
"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.”

In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The Germany U19 team were beaten 2-0 by record champions Spain in the final of the U19 European Championship in Wales. Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan at SV 07 Elversberg) were in the starting line-up and played the full 90 minutes.
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