"Leverkusen carelessly spurn victory against Wolfsburg. In spite of superiority and lots of good chances, Bayer 04 were only able to draw 2-2," wrote the Sunday edition of the Berliner Zeitung. According to the media, the Werkself alone are responsible for twice giving away the lead following goals from skipper Lars Bender (29') and Lucas Alario (61'). According to the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, "Bayer 04 dropped two points in an entertaining match full of spectacular moments that ended in an avoidable 2-2 draw."
The press do see the Werkself as the dominant team for much of the game – particularly in the first half. "Once again, his (Heiko Herrlich's, ed.) team put in a great shift – but that wasn't enough to clock up a home win," declared the Bild Zeitung. The Westdeutsche Zeitung adopts a similar position, "effort and rewards out of step again for the Werkself."
The sports magazine Kicker looks back at the performances in the last seven games of the season in its match assessment: "Bayer's pros look like the unfinished article. The final touch to complete the masterpiece is missing. Not for the first time this season. And it wasn't just against Hoffenheim that Bayer 04 failed to win in a game they completely dominated. It was the same in Mainz where a 1-0 lead turned into a 3-1 defeat. And now against Wolfsburg. The careless approach to their own chances is one thing but the way Bayer revitalise their opponents is another." The report continues: "If it was down to just two criteria then everything would be fine at Bayer 04. Most of the performances are satisfactory or good. The Werkself are more dangerous in front of goal compared with last season. The problem is that the results don't match.”
The Champions League journey continues! On the eighth and final matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, Bayer 04 secured their place in the play-offs with a commanding 3-0 win over Villarreal. Malik Tillman put in a mature and combative performance for Leverkusen, scoring a brace (12', 35') to make it 2-0 at the break, while Alejandro Grimaldo (57') and plenty of control of the game did the rest in the second half. The draw for the Werkself's next UCL opponents will take place on Friday 30 January at 12:00 CET.
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The Leverkusen eSports team played the remaining three of the six matches in the online preliminary round of the fourth showdown in the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were among the teams with the highest goal threat, including two World Cup participants in their ranks. Although the #B04eSports players were defeated in the matches overall, nine points from the first three games last week were enough for Leverkusen to advance to the offline round in Berlin on 2 February.
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A decisive showdown awaits: The Werkself are aiming to progress to the play-off round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a home win against Villarreal CF on the eighth and final matchday of the league phase. Ahead of the match on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the importance of the game, the possible return of Edmond Tapsoba and a statement from new signing Jonas Omlin in an exclusive interview with Werkself TV. Lucas Vázquez, for his part, spoke about his role on and off the pitch as well as tomorrow’s opponents, who he often faced in Spain with Real Madrid.
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For Villarreal CF, the match at Bayer 04 on Wednesday, 28 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), will be their last appearance on the European stage this season. The Spanish side, currently fourth in La Liga, are still without a win in the UEFA Champions League and, with just one point from their seven games so far, have no chance of making the play-offs. The 2021 Europa League winners can therefore play without any pressure at the BayArena and will be looking to bow out of the competition with a good performance. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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