The 25,001 spectators at the BayArena witnessed a controlled performance by the Werkself who were primarily camped in the opposition half and they moved the ball around from left to right and back again. The first dangerous and successful situation was started by Piero Hincapie on ten minutes with a shot that was blocked by the Ferencváros defence with the ball then coming to Florian Wirtz who passed to his teammate Kerem Demirbay. The midfielder hit an impressive shot into the net for the opening goal. The best chance for the visitors fell to Kristoffer Zachariassen on 27 minutes but the Norwegian only hit the bar. The hosts pressed for the second goal although the match became disjointed with numerous challenges as the game went on. The second goal did come from a set-piece: With four minutes of normal time to play, Edmond Tapsoba doubled the lead at 2-0 with a header from a rebound off the woodwork from a free kick by Adam Hlozek.The match report.
Speaking to Werkself TV after the game, goalscorer Kerem Demirbay was happy: "It feels good. It was important to win as a team today. The team comes first and I'm happy I was able to help with the goal. I've done my job." And Edmond Tapsoba, who scored to make it 2-0, was relieved: "It's definitely something special as my parents are here today. And then to score a goal – that makes me very happy," said the 24-year-old before adding: "We know it's only the first game and we have to get a result there. We need the same focus as today."
Defender Jonathan Tah summed up the game as follows: "We played with maturity and recognised the phase in the second half where it could go either way and we produced the goods. We did well moving the ball and are happy with the win."
Midfielder Florian Wirtz has been involved in 1.5 goals per game for the Werkself in the Europa League since November 2021 (three goals and six assists in six games). All the other players have just one goal involvement per Europa League match over that period with at least five games played.
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The team under head coach Xabi Alonso had one more attempt on goal than Ferencváros with a total of nine shots. The Black and Reds had 66% possession. The same goes for challenges: Leverkusen won 52% of all challenges. The pass completion rate for the hosts was 90% with Ferencváros clocking up 81%.
The Rheinische Post described the 2-0 home win as follows: "Bayer needed nine shots for two goals: The situation is good after the Europa League first leg against Ferencváros." A similar view is taken by the Express: "Bayer tear down the door to the quarter-finals" and ran.de wrote: “Convincing win! Bayer with one foot in the quarter-finals. Lacklustre but effective: Bayer Leverkusen can dream of the quarter-finals in the Europa League after a really convincing win."
The headline in the BILD: “Demirbay & Tapsoba let Bayer dream: The quarter-finals of the Europa League are in touching distance.” The tabloid described Tapsoba's performance as follows: "Almost faultless in defence and then with the so important goal at 2-0 – a header in the style of a top goalscorer." The performance of Demirbay was seen as follows: Strong performance playing in a twin holding midfield role. Energetic for the opening goal, a great shot with his 'weaker' right foot. Always in charge both defensively and in attack."
Lukas Hradecky and Co. are back in action on Sunday 12 March (kick-off: 17.30 CET) with an away game at Werder Bremen on Bundesliga matchday 24. That is followed by two training sessions in Leverkusen on Tuesday and Wednesday before Bayer 04 head off for the Round of 16 second leg in the Europa League at Ferencváros. The kick-off at the Puskás Aréna is at 21.00 CET.
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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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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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There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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Bayer 04 have won each of their last five competitive encounters with 1. FC Köln, and it's around seven years since their last defeat in the cathedral city. That said, the hosts are in strong form at home and will make it anything but easy for the Werkself at the RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 15:30 CET). The Matchday News.
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