Head coach Xabi Alonso made nine changes from the team that started the weekend’s 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart, with only defenders Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba retaining their places. Niklas Lomb was in goal for his first competitive appearance for the Werkself since the Europa League encounter with Young Boys on 25 February 2021.
The Werkself dominated from the off at the BayArena and needed only six minutes to open the scoring. Robert Andrich won the ball inside the opposition half and set Schick away. The Czech striker first looked to find a teammate but then decided to go it alone and finished from 20 yards out. Compatriot Hlozek then tried to repeat the feat a few minutes later but fired over from a central position. Bayer 04 didn’t let up and doubled their advantage with 22 minutes gone as Jonas Hofmann crossed following a short corner, with Tapsoba flicking it on with his head for 2-0.
The host were again on the front foot straight after and got a third when Nathan Tella crossed low from the right and Ellingsen turned into his own net from inside the six-yard box. It could’ve been 4-0 before the break when the lively Tella cut inside but saw his shot cleared off the line. The ball came back to Schick, who struck the post. Hlozek then put that rebound over the bar.
Again, it was Alonso’s men in control after the restart. One flowing move on the hour mark brought the next goal. Starting inside their own half and going through a number of players, substitute Noah Mbamba then sent Hlozek away, being forced wide by a backtracking defender, but the Czech forward shrugged off the challenge as he ran at pace and fired the ball under the Molde crossbar for the fourth of the evening. It was the 21-year-old’s first Europa League goal of the season, and a second soon followed. Following a corner, he picked up the ball a good 25 yards out and let fly. It took a slight deflection off Mbamba but whizzed into the net to make it 5-0 with 70 minutes gone.
The visitors then got one back out of nowhere five minutes later when Ellingsen’s long ball found Eric Kitolano to bring things back to 5-1. There were no more goals that would’ve brought a record European win for Bayer 04, but history was made late in the game when Ken Izekor came on to become the youngest Werkself player ever at 16 years, nine months and three days. The forward did try to mark the occasion with a goal but failed to hit the target with his effort. It didn’t matter as Alonso’s men extended their unbeaten start to 2023/24 to 23 matches and became only the 12th team to complete a perfect Europa League group stage.
The Werkself finish out this year with two home games in the Bundesliga. Eintracht Frankfurt are the visitors this Sunday (17:30 CET), before Bochum come to the BayArena to bring down the curtain on 2023 on Wednesday (20:30).
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Lomb – Stanisic, Tah (Grimaldo 58'), Tapsoba (Izekor 77'), Hincapie – Hofmann (Adli 58'), Puerta, Andrich, Tella – Schick (Mbamba 58'), Hlozek
Molde: Petersen – Hagelskjaer, Ellingsen, Haugan – Lovik, Grodem (Ödegard 71'), Kaasa (Björnbak 46'), Eriksen, Haugen – Gulbrandsen (Nyheim 71'), Kitolano (Juberg-Hovland 85')
Goals: 1-0 Schick (6'), 2-0 Tapsoba (22'), 3-0 Ellingsen (og, 24'), 4-0 Hlozek (60'), 5-0 Hlozek (70'), 5-1 Kitolano (75')
Yellow cards: Tah, Grimaldo
Referee: Robert Jones (England)
Attendance: 28,504 (home section sold out) at the BayArena
Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
Show more
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
Show more
The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
Show more
“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
Show more
