As in their opening match against TSG Hoffenheim, the Werkself got off to a good start against Bremen. Patrik Schick crowned Nathan Tella’s solo run with the opener after five minutes. Leverkusen doubled the lead with their second shot when Axel Tape sidestepped two opponents on the right. Via Robert Andrich, Alejandro Grimaldo and Christian Kofane, Malik Tillman got hold of the ball and juggled it on his chest and shoulder before volleying in with his left foot (35’). VAR intervened after Tape’s challenge on Mbangula and Romano Schmid pulled one back from the penalty spot (44’). Leverkusen almost replied immediately, only for the woodwork to prevent a third for the Werkself when Kofane hit the bar. Stark upended Kofane in the box and received his marching orders for a second bookable offence, with Schick converting the ensuing penalty (64’). But Bremen struck back despite their numerical disadvantage. Isaac Schmidt beat Bayer 04 keeper Mark Flekken to a long ball and found the empty net (76’) before Coulibaly rewarded Bremen’s pressure with the equaliser in added time (90’+4). Read the match report HERE.
Leverkusen were disappointed after the match. “If we lead 3-1 and are a man up, we must take three points. We were too wild and made many mistakes after the sending-off. We must start playing as a team immediately, otherwise we won’t win any matches,” summarised captain Robert Andrich. Nathan Tella agreed: “We had it in our own hands and made life difficult for ourselves.” Head coach Erik Ten Hag commented: “The two goals we conceded despite being a man up should have never happened. We didn’t function as a team any more in the closing stages.” Malik Tillman too was disappointed: “I had imagined my debut differently, my feelings are rather bad. A victory for the team is more important than my goal.”
“Werder turnaround despite being a man down,” Bild am Sonntag reported. The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung headline read: “Leverkusen do many ‘stupid things,’” citing midfielder Malik Tillman. The kicker title read: “Coulibaly crowns Werder madness.” Patrik Schick received a high mark from the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger: “After a few minutes, he was where a striker has to be and crowned Tella’s assist to open the scoring. He chipped the penalty into the middle of the goal to make it 3-1.” The Rheinische Post praised forward Christian Kofane: “He rarely had good chances at first but set up the second goal by Malik Tillman. He was out of luck when he hit the bar and won the penalty that resulted in the third goal.”
After Jarell Quansah, Ernest Poku, Christian Kofane and Claudio Echeverri had made their Bundesliga debuts against Hoffenheim, Axel Tape and sub Loïc Badé made their maiden Bundesliga appearances. Badé and Tillman made their first competitive appearance in Leverkusen colours. Patrik Schick once again demonstrated his outstanding quality in front of goal. The 29-year-old boasts 66 Bundesliga goals for Bayer 04 after his brace against Bremen and is in fifth place in the club’s all-time scorer rankings. The Czech has his sights set on the top three: he is within striking distance of Dimitar Berbatov (69 goals) and Herbert Waas (72).
Bayer 04 dominated possession (56 percent) and were in front in terms of pass completion rate (89 percent to Bremen’s 84) and corners (7-3). Werder had the higher xGoals number (2.59 to Leverkusen’s 2.10) and took more shots (13-10). Nathan Tella was the fastest player at 35.76 km/h.
After the first international break of the season, the Black and Reds entertain Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday, 12 September. The game against the team from Hesse, who have won their first two Bundesliga matches, kicks off at the BayArena at 20:30 CEST
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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