Three shots against the woodwork, almost 70 per cent possession, but no luck: Despite their best efforts, the Werkself lost 2-0 in the away game at FC Augsburg - with two Bundesliga defeats in a row for the first time since February 2023. The two goals scored by a clinical Augsburg side through Dimitrios Giannoulis (6’) and Anton Kade (28’) were followed by a game with the Black and Reds in control but FCA did mount some dangerous counterattacks. As the game progressed, Leverkusen went on to occupy the opposition half and had a number of good chances, including efforts from Patrik Schick (43’); Eliesse Ben Seghir (66’) and Nathan Tella (75’) that all ended up hitting the post or crossbar.
Kasper Hjulmand said at the post-match press conference: "We have to get back to the right character of our game quickly so we can perform well in the important games to come." The Dane added: "We have to try to play with the right character and the right philosophy in every game. Today it was too little at times."
Jonas Hofmann also identified carelessness and individual mistakes, especially before the goals were conceded, as the crucial factors: "We lacked that little bit of luck today that would have put the ball in the net." The 33-year-old also felt that the Werkself were not as good on the ball as in previous weeks: "Possession actually suits us, but today we simply didn't make enough of it.
"Our efficiency in front of goal in recent weeks was unfortunately shown by our opponents today," summed up keeper Mark Flekken, while Ernest Poku looked ahead: "Now we have to analyse this game and try to learn as much as possible from it so it doesn't happen again in the coming weeks."
The Rheinische Post reported the home side had more grip on the game and physical presence and said about the Werkself: "Bayer lacked quality - and luck - in the second half." The kicker agrees: "Three times against the woodwork: Leverkusen unlucky in finishing." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger also stated that Leverkusen had a "bad day", despite dominating the second half: "After half-time, the visitors literally surrounded the Augsburg penalty area."
Patrik Schick put in a lot of effort up front with five shots on goal in a match for the first time this season. Midfield dynamo Aleix Garcia also showed his passing ability against FCA, making him the player with the third-best pass completion in the league (94 per cent), while Mark Flekken excelled several times in thwarting Augsburg counter-attacks, particularly in the second half. The Dutchman has now saved the third highest number of shots on goal in the league. Martin Terrier, who was in the line-up for the DFB Pokal tie at Borussia Dortmund (1-0), made his first start in the Bundesliga this term.
Leverkusen's dominance is illustrated by a glance at the key statistics: In addition to 68 per cent possession overall - at times well over 70 per cent - Leverkusen won 59 per cent of duels and had a pass completion rate of 92 per cent. The 20 shots on goal by the Werkself are well above the previous season average of just under 14 per match.
The Werkself still have numerous highlights to look forward to before the winter break: Newcastle United provide the opposition on Wednesday, 10 December, at 21:00 CET, on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase. The team will then face FC Köln - again at home - on Saturday, 13 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET). A week later on Saturday, 20 December (kick-off: 18:30 CET), Andrich and Co. face RB Leipzig away in the last match before Christmas.
Bayer 04 host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on matchday 14 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The schedule for the game remains to be confirmed. The latest information on ticket sales.
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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
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“As far as mentality and determination are concerned, we have nothing to reproach ourselves for,” Robert Andrich said up after the first home defeat for the Werkself this term. In terms of their play, too, the Black and Reds put in a respectable performance for long stretches of this intense and physical match, outperforming VfB Stuttgart in most areas. It was only in terms of efficiency in front of goal that the Swabians had the edge over the Werkself. Head coach Carles Martínez wants to learn from this so that, in future, they can “win this sort of match too”. The Werkself review.
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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…
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