Compared to the 2-1 home win against TSG Hoffenheim, Pätzold had made one change to his side. Left-back Janou Levels returned to the starting XI following suspension, while her replacement Juliette Vidal started on the bench. Loreen Bender, who had made her maiden league appearance against Hoffenheim after taking part in the U20 World Cup, was ruled out due to groin problems.
The Werkself got off to a strong start. Sofie Zdebel tested goalkeeper Mariella El Sherif from distance for the first time after just two minutes. The visitors, still looking for a win after the first four games, focused on defending in the early stages and pressed hard to create space, which meant there were no further opportunities for the Black & Reds to take an early lead.
Centre-back Toma Ihlenburg missed a free header from close range after a corner which would have put the visitors ahead (22'). While Leverkusen continued to dominate the game, Jena looked to counter-attack. Shortly before the break, El Sherif was perfectly placed to save a shot on the turn from Kristin Kögel. The teams headed into the break all-square.
At the break, Pätzold made a change on the wing: Vidal came on for the injured Synne Skinnes Hansen and moved to left-back, with Levels switching to the right. The first big chance went to the visitors: Luca Birkholz struck the inside of the post with a powerful low shot from the edge of the penalty area(47'). Jena continued to defend with discipline and Bayer 04 Women now tried to attack more from the flanks.
On the hour mark, Caroline Kehrer narrowly missed connecting with a delivery from Vidal in the centre. In this phase too, the visitors repeatedly broke free and skilfully made things tight. It came down to a set piece to give the Werkself the lead: After a Cornelia Kramer free-kick from the right, Kögel laid the ball back to Piljic, who hit it at full pelt and smashed it under the crossbar (69').
Pätzold then brought on a fresh striker in Estrella Merino Gonzalez (for Kehrer) (71'). A short time later, Friederike Repohl and Lilla Turanyi combined to prevent the equaliser. Goalkeeper Repohl got a hand to substitute Hannah Lehmann's shot and centre-back Turanyi cleared off the line (78'). The Leverkusen coach responded to the increasing pressure from the visitors with a double substitution, with Shen Menglu and Vanessa Haim caming on for Kögel and Vilhjalmsdottir (83'). In the closing stages, the Black & Reds kept looking for opportunities to make sure of the win, while Jena pressed in vain.
Leverkusen's next away trip will take them to a men's Bundesliga stadium: the match at SV Werder Bremen will take place at the Weserstadion on Saturday, 12 October (14:00 CEST). The two subscription-based streaming providers MagentaSport and DAZN will broadcast the match live in Germany.
The stats:
Bayer 04: Repohl - Skinnes Hansen (46' Vidal), Ostermeier, Turanyi, Levels - Piljic, Zdebel - Vilhjalmsdottir (83' Haim), Kögel (83' Menglu) - Kramer, Kehrer (71' Merino Gonzalez)
FC Carl Zeiss Jena: El Sherif - Sträßer, Ihlenburg, Heuschkel, Juckel - Gaißer (79' Mesch), Julevic, Woldmann (57' Gentile) - Bonsu, Birkholz (71' Lehmann), Reuter
Goal: 1-0 Piljic (69')
Yellow cards: - Gaißer, Reuter
Referee: Anna-Lena Heidenreich (Bad Schwartau)
Spectators: 464 at Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
Show more
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
Show more
Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
Show more
As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
Show more
The climax to a long season, emotional farewells and hopes of a major triumph: Bayer 04 Women face a thrilling final matchday in the Bundesliga. In the clash against SV Werder Bremen on Sunday, 17 May (kick-off: 14:00 CEST) at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, the Werkself could make history and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history – provided rivals Eintracht Frankfurt lose at home to 1. FC Union Berlin at the same time. Even setting aside the sporting context, it's set to be a special afternoon.
Show more
