The group stage (24 June) and the Round of 16 and quarter-finals (25 June) for 'DETO' were today (Sunday) followed by the semi-finals. And the clashes with Mohammed 'MOAUBA' Harkous developed into a spectacular showdown on the consoles. The Leverkusen player won the first leg against the reigning world champion 3-1 but lost the second meeting by the same scoreline.
So it went down to a decider. And in this encounter, 'DETO' won with a golden goal on 29 minutes thanks to a strike from the virtual Kevin Volland to go through to the overall final. "Getting through to the final pleases me for the whole club. You can see what it means to the members of staff," said the #B04eSports player after the semi-final.
The oldest of all four semi-finalists faced Augsburg's 'YANNIC0109' in the online final. The man from Augsburg somewhat surprisingly defeated Dylan 'DULLENMIKE' Neuhausen (VfL Wolfsburg) in the last four. 'DETO' and the FCA player completed the first leg on PS4. The Augsburg player won this 2-1, leaving the #B04eSports player under pressure to perform on the unfamiliar Xbox One console.
And it initially looked good for the former world champion. He took the lead after half an hour to level the overall result. However, 'YANNIC0109' then hit back late on to secure the title of champion of Germany 2020. "I'm disappointed with the way I approached the final," said a disappointed 'DETO' initially but then declared: "It's been an impressive season for Fabi (Leverkusen's Xbox player Fabian 'B04_DUBZJE' de Cae, ed.) and me. I'd like to thank the whole team at Bayer 04 and my fans for their support."
The club is also happy with the achievement. "I'm incredibly proud of the whole team: Kai, Fabi and everybody in the background. We worked hard for the great finish in the Club Championship and in the Grand Final. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for the big target of the overall victory," said Florian Dederichs, head of internationalisation and eSports at Bayer 04, who went on to promise: "We'll be back again next year!"
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 as he worked 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 personalised 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…
Show moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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