Head coach Xabi Alonso made eight changes to his team from the 5-2 DFB-Pokal win in Sandhausen during the week, reverting to the XI that began the 2-1 success at home to Freiburg. The Werkself were immediately on the front foot attacking towards the 3,000 travelling fans, mostly looking to get down the right through Jeremie Frimpong. However, the opening goal came from the left as Wirtz slipped in Victor Boniface, who got to the by-line and returned for Wirtz to tuck home inside nine minutes. The first opportunity for Hoffenheim came shortly after as Lukas Hradecky parried a swerving Marius Bülter shot from range.
Things became more even as the game wore on, but Leverkusen posed the greater threat when going forward. Frimpong struck the side netting on the break before a clever corner routine doubled the advantage as Jonas Hofmann delivered the ball low to Grimaldo arriving on the edge of the box. The Spaniard buried with aplomb on his left foot a minute into first-half added time.
Alonso made a change at the break with Josip Stanisic replacing Odilon Kossounou. Hoffenheim soon got a goal back out of nowhere 10 minutes into the half when Anton Stach chipped the ball over Hradecky from 40 yards after a misplaced pass. And the hosts were level only two minutes later when Weghorst turned home the rebound from a Maximilian Beier shot that came back off the post.
The Werkself were somewhat fortunate when Weghorst headed over unmarked but then responded as Boniface, who’d originally missed a header of his own, recycled the ball and picked out Grimaldo, who curled one into the same post as he’d done the first. Substitutions from both sides saw the tempo drop. No further goals meant Leverkusen had their ninth win of the Bundesliga campaign, a new club record and a five-point lead at the top ahead of Bayern Munich’s evening visit to Borussia Dortmund.
Bayer 04 are next in action in the UEFA Europa League with a trip to Azerbaijan and Qarabag for Matchday 4 in Group H on Thursday, 9 November (18:45 CET). They return home for Sunday’s Bundesliga game against Union Berlin at the BayArena (15:30).
Match stats:
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann - Kabak, Vogt, Akpoguma (Conté 87') - Skov (Bebou 78'), Stach, Prömel, Bülter - Becker (Kramaric 78') - Weghorst, Beier (Berisha 87')
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Kossounou (Stanisic 46'), Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo - Hofmann (Andrich 80'), Wirtz (Hlozek 90'+1) - Boniface (Adli 88')
Goals: 0-1 Wirtz (9'), 0-2 Grimaldo (45'+1), 1-2 Stach (56'), 2-2 Weghorst (58'), 2-3 Grimaldo (70')
Yellow cards: Weghorst, Kabak, Prömel - Hradecky, Tah
Referee: Frank Willenborg (Osnabrück)
Attendance: 30,150 (sold out) at the PreZero Arena
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
Show more
Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
Show more
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
Show more
Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
Show more
