The script is quickly explained: Bayer 04 dominated the match against the runaway league leaders in the Regional League North East as expected but found it very difficult to create clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. The Werkself did have one good chance just after the half-hour mark when Amine Adli broke into the opposition penalty area from the right and his powerful shot put one of the Jena goalposts through a stability test (31'). The introduction of Alejandro Grimaldo for the second half quickly paid dividends: A beautifully hit a cross from the left from the Spaniard was converted by Jonas Hofmann with a header to secure the winning goal (52'). However, Bayer 04 did not press home the advantage in search of the second goal and they were almost punished in added time when Hamza Muqaj hit the ball over the bar of the goal minded by Matej Kovar from close range (90+3'). The game ended in a 1-0 win for the Werkself. HERE is the match report.
The Werkself knew how to assess their uninspiring win: "None of us went to the limit today or anywhere near it. We made far too many simple mistakes. We have to be honest with ourselves to say that's not good enough," declared Robert Andrich. Goalscorer Jonas Hofmann stated that "as a team we didn't show the dominance that usually makes us stand out." The coach paid a compliment to the opponents: "It was a typical cup tie. Jena did well and fought to the end, it was tough for us," said Xabi Alonso before adding: "We have to work on certain things but we're through to the next round and that’s what counts."
"Leverkusen toiled through to the next round," was the headline in the Rheinische Post and they praised the hosts: "Jena fought with all their might to avoid defeat and they did come close to creating promising situations." The headline in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger highlighted the scorer of the only goal: "Jonas Hofmann delivers win for Leverkusen." The report detailing the performance of the Werkself says: "Bayer 04 scarcely created an attack in dangerous areas. Mostly there was a lack of precision with the final pass." The efforts of the DFB Pokal holders are also reflected in the following headlines: "Lacklustre into the second round" (Kölnische Rundschau) and "Bayer trudge on" (kicker).
The scorer of the winning goal Jonas Hofmann could afford to smile – not just because he was named Man of the Match by the DFB. The 32-year-old was particularly happy with a late first in his professional career: "I knew straightaway it was my first headed goal. Of course, I'm happy that it not only works in training but that I have also finally begun to score with my head in a match." Three Leverkusen youth players were able to gain a lot of positive impressions from the DFB Pokal trip to Thüringia even though they did not play: Othniel Raterink, Francis Onyeka and Artem Stepanov from the Bayer 04 U19 team were in the Werkself matchday squad for the first time.
Although it was a very tight match, all the statistics were clearly in favour of last season's double winners. Bayer 04 had 16 to 6 shots on goal, 74% possession and they won 57% of challenges. There was also a clear lead in pass completion with 90% compared with the Jena’s 64%. The Regional League side did dominate in the category of fouls: The hosts committed 17 and Leverkusen six.
The Werkself and their supporters will definitely not be bored over the next few days. Today (Thursday) there is the Champions League draw from 18.00 CEST. That is followed by Bundesliga matchday two with RB Leipzig visiting the BayArena on Saturday, 31 August (kick-off: 18.30 CEST). The weekend is rounded off on Sunday (live broadcast on ZDF from 17.10 CEST) at the Football Museum in Dortmund with the draw for the second round ties in the DFB Pokal with the games to be played on 29 and 30 October.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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Having previously recorded six consecutive home wins across all competitions, Bayer 04 suffered their first home defeat of 2026/27 as they went down 4-2 to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Matchday 8. The visitors capitalised on their first two chances to score, with Ermedin Demirovic and Jamie Leweling finding the net in the first half. Although Patrik Schick got a goal back in the first half, Bilal El Khannouss and Demirovic again added further goals for Stuttgart. Bayer 04 didn’t give up, but Ibrahim Maza’s goal proved little more than a consolation.
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Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
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The Bayern Munich women’s football team are unbeaten in all domestic competitions in the last 62 matches. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the Bayer 04 women’s team will make their next attempt to end the holders unbeaten run in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie. For coach Roberto Pätzold, there are a number of factors that give the Werkself cause for optimism despite the high-calibre opposition.
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