After the two teams sussed each other out in the opening stages, the clash with the Belgian side took off in the middle of the first half – and mainly in favour of the Werkself as they targeted the Club Brugge goal with efforts from Moussa Diaby and Patrik Schick. However, the hosts proved to be efficient and scored just before half-time (42'). Head coach Gerardo Seoane made a number of substitutions in the second half to provide a boost to the attack that had failed to complete offensive moves. The Werkself had two goals chalked off due to offside decisions with the scoreline at the end remaining at 1-0 in favour of Club Brugge. HERE is the match report.
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For Jonathan Tah it was mainly in the first half that the team needed to have worked harder: "We weren't decisive enough in the first half. Brugge did much better at the start and they scored as well. We should have been more aggressive and intense from the start," declared the central defender. The 26-year-old did find praise speaking to Werkself TV for the second half performance where the team applied themselves and created more chances.
As with the defender Tah, coach Gerardo Seoane also expressed his disappointment at the post-match press conference: "We were left empty-handed again. We didn't give much away but we were severely punished. Luck wasn't on our side today."
In spite of the unlucky defeat, several Werkself players had reason to celebrate against the Belgian side: debuts in Europe's premier club competition – the UEFA Champions League. The two full-backs Piero Hincapie and Jeremie Frimpong plus midfielders Robert Andrich und Exequiel Palacios made their first appearances in the Champions League. Loanee signing from Chelsea Callum Hudson-Odoi did have 17 appearances and was a Champions League winner before the match in West Flanders but it was his Champions League debut for the Black and Reds.
Majority of possession (52.2%), more challenges won (55%), significantly more shots on goal (14) plus the better pass completion rate (82.8%) - the Werkself did come out on top in terms of statistics but the scoreboard showed a 1-0 defeat in the end. The Black and Reds were unlucky not to get a result to take home to Leverkusen.
The main issue in all print and online media after the 1-0 defeat against Club Brugge was the continuing negative trend that has seen the Werkself lose six of the first seven games in the 2022/23 season. According to the media, the problems are due in part to the frequent absence of rewards in spite of a lot of good chances. So, kicker talks about a game that was "unnecessarily screwed up" and the Leverkusener Anzeiger talks about "wasted" chances.
The Werkself have a busy run of fixtures ahead of the international break at the end of September. The Seoane team first travel to the capital on matchday six in the current 2022/23 Bundesliga season: The Black and Reds are away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday 10 September (kick-off: 15.30 CEST). That is followed by the Champions League fixture against Atlético Madrid: The match against the Rojiblancos is at the BayArena on Tuesday 13 September (kick-off: 21.00 CEST). Finally, the Werkself entertain promoted club Werder Bremen on matchday seven. The game kicks off at 15.30 CEST on Saturday 17 September.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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