The Sunday edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger draws a firm conclusion: "After weeks of good and respectable results, second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen suffered a serious setback. Four days after going through to the DFB Cup semi-finals, the Werkself lost 2-0 at home to an anything but intimidating Hertha Berlin side. And deservedly so. … A number of the best players of recent weeks were rested by coach Heiko Herrlich: Charles Aranguiz, Wendell and Leon Bailey. It became clear Bayer 04 are not the same side that reached second spot in the league and the semi-finals of the DFB Cup when these players are missing. … Perhaps the setback could have been avoided if Bailey, Aranguiz and Wendell had been in the starting line-up. Or perhaps not."
The Sonntags Express also takes account of the strength of the visitors: "There was a lack of penetration in the absence of Bailey, Wendell and Aranguiz. On top of that, the injured captain Lars Bender was also a massive miss. It was completely the opposite for Hertha. The Berliners, without a win in 2018, ruthlessly exploited Bayer's individual errors to register the first win at Leverkusen in ten years." The paper then highlights the chances missed by Leverkusen: " After the match, Kevin Volland also took exception to the conversion of chances. 'We lacked that little bit of luck today so we deserved to lose. Hertha were very clever.' "
The online edition of the Rheinische Post sees the whole thing as seasonal with Köln, Mainz and Düsseldorf also losing: "Carnival and the Rhineland clubs did not really go together on Saturday. Düsseldorf lost 3-1 at Union Berlin and Leverkusen 2-0 at home to Hertha Berlin two hours later. The supporters did not have much to celebrate even with the Carnival season in full swing. A large number of fans opted to leave their Bayer shirts at home in favour of wearing fancy dress."
Under the headline 'Leverkusen squander 4 chances in 7 seconds', the Bild am Sonntag focus falls on the most unusual moment of the game: "71st minute: Jarstein parries the ball in the penalty area and then picks it up - indirect free kick seven yards out from goal. Seven seconds of squandered madness: Bailey's shot is blocked, the rebound kept out by Lustenberger. Volland hammers the ball against the bar and it finishes with Jarstein collecting the ball inches ahead of Alario. Jarstein on Sky talking about his 'blackout': 'I swear: I've done that many times before, including earlier in the season. I've done it all through my career. You see it throughout Europe. Perhaps I got it wrong. Now I know I can't do it again."
The online edition of the Kicker provides a sober analysis: "Hertha competed on equal terms from the start but the hosts had the better moves. Alario just failed to connect with a cross from Bellarabi on six minutes, Retsos tested Jarstein from a Brandt corner on eight minutes. At the other end, Darida came closest for Hertha with a long-range effort. As the game went on, Leverkusen increasingly took control of proceedings without creating any further chances against the well-organised defence of the team from the capital. Instead, the Berliners were ruthless."
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
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