In a first half, that failed to produce decent goalscoring opportunities for either side, Leverkusen had more possession but were unable to pose a real threat to the opposition goal. The Black and Reds were unable to find a way through and showed insufficient attacking guile to overcome the opposition defence. “We weren’t focussed enough from the start of the game. We lacked the necessary energy and movement up front,” complained Feifel.
Bayer 04 had the upper hand in the second half – but a lapse of concentration on 61 minutes saw FC Köln take the lead: Mandy Islacker set up Amber Barrett for a tap-in to make it 1-0. Following the opening goal, the second division side concentrated on defending. Milena Nikolic looked to hit back on 75 minutes when she controlled the ball in the penalty area but her shot flew over the bar. Substitute Verena Wieder had another chance in the closing stages but she just failed to connect with the ball in the opposition box on 80 minutes.
Bayer 04 were aware that time was running out and they risked everything up front in the final minutes. A contentious decision with two minutes to play when Nina Brüggemann was pushed in the penalty area – referee Vanessa Arlt did not see any reason to award a penalty. In the final attack, Melissa Friedrich tried her luck but her shot was deflected away from the opposition net.
“The opposition get a chance and score the goal – we were chasing the game after that. We lacked the necessary efficiency and were often too hectic in our attacks on their goal,” said Feifel looking for explanations.
The next game:
The Werkself Women entertain TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday 8 November on matchday 8 in the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga. The kick-off is at 14.00 CET.
Match stats:
FC Köln: Klett – Calo, Nietgen, Hirano, Hild – Pfluger (Gosch 84’), Gudorf (Beckmann 58’), Beck, Rinast – Islacker, Barrett (Kohr 80’)
Bayer 04: Klink – Marti, Friedrich, Brüggemann, Sahlmann (Kerschowski 68’) – Rackow (Wieder 64’), Wirtz, Wich (Turanyi 88’), Zeller – Nikolic, Rudelic (Kögel 47’)
Goals: 1-0 Barrett (62’)
Booked: – / Wich, Brüggemann
Referee: Vanessa Arlt (Münster)
Having progressed to the DFB Pokal Round of 16, the Bayer 04 Women do not have much time before their next Bundesliga fixture. On Friday night (18:30 CEST), coach Roberto Pätzold’s side kick off matchday six at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium against Werder Bremen – and they have a clear mission.
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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 working 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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Bayer 04 host top French club Marseille at the BayArena on matchday four in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League group stage. The match kicks off on Thursday 5 November at 21:00 CET. The latest information on ticket sales.
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During the international break, Bayer 04 will face third-division newcomers SC Fortuna Köln on Friday 2 October (kick-off: 11:00 CEST). The match will be played on training pitch 1 at the BayArena, as preparations are already underway at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for the Bayer 04 women’s Bundesliga home match against Werder Bremen, which is due to kick off in the early evening. To ensure the friendly against Fortuna Köln runs smoothly and without disruption, it will be played behind closed doors.
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