Under the headline, 'No winners in deflection party' the BILD declares: "Leverkusen started with three corners in the first three minutes of the game. "Three corners, one spot-kick" is the word on the recreation ground. And in the Bundesliga, it's "Three corners, one goal": Bremen's Ömer Toprak (30) stuck out a leg before Sven Bender got to the ball – own goal (4'). It's the fifth own goal for Leverkusen this season. And there's a system behind that: Speaking ahead of the game against Union Berlin (2-0) in September, coach Peter Bosz said there would be six or seven own goals over the course of the season. The unlucky former Leverkusen player Toprak scored two own goals in a Bayer shirt – and now he's netted a third against his old team. And it continued to be a bizarre encounter: Dragovic deflected a shot from Rashica for the equaliser (40'). And Bremen took the lead through Davy Klaassen (48') again with Leverkusen contributing to the goal – Lars Bender slightly deflected his effort with his arm. This match was a real deflection party!"
The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) witnessed a "wild game without winners in Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen and Bremen draw 2-2. The coaches Peter Bosz and Florian Kohfeldt embraced each other after the final whistle, their players sank exhausted to the ground. Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen pushed each other all the way over 90 entertaining and exciting minutes and showed lots of commitment – but neither side could celebrate at the end."
The KICKER believes Bayer Leverkusen are "in a bit of a results crisis. The 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen, in spite of a dominant performance, was the fifth match in succession without a win. Peter Bosz takes the same view. Speaking to Sky after the drawn game, the Bayer coach said a victory should have been achieved given clearly having more chances and evident superiority: 'We had to win today. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. We also need a bit of luck in this phase.' The Werkself were actually missing that. A Lucas Alario goal ruled out, a header against the bar and the great chance missed by Aleksandar Dragovic would have been enough to earn a deserved 3-2 win against Werder. Only that didn't happen."
"2-2 against Bremen: the Werkself with lots of commitment but again without a win," was the headline in the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger. "Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Werder Bremen shared the goals in a 2-2 draw in a frenetic match on Saturday night. It could have been 4-4 or 5-3." The reporter was impressed by "the emotional Leverkusen reaction to going behind in the second half. The tactical plan had not worked, the drills in the passing game were absent but the team at least found a battling unity and impressed against a Bremen side, known for the susceptibility of their defence, with pure desire and commitment. That's not the strategy of the coach Peter Bosz but it did provide the spectators and fans at the stadium spectacular match and top entertainment." The man of the match was Karim Bellarabi: "His runs and crosses, above all in the second half, were worth the entrance money. The former Germany international tore through the left side of the Bremen defence and his performance actually deserved much more than just the one assist he provided."
The Frankfurter Rundschau summed up the events on the pitch as follows: "Leverkusen did put more effort into attacking but it was Bremen who again benefited from a deflection with the goal from Klaassen. Sergent put the Dutchman in a position to shoot. In a very open game, Alario scored a deserved equaliser for Bayer with the assist from Bellarabi. And Alario then hit the bar with a header (67'). Bayer were on top in closing stages."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned new signing Luca Erlein to newly promoted FC Energie Cottbus for the 2026/27 season. This will give him the opportunity to play in Bundesliga 2. The club signed the 19-year-old right-back on a permanent basis last week, on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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Trophies as a youth, appearances in the pro game and his first taste of international competition: new arrival Luca Erlein, who has been signed from TSG Hoffenheim, can already look back on some remarkable achievements and moments in his fledgling career. We take a closer look at the 19-year-old right-back, who can also fill other roles across the defensive line.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Germany U19 international Luca Erlein from Hoffenheim. The 19-year-old right-back, who is capable of playing in various defensive positions, has penned a contract until 30 June 2030.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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