The match could not have had a more inauspicious start: The visitors from Portugal took the lead on six minutes. However the team under head coach Xabi Alonso were the better side before and after the goal and they refused to be daunted by the Porto lead and continued to press. The Werkself could have earned their reward and got back on level terms as fast as possible on 16 minutes but Kerem Demirbay missed a spot-kick for the Black and Reds. And other good chances for Mitchel Bakker and Amine Adli also failed to level the scores. Adli did find the back of the net but his goal was ruled out by referee István Kovács due to a handball by Patrik Schick. And the next goals were scored by the Portuguese side: Mehdi Taremi secured victory for the visitors with a brace of penalties on 54 and 64 minutes giving Porto a 3-0 lead. On the night, there was no way past a clinical Porto side and the absolutely unbeatable keeper Diogo Costa. A host of chances for the Black and Reds went unrewarded with the final score remaining at 3-0.
"Unfair margin of defeat" was the post-match assessment of the result by the skipper Lukas Hradecky. The keeper added: "Everybody saw from the course of the match that we had a really unlucky game. This season we have found it difficult to finish off games. Sometimes football is merciless and thankless – as it was today. Now we carry on with hard work!"
Xabi Alonso also commented after his first match as a coach in the Champions League: "We saw in the game against Porto that you can't afford to make mistakes at crucial moments. Now we have to first analyse the game but then put it behind us and carry on. The matches against Atlético Madrid and Club Brugge are finals if we want to go through to the last 16."
In addition to head coach Xabi Alonso, who made his first appearance in the dugout in the Champions League, Paulinho came on as a sub on 57 minutes to make his first appearance in Europe’s premier club competition this season. For Charles Aránguiz it was the first game in the current European campaign where the Chilean played the full 90 minutes.
There was a special honour for Porto's Wendell: The former Werkself player was honoured ahead of the warm-up by Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, and sporting managing director Simon Rolfes for his long career for the Black and Reds. The Brazilian left-back played under the Bayer Cross from 2014 to 2021 making 250 appearances for Bayer 04. Wendell made his debut in the Champions League and the Europa League during that stint. The 29-year-old did not play in the return match against Bayer 04.
As in last weekend's 4-0 home win against Schalke 04, the Black and Reds also came out on top in the stats in the clash with the Portuguese champions. However, the Werkself could not get a result this time round. More than three times as many shots on goal (17 to 5), almost twice as many passes (617 to 346), a better pass completion rate (88% to 77%) as well as significantly greater possession (65% to 35%) – the stats speak for themselves but the result was a 3-0 defeat.
The headline in the Rheinische Post after the game reads "Bitter 3-0 defeat against Porto. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger stalks about a "night to forget" given the unfortunate course of the match and sees the problems in errors in and around both penalty areas." The Bild Zeitung sums up proceedings as follows: "Alonso rues penalty fiasco."
The Werkself next return to action in the Bundesliga: The Alonso team are away to Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 10. The clash with the Eagles is on Saturday 15 October (kick-off: 15.30 CEST) at the Deutsche Bank Park.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
Show more
Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
Show more
The Shareholders’ Committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH has extended the contracts of the two managing directors, Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes, ahead of schedule. The CEO, Fernando Carro (62), will continue in his role until 30 June 2029, and managing director sport Simon Rolfes (44) will remain in post until 30 June 2031.
Show more
There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
Show more
