The top match between last season's fifth- and third-placed teams was "a clash full of intensity and passion," as the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger put it. Both teams " showed after the short preseason that they were in outstanding physical condition and could have won the game. To that extent, the 1-1 draw is a logical and justified result." In contrast to the 0-0 draw at Wolfsburg, the team under head coach Peter Bosz had "taken a step forward in all areas."
The journal picked out Charles Aránguiz as the man of the match and assessed the performance of the Chilean with a high mark of 1.5. The explanation: "The new captain, who rarely speaks, just communicated with his teammates through his performance. With twelve challenges won he prevented a dozen counter-attacks from Leipzig in dangerous situations and was to a large part responsible for Bayer 04 being able to leave the ropes and take the fight to imposing Leipzig side."
The Bild also praises both teams and comes to the following conclusion: "Great game in Leverkusen! The 1-1 draw between Leverkusen and Leipzig may not have produced a winner but there was plenty of goalmouth action – and two fantastic strikes." Commenting on the 20th minute equaliser from Kerem Demirbay: "Demirbay received the ball and unleashed a shot with an incredible trajectory that hit the underside of the bar and went into the net."
The Express saw "Wonder goals and football at the highest level" in a "real top match." The report continues: "The team under coach Peter Bosz produced an impressive performance and were closer to the three points than the visitors from Saxony."
The Rheinische Post describes the first Bundesliga action of the new season at the BayArena as a "classy opening phase between two attacking teams". The 1-1 scoreline was a "draw that nobody could really complain about."
The kicker takes a similar approach to summing up the game: "In an entertaining game full of variety, Leverkusen and Leipzig shared a deserved 1-1 draw. Two unmissable goals crowned a first half that saw RB start strongly and Bayer increasingly dominate later on. There was also end-to-end action in the second half – with chances for victory on both sides."
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fans ask, Carolin Simon answers: As part of Bayer 04’s second Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the Leverkusen captain took questions from the community. The full-back, who returned to the club this summer after ten years away, set aside an hour and a half for the Q&A session with fans, offering a very personal insight into, amongst other things, her daily life as a footballer and her role as captain, as well as her passion for Pokémon.
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