The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger writes: "On a cold Wednesday night in December Bayer 04 Leverkusen completed the statistically most successful group stage of the Champions League in the club's history. A 3-0 win against AS Monaco sees the Werkself progress to the Round of 16 unbeaten for the first time.… Yurchenko was centre stage with his technique and vision. And when he ran to the edge of the opposition penalty area on the half-hour mark he was struck by a flash of genius. Just shoot! Not just aimlessly but rather with a combination of nouse, swerve and speed that saw the ball escape the fingers of the flying goalkeeper de Sanctis on its way into the top corner. Bayer 04 lead 1-0. And Yurchenko reported back as a serious option in midfield after a long period out injured."
The headline in the Kicker reads: "Bayer agile, focused, terrific." The journal’s assessment: Bayer showed their best side against the group winners and deservedly won." Julian Brandt was named man of the match: "Always at the centre of the action with great ideas, impressive passes and good runs. One goal, impressive. Julian Brandt was the best player."
"Leverkusen unbeaten into the last sixteen" is the headline in the Bild Zeitung and the report continues: "Leverkusen deservedly beat group winners Monaco 3-0 to progress to the Round of 16 as runners-up. Unbeaten for the first time in the club's history. This relatively insignificant victory brings with it a bonus of €1.5 million."
The Cologne newspaper Express reports: "Bayer boys conjure up Leverkusen victory." The report continues: "Bayer have laid down a marker in the Champions League. They conjured up a 3-0 win against AS Monaco, already through as group winners, and earned €1.5 million for the victory.… Any other highlights? Let's take a look at a wonder goal. One look. A curler. With gusto. But also a lot of feeling. From 20 yards out ball flew into the top right corner of the Monaco net. Vladlen Yurchenko (22) hoisted his arms into the night sky in Leverkusen. The injured Admir Mehmedi said ' A wonder goal from Vlad'."
The Rheinische Post view is: "When the final Champions League group game does not involve going through or resolving places then that is not normally a good sign. That's usually the end of the story. In the case of Bayer Leverkusen… It was different. The paradox for the Werkself: There was nothing more to play for in the most popular competition in club football. Regardless of the 3-0 victory, the opponents AS Monaco go through to the Round of 16 as group winners, and Bayer as runners-up. However, the Werkself could celebrate first ever win against Monaco."
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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