Head coach Xabi Alonso made three changes to his line-up for the game against Inter Milan compared with the2-1 win against Bundesliga newcomers FC St. Pauli: Lukas Hradecky made way for Matej Kovar in goal with Jonathan Tah wearing the captain's armband tonight. Nordi Mukiele and Jeremie Frimpong came in for Arthur and Aleix Garcia.
The Werkself made a confident start to the game and had the majority of possession. The first attacking opportunity for the Black and Reds came in the third minute: Frimpong crossed the ball into the middle and Nathan Tella hit a volley against the bar. Shortly after that, Alejandro Grimaldo tested the Inter keeper Yann Sommer (11'), Granit Xhaka forced his fellow countrymen to make a save on 19 minutes. Wirtz had a shot on goal from distance towards the end of the first half (34') with the visitors having few attacking moves and no clear-cut chances. The first half ended goalless.
The Werkself started the second 45 playing with control and an intense passing game. The Nerazzurri, mainly focused on defending, made it difficult for the Werkself to find a way through the Italian defence. Frimpong had a chance on 53 minutes but missed the target. And an effort from Tah just after the hour mark flew just wide of the Inter goal (65'). The Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi then made a triple substitution that included bring on Lautaro Martinez.
The Italian trio failed to invigorate the Inter Milan game. On the contrary: The Nerazzurri appeared to be increasingly satisfied with a draw and put less effort into their own attacking play. However, the Werkself refused to give up and hit back with a last-minute winner: Nordi Mukiele sealed the victory on 90 minutes with an assist from substitute Martin Terrier. That secured three points against the Italian side who had previously conceded no goals in the competition!
Next up for the Werkself is the last match on the road in this calendar year. Bayer 04 are away to FC Augsburg on Saturday, 14 December (kick-off: 15.30 CET). That will be followed by the final home game and last match in 2024: The Werkself entertain SC Freiburg at the BayArena on Saturday, 21 December (kick-off: 18.30 CET).
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Kovar - Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie - Mukiele, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo (Garcia 90+3') - Frimpong, Wirtz (Andrich 90+3') - Tella (Terrier 83')
Inter Milan: Sommer - Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni - Darmian, Frattesi (Barella 66'), Calhanoglu (Asllani 66'), Zielinski, Augusto (Dimarco 56') - Thuram (L. Martinez 66'), Taremi (Arnautovic 85')
Goals: 1-0 Mukiele (90’)
Yellow cards: Calhanoglu, Augusto
Referee: Slavko Vincić (Slovenia)
Attendance: 30,210 (sold out) at the BayArena
There won’t just be plenty of excitement on the pitch as Bayer 04 host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena at 18:30 CET on Saturday. Outside the stadium there will be collection points for food donations to the Leverkusen Foodbank, which will also benefit from the profits of a jersey raffle in the Fanwelt afterwards. There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off following the passing of long-time Werkself player Dieter Herzog, before two fan clubs are honoured for their decades-long support at half-time and fans receive a talk about Orange Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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Bayer 04 go into the first of two successive clashes with Borussia Dortmund boosted by their Champions League win at Manchester City. Ahead of the Bundesliga top match on Saturday, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the tight schedule, BVB's strengths and returning squad members.
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Borussia Dortmund are doing very well in terms of points and results in the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. BVB have only suffered two defeats to date this term. Now coach Niko Kovac's team are away to the Werkself on Saturday night, 29 November (kick-off: 18:30 CET) in the top match on Bundesliga matchday 12. The two teams meet again three days later in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie in Dortmund. Two very competitive encounters are on the cards. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Bayer 04 Women clcoked up a 3-2 win in a friendly against Twente Enschede on Thursday afternoon in the last international break of 2025. In drizzle, Lilla Turanyi (16’), Kristin Kögel (65’) and Paulina Bartz (69’) scored the goals for the Werkself against the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen leaders, who are still unbeaten in the league.
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