the game: "Defeats are never good but today it was deserved. We weren't able to create much and had a lot to do in defence. Leverkusen's fourth goal for 4-1 was brilliantly worked."
The media were almost of one mind after the final whistle. All praised the impressive performance of the Werkself. Criticism was aimed at the Black and Red conversion rate. The kicker writes about a dominant Leverkusen with a "slight flaw," while the Rheinische Post praises the "impressive form" of the Werkself but also talks about "careless conversion of chances." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger has the headline of the "next show of strength by the Werkself" and also talks about an "absolutely deserved win with a very dominant performance that was only at risk for four minutes."
The next two goals for the Nigerian: Boniface chalked up Bundesliga goals five and six on 9 and 75 minutes. It was also the third brace for the striker in a Werkself shirt. He previously scored two goals against Borussia Mönchengladbach and against Darmstadt 98.
Another player was voted Man of the Match: Exequiel Palacios, who received top marks for his impressive display against Häcken, provided the assists for the first two goals against Heidenheim and played a significant role in the Werkself victory. Palacios and Boniface received top marks after the game from the Rheinische Post .
The Werkself had an incredible 21 shots on goal compared with two for Heidenheim. While Leverkusen admittedly only converted some of the many chances, the Black and Reds set a record with the four goals: 17 goals from five Bundesliga matches is a new record for the Werkself with Leverkusen never before scoring so often after so many league games.
The other stats strongly favoured Bayer 04 in the game against Heidenheim in terms of possession (72% to 28%), completed passes (824 to 323) as well as the challenges made (60% to 40%).
The Werkself have completed the first double fixture week of the new season. Now there is a normal training week ahead of Bundesliga matchday six on Saturday 30 September with a 15.30 CEST kick-off against Mainz 05 at the MEWA Arena. That is followed by the first away game in the UEFA Europa League: The Werkself are away to the Norwegian champions Molde on Thursday 5 October (kick-off: 21.00 CEST).
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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