The Werkself have put an "End to the crisis" against the team from Hessen after a run of three games without a win as the headline in the Süddeutsche Zeitung suggests. In an "extensively exciting and intense battle", the team under head coach Peter Bosz secured revenge for the 2-1 defeat in the Bundesliga ten days ago.
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger highlights the mentality of the Werkself in their review. Commenting on the second half: "Bayer went into the second half full of confidence and finished with even more. The reward came on 49 minutes albeit with the help of the match officials. Kerem Demirbay, who was bossing the game in midfield, hit a free kick from 40 yards out onto the head of Edmond Tapsoba who guided the ball into the net. Refereed Dingert drew a decisive and wrong conclusion: goal. Bayer 04 were 3-1 up although Tapsoba was in an offside position."
Moussa Diaby, with his brace, and midfield dynamo Demirbay earned top marks on the night according to the KStA.
The report in the Rheinische Post begins with an historic fact: "Bayer Leverkusen have played 71 league games against Eintracht Frankfurt but the fixture, which has never ended goalless, is a rarity in the cup. The two teams only met for the second time in the knockout competition." As a reminder: The first cup tie also ended with a three-goal advantage to the Werkself. In the semi-final in 1993, Andy Thom, Ulf Kirsten and Co. beat SGE 3-0 and then went on to bring the trophy back to the Rhineland.
But back to the here and now: The Bild saw a match at the BayArena that "was not as clear-cut as the result suggests." Under the headline ("Through with 10 men! Now it's Essen for Bayer") the tabloid highlights the dismissal of Jonathan Tah for an alleged professional foul (73'). And also looks at the next cup opponents for the Werkself: Rot-Weiss Essen. The fourth division team knocked out Fortuna Düsseldorf in the second round with a 3-2 win. Last year's cup finalists now travel to the Ruhr Valley at the start of February...
Bayer 04 are back at the BayArena! Under the slogan “One day. Two teams. One club.”, the Leverkusen stadium grounds will be transformed into a world of experiences – with a wide range of exclusive activities both on and off the pitch. Keep track of all the highlights in our blog for the 2026 season launch.
Show more
Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
Show more
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
Show more
Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
Show more
A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
Show more
