There was an element of relief in the end. "It was a difficult game," said Romelu Lukaku in analysing the Round of 16 game against Getafe last Wednesday. The Spanish club pushed Inter Milan to the limits in Gelsenkirchen: Getafe had early chances to take the lead and later missed a penalty that would have levelled the scores. The progress of the 'Nerazzurri’ was touch and go in the first game after the Europa League restart. However, the superior individual quality of the Serie A runners-up won out in the end: An irresistible individual performance by star striker Lukaku put Inter in front in the first half, and after Getafe missed the penalty, substitute Christian Eriksen sealed the victory at 2-0.
"The Europa League is an important competition for us," said coach Antonio Conte. He knows: His team can go far this year. "The lads are consistently improving and we are now very difficult to beat." With the introduction of Conte and several top European players last summer, Inter have taken a step towards being one of the absolute top clubs in Europe again. They were just one point behind serial champions Juventus in Serie A and the Champions League campaign ended in the group of death with Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. In the Europa League, Inter first convincingly beat Ludogorets (2-0; 2-1) – and now have deservedly beaten Getafe.
Hats off to anybody who can afford to bring on a Christian Eriksen on 82 minutes. The Danish playmaker, in the starting eleven in the Champions League final last season, is currently the super sub at Inter – in spite of the indisputable class that the midfielder showed against Getafe: Just a few seconds on the pitch and he set himself up to score the goal to make it 2-0. Conte praised the Dane after the Getafe game: "He's fitting in with us more and more." But the squad is currently so full of stars that it is not a given that Eriksen can expect a regular berth in the side.
The club invested heavily last summer: In addition to coach Conte, the former manager at Juve, Chelsea and Italy, there were a host of high quality players like central striker Lukaku, experienced defender Diego Godin and – initially on loan – striker Alexis Sanchez who Inter have now signed on a permanent deal as the club announced on Thursday. In the winter, big names like Ashley Young, Victor Moses and Eriksen followed. Together with quality players already in the squad, such as the much fancied striker Lautaro Martinez, midfield enforcer Marcelo Brozovic and central defender Stefan de Vrij, the transfer activity has produced a team that does not have to fear any other side on the continent.
"We often got it wrong when we played out from the back," said a critical Conte after the Getafe game. In the opening stages of the game, the Spaniards actually managed to put Inter under pressure in transition and thereby often caused the Nerazzurri to lose possession. Otherwise, the team have scarcely made any mistakes in recent weeks and the only evident problem is probably more of a media invention: The reserve role of winter signing Eriksen is a constant subject for discussion in Italy’s newspapers and television broadcasts. But something could soon change in that respect.
Inter Milan appear to be back at the top of European football for the first time since the historic treble season of 2009/2010 under José Mourinho. Even in Serie A, the former regular champions (five scudetti in succession from 2006 to 2010) slipped down to mid-table but now the big renaissance appears to be taking hold. With this high quality – albeit predominately aging – squad, Inter have a great chance in the next few years to win another title – possibly starting this summer.
No question: Inter present a tough challenge for the Werkself. Of the eight remaining teams, there is perhaps no other that has such a large number of big names in their squad. This game could be a real treat and not just for Bayer 04 supporters as it definitely has the potential to be one of the highlight matches of the Europa League tournament – and the winner will have more than realistic chance of progressing to the final in Cologne in the last four against either Shakhtar Donetsk or Basel. There could hardly be more at stake in a quarter-final and it is also clear: The Werkself will need a top performance to go through to the next round.
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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