Head coach Xabi Alonso made one change to the starting line-up for the second leg: Amine Adli made way for Florian Wirtz in attack - alongside Sardar Azmoun and Moussa Diaby. The back three was again made up of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie. Jeremie Frimpong and Mitchel Bakker were the wing-backs. Kerem Demirbay and Exequiel Palacios were in midfield.
On a deafening and breathtaking stage at the BayArena, the match started as expected with the visitors from Rome sitting deep in their own half allowing the Werkself to dominate the ball early on. The Leverkusen team had a first chance on goal after winning possession in their own half: Wirtz raced forward down the left towards the opposition goal and the 20-year-old laid the ball off to Diaby. The Frenchman mishit his shot and it went wide of the left upright (10’). Just two minutes later, the Werkself number 19 tried a shot from out the box and he hit the bar. The rest of the match was mainly played in front of the AS Roma goal.
The Werkself pressed the Italian team and allowed them little space and time to venture out of their own half. The visitors showed little interest in maintaining possession. That led to an increased number of opportunities for the Black and Reds – including a cross that Tapsoba just failed to connect with (17’). Demirbay with a long-range effort (21’) and a header from Diaby (23’) also failed to hit the target. Azmoun almost had the next chance with a header: The Iran international was picked out from the right by teammate Diaby but the AS Roma keeper Rui Patricio was able to beat him to the ball and clear the danger (30’). The hosts deserved to take the lead but that did not come in the first 45 with the two sides going into half-time with the score at 0-0.
The second half started with a repeat of the first with a defensive AS Roma team up against a lively Alonso side. The team from Rome played a smart game, again and again staying down after challenges and fouls to play for time. The proceedings were often interrupted and that served to disrupt the Werkself pattern of play. Diaby and Co. failed to create any chances in the opening minutes after the restart. The first good goalscoring opportunity fell to Azmoun on 67 minutes in a rebound from a long-range effort from Demirbay but once again the Roma keeper Patricio was able to make the save.
The Werkself refused to be downhearted, continued to fight for every ball and battled to the end. On 78 minutes, Tah had a shot from a central position but it was deflected. There was another big chance for Azmoun who failed to convert a rebound from a shot by substitute Adli (81’). The visitors showed little desire to play the game.
In the closing stages, Xabi Alonso rang the changes up front by bringing on Adli (76’), Adam Hlozek (80’) and Nadiem Amiri (86’). The match could hardly have been more one-sided with 23 shots to 1 - but the ball did not end up in the AS Roma goal. Referee Slavko Vincic blew for full-time after eight minutes of added time with the game ending goalless. The 1-0 win for AS Roma in the first leg meant the exit for Bayer 04 from the Europa League.
The run in is here: The final home game of the season at the BayArena is in three days time on Sunday 21 May (kick-off: 19.30 CEST). The Werkself entertain Borussia Mönchengladbach. That is followed a week later by the final fixture of the campaign: On Bundesliga matchday 34, Bayer 04 are away to VfL Bochum on Saturday 27 May. The match at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion and all other games in the league kick-off at the traditional time of 15.30 CEST.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah (Amiri 86’), Hincapie – Frimpong, Demirbay, Palacios (Hlozek 80’), Bakker (Adli 76’) – Wirtz – Azmoun, Diaby
AS Roma: Patricio – Mancini, Cristante, Ibanez – Celik (Smalling 78’), Spinazzola (Zalewski 34’) – Matic – Bove, Pellegrini – Abraham, Belotti (Wijnaldum 46’)
Booked: Hincapie, Palacios, Bakker, Diaby, Tapsoba, Alonso (coach) – Ibanez, Cristante, Abraham
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Attendance: 30,210 (sell-out) at the BayArena
Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
Show more
Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
Show more
A first for the Werkself: Today, Thursday 15 October (kick-off: 18:45 CEST), Bayer 04 face Lech Poznan for the first time on matchday 2 in the UEFA Europa League group. Although the Black and Reds have a flawless record against the only Polish opposition faced before, they must not underestimate the attacking ability and goal-scoring threat of the reigning champions from Poznan. Lech’s squad also includes two former Bundesliga players. Today's matchday news.
Show more
Some 30 years on since their last European fixture in Poland, Bayer 04 cross the border for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash against Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase on Thursday (kick-off: 18:45 CEST). Ahead of a first-ever meeting with Lech, head coach Carles Martínez and winger Nathan Tella spoke in Poznan about special memories and objectives.
Show more
