Medina, who scored on his debut, was also pleased “with the team’s effort, including that of the lads on the bench. We really are a team where everyone is always ready to play.” The centre-back emphasised that he had “learned from the last match” and made it clear: “It was important to win at home – we want to get used to that!”
Schick could only agree: “We were ready right from the first minute today and dominated the game. That’s exactly what we always want to show.” The Czech had particular praise for the hard-working left flank: “Miguel [Gutiérrez] is a bit like Grimaldo – he delivers superb crosses with his left foot. And Ibo [Maza] once again showed just how good he is.”
What the papers say: “Leverkusen with an impressive performance”
“Leverkusen dominate Union in every respect from the first to the last minute,” writes kicker magazine, also noting that the Bayer 04 fans at times “could not stop celebrating” and describing the Werkself’s performance as “the right response following the opening-day defeat in Elversberg”. The Bild newspaper considers the home win to be “deserved, even by that margin,” summing up the game thus: “Union simply didn’t stand a chance against an impressive Leverkusen side.” The Rheinische Post has the headline: “Bayer give Union Berlin no chance”, whilst the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger rate Gutiérrez, Maza and Medina as a 1.5, with 1 being the top grade.
Personnel: A debutant and goalscorer, a milestone and a returnee
Medina certainly did his bit to earn his positive rating: the Argentine capped off his first start for Bayer 04 with his maiden goal after less than half an hour. At that stage, Schick had yet to find his scoring touch, but shortly after half-time the Czech finally got his second goal of the campaign – since Matchday 30 of last season, no player in the Bundesliga has scored more often than Schick (eight times).
The Bayer 04 fans also gave every player coming off the bench for the Werkself a rousing reception. Diaby returned to the BayArena pitch for the first time since May 2023 and was given a huge ovation in front of the Nordkurve at the end of the game. “You can really feel the impact he had here and just how happy everyone is. It’s brilliant to have him back,” said Rolfes after the match.
Robert Andrich, meanwhile, came off the bench to make his 200th competitive appearance under the cross and was praised by head coach Martínez at the post-match press conference: “Rob is here, and he’s an important player for us. He did very well today after when he came on. We share the same goal: we always want the very best for this club.”
