Heiko Herrlich kept faith with same starting eleven at Borussia Park that lined up in the 6-2 win at Werder Bremen. The idea was to carry on where the Werkself left off at the weekend as the head coach said before the cup tie.
And Bayer 04 were first out of the blocks: After five minutes, the 2,000 Bayer 04 travelling fans had the first opportunity to celebrate when the Werkself took the lead with their very first attack. Kevin Volland passed to Julian Brandt in the Gladbach penalty area and his well-placed left-foot shot found the back of the net off the inside of the post to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
Herrlich was forced into making a substitution on 15 minutes when a thigh problem prevented Aleksandar Dragovic playing on. He was replaced in the back three by Tin Jedvaj. The Werkself continued to play with intelligence and were fully focused as they prevented Gladbach turning their greater possession into chances on goal.
The best chance for the hosts was frustrated by Lars Bender when he blocked a shot from Patrick Hermann with a slide tackle on 22 minutes. The Black and Reds posed more of a threat. Volland was unlucky with a delightful curler from 14 yards out that hit the left-hand post (24') - it could have been 2-0.
The Werkself produced the more mature performance, playing a structured game and working really well together throughout the side. The first danger in the Leverkusen box came on 36 minutes when Gladbach were able to break through and Florian Neuhaus had his shot from a tight angle kept out with an impressive reaction save from Lukas Hradecky.
Towards the end of the first half, the hosts upped the pressure on Bayer 04 but they were able to resist thanks to strong team spirit and great discipline. And then the Werkself struck again: Brandt took a quick free kick putting the ball in the path of Lars Bender who failed to beat the Borussia keeper Yann Sommer in a one-on-one but Tin Jedvaj was on hand to tuck home the rebound giving the visitors a 2-0 lead at the break (45+1').
The Werkself began the second half with much promise: Kai Havertz raced down the left flank and passed to Volland but his mishit shot from eleven yards out flew high over the bar on 48 minutes.
Thorgan Hazard had the first good chance for Gladbach but the Belgian missed the target from 13 yards out (52'). Bayer 04 remained solid at the back but did have goalkeeper Hradecky to thank that the score was still 2-0 on 63 minutes. The Werkself number one pulled off a fantastic save to deny Lars Stindl with a shot from a central position. Gladbach continued to build the pressure. It was good that the Herrlich team kept their cool during this phase and then did well to create the opening for the decider. Brandt, who again had a very good game, fed Bellarabi - and he made it 3-0 with a placed right-foot shot (67'). Just seven minutes later, the Werkself number 38 scored again. After a long ball from Volland, Bellarabi broke away and side-stepped Oscar Wendt and then Sommer to put the Werkself 4-0 up on 74 minutes. Outstanding, Karim!
The Werkself were not finished: Substitue Dominik Kohr provided the assist for Volland and he kept his cool in front of goal as he rounded Sommer to make it 5-0 on 80 minutes.
After the 6-2 win at Werder, the Werkself produced another goal fest three days later with this brilliant performance taking them through to the last sixteen in the DFB Cup to the evident joy of the travelling fans after the final whistle.
The draw for the next round of the DFB Cup will be held on Sunday 4 November at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. The ARD Sportschau broadcast includes the draw live at 18.00 CET.
On Saturday 3 November the Werkself entertain TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. The kick-off at the BayArena is at 15.30 CET.
Match stats:
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Sommer - Lang, Ginter, Elvedi, Wendt - Kramer - Hofmann (Zakaria 75'), Neuhaus (Cuisance 63') - T. Hazard, Hermann (Traoré 46') - Stindl
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tah, S. Bender, Dragovic (Jedvaj 15') - Weiser, L. Bender, Havertz, Wendell (Kohr 76') - Bellarabi (Bailey 78'), Volland, Brandt
Goals: 0-1 Brandt (5'), 0-2 Jedvaj (45+1'), 0-3 Bellarabi (67'), 0-4 Bellarabi (74'), 0-5 Volland (80')
Referee: Tobias Welz (Wiesbaden)
Booked: Hermann - Wendell, Jedvaj
Attendance: 48,755
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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