The first Bundesliga fixture of 2025 took less than a minute to spark to life inside a sold-out Signal Iduna Park, as Nathan Tella hammered the ball into the back of the Dortmund net after just 25 seconds. Patrik Schick then doubled the advantage with only eight minutes on the clock. The hosts got one back through Jamie Gittens shortly after, but Schick restored the two-goal cushion after 19 minutes as the Werkself took a 3-1 lead into half-time. Things were calmer after the restart until Schick was denied a hat-trick by Gregor Kobel. The game then burst back to life when referee Tobias Stieler awarded a penalty to Dortmund on review after Edmond Tapsoba tangled with Julien Duranville, which Serhou Guirassy put away to bring it back to 3-2 with just over 10 minutes remaining. The champions saw it out, though, to chalk up their first three points of the new year. You can read the full match report HERE.
“I’m ready to score at any time. It makes me proud when I can help the team with my goals,” said Schick in the aftermath. Asked further about Dortmund’s defensive absences, the Czech striker added: “It doesn’t matter who plays or doesn’t for the opposition. We got a clear plan from the coach for the game and followed it. Defending so well against such a good team in this stadium is hugely important. We’ll take that into the next games.”
Granit Xhaka also addressed the state of play at the top of the table: “We’re only looking at ourselves. When we do our job with diligence, then we can achieve a lot.” The Swiss midfielder said of the display in Dortmund: “It was a performance on the whole today that meant we deserved all three points. There are easier opponents to start off than Borussia Dortmund away. What matters is the three points. They help us and we’re happy to have them.”
Head coach Xabi Alonso said of the evening: “I’m happy with the win and also the performance. It was a very serious performance by us. It was important for our development because we want to continue down our path and so are pleased with this positive start to the new year.”
Bild ran with the headline “Bayer only a point behind Bayern now!” and wrote about a “great start to the new Bundesliga year”. The Express summarised the game by saying, “Bayer overpower BVB but still left sweating on result”. In kicker they said, “Leverkusen outfox Dortmund’s makeshift defence in rapid start to new year”.
Schick has carried his excellent form into the new year. He’s got six goals in the last 90 minutes he’s been on the pitch in the Bundesliga and is now up to 11 league goals for the campaign – all scored across his last six appearances. No other player has more than five since the start of Matchday 10. Only Harry Kane (14) and Omar Marmoush (13) remain ahead of the Leverkusen striker in the division’s scoring chart for 2024/25.
Jeremie Frimpong is also in impressive form, especially away from home, where he has a goal and two assists across his last three Bundesliga outings on the road. The Dutch wide man now has two goals and five assists to his name in the league this season, plus four provisions in six Champions League games.
The Werkself have scored a league-high eight goals in the first 15 minutes of Bundesliga games this season. The Dortmund game was also the first time since March 2000’s record 9-1 win in Ulm that Leverkusen scored three times in the first 19 minutes of an away game in the league.
On top of that, Tella’s finish after just 25 seconds was the quickest Bayer 04 have netted in the Bundesliga since August 2014 when Karim Bellarabi – also in Dortmund – scored the joint-fastest goal in the league’s history after nine seconds.
The Werkself now have two home games in the Bundesliga this coming week. Mainz are the first visitors to the BayArena for a midweek round of fixtures on Tuesday (8.30pm CET). Borussia Mönchengladbach then come to Leverkusen on Saturday (6.30pm).
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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