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 special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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