Bosz made six changes to the side that beat Union Berlin 3-1 in the DFB Cup quarter-finals. From the starting eleven on Wednesday night, Jonathan Tah, Daley Sinkgraven, Kerem Demirbay, Nadiem Amiri, Leon Bailey and Lucas Alario dropped out. They were replaced by Mitchell Weiser, Wendell, Karim Bellarabi, Paulinho, Moussa Diaby and Julian Baumgartlinger. The latter was the captain against Eintracht.
The first chance of the game fell to the visitors: Baumgartlinger slipped on the edge of his own penalty area allowing the Eintracht striker Daichi Kamada to shoot; Bayer 04 goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was in the right spot to make the save (2'). The first chance at the other end brought an early lead for the Werkself: Diaby put in a low cross from the left for today's striker Kai Havertz to force the ball into the back of the net from close range to make it 1-0 (4'). And the hosts continued to be effective: After 14 minutes, Paulinho set up Bellarabi – with another cross from the left – to double the lead.
Just after the half-hour mark there was bad news for the Werkself: First choice central defender Sven Bender suffered a knee injury and had to go off with the support of the medics. He was replaced by Jonathan Tah (35'). The first Bayer 04 shot that didn't end up in the back of the Eintracht net came from Bellarabi shortly after that. The Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp was able to make the save (36'). The Black and Reds went into half-time with a deserved 2-0 lead.
Neither coach made any changes at half-time. The Bayer 04 fans were ready to celebrate the third goal two minutes after the restart – however Diaby, the provider for Havertz, was offside. The next move saw the Black and Reds supporters cheer the third goal of the day; Paulinho scored to make it 3-0 (48').
Eintracht then had their best chance of the game: Martin Hinteregger was unmarked from a free kick but his shot rebounded off Hradecky and the Austria international was unable to connect properly and put his effort wide of the target (54'). Paulinho went one better at the other end to double his tally with a second goal within six minutes to put the Werkself 4-0 up (55'). After that, the Werkself were less adventurous but continued to dominate the game.
A shot from Filip Kostic with 15 minutes to play was the only goal threat posed by the visitors after the Paulinho double. Evan Ndicka attempted to score with a header but again this effort went wide of the Bayer 04 keeper Hradecky's goal (80'). The Werkself remained in charge as they secured the 4-0 win – and that was rightly celebrated by the fans after the final whistle.
The Werkself are in action again on Thursday night in the Europa League in the fourth of five double fixture weeks in succession. Bayer 04 are away to Rangers in the first leg of the Round of 16. The kick-off at Ibrox is at 21.00 CET.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Weiser, S. Bender (Tah 35'), Tapsoba, Wendell – Baumgartlinger, Aránguiz (Palacios 67') – Bellarabi, Paulinho, Diaby – Havertz (Bailey 62')
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp – Toure, Ilsanker, Hinteregger, Ndicka – Kohr (Sow 57'), Hasebe, Rode – Kamada (Gacinovic 57'), Silva (Paciencia 74’), Kostic
Goals: 1-0 Havertz (4’), 2-0 Bellarabi (14’), 3-0, 4-0 Paulinho (48’, 55’)
Referee: Dr. Felix Brych (Munich)
Booked: Weiser
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen welcomes a new official member to the Sponsors’ Club at the start of the 2026/27 campaign. KKV Kabelverlegung GmbH & Co. KG is expanding its existing partnership and will, with immediate effect, act as a supporter of the Bundesliga club at the second-highest partner level, just below the premium tier. As an official partner in the Sponsors’ Club, KKV will now enjoy significantly enhanced visibility during Werkself matches at the BayArena. The new contract is initially valid until 30 June 2028.
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Calling Bayer 04 fans: The 2026/27 campaign will really pick up pace after the international break – and if you want to get your hands on a very special Black and Red souvenir in time, now is your chance. Jerseys signed by Werkself players such as Patrik Schick and Edmond Tapsoba are now available via the web shop. It’s worth being quick, as the offer is valid only whilst stocks last.
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