It was a one-sided encounter at the start between the two UEFA Europa League teams. The Werkself attacked SCF for the first time after 50 seconds and dominated the game throughout the first half. Leverkusen earned a deserved lead after the half-hour mark against a very defensive Freiburg team with Florian Wirtz scoring the opener after a brilliant solo run in the opposition box (36'). The Black and Reds stayed on the front foot in search of the next goal. That came in the second half from Jonas Hofmann with the help of the left upright and the SCF keeper Noah Atubolu (60'). The up to that point harmless visitors pulled a goal back on 70 minutes to make it 2-1 and the game was more open at the end. Freiburg were more adventurous and created a few chances. The Black and Reds sealed the home win thanks to a focused defensive performance. The match report is HERE.
Head coach Xabi Alonso summed up the game as follows: "It was an interesting game for me today. After conceding we didn't play brilliantly but instead suffered. That's a lesson for the future. We take the three points, carry on and learn from it." Hofmann was also happy with the next home win after the final whistle and he added: "We made it unnecessarily exciting in the second half. We are glad we were able to win. Freiburg are not easy to play against."
Captain Lukas Hradecky declared: "You cannot win every game 3-0 or 4-0. These wins are equally important and sometimes they even feel a bit better. The Finland keeper had particularly emphatic words of praise for the mentally strong performance of his team: "We enjoy our football and have fun. We work hard. Overall this team is the strongest I've seen since I've been at Leverkusen."
The media were unanimous in their verdict. The Rheinische Post in their match report talked about the Werkself who "really boxed in" their opponents at the start but later found themselves in an "open" match. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger identified a "total dominance" by the Werkself who "controlled proceedings at will” for long periods but ended up having to "fret" about the win.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung provided a short and sharp assessment: "Bayer played, Freiburg defended." In addition, they described the Werkself as the "deserved winners," who showed "overwhelming superiority" in the first half while Freiburg displayed a "radical concept of match avoidance." The Süddeutsche Zeitung also described the Werkself saying they put moves together in "tiny spaces in a Spanish way."
The match against Freiburg was the 50th game in charge of the Black and Reds for Alonso and the win also broke a special record: Since Bayer 04 were promoted to the Bundesliga in 1979, the Spaniard is the first Werkself head coach to win eight games in succession. Edmond Tapsoba made his 150th appearance for Leverkusen.
It was no surprise that Wirtz was named man of the match and he received great praise from his team-mates after the game. Alonso declared: "I've not seen a goal like Flo's that often. There are things I can't teach him. We'll talk about that goal for a long time." Hradecky said: "He's a nightmare for every keeper. He opened up the game for us."
The comparison of statistics reflects the course of the game. The Werkself dominated in all areas in the first half. 12 to 2 shots on goal, 9 to 0 corners and 82% possession underlined the dominant performance in the first 45. The more open game towards the end did produce a more balanced second half but the statistics still favoured the Werkself overall. The Werkself played 725 passes (compared with 294 for Freiburg) and they had a pass completion of 90% (75% for Freiburg).
The games come thick and fast for the Werkself: The Black and Reds play third division SSV Sandhausen in the second round of the DFB Pokal on Wednesday 1 November (kick-off: 18.00 CET). That is followed three days later by the next fixture on the road: Leverkusen are away to TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday 4 November (kick-off: 15.30 CET) on Bundesliga matchday ten.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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