“No miracle of Bern despite comeback”– the press again and again refer to the history of the venue after the clash at the legendary Wankdorf Stadium in Bern. Germany were the surprise winners of the 1954 World Cup final in the Swiss capital. The headline mentioned above is followed in the Bild by the view: “A debacle threatened. Then came a crazy comeback.”
“Debacle” because the Werkself were 3-0 down at half-time after goals scored by Christian Fassnacht (3’), Jordan Siebatcheu (19’) and Meschack Elia (44’). “Crazy comeback,” as the visitors showed great resolve in the second half in fighting back to get on level terms within just 20 minutes. Patrik Schick with a brace (49’, 52’) and Moussa Diaby (68’) netted for the Black and Reds.
The Kölnische Rundschau headline reads, “Role reversal at the Wankdorf Stadium.” And furthermore: “Bayer 04 Leverkusen prevented the next setback at this historic venue and have every chance of reaching the Round of 16 in the Europa League despite a desolate first half.” In the second leg on Thursday, 25 February (kick-off: 21.00 CET) a win with less than three goals conceded is required at the BayArena.
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports that the Bayer 04 comeback went unrewarded on the night. In relation to the opening stages of the game, the paper writes: “Young Boys created a breathtaking number of dangerous moments from open play. […] Bayer 04 escaped unharmed from several counter-attacks due to a combination of luck and squandered opportunities by Bern.”
After last weekend’s 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga home game against FSV Mainz 05, the media were already talking a about a rollercoaster ride. The Werkself have so far constantly switched between victories and setbacks in 2021. The Rheinische Post also takes up this theme in their review of the Europa League tie – this time just in relation to the one match: “If the team under coach Peter Bosz want to stay in the competition then they have to win. That it will not be easy is clear after the rollercoaster ride in the first leg.”
Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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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 personal 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…
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