Head coach Xabi Alonso made four changes to the team that started Saturday’s 2-1 win at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. Matej Kovar was in goal in place of Lukas Hradecky, Nordi Mukiele came in for Arthur at right-back, while Exequiel Palacios and Florian Wirtz started for Aleix Garcia and Patrik Schick, who were on the bench.
Both teams worked on sizing each other up in the opening stages of this big round of 16 tie. The Werkself looked to be solid in defence, while the hosts had most of the ball in the early period. The first chance of note came for Bayer 04 in the 11th minute when Piero Hincapie forced the Bayern defence into a mistake and the ball fell for Wirtz, but he snatched his effort wide.
The big talking point of the game then came just after the quarter-hour mark when Jeremie Frimpong was upended by Neuer when chasing a long ball. Referee Harm Osmers produced a red card for the Bayern captain, giving the Werkself a man advantage in this intense encounter.
Frimpong had a great chance to put Leverkusen ahead in the first half when found by Wirtz left of goal, but he was denied by the outstretched leg of substitute goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Bayern then started to find their feet again and grew into the game late in the period, with opportunities coming and going for Konrad Laimer, Kingsley Coman, Leon Goretzka and Minjae Kim as it remained goalless at the break.
Alonso introduced Schick for Robert Andrich for the second half. Wirtz then had the first notable chance as he dragged a Frimpong cutback wide from the edge of the box. The game was over for Schick shortly after when he went down holding his calf. He was replaced by Tella, while Arthur came on for Mukiele. Chances were few and far between after that until Tella got on the end of Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross from the left into the area and headed home from close range. The 10 men pushed for a leveller but looked bereft of ideas against the organised Werkself defence as the holders held on to advance to the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal.
This busy spell continues for the Werkself with a home game against St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday (3.30pm CET). Bayer 04 then welcome Inter Milan to Leverkusen for the sixth game of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase on Tuesday (9pm).
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Kovar – Mukiele (Arthur 61'), Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie – Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich (Schick 46 (Tella 61')), Palacios, Grimaldo – Wirtz
FC Bayern: Neuer – Laimer (Boey 72'), Upamecano, Kim (Tel 84'), Davies - Kimmich, Goretzka (Pavlovic 72') - Sané (Peretz 19'), Musiala, Coman (Gnabry 72') - Olise
Goals: 0-1 Tella (68')
Yellow cards: Upamecano, Goretzka, Freund – Tapsoba, Wirtz, Parrilla, Kovar
Red card: Neuer
Referee: Harm Osmers
Attendance: 74,000 (sold out) at the Allianz Arena
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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