Back
12.02.2022Bundesliga

4-2 against Stuttgart – Werkself on target again

Four wins in succession and third place consolidated: Bayer 04 beat VfB Stuttgart 4-2 in the top game on Bundesliga matchday 22. The Werkself goals were scored by Moussa Diaby, Amine Adli, Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick with new signing Tiago Tomás netting a brace for Stuttgart.
crop_20220212_JS_B04_VfB_1250.jpg

The day before the game it was confirmed that Odilon Kossounou (muscle injury), Julian Baumgartlinger and new signing Sardar Azmoun (both in rehab training) would be sidelined. Also absent from the Black and Red line-up was Jonathan Tah who missed his first match in the Bundesliga campaign due to an infection. Head coach Gerardo Seoane opted to replace him with Edmond Tapsoba who has just returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. Good news: Captain Lukas Hradecky was back in goal for the Werkself after recovering from a Covid-19 infection.

crop_20220212_NB_B04_vs_VfB_28281.jpg

With the vocal backing of the North Stand, the hosts took control of the game while VfB initially looked to remain solid in defence. Patrik Schick had the first effort on six minutes but his shot from 20 yards out went high over the bar. A Piero Hincapie header from a corner also missed the target (9'). The best chance in the opening 15 minutes fell to Schick but his left-foot shot on 13 minutes it the outside of the left-hand post.

wirtz strike offside – Diabys nets opener

The Black and Reds did maintain the upper hand but there were initially no clear-cut goalscoring opportunities – space was hard to find against a well organised VfB side. But then the ball was in the back of the visitors' net after 34 minutes: A wonderful chip from Robert Andrich over the VfB defence found Florian Wirtz running in and the 18-year-old coolly slotted the ball past the Stuttgart keeper Florian Müller from close range – however, our number 27 was offside when the ball was played. The scoreline remained 0-0. Shortly after that, Chris Führich had the best chance for VfB with a long-range effort. Hradecky was in the right spot to turn the ball away to the side (37').

It looked like the two sides were set to go into half-time without a goal being scored – but then Moussa Diaby struck four minutes before the break. The France international received the ball from Andrich and three Stuttgart players were unable to prevent him firing the ball under the bar to make it 1-0. The Werkself took that lead into half-time.

 

crop_20220212_JS_B04_VfB_0911.jpg

VfB score – swift reply from Adli 

After the restart, the Black and Reds were hit by an equaliser: Stuttgart's Orel Mangala beat his marker to set up Tiago Tomás. The new signing turned the ball into the net at the near post – 1-1 (49'). That scoreline soon changed with a header from Amine Adli from a Demirbay free kick restoring the lead for the Werkself.

Gerardo Seoane made a double substitution in the middle of the second half bringing on Exequiel Palacios and Charles Aránguiz as two new holding midfielders to replace the booked Andrich and Demirbay. Adli, scorer of the second goal for Bayer 04, was taken off shortly after that with applause from the fans as he left the pitch.

goals galore in final minutes

Wirtz received the ball from substitute Aránguiz to apparently seal the game on 86 minutes. VfB hit back with new signing Tomas scoring his second to make it 3-2 to seal a perfect first time out in the starting line-up. Bayer 04 striker Schick rounded off proceedings with his 19th goal of the season – with an assist from his strike partner Wirtz.

crop_20220212_JS_B04_VfB_1913.jpg

Friday night in Mainz

The Werkself are away to Mainz 05 on the next matchday. The game on Friday 18 February kicks off at 20.30 CET.

Match stats:

Bayer 04: Hradecky – Frimpong (Fosu-Mensah 90+1'), Tapsoba, Hincapie, Bakker – Andrich (Palacios 70’), Demirbay (Demirbay 70’) – Diaby (Alario 90+1'), Wirtz, Adli (Paulinho 74’) – Schick

Stuttgart: Müller – Stenzel (Klimowicz 84’), Mavropanos, Ito, Sosa – Silas (Tibidi 59’), Endo (Coulibaly 71’), Mangala, Führich – Karazor – Tomás

Goals: 1-0 Diaby (41’), 1-1 Tomás (49’), 2-1 Adli (52’), 3-1 Wirtz (86’), 3-2 Tomás (88’), 4-2 Schick (89’)

Booked: Demirbay, Andrich, Bakker – Endo, Mavropanos

Referee: Dr. Brych (Munich)

Attendance: 10,000 (sold out)

Related News

DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal - 03.11.2024

Werkself away to FC Bayern in DFB Pokal Round of 16

The next opponents in the 2024/25 DFB Pokal have been confirmed: The Werkself are away to Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. That was the outcome of the draw held on Sunday night, 3 November, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. DFB sporting director Rudi Völler led the draw with European championship saxophonist André Schnura picking out the teams.

Show more
Aleix Garcia Torjubel
Bayer 04 - 02.11.2024

Vote for Aleix Garcia in October’s Goal of the Month!

ARD’s Sportschau has released the five nominees for October 2024’s Goal of the Month in Germany, with Aleix Garcia’s free-kick in the DFB Pokal against Elversberg on the shortlist. Bayer 04 fans have until 7pm CET on 23 November to vote.

Show more
Nordi Mukiele
Bayer 04 - 02.11.2024

Nordi Mukiele set to miss next two games

Bayer 04 will be without Nordi Mukiele for the coming two games away at Liverpool and Bochum. The French defender suffered a muscular injury in his left thigh in Friday’s Bundesliga match against VfB Stuttgart.

Show more
Mannschaft vor Fans
Bundesliga - 02.11.2024

Werkself review #B04VFB: “Had enough chances to win”

Goals, spectacle and tactical battles were themes of most recent encounters between Bayer 04 and VfB Stuttgart, but Friday’s Bundesliga meeting somehow ended goalless. It wasn’t that Leverkusen were any less attacking than usual, and in fact they produced perhaps their best performance of the season with 19 shots, but it just lacked a goal. We round up the reaction and numbers behind the opening fixture of Matchday 9 in our Werkself review.

Show more
No reward for impressive Werkself | 9th matchday
Werkself-TV - 01.11.2024

TV highlights of 0-0 draw against Stuttgart

Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04’s 0-0 draw against VfB Stuttgart on the 9th matchday of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign…

clubExklusivExclusive content for club member Become a club member