World champion Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin kicked off the evening on the consoles. Playing on PlayStation 4, the experienced #B04eSports player clashed with Braunschweig's Lukas 'H00DY' Hennig. 'Deto' got off to a great start and was leading 3-0 shortly after half-time – the virtual youth player Yannick Schlößer scored three goals (12', 41', 51'). Leverkusen then conceded two goals (67', 90') but were able to register the first three points in the end.
In the following individual game on Xbox, Fabian 'B04_DUBZJE' De Cae lost 3-0 to Eintracht eSports player Dominik 'DOMINIK' Schwerdtfeger. That meant the 2 v 2 would be the decider. For the Black and Reds, youngster Marc 'MARC_LDW23' Landwehr played alongside 'DETO' – and the duo turned out to be a winning partnership. Thanks to goals from the virtual Samed Onur (19'), Schlößer (31') and Moussa Diaby (82') there was not only a win in the 2 v 2 game but also an overall 6-3 win against Braunschweig.
After the games against Eintracht, the second opponent of the evening was FC Köln. The new Bayer 04 eSports player 'MARC_LDW23' played on PlayStation 4 in the 1 v 1 against Tim 'THESTRXNGER' Katnawatos. The 18-year-old took the lead before half-time but ended drawing 1-1 after 90 virtual minutes due to an equaliser scored by FC Köln on 55 minutes.
‘B04_DUBZJE’ narrowly lost 2-1 on Xbox against FC opponent Michael ‘PHENOMENO’ Gherman. All three goals were scored in the first half. As 'DETO' and 'MARC_LDW23' won 2-0 in the 2 v 2 game, they secured a 4-4 draw against third-placed FC Köln.
Next Tuesday, 2 March, the #B04eSports players have the first games against Borussia Mönchengladbach at 18.00 CET. The later opponents at 20.00 CET are Werder Bremen. The last clash in this year's VBL Club Championship will be played on 9 March against Hannover 96 and that could be a crucial game for the Bayer 04 eSports players.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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