The most important thing from a sporting perspective first: Bayer 04 will again be in Europe in the 2021/22 season - in the Europa League. Following the point earned against the team from the capital and the defeat for Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-2 against Stuttgart), the Werkself are certain of finishing sixth.
The Frankfurter Rundschau headline reads: “Wirtz puts Leverkusen in the Europa League.” The words “shooting star” and “exceptional talent” follow. The opening goal by the striker on 27 minutes is described as follows: “It was also a matter of centimetres but the 18-year-old was just onside at the far post for Wendell’s shot. No other player has scored his sixth goal in the Bundesliga at a younger age.”
The Bild Zeitung also refers to the Wirtz, who recently agreed a contract extension to 2026 at Bayer 04. The headline of their report: “Wirtz now set for the Euros?” And further: “Jogi Löw names his Euros squad on Wednesday. The young international […] can reasonably hope.”
The Rheinische Post refers to the departure of Lars and Sven Bender: “There was a trip to the past before the kick-off in the last home game of the season. Lars and Sven Bender had a quiet send-off. Instead of tumultuous celebrations, chants, choreography and possible tears of emotion, there were a few kind words for the twin brothers, applause from the first team staff and a handshake from the club bosses. […] The pandemic forced the accolade for the two 32-year-olds onto the Internet. With countless comments and tweets, Bayer supporters paid tribute to the Benders’ lifetime achievements.”
In their category of “Moments of the match”, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports as follows: “In his final home game as a professional footballer, Sven came on for two minutes. The 32-year-old, handicapped by a foot injury, was not able to clench his teeth but instead put the wellbeing of the team to the fore just before the end of his playing career as he took the decision on a longer appearance away from the coach Hannes Wolf in a pre-match conversation. Wolf left the question unanswered of whether Bender could start in his final game.”
The opponents on Saturday, 22 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST) on the final matchday of the 2020/21 season are Borussia Dortmund – Sven Bender’s former club where he played for eight years before his move to Bayer 04.
The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without Spanish player Lucas Vázquez for the time being. The experienced full-back and winger suffered an injury to his right calf during the Werkself's Champions League match against Olympiacos (0-0) on Tuesday.
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A goalkeeping era is coming to an end for Bayer 04 Women, with Friederike Repohl retiring when her contract expires at the end of the season. The 31-year-old has played for the Werkself since 2021 and also captained the team since last season. The Bielefeld-born keeper already made her decision during the winter break before her injury.
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Job done: the Bayer 04 eSports team defeated SV Darmstadt 98 in the play-offs to secure their consecutive participation in the VBL Club Championship final. The journey continues now for Leverkusen on Saturday 7 March (from 17:00 CET) with a last-16 encounter at Hamburger SV.
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The first international break in 2026 marks the start of the battle to qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil for a German and Austrian duo, while a quintet will conclude the U23 international season. A total of eight Leverkusen players will be on international duty with their national teams in the coming days.
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