Xabi Alonso made five changes to his team from the weekend’s 2-2 draw away at RB Leipzig, including Matej Kovar replacing Lukas Hradecky in goal again. Leverkusen pushed for a win from the start against the Czech champions, who are still on their domestic winter break and already out of contention in the Champions League. Granit Xhaka had the first attempt inside three minutes, while Jonathan Tah saw an effort cleared off the line and Patrik Schick put a header narrowly wide. All the action was taking place in the Sparta half, but the Werkself just couldn’t find a way through at first.
Referee Georgi Kabakov then pointed to the spot after half an hour but reversed his decision to award Leverkusen a penalty for handball by Jaroslav Zeleny. Bayer 04 quickly put that behind them, though, and forged ahead when Jeremie Frimpong teed up Wirtz to finish into the bottom left corner. As things stood, the Bundesliga champions were up to sixth in the table.
The first chance after the break fell to probably Prague’s best player in Victor Olatunji, but the Werkself then retook control of proceedings and got a second just after the hour mark. Alejandro Grimaldo’s free-kick was too hot to handle for Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl, presenting Tella the opportunity to tuck away the rebound. It gave the Werkself a cushion in sixth place, which is where they ended up finishing thanks to their superior goal difference over Lille and Aston Villa on the back of a deserved 2-0 win.
By finishing in the top eight, Leverkusen avoid a play-off and go straight into the round of 16. The format from that stage continues as in previous years, with two legs (4/5 and 11/12 March), with the return fixture set to be played at the BayArena. The Werkself will discover their opponents following the play-offs when the draw for the last 16 is made on Friday, 21 February.
Bayer 04’s next two competitive fixtures are also in Leverkusen. First it’s Hoffenheim who come to town in the Bundesliga on Sunday (5.30pm CET) before the DFB Pokal quarter-final against Köln on Wednesday, 5 February (8.45pm).
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Kovar - Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong (Arthur 88'), Palacios (Garcia 83'), Xhaka, Grimaldo - Wirtz (Hofmann 90'), Tella (Andrich 83') - Schick (Stepanov 90')
Sparta Prague: Vindahl - Vitik, Sevinsky, Sörensen - Wiesner (Suchomel 85'), Sadilek, Kairinen, Zeleny (Krasniqi 90'+3) - Laci (Danek 85') - Olatunji (Haraslin 67'), Birmancevic (Penxa 90'+3)
Goals: 1-0 Wirtz (32'), 2'0 Tella (64')
Yellow cards: Xhaka, Andrich - Birmancevic, Olatunji
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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