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)
The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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Due to maintenance work, the online shop and other digital services from Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be temporarily restricted or unavailable from Monday, 23 March (18:00 CET) to Thursday, 26 March. Bayer 04 will provide immediate updates via the club's official channels if the work is completed earlier than planned. The overview.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-0 win against FC Carl Zeiss Jena on the 21th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Thanks to a masterstroke from Katharina Piljic, the Werkself secured their eleventh win of the season in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga. On Sunday evening, coach Roberto Pätzold's team beat FC Carl Zeiss Jena 1-0. Midfielder Piljic scored the winning goal with a volley into the corner from the edge of the box (19’) in front of 633 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium - and ensured that Leverkusen moved up to fifth place in the table for at least one night with 34 points.
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Bayer 04 will have to make do without forward Martin Terrier in the next few weeks. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury in his right hamstring in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
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