Battling Werkself lose 2-0 in Athens

Head coach Kasper Hjulmand made four changes to his starting XI compared with the 1-0 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga: Janis Blaswich played in goal for the injured Mark Flekken, with Lucas Vázquez, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane starting ahead of him in place of Arthur, Malik Tillman and Patrik Schick. The game began with the Werkself kicking off and the home side pressing with aggression and intensity. As a result, Olympiacos earned their first corner early on - and this promptly led to a goal against the Black and Reds. A Rodinei corner was headed it into the net by Costinha - 1-0 to Olympiacos (2').

lots of possession, good Chances - olympiacos score again

Bayer 04 responded to the early setback by dominating possession. The first chance to equalise came for Loïc Badé from a corner. The defender took a shot from a melee, but goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis made the save (10'). Vázquez then tried his luck from a tight angle after a pinpoint pass, but the Olympiacos keeper was on hand again (16'). The high tempo and fiery atmosphere - also from the stands - continued for the rest of the first half. Kofane was next to have the chance to level but the Cameroonian failed to convert a sharp, low cross from the left (25’). An effort on goal from Alejandro Grimaldo just over ten minutes later saw Tzolakis keep the shot out of the bottom left corner (37). The same was true with a double chance from Kofane and Grimaldo (45’). Meanwhile, at the other end, the home side were delighted to score again moments before the break after a counter-attack. Mehdi Taremi doubled the lead at 2-0 (45+1’). The intense and disappointing first half ended shortly afterwards.

The second half didn't need much time to get going. On 47 minutes there was a shot from Maza after Ezequiel Fernández had surged down the left flank and played the ball through to the Algerian. Tzolakis deflected the ball away with his foot. The match continued to be a combative affair with plenty of duels.

no way through despite best efforts 

Kasper Hjulmand made changes as the match progressed, bringing on Tillman for Vázquez, Arthur for Maza and Schick for Kofane. The Black and Reds fought with discipline and full commitment, including with the three new players on the pitch. However, the Werkself were unable to break through the Olympiacos compact defence - time and time again! Schick, for example, had the sixteenth Leverkusen shot on goal on 80 minutes after a low cross from Arthur, but like his team-mates, he was denied by Tzolakis, who was in fine form on the night. After five minutes of added time, the game ended with a 2-0 defeat for Bayer 04.

coming up: at home to werder Bremen

The match action continues with a home game: the Werkself host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on Bundesliga 2025/26 Matchday 19 . The game kicks off at 15:30 CET on Saturday 24 January.

Match stats:

Olympiacos: Tzolakis - Costinha, Retsos, Pirola (Biancone 74’), Ortega - Mouzakitis (Dani Garcia 74’), Hezze - Rodinei, Chiquinho (Scipioni 82’), Gelson Martins (Onyemaechi 79’) - Taremi (El Kaabi 74’)

Bayer 04: Blaswich - Quansah, Andrich, Badé - Vázquez (Tillman 58’), Fernández, Garcia, Grimaldo - Maza (Arthur 70’), Poku (Culbreath 81’) - Kofane (Schick 70’)

Goals: 1-0 Costinha (2’), 2-0 Taremi (45+1’)

Yellow cards: Retsos, Taremi - Kofane

Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

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