The home side had the first chance of the game on Saturday afternoon at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, but Andrej Ilic was unable to convert a cross (2'). In a generally uneventful encounter, the Werkself initially showed little imagination in attack. The Irons, on the other hand, stood firm and were rewarded after 28 minutes: A long ball found Rani Khedira up front and he beat Robert Andrich before lobbing the ball over keeper Janis Blaswich into the net for the opener for the only goal in the first 45. The Werkself initially found it difficult to put their own stamp on the game in the second half. Kasper Hjulmand reacted by making three substitutions: The introduction of Patrik Schick, Ernest Poku and Lucas Vázquez gave the Black and Red attacking play a new dynamic, but no goals were scored. Schick had the best opportunity in the second minute of added time, but that attempt also failed to find the back of the net.
Andrich had the following to say to the media after the match: "The game as expected had no real rhythm, lots of interruptions, long balls and definitely, unfortunately, a mistake from me. I was in a good position at first, anticipated the long ball, but then I get in front of him, underestimated the situation and he went past me. That's clearly my fault. That's how you alter the game in a certain direction." The captain added: "Now we have to focus on not losing our heads even in difficult situations. That has always made us strong in the past."
Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich said: "I think we tried everything in the end. It definitely wasn't down to mentality or a lack of determination. Our opponents sat very deep in the second half, but we still tried to play through them. We didn't really give much away. They're a tricky team to play against. We knew what we were up against. Now we have to move on quickly."
Kasper Hjulmand drew a similar conclusion at the post-match press conference: "We knew it would be a difficult game. It's not easy to play here. We actually played a decent game. That goal we conceded made a big difference because they then sat very deep and we knew they would defend very well. In the end, we lacked the luck, the final quality touch. But it's done now. Of course, we're disappointed but we have to quickly put this game behind us. There are other important tasks ahead of us."
The Rheinische Post assessment: "Bayer Leverkusen lost a game for the first time in more than four weeks. In the 1-0 defeat at FC Union Berlin, coach Kasper Hjulmand's team lacked penetration". The kicker wrote: "The omens were clear, but ultimately that meant nothing. Union Berlin won a Bundesliga match for the first time in 2026 and stopped Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run at the same time". The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger headline: "Bayer 04 suffer bitter blow shortly before crucial challenge in the Champions League."
Aleix Garcia made his 50th Bundesliga appearance at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday afternoon and he was also the player with the most touches of the ball in this match. Afterwards, the Spaniard told Werkself TV: "Even though I wasn't able to crown this (50th Bundesliga game, ed) with a win today, I'm still looking forward to many more games to come."
At the end of the match, the stats showed the Werkself had 16 to 8 shots on goal and 65 per cent possession. Pass completion was 86 per cent (Union: 74 per cent), and the Black and Reds won half of all duels.
Bayer 04 first face Olympiacos in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off at the BayArena on Tuesday, 24 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET). Four days later on Saturday, 28 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Werkself host FSV Mainz 05 on Bundesliga matchday 24.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-0 win at SGS Essen on the 24th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 put in a brilliant performance to beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday 32 and are now fourth in a Champions League spot. The Black and Reds took control of the game right from the start and, with 75 per cent possession at one stage, took a 2-0 lead into the break through Patrik Schick (25’) and Nathan Tella (45+1’). The visitors initially tried to do more after the break, but the Werkself remained determined and Schick scored his second goal to increase the lead to 3-0 (76'). The Red Bulls pulled a goal back through Christoph Baumgartner (80'), but the disciplined Leverkusen side were not rattled - and certainly not Schick: The Czechia international crowned a brilliant display with his third goal shortly before the final whistle to make the final score 4-1.
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In the previous game against RB Leipzig in December last year, the Werkself turned came from behind to win 3-1 and further improved Leverkusen's already strong record against the Red Bulls. Montrell Culbreath stood out with his first goal on his debut for the Black and Reds. While the 18-year-old would certainly like to score a second goal against Leipzig on Saturday night, the attack-minded visitors come to the BayArena in confident mood after five Bundesliga victories in a row. The Nordkurve12 supporters group knows the Werkself will therefore once again be reliant on the vociferous support of the fans, and has once again called for the ‘Finally Red’ campaign in the run-in. Today’s matchday news.
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Video games manufacturer Electronic Arts (EA), together with the German Football League (DFL), announced the top male and female selections for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season this week. Bayer 04 striker Vanessa Fudalla is in the starting eleven of the women's "Team of the Season". Alejandro Grimaldo and Aleix Garcia have been selected as bench players in the men's team.
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