Eintracht Frankfurt made the more determined impression from the kick-off. The team from Hessen attacked the goal minded by Lukas Hradecky several times in the opening 15 minutes with Kolo Muani a constant threat. Bayer 04 only mounted one real attack when Jeremie Frimpong met an excellent cross from Moussa Diaby at the far post and his volley hit the top of the bar (33'). The hosts took a deserved lead in added time at the end of the first half: Hradecky saved a penalty from Muani but the spot-kick had to be retaken as the keeper had one foot in front of the goalline. Daichi Kamada stepped up and converted to make it 1-0. There was a brief hope after the break when Piero Hincapie scored with a diving header from a Kerem Demirbay free kick to level at 1-1 (56'). But Eintracht Frankfurt restored the lead with Muani putting the hosts 2-1 up (58'). Then it was downhill for the Black and Reds: Jesper Lindström (65'), another penalty from Kamada (72'), which saw Hincapie sent off for a second yellow card offence, and finally Lucas Alario (86') netted for the final score of 5-1. HERE is the match report.
There were no doubts in the Bayer 04 ranks: This display was unsatisfactory. "We have to be honest to ourselves and we can't think that it's all going well and we’ll pick up points sometime soon. Everybody has to know the time has come. We definitely have to get a home win against Wolfsburg on Saturday," said Robert Andrich. "You can lose games but it's about how that happens," added Kerem Demirbay. Xabi Alonso said: "We had lots of problems and lacked the necessary intensity from the start. There are no excuses, everything is our responsibility. Now we have to believe and show we can do much better. It's all down to us."
Due to the absence of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who picked up a knock to his knee in the week in the Champions League clash with Porto and thereby missed the match in Frankfurt, Xabi Alonso named Paulinho in the starting eleven – the first outing for the Brazilian this season. However, it was another South American who was centre stage: Piero Hincapie. The Ecuador central defender first succeeded in scoring the equaliser for Leverkusen but then had some unfortunate moments in defence. For the third Eintracht goal scored by Lindström, Hincapie accidentally headed the ball into the Norwegian’s path, the 4-1 came from a penalty given for a foul on Muani. Hincapie was shown a second yellow card and he will miss the Werkself game against Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Some categories had narrow differences, for example possession (50.9% for the Werkself), with pass completion (87.2% for Frankfurt, 84.9% for Bayer 04) or challenges won (52.1% for Eintracht). The superiority of the team from Hessen was clear in terms of shots on goal: the stats reveal a ratio 19 to 5 in their favour.
There was also unanimity in the media: It was a deserved win for Eintracht Frankfurt and a disappointing match for the Werkself. "It was a desolate performance by the visitors," declared the Bild am Sonntag. "Margin of the defeat was deserved too," reported the Rheinische Post. "Frankfurt take Bayer apart," was the assessment in kicker. "Leverkusen were second best in every respect," was the view of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger only excluded one Leverkusen player from their collective critique: "Nothing was good for Bayer 04 with the exception of Lukas Hradecky. And everything was bad except for Hradecky."
Now is the last phase for Bayer 04 up to the World Cup in the middle of November where there will be a whole week to prepare for the next challenge and the next opponents. The Werkself entertain VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena on Saturday 22 October (kick-off: 15.30 CEST). That is followed by another three double-fixture weeks in succession for Leverkusen.
Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
Show more
The fixture details for the Bayer 04 Women’s first match in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been confirmed: As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday morning, the Leverkusen Women will face second-tier side FC Viktoria Berlin in the first round on Sunday 27 September at 14:00 CEST.
Show more
40 years of European nights, unforgettable moments and great stories. With the new European jersey, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and kit supplier New Balance are celebrating the club’s history in European competitions under the epic slogan ‘40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.’ The European jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 web shop and the Bayer 04 Fanwelt.
Show more
Here we go: the Bayer 04 European jersey has landed, and the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League is coming up tomorrow. To mark the start of the 2026/27 European campaign, Bayer 04 are hosting an autograph session on Friday afternoon, 28 August, from 15:00 to 15:30 CEST at the Fanwelt, with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio. Brian the Lion will also be there.
Show more
