The Werkself were keen to take control of their first competitive game of the new season from the start, registering 75 percent possession in the opening quarter of an hour. Patrik Schick did also find the net in this period, but he was offside when he received the ball. The contest flattened out a bit midway through the first period, before Schick tapped the ball in again shortly before half-time. This time it counted, so Bayer 04 took a narrow lead into the dressing room. The visitors quickly made it 2-0 after the restart through Lucas Vázquez, who was in the right place to sweep up a rebound. The Werkself continued to dominate and substitutes Nathan Tella and Christian Kofane made it a deserved 4-0 victory.
Afterwards, head coach Carles Martínez spoke of an "attritional game, but we knew it would be like that beforehand. Credit to the opponents. The first half against Wiesbaden's compact block was a bit tricky, but we spoke about it at the break and then it got better - obviously the goals helped. The result was perfect for us, a good start."
Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich summarised: "We dominated the match, even if it was hard work. In terms of the energy and the aggression, there were a lot of good things today." Ibrahim Maza stressed that "the win and the progression were the most important thing today. This positive start to the season gives us confidence. We absolutely have what it takes to go deep in the cup. I believe in us."
kicker wrote of a 'deserved' victory for Leverkusen, adding: "The third-tier side bravely held firm, but ultimately were no hurdle for the Werkself, who struggled in the first half but then hit their stride." Bild saw "a successful debut for the new Bayer coach" and described the opening goal from Schick: "Man, that was smartly done. With his left he beat Wiesbaden goalkeeper Brdar at the angle." The Rheinische Post led its match report with the following words: "The Werkself got the job done convincingly in the cup, living up to their status as favourites and celebrating their first competitive win under coach Carles Martinez." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger described the second goal from Vázquez as the "clincher".
Summer signings Miguel Gutiérrez and Afonso Moreira, who together formed the left side, both made their competitive debuts for Bayer 04, as did Facundo Medina, who came on for his very first appearance in a Werkself shirt in the 74th minute. In addition, World Cup participants Jarell Quansah and Exequiel Palacios featured for the first time in 2026/27. Edmond Tapsoba led the team onto the field for the first time since being named captain.
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal for the 14th time in 15 years. Only in the 2022/23 campaign were they knocked out at this stage - a 4-3 defeat at SV 07 Elversberg, incidenatally their next opponents in the Bundesliga. In fact, in the three seasons since that defeat, the Werkself have always reached at least the semi-finals of the competition - winning it once, of course.
The Werkself kick off the 2026/27 Bundesliga season with an away match at newly promoted Elversberg. Kick-off is at 15:30 CEST on Saturday 29 August, with away tickets told out. Exactly a week later (Saturday 5 September, 15:30 CEST), the first home game of the campaign takes place against 1. FC Union Berlin at the BayArena. Remaining tickets are on general sale HERE!
Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
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Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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With the 2026/27 season set to kick off with a DFB Pokal tie away to SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Saturday, 22 August, 13:00 CEST), the squad numbers for two Werkself players have now been confirmed. New signing Afonso Moreira will wear the number 9, which he has already worn in pre-season friendlies. Lucas Vázquez is switching from number 21 to number 17 – the number he wore successfully at Real Madrid for many years.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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