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!
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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