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
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned U19 midfielder Jeremiah Mensah to Dutch second-tier side Roda JC Kerkrade for one year. The 18-year-old Germany youth international has a long-term contract at the club to 2031.
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Bayer 04 kick off the final phase of their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with a friendly against Premier League club Nottingham Forest. Head coach Carles Martínez’s team will take to the pitch at the City Ground today, Wednesday 12 August (kick-off: 8.45 pm/7.45 pm local time). Werkself-TV will broadcast the match live and in full exclusively for Bayer 04 members via livestream from 8.35 pm...
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Argentina international Facundo Medina. The defender, who can play both at left-back and in a more central position in the back line, has signed a contract with Bayer 04 to 30 June 2031. The 1.84-metre-tall World Cup runner-up, who will wear the number 2 shirt, joins the club from French top-flight side Olympique de Marseille.
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Villa Fiorito, River Plate, Ligue 1, the World Cup final and now Bayer 04: Facundo Medina’s life story so far has been shaped by special places, clubs, matches and names. One of them is Diego Maradona, who, like Medina, hailed from the south of Buenos Aires. Another is Exequiel Palacios, his former team-mate at River Plate, who was raving about Bayer 04 to him as recently as the World Cup in North America. Medina has now taken the plunge into the Bundesliga and, as an Argentine World Cup runner-up, has joined Bayer 04 from Olympique de Marseille this week. It is set to be the next successful chapter in his career. Leverkusen’s new number 2 brings with him a South American mentality and passion, a wealth of experience from many years in Ligue 1, and a fascinating story to the Rhineland – and to a club where the 1.84-metre-tall left-footed player will be reunited with Palacios and several other familiar faces.
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