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."
The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a centre for the development of female talent for the 2026/27 season. The club was awarded that role on 1 January 2026, and this status has now been renewed.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have sold young defender Andrea Natali to AZ Alkmaar on permanent terms. The 18-year-old Italian was on loan at the Dutch club last season, where he mainly played for the reserve team in the second division.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned new signing Luca Erlein to newly promoted FC Energie Cottbus for the 2026/27 season. This will give him the opportunity to play in Bundesliga 2. The club signed the 19-year-old right-back on a permanent basis last week, on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 3-1 victory in the friendly match at Kickers Offenbach...
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It’s always nice having your best friends round for a birthday! Bayer 04 made a guest appearance at Stadion am Bieberer Berg as part of Offenbacher Kickers’ 125th anniversary celebrations, and nearly 1,500 Werkself supporters accepted the invitation to this historic venue, joining the Offenbach crowd in celebrating the more than 45-year friendship between the clubs. On the pitch, the Werkself secured a 3–1 victory in the friendly against the fourth-tier Regionalliga side. The Leverkusen goals were scored by Christian Kofane (38’), Jonas Hofmann (48’) and Afonso Moreira (81’). Keanu Staude had put the hosts ahead in the first half (11’).
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