The Werkself were celebrating as early as the 3rd minute: Granit Xhaka put Black & Red ahead early on with his first competitive goal for the club, but ex-Bayer Dominik Kohr replied immediately to make it 1-1 (8'). Things got particularly heated at the end of the first half when Jeremie Frimpong went down after a slight but clear contact as he raced towards goal. Referee Timo Gerach did not award a free-kick, but instead showed Frimpong and head coach Xabi Alonso a yellow card for expressing their dismay at the decision. Black & Red then regained the lead after the restart: Robert Andrich tried his luck from distance, and the ball slipped through the hands of ZeroFivers' keeper Robin Zentner (68'). Because Jessic Ngankam stamped on Xhaka's foot from behind towards the end and was shown a red card (80'), the Werkself played out the game with an extra man until the final whistle. Read the match report.
Coach Alonso reacted to the match: "It was a very intense game. Mainz came with good energy. We were prepared for that, but it wasn't easy." The Spaniard also admitted: "It wasn't our best game, but the three points are very important. We can now enjoy the weekend a bit and then we'll move on." Andrich echoed this sentiment: "Overall, we didn't play well today, we let them have too many chances and we were too hectic. But we've ended up with a 2-1 win and three points."
Edmond Tapsoba said after the final whistle: "It was a difficult game and I'm happy with the three points. I'm very happy for Granit that he scored his first goal. We as a team are like a family, everyone fights for everyone else."
After the final whistle, kicker spoke of a "lacklustre workaday victory" and also wrote: "The Werkself's performance was not convincing, but it was still enough to set a Bundesliga record." With the win against Mainz, the Werkself remained unbeaten in their 33rd competitive match of the season - something no other team in German professional football had previously achieved. The FAZ wrote in this regard: "Leverkusen set record but with difficulty." Meanwhile, the Rheinische Post wrote that Mainz "demanded a lot" from the Werkself. The newspaper also ran the headline: "Leverkusen remain unblemished against Mainz." Meanwhile, the WAZ spoke of a "match characterised by tough tackling" and said: "The Werkself had problems for a long time against Mainz, who are seriously threatened by relegation."
Xhaka scored his first competitive goal for Bayer 04 against Mainz, which he celebrated by grabbing his thigh as if injured. Alonso on the Swiss player's celebration: "Granit has often celebrated like that in training. I was still nervous the first time. But there was no moment of panic for me today." Andrich scored his second goal of the season and his first Bundesliga goal of the campaign. The Germany international also celebrated a milestone: It was his 100th competitive match for Bayer 04. Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, played his 100th Bundesliga match at the age of 20 years and 296 days - making him the fourth-youngest player after Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Julian Draxler to reach this mark. Odilon Kossounou played his first game for Bayer 04 this calendar year after winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
In addition to numerous bookings for both teams and a red card for Mainz, the intensity of the clash was also reflected in other statistics: 16 fouls were committed by Mainz, while Leverkusen were penalised for 14 offences. Apart from that, Black & Red had 66.6 per cent possession and 17 shots, while Mainz had 13 attempts.
Bayer 04 are next in action in the Rhine derby away to 1. FC Köln. Kick-off on Sunday, 3. March, is at 15.30 CET at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne.
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 as he worked 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 personalised 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 moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
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Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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