With four new players in the starting XI, it was clear from the start that the double winners believed they were capable of making up the deficit from the first leg in front of their own crowd. The Werkself pressed the visitors early and played at a high tempo. There were seven attempts on goal before half-time including two headers from Patrik Schick (39', 44') but there were no goals. The visitors from Munich made the better start to the second 45 and Harry Kane scored with a tap-in to give them the lead on 52 minutes. After a concerted period of pressure in the middle of second half with chances for Jeremie Frimpong (63'), Alejandro Grimaldo (66’) and Schick (67’), Alphonso Davies doubled the FC Bayern lead at 2-0 (71'). FCB player Jamal Musiala also hit the woodwork twice in the closing stages (82', 86') and then the game ended with the Werkself's exit from the Champions League sealed. The match report is HERE.
"The whole stadium was with us and we believed from the first minute that we could create a miracle today. I thought the first half was really good. We tried everything but couldn't break through," said captain Lukas Hradecky speaking to Werkself TV and he finally added: "We deserved to lose in the end and we will continue to work hard. We carry on!" Jonathan Tah declared: "We went into the game with 100% energy and high intensity but we couldn't score. That makes it difficult to pose a challenge for the opponents and put them under pressure. Stuttgart are next up and we obviously want to win there."
Xabi Alonso said at the post-match press conference: "We didn't lose the Round of 16 tie today but rather in Munich. In the end we weren't clinical enough and we made too many mistakes. The Champions League is a competition where you can't afford to make many mistakes."
The Rheinische Post report headline reads "Not a night for miracles", the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger opts for a similar headline: "Not a night for football miracles." kicker, talking about the opening goal for Bayern Munich, describes the opener from Harry Kane on 52 minutes as a "pulled plug" and the atmosphere at the BayArena as "heated" and that the Werkself produced a "power play at the start."
Arthur was in a Champions League line-up for the first time and the 21-year-old Brazilian made his second successive start for Bayer 04 for the first time this term. For Alejandro Grimaldo it was his 50th appearance in the Champions League.
With an average age of 28 years and 23 days, the second oldest Leverkusen starting line-up in the Champions League had 16 attempts on goal in this second leg, which was just above the average in the current UCL campaign (15). It was the third defeat in succession for the Werkself, the last time that happened was in July/August 2022 (four) and that is more losses than in the previous 37 games this season put together. The double winners have also failed to score in three games for the first time in over five years (also three games in December 2019).
The match stats are as follows: 53% possession, 17 to 12 shots on goal plus 14 to 6 corners in favour of the Werkself, FC Bayern won 53% of the duels and had a slightly better pass completion rate (77% to 75%).
The Werkself have one match before the final international break in the current campaign: The Bundesliga away game at VfB Stuttgart is on Sunday, 16 March (kick-off: 19:30 CET). The international break is followed by a home game at the BayArena against VfL Bochum and then the DFB Pokal semi-final at third division club Arminia Bielefeld.
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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On Monday evening, 8 June, around 250 people came to the Bürgerhaus Baumberg at the invitation of Bayer 04 to find out details of the new plans for the campus on Alfred-Nobel-Straße at an information event. More compact, greener and with many advantages for Monheim am Rhein - those are the aims. There were lively discussions for around three hours and some misunderstandings were cleared up.
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Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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When Malik Tillman arrived at Bayer 04 Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last summer, he did more than just add attacking midfield strength to the team — he reconnected the club with a unique and understated American lineage that stretches back more than three decades.
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Bayer 04 are away to third-division club SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal. That was the outcome of the draw on Saturday night, 6 June, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The Werkself first round tie will be played between 21 and 24 August. The exact date has yet to be finalised.
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