Head coach Roberto Pätzold made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 in the derby with Köln as Katharina Piljic replaced Sofie Zdebel in midfield and Boboy came in for Caroline Kehrer in attack. Bayer 04 dominated from the start and quickly established themselves in the opposition half. The first effort of the evening came from Boboy, who tested goalkeeper Silia Plöchinger from range.
The Werkself kept coming up the right wing and came close to taking the lead when Boboy narrowly missed one of the many crosses from out wide. Although Potsdam defended valiantly, Leverkusen edged ever closer, with a Kramer free-kick from the corner of the penalty area hitting the top of the crossbar midway through the half.
The deadlock was broken shortly after when Boboy turned her marker after a throw from Janou Levels and curled her fourth goal of the season into the far corner from the left of the box. Things got worse for the home side when Ruby Hahn pulled back Kristin Kögel in midfield and was shown a second yellow with half an hour gone. The Werkself continued to make things happen up the wing. A delivery from Kramer deflected just wide of the near post and the crossbar prevented Boboy from grabbing a second before the break when she turned from a similar position.
Kramer had an opportunity to double the lead after the restart but was unable to beat Plöchinger under pressure following Boboy’s cutback. The Werkself were in control but unable to extend their advantage as Kögel and Selina Ostermeier both tried their luck from outside the box.
Leverkusen were awarded a penalty with an hour gone when Boboy was clipped from behind by Mia Schmid when chasing a corner that bounced back off the post. Kramer stepped up and coolly converted from the spot for her 10th goal of the campaign. Pätzold made a double change as Piljic and Melissa Friedrich made way for Ruby Grant and Lilla Turanyi.
A triple substitution followed into the final quarter of an hour as Julia Mickenhagen, Vilhjalmsdottir and Kehrer replaced Levels, Loreen Bender and Kramer. Another long-range effort from the lively Boboy brought nothing, but Turanyi did have the ball in the net after a flick from Ostermeier, only for the flag to go up for offside. The visitors kept pushing for another goal and got it through Vilhjalmsdottir’s header from Mickenhagen’s corner in the closing minutes. Potsdam substitute Viktoria Schwalm then hit a consolation for the hosts late on.
The Werkself have their final home fixture of the season next Saturday as they host RB Leipzig at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion at 12pm CEST. The last game of the campaign is in Wolfsburg the following Sunday at 2pm.
Match stats:
Turbine Potsdam: Plöchinger - Grincenco (Mori 59'), Schmidt (Dommasch 85'), Schmid, Bernhardt, Haering - Hahn, Gnädig, Schneider - Taslidza (Schwalm 46'), Lindner (Stritzke 75')
Bayer 04: Repohl – Merino Gonzalez, Ostermeier, Friedrich (Turanyi 62'), Levels (Mickenhagen 74') – Piljic (Grant 62'), Vidal – Bender (Vilhjalmsdottir 74'), Kögel – Kramer (Kehrer 74'), Boboy
Goals: 0-1 Boboy (26'), 0-2 Kramer (pen, 61'), 0-3 Vilhjalmsdottir (89'), 1-3 Schwalm (90')
Red card: Hahn (31')
Yellow cards: -
Referee: Selina Menzel
Attendance: 864 at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
Show more
A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
Show more
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 as he worked 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…
Show more
You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
Show more
Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
Show more
