
"The Cup dream of Bayer 04 Leverkusen sank without trace in the mud of Essen," declares the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger at the start of their match report. "The Bundesliga side with big Champions League ambitions and dreams of the title had to accept a 2-1 defeat in extra time against fourth division Rot-Weiss Essen in the DFB Cup Round of 16."
"A football miracle that really hurts Leverkusen," says BILD – and adds: "It should never have gone into extra time. It’s hard to believe it was 0-0 after 90 minutes."
This is unravelled in the Rheinische Post, which presents the following analysis taking account of Leverkusen's 3-5-2 system: "The attacking approach was evident: In the first half-hour alone, the Werkself produced a handful of good chances. But Bayer did not find the back of the net."
"Leverkusen obviously had more and better chances," reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung. "Patrik Schick put a header against the post (24'), Charles Aránguiz tested Davari (29') and Moussa Diaby shot just wide in added time in the first half."
The WAZ also highlights the outstanding goalkeeper for the Red and Whites on the night. "Davari continually surpassed himself over the course of the game," praises the newspaper. "He parried Edmond Tapsoba's header (51') and Bailey's low shot (60'). The game was a case of: Davari against Leverkusen. The Regional League side were unable to break free."
In the view of the Frankfurter Rundschau, the Regional League side had "immense luck just before the end of the 90 minutes," when Bayer 04 hit the post twice in one move. "Then came extra time that saw Essen sensationally continue their fairy tale success."
"Bayer appeared to be on course after Bailey's goal," reports the EXPRESS, "But Essen showed incredible morale" – and also survived the final VAR intervention after the winner. "There were heated discussions because Essen's Felix Herzenbruch pulled Jeremie Frimpong's shirt inside his own penalty area. Referee Daniel Schlager (31) looked at the incident on the monitor – and awarded the goal."

Welcome back! On Tuesday morning, 11 August, Jarell Quansah and Exequiel Palacios – the last of the Werkself’s World Cup participants – returned to training. The two medallists and their team-mates are set to play their final two pre-season friendlies in England this week before the start of competitive fixtures.
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Bayer 04 have unveiled the new third kit for the 2026/27 season. The design, developed by kit supplier New Balance, combines the city’s colours with symbols that have defined Leverkusen and Bayer 04 for generations.
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Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without Montrell Culbreath for the start of the 2026/27 season. The forward injured his foot injury in yesterday’s preseason friendly against Spanish top-flight side Sevilla (2–1), which rules him out of action for the time being. Culbreath’s diagnosis is not yet complete; further examinations are to follow in the coming days.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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