The result was settled by an early goal from Germany international Lena Lotzen. It was one of the few points in the game where the holders posed problems for the Bayer 04 Women at the Grünwalder Straße Stadium. Bayern, still on course for a semi-final spot in the Champions League, had more of the possession and looked to be on top but were unable to press home that advantage by posing additional threats to the Bayer 04 goal with Anna Klink on form between the posts. The Werkself goalkeeper had to make two last-ditch clearances against Lotzen on both occasions.
At the other end, Leverkusen played as planned on the break but were unable to find the back of the net. The best opportunity came when the captain Ramona Petzelberger set up Turid Knaak but she put her shot just over the Munich target. Even though his team left empty-handed against the clear favourites the coach was able to gain some positives from his players' performance. "The girls were really great. They all fought for each other and we played as a solid unit. We definitely have to take that into the next games," said Malte Dresen who remained hopeful of gaining a result right up to the closing minutes after Bayern were reduced to ten players following the dismissal of Leonie Maier on 88 minutes and they had to battle to keep out Bayer 04.
Duisburg on Sunday
The situation in the table has not changed for Leverkusen as both Duisburg and Jena lost at the weekend. The next match will clearly have a significant influence on the future situation in Bayer 04's battle to avoid relegation: MSV Duisburg, with a four-point lead, are the visitors on Sunday (kick-off 14.00 CET at Kurtekotten) and the Werkself women definitely need to win that game. That should be possible given the performance against Bayern.
Match stats:
FC Bayern Munich: Zinsberger – Maier, Abbé, Wenninger, Behringer (Romert 60’), Bürki, Lotzen, Evans, Schnaderbeck, Miedema (Brecht 74’), Slipcevic (Däbritz 83’)
Bayer 04: Klink – Kempe, Barth, Krahn, Wich, Petzelberger, R. Knaak, Rinast, Csiszar (Dunst 70’), Schwab (Widak 80’), T. Knaak
Goals: 1-0 Lotzen (10’)
Referee: Christine Weigelt (Leipzig)
Booked: Miedema
Sent off: Maier (88’)
Attendance: 382
Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
Show more
For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
Show more
European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
Show more
The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
Show more
Construction work continues on the ‘Haus der Talente’ on Kurtekottenweg in Leverkusen, where 36 young elite athletes will find a new home from next summer. The building team from Temmink Bau, led by Thomas Wellers, are hard at work. Over the past few days, excavators, wheeled loaders and rollers have removed 2,500 cubic metres of soil to excavate the basement.
Show more
