The Kölnische Rundschau reports a "huge step" in the direction of the next round and assesses the clash with Be’er Sheva as "one-sided" in favour of the Werkself. Furthermore: "Leverkusen took hold of the reins and forced their game on the defensive Israelis."
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports a "job done." The 90 minutes at the BayArena were "chilly and tough.". The performances of the captain Jonathan Tah and starting eleven returnee Patrik Schick were rated 2.5, Leon Bailey was able to enjoy getting a 2 – the best assessment of the night.
The headline in the Bild Zeitung reads: "Bayer almost through", the Round of 32 "as good as achieved." Looking at the goal scored by Schick, who has been sidelined for several weeks due to injury, the tabloid opts for these words: "All is SCHICK in the Europa League too!"
The Werkself goals? Comments include "beautifully worked," a "great free kick" – and "a goal for Diego.” After coming on as a substitute, Lucas Alario rounded off the scoring at 4-1. Before kick-off, the centre forward warmed up in a top with a number 10 and the name Maradona on it in memory of the Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 60.
The Rheinische Post starts its reporting with a look at the Black and Red injury list. "Even without seven first-team players, the team under coach Peter Bosz cleared the hurdle without any problems." The Werkself now have "one foot in the Round of 32." The newspaper uses the adjectives "easy", "commanding", "dominant" and "one-sided" to describe the third win in the fourth group match for Bayer 04.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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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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