The assessment in the Welt am Sonntag: "After three games without a goal, nobody believed Leverkusen capable of a miracle . The game ended 3-2 leaving them three goals short of a place in the Champions League. That was clearly on the cards against a weak Hannover side. But Bayer were out of luck on the day: Wendell missed a penalty (6') and a second was chalked off after the referee Winkmann consulted the VAR (85')."
Der Tagesspiegel reports: "Coach Heiko Herrlich brought on striker Stefan Kießling late in the game and he was ready to take the opportunity to score in his final Bundesliga game. However, referee Guido Winkmann changed his mind about the penalty he awarded just before Kießling came on after consulting the VAR. Going 4-0 up would have put pressure back on Dortmund in the race for a Champions League berth."
The Berliner Morgenpost highlighted the tension in the battle for Champions League qualification: "Hoffenheim and Leverkusen traded blows: The quick 2-0 lead for Bayer through Lucas Alario saw Leverkusen briefly put TSG out of the running for the Champions League places. When Reus leveled for Dortmund against Hoffenheim, the dream of playing in Europe's elite competition was alive for five minutes at the BayArena with Julian Brandt making it 3-0. In the end it was Leverkusen's opponents Hannover who ended hopes of qualifying for the Champions League with goals from Niklas Füllkrug and Martin Harnik."
The Express on the last match for Kies: "After long calls from the Bayer fans of "We want Stefan" , it happened on 84 minutes. The whole of the crowd rose to their feet as Bayer legend Stefan Kießling raced onto the pitch for his 403rd Bundesliga game."
And the Bild am Sonntag farewell reads: "Stefan Kießling (34) wins with Leverkusen in a 3-2 victory against Hannover in the final match of his career - and he is in tears after the game. And not just because Leverkusen missed out on the Champions League. Leverkusen's legend striker (403 Bundesliga games, 144 goals, at the club since 2006) was thrown up in the air by his team-mates after the final whistle and then he was surrounded by the fans with tears in his eyes."
Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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The fifth consecutive derby win over 1. FC Köln was a hugely significant one in terms of the battle for the UEFA Champions League places. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, speaking for the whole team, dedicated the 2-1 victory in the cathedral city to the travelling support: "I'm especially happy about this victory for our fans!" Get the rest of the reaction from those involved and the media, as well as some impressive stats on two-goal hero Patrik Schick and a look at the all-time Bundesliga table, in the Werkself Review.
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