Eintracht Frankfurt made the more determined impression from the kick-off. The team from Hessen attacked the goal minded by Lukas Hradecky several times in the opening 15 minutes with Kolo Muani a constant threat. Bayer 04 only mounted one real attack when Jeremie Frimpong met an excellent cross from Moussa Diaby at the far post and his volley hit the top of the bar (33'). The hosts took a deserved lead in added time at the end of the first half: Hradecky saved a penalty from Muani but the spot-kick had to be retaken as the keeper had one foot in front of the goalline. Daichi Kamada stepped up and converted to make it 1-0. There was a brief hope after the break when Piero Hincapie scored with a diving header from a Kerem Demirbay free kick to level at 1-1 (56'). But Eintracht Frankfurt restored the lead with Muani putting the hosts 2-1 up (58'). Then it was downhill for the Black and Reds: Jesper Lindström (65'), another penalty from Kamada (72'), which saw Hincapie sent off for a second yellow card offence, and finally Lucas Alario (86') netted for the final score of 5-1. HERE is the match report.
There were no doubts in the Bayer 04 ranks: This display was unsatisfactory. "We have to be honest to ourselves and we can't think that it's all going well and we’ll pick up points sometime soon. Everybody has to know the time has come. We definitely have to get a home win against Wolfsburg on Saturday," said Robert Andrich. "You can lose games but it's about how that happens," added Kerem Demirbay. Xabi Alonso said: "We had lots of problems and lacked the necessary intensity from the start. There are no excuses, everything is our responsibility. Now we have to believe and show we can do much better. It's all down to us."
Due to the absence of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who picked up a knock to his knee in the week in the Champions League clash with Porto and thereby missed the match in Frankfurt, Xabi Alonso named Paulinho in the starting eleven – the first outing for the Brazilian this season. However, it was another South American who was centre stage: Piero Hincapie. The Ecuador central defender first succeeded in scoring the equaliser for Leverkusen but then had some unfortunate moments in defence. For the third Eintracht goal scored by Lindström, Hincapie accidentally headed the ball into the Norwegian’s path, the 4-1 came from a penalty given for a foul on Muani. Hincapie was shown a second yellow card and he will miss the Werkself game against Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Some categories had narrow differences, for example possession (50.9% for the Werkself), with pass completion (87.2% for Frankfurt, 84.9% for Bayer 04) or challenges won (52.1% for Eintracht). The superiority of the team from Hessen was clear in terms of shots on goal: the stats reveal a ratio 19 to 5 in their favour.
There was also unanimity in the media: It was a deserved win for Eintracht Frankfurt and a disappointing match for the Werkself. "It was a desolate performance by the visitors," declared the Bild am Sonntag. "Margin of the defeat was deserved too," reported the Rheinische Post. "Frankfurt take Bayer apart," was the assessment in kicker. "Leverkusen were second best in every respect," was the view of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger only excluded one Leverkusen player from their collective critique: "Nothing was good for Bayer 04 with the exception of Lukas Hradecky. And everything was bad except for Hradecky."
Now is the last phase for Bayer 04 up to the World Cup in the middle of November where there will be a whole week to prepare for the next challenge and the next opponents. The Werkself entertain VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena on Saturday 22 October (kick-off: 15.30 CEST). That is followed by another three double-fixture weeks in succession for Leverkusen.
The Nerazzurri are in town: Today, Tuesday 10 December, Bayer 04 entertain the reigning champions of Italy Inter Milan on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Read on for the latest information on the home game at the BayArena.
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The Bayer 04 U19 team lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2024/25. The only goal of the game was scored just after the hour mark. While the side from North Italy have finished top in the league phase with a maximum points return, the Leverkusen team appeared to have just missed out on the knockout stages of the European competition. There is faint hope looking to several games to follow where results are needed to go the way of the Werkself.
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Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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Two champions go head-to-head: The Werkself entertain Inter Milan at the BayArena on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League. The game against the team from Lombardy is on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Head coach Xabi Alonso and defender Edmond Tapsoba revealed their keen anticipation ahead of the top match against the Italian champions at the pre-match press conference. In addition, the duo talked about the strengths of the visitors and the difference from playing teams in the Bundesliga.
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