The match was the first test after the initial two weeks of training for the Werkself Women following the winter break. The Leverkusen Women’s team were unable to really deal with the opposition in the first half. The team also initially failed in build-up play and the first 45 minutes were marked by Bayer 04 often losing possession. That enabled Werder Bremen to take the lead through Reena Wichmann on 25 minutes. Dora Zeller levelled before half-time with an impressive volley on 42 minutes.
Feifel rang the changes for the start of the second half with Lilla Turanyi being the only player to go the full distance. The second eleven were more successful: greater control of the game, constructive build-up play, compact in defence and more confident on the ball. Kristin Kögel turned the game round with the goal to make it 2-1 on 48 minutes. Bremen – with few chances in the second 45 minutes – did succeed in levelling the scores through Agata Tarczynska (61’) but Kögel hit back five minutes later with the winner.
Achim Feifel: “The first half was very disjointed and I was happier with the second 45. It’s still not how we as we imagined before the start of the season. But it was a good friendly overall.”
First half line-up: Klink – Matysik, Machtens, Rackow, Zeller, Reger, Brüggemann, Turanyi, Csiszar, Garofalo, Marti
Second half: Wellmann – Sahlmann, Kempe, Finken, Kögel, Wirtz, Bücher, Zdebel, Turanyi, Nikolic, Wieder
The friendly came at the end of an intensive week of training in place of the cancelled training camp on Gran Canaria. “They were good and strenuous days of training. We had lots of tough sessions and the intensity this week was equivalent to a training camp,” said Feifel. The focus was on fitness work. The players faced sessions that tested their stamina.
Fun was also on the agenda this week: Team building activities for the Werkself Women – with team meetings taking account of coronavirus restrictions – in groups of five or six taking each other on in quizzes and other games. For example, that meant maintaining certain yoga positions longer or gargled songs being recognised quicker by teammates.
The next friendly is on Sunday 31 January: Second division team Borussia Bocholt from the northern section of Bundesliga 2 are the visitors to Kurtekotten (14.00 CET). The last time the two clubs met was in the pre-season in 2019 – the match ended in 6-0 win for Bayer 04 against the then Regional League side.
“I’m happy we’ve got another friendly ahead of the league restart (on 7 February, 14.00 CET at TSG Hoffenheim, ed.). That will give us another competitive situation where we can try out a few things. This week we will work on technique and tactics and then we can put that into practice,” said Feifel looking forward.
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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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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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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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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