For the clash with FC Köln, Xabi Alonso played Nadiem Amiri and Amine Adli in place of Odilon Kossounou and Adam Hlozek (both on the bench) in changes from the goalless draw at Union Berlin. The Werkself made a lively start to the game but suffered a setback out of the blue on 14 minutes: FC Köln striker Davie Selke scored the first goal of the game (14'). The visitors lead did not last long as Adli equalised on 28 minutes with a shot from outside the box. The hosts had the upper hand in front of a full house at the BayArena but the team from Cologne were more effective in front of goal. Selke restored the lead with his second goal (36') and that was the final scoreline. HERE is the match report.
The assessment from head coach Alonso: "The game was very hectic. That's something we'll have to learn and handle better. I think a draw would have been a fair result. Now we have more time to prepare for Roma. Hopefully we’ll do better there than we did today. A semi-final in the Europa League is something very special for the club."
Adli also expressed his disappointment after the game on Werkself TV: "We wanted to win – for our fans. Nevertheless defeats can always happen. Of course, it hurts more when it's a derby. But we have to maintain our mentality and take the good things with us for the next important match," said the Frenchman who added: "We have good quality, are a good side and fight as a team. We have to get over this game as quickly as possible and then build on the performances in the last 14 games."
Robert Andrich was also downcast: "I'm very disappointed and also a bit annoyed. A terrible end to the day. Losing a derby and then at home as well. That hurts twice as much. We tried a lot of things but weren't really forceful enough today." And the Werkself number eight, like his teammate before, opted to look forwards: "Focus on Roma by Monday at the latest. We want to get a good result in the first leg."
Jonathan Tah made his 300th appearance for Bayer 04 against FC Köln. The boss in defence has the most appearances in the current Werkself squad ahead of Karim Bellarabi (290) and skipper Lukas Hradecky (211).
Mitchel Bakker played in his 50th Bundesliga match for the Red and Blacks, and Amiri has now clocked up 200 Bundesliga games with different clubs. Impressive numbers.
A look at the stats shows that the Werkself actually had their noses in front: Moussa Diaby and Co had 13 shots on the goal of FC Köln keeper Marvin Schwäbe and the Cologne team had seven shots on the Werkself net. The Black and Reds were also on top in terms of possession with 64% as well as in duels won with 57%. The same applied to pass completion with 82% while FC Köln had 72%.
The Rheinische Post headline reads: "Davie Selke brace brings Köln victory in Leverkusen." There are words of praise for midfielder Andrich: "Threw himself into every challenge and set up the equaliser at 1-1 by winning the ball in his own half." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports: "Köln end Leverkusen run" and also highlights Andrich's performance: "Was again dominant as a holding midfielder in front of defence. Impressed in winning and distributing the ball."
The Werkself are now focused on the semi-final first leg away to AS Roma in the Europa League on Thursday 11 May (kick-off: 21.00 CEST). The Bayer 04 first team will then head straight to Baden-Württemberg. Lukas Hradecky and Co face VfB Stuttgart on Bundesliga matchday 32. That game is on Sunday 14 May at the Mercedes-Benz Arena with a 15.30 CEST kick-off.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
Show more
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
Having previously recorded six consecutive home wins across all competitions, Bayer 04 suffered their first home defeat of 2026/27 as they went down 4-2 to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Matchday 8. The visitors capitalised on their first two chances to score, with Ermedin Demirovic and Jamie Leweling finding the net in the first half. Although Patrik Schick got a goal back in the first half, Bilal El Khannouss and Demirovic again added further goals for Stuttgart. Bayer 04 didn’t give up, but Ibrahim Maza’s goal proved little more than a consolation.
Show more
Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
Show more
The Bayern Munich women’s football team are unbeaten in all domestic competitions in the last 62 matches. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the Bayer 04 women’s team will make their next attempt to end the holders unbeaten run in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie. For coach Roberto Pätzold, there are a number of factors that give the Werkself cause for optimism despite the high-calibre opposition.
Show more
