“Bayer 04 have continued their upward trend in the Bundesliga” – that is the start of the analysis in the F.A.Z.. The journal continues: In a watchable encounter with the Sport Club on the back of a mediocre start to the season, the Argentinian Lucas Alario was the man of the match.” The central striker turned the game around before half-time with two goals following the early concession of the opening goal and thereby set his team on course for the third league win in succession.
Looking at the previous fixtures against the team from the Breisgau, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger starts as follows. “There were only three goals to be seen in the last three Leverkusen appearances at FC Freiburg,” the report read. Another fact followed: “The Werkself are unbeaten after six matchdays for the first time in eleven years.”
The Kölnische Rundschau focuses on Alario with the headline “Alario fires Bayer up the table”. And adds: “Lucas Alario remains a lifesaver for Bayer Leverkusen in this season. The ice cool Argentinian almost single-handedly turned the game round in the 4-2 win at SC Freiburg with a brace before the break and put the Werkself in the top group in the Bundesliga.” The double goalscorer at Freiburg has netted five of the last ten league goals for the Black and Reds.
“Wonder goal from Amiri, Alario bags another brace,” the Rheinische Post reports and awards the latter top marks. Five other Leverkusen players receive a two or a two minus: Lukas Hradecky, Julian Baumgartlinger, Florian Wirtz, Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri. The kicker names Alario Man of the Match.
The Bild includes Alario in their Team of the Matchday. The newspaper also quotes sporting managing director Rudi Völler. The 60-year-old: “Two goals. That’s obviously great. But Lucas also did a lot of work covering back.” On the fourth goal from Jonathan Tah: “Tah heads away the frustration of the bench. The shout of celebration was clearly to be heard at the empty stadium in Freiburg. ‘Yes, Jona’, roared Leon Bailey (23) after the headed goal from Jonathan Tah (24) to make it 4-2. The defender came on in the 64th minute to settle the result for Bayer with his header: ‘If you come on then you have to give your all.’”
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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