First Round, 10.08.2019: Alemannia Aachen v Bayer 04 1-4 (0-2)
The first competitive match in the 2019/20 campaign took three Black and Red players on a trip down memory lane. The Werkself kicked off the season away to Alemannia Aachen in the first round of the DFB Cup and that certainly evoked pleasurable thoughts of old and new times for Simon Rolfes, Kai Havertz and Hans-Peter Lehnhoff.
The Bayer 04 sporting director came to the attention of Leverkusen as a young player for Alemannia in the second division in 2004/05 and he still lives in the area. Kai Havertz was born in Aachen and his parents live just outside Aachen in Alsdorf. The young Kai took his first steps in the game as a youth player at Alemannia Mariadorf. His grandad used to be the chairman of the club when today’s team liaison manager Hans-Peter Lehnhoff was a talented forward. In front of a full house at the Tivoli – with 4,000 Bayer 04 fans amongst the 30,000 crowd – the battling underdogs initially competed on equal terms. However, an unlucky own goal by Aachen’s captain Hachenberg (19’) and a disguised low shot from Kevin Volland (39’) gave the disciplined favourites a 2-0 lead at half-time.
A goal scored by Batarilo from a counter-attack (56’) briefly got the home fans on their feet. But the hopes of the Alemannia fans disappeared fifteen minutes later when Leon Bailey made it 3-1 seconds after coming off the bench. And a man from Aachen in Black and Red rounded off the scoring: Kai Havertz netted for the final score of 4-1 (88’).
Match stats:
Alemannia Aachen: Cymer – Fiedler (Glowacz 81’), Heinze, Hackenberg, Wallenborn (Salata 69’) – Rakk (Pütz 83’) – Müller, Batarilo, Garnier, Rüter – Bors
Bayer 04: Özcan – Dragovic, S. Bender, Tah – Bellarabi (Bailey 72’), Aránguiz (Baumgartlinger 72’), Demirbay, Wendell – Havertz, Volland, Amiri (Diaby 80’)
Goals: 0-1 Hackenberg o.g. (19’), 0-2 Volland (39’), 1-2 Batarilo (56’), 1-3 Bailey (72’), 1-4 Havertz (88’)
Referee: Martin Petersen (Stuttgart)
Booked: Wallenborn
Attendance: 30,861 (sold-out)
With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
Show more
With 46 points in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga, the Bayer 04 Women’s team once again broke the previous season's club record and ended up in fifth place - 15 wins is also a record. As in previous years, you now have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is open exclusively to Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app by 11 June.
Show more
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
Show more
Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
Show more
