Head coach Kasper Hjulmand made three changes to his starting XI compared to the 2-1 loss at home to Borussia Dortmund three days earlier: Jarell Quansah, Martin Terrier and Christian Kofane replaced Loïc Badé, Malik Tillman and Patrik Schick. BVB made four changes from the previous clash in Leverkusen.
After a hectic ten minutes with a number of poor passes on both sides, both BVB and Bayer 04 started to pop up more frequently in dangerous areas. However, the first attempts were all successfully blocked. Edmond Tapsoba (17') and Ibrahim Maza (20') both got forward but shot wide, while at the other end Jonas Hofmann saved with his head from the onrushing Daniel Svensson (25'). Then, nine minutes later, Mark Flekken started a move which ended in the opposition penalty area and led to the opening goal! Álex Grimaldo played Maza in deep and, somehow, in a scramble against three Dortmund players, he managed to hold onto the ball and then calmly slotted it into the far corner to make it 1-0 (34'). BVB now turned up the heat again, with Robert Andrich making a last-gasp impressive block from a Karim Adeyemi shot (40'). As a result, Leverkusen went into the break with a narrow lead.
The second half had already been underway for a quarter of an hour when the Werkself doubled their lead during a period of pressure from Dortmund. However, Terrier's goal, his first in a competitive match this season, was chalked off for offside in the 60th minute. Shortly afterwards, Schick and Tillman replaced Kofane and Terrier, providing some fresh attacking impetus for Leverkusen. Schick had his first sight of goal with a header in the 73rd minute, which BVB keeper Gregor Kobel saved. At the other end, Nico Schlotterbeck went just wide with a long-range effort (77'). The final phase, including six minutes of stoppage time, was as combative and emotional as expected. Adeyemi headed into the side netting (90'+5), then the final whistle sounded at Signal Iduna Park! Bayer 04 were in the quarter-finals!
There's no let-up in the Werkself's exciting run-up to Christmas. The next challenge comes on Saturday, 6 December (kick-off: 15:30 CET) at FC Augsburg. This will be followed by the final Champions League clash of the year against Newcastle United. Kick-off is at 21:00 CET on Wednesday, 10 December at the BayArena. The two final opponents in 2025 will be 1. FC Köln - in Leverkusen - and RB Leipzig away from home. Click HERE for an overview of the current status of ticket sales.
Match stats:
Dortmund: Kobel - Anton, Can, Schlotterbeck - Ryerson (67' Beier), Bellingham, Nmecha (74' Groß), Svensson (86' Bensebaini) - Adeyemi, Chukwuemeka (67' Brandt) - Silva (67' Guirassy)
Bayer 04: Flekken - Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba - Hofmann (90'+2 Badé), Maza, Garcia, Grimaldo - Terrier (61' Tillman), Poku (83' Tella) - Kofane (61' Schick)
Goal: 0-1 Maza (34')
Yellow cards: Anton, Bellingham, Can - Andrich, Tillman
Refree: Tobias Stieler (Sölden im Schwarzwald)
Attendance: 81,365 (sold out) at Signal Iduna Park
High spirits and previously untold stories: Around 100 Bayer 04 fans packed the Schwadbud fan pub in the east stand of the BayArena on Thursday evening to be there in person for the first instalment of the new series of events entitled “Rudi lädt ein” (Rudi invites you). They listened intently as long-serving Werkself players Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kießling chatted with record appearance-maker Rüdiger Vollborn and presenter and stadium announcer Tobias Ufer about their many years together at the club, shared amusing anecdotes and revealed dressing room secrets. Anyone who missed the premiere can already look forward to the second instalment – on 12 May, Rudi will be testing the expert knowledge of Bayer 04 fans during a quiz night.
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The Bundesliga home game against VfL Wolfsburg in the first half of the season was one of those classic ‘days to forget’ for Bayer 04 Women. It started with goalkeeper Charlotte Voll being shown a red card in the first minute of the game, and following a further sending-off, coach Roberto Pätzold's 9-women side ended up losing 5-1 to last season's runners-up. At 18.30 CET on Sunday, they'll have the chance to exact revenge at the AOK Stadium - and pick up valuable points in the race for third place.
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Sofie Zdebel is up for the Goal of the Month award for February on ARD-Sportschau. Fans have until 21 March (19:00 CET) to vote for the Germany U23 international's volley to make it 2-0 in the Bayer 04 Women's derby against FC Köln (2-1).
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are further expanding their partner network: The feed manufacturer PerNaturam is an official sponsor of the Bayer 04 Womens team. The partnership opens up a wide range of opportunities for the company to position its brand in the Bundesliga environment.
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Do you dream of wearing the Bayer cross on your chest? To play in black and red like your role models Loreen Bender, Cornelia Kramer, Kristin Kögel and co. from the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga? Then take your chance now! Our female youth teams are once again on the lookout for new talent. That's why Bayer 04 are organising a talent day on 12 April 2026 for the first time this year with trials for female juniors.
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