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."
After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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There was a successful end to the women's internationals with Werkself players Carlotta Wamser and Cornelia Kramer qualifying for the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. A third Leverkusen player is still in with a chance of joining them. The Germany U23 players also experienced success in their last two international friendlies of the season.
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Traveling to North America for the World Cup this summer to see your favorite Bayer 04 players? Here’s a quick cheat sheet with thumbnail portraits and insider tips for each city from a local expert, so you can make the most of your visit and activities beyond the game!
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A fresh look for the BayArena: The Bayer 04 stadium will have new seating in the form of folding seats for the 2026/27 campaign that will ensure significantly improved seating comfort and simplified movement within the rows of seats. As part of routine replacement after 17 years, fans of the Werkself were able to purchase the existing seats, used to witness the first German league title in the club's history. In addition, a large proportion of the seats will be donated to charitable projects, primarily in the local region. Bayer 04 fans can look forward to new, functional folding seats for the season opener at the beginning of August - still in the club colours of black and red, of course. A glimpse at the BayArena during the refurbishment.
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