Werkself review #SLBB04: ‘Great fighting spirit, respect to the team’

Summary: Sub Schick nets the winner

The first promising attack of the match came from the Werkself through Ibrahim Maza after a smart dummy in his own half. After the initial action being mainly in midfield, the game then gathered pace and chances began to pile up for both sides. Benfica captain Nicolas Otamendi hit the crossbar with a header (33') and there was a great chance for Ernest Poku after he was put through in the centre by Maza (35’). A great double chance for the home side, which Mark Flekken and Loïc Badé denied (43'), brought the half to a close. After the restart, Benfica began to push forward and Kasper Hjulmand responded by bringing on two new attacking players. That included Patrik Schick who made it 1-0 a few minutes after coming on with the only goal of the game (65'). The home side pressed for the equaliser, but the Bayer 04 defence stood firm and held on to the 1-0 away win with a lot of fighting spirit.

• Match report
• Match highlights

Reaction: "Everything left on the pitch"

Kasper Hjulmand said after the final whistle: "It was a hugely important win. The game was tough, very intense. Of course we can play better, but it was a great fight. Respect to the team and the whole group. To the young players for a great performance and to the experienced players for the responsibility they took on and how they helped the young players. You could clearly see the teamwork today. This win gives us the energy to keep growing. That's how an evening like this should be!"

Goalscorer Patrik Schick told DAZN: "Benfica were very, very dangerous today. The win helps us a lot for the whole team, the team spirit and also for the Bundesliga. We have to keep this going." The Czechia international also spoke to Werkself TV: "I'm very happy my goal was the winner. It was a very important win for the upcoming games."

Mark Flekken emphasised: "To get the win and keep a clean sheet - a goalkeeper could hardly feel better in a game like this. We made it clear in the days leading up to the game that we were determined to get these three points. It was perhaps not the best game in terms of play. But we fought against all odds until the end and simply left everything on the pitch."

What the papers say: "The spell is broken"

The kicker wrote: "The spell has been broken", referring to Bayer 04's first UCL win of the season. The kicker added: "At Benfica, the Werkself impressed with a strong defence and efficiency." The Bild newspaper took a similar view: "The Werkself defended their narrow lead as a team and, with their fighting spirit, ultimately robbed Benfica of their belief in a late equaliser." For the Bild newspaper, the three points are also "big points" with regard to the remaining games in the league phase. The Rheinische Post wrote that the Werkself "broke free" with the victory. For its part, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger awarded individual marks for the players' performances. Flekken and Badé received the highest marks with a score of 1.5.

Personnel: Second youngest UCL starting eleven

The 19-year-old Ibrahim Maza, who named Man of the Match after the game, made his first start in the Champions League. This makes him the youngest Algerian ever to start a Champions League match. With an average age of 24 years and 181 days, Bayer 04 also fielded the youngest UCL starting XI since October 2022. At 23 years and 335 days, it was the youngest in the club's history in the 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid.

It was also a special game for Alejandro Grimaldo, who played for Benfica from 2016 to 2023, on his return to his old club for the first time since moving to Bayer 04 two years ago. And speaking of returns: Malik Tillman celebrated his comeback on the pitch after recovering from injury. The American commented: "Of course, I'm delighted to be back. But winning is much more important than my comeback!" Nevertheless: Great to have you back, Malik!

Stats: Werkself on target

Bayer 04 have scored in all four UCL matches so far this season and therefore proved to be reliable goalscorers on the European stage. For Schick, it was his second goal in the Champions League following his first in November 2024 in a 5-0 win over RB Salzburg. At the back, Mark Flekken and Co. kept a clean sheet for the first time in the current UCL season against Benfica.

And these are the figures for the game: Bayer 04 had 46.6 per cent possession, Benfica 53.4 per cent. Leverkusen had seven shots, the home side 21, but the Portuguese hosts pushed the numbers up especially after going behind. After the opener, Bayer 04 were mainly focused on defending as shot after shot was kept out. And by comparison: Leverkusen had a 66 per cent share of the game at times in the first half at 0-0 .

Up next: Heidenheim at home before international break

The Werkself are back in action on Bundesliga matchday 10. On Saturday, 8 November (kick-off:15:30 CET), Bayer 04 welcome FC Heidenheim to the BayArena. Tickets are available HERE. The last international break of the year follows that game.