What the papers say: Superior Werkself miss out on win

The Welt am Sonntag assessment is short and to the point; the superior team missed out on a win: "The hosts dominated proceedings, particularly in the first half, ending up with 18 shots on goal compared to seven but they lacked the cutting-edge."

The sober analysis in the online edition of Kicker: "Bayer 04 Leverkusen have suffered a minor setback in the race for a Champions League finish. The Werkself could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to FC Augsburg on Easter Saturday. Bayer were the livelier team for much of the game but did not do enough in the final third. At the same time, Augsburg failed to win against Leverkusen for the fourteenth time in the Bundesliga."

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung recalls the positive run against FC Augsburg: "After the 2-0 defeat in the Rhine derby away to FC Köln, FC Augsburg came at just the right time. The Bavarian Swabians count as a favourite opponent for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Werkself had not lost any of the previous 13 Bundesliga meetings. The team in fifth place we're optimistic, even without that positive run, with coach Heiko Herrlich highlighting the setback against the neighbours: 'We don't want to see anything like that again.' Said and done? Not really. Bayer 04 did not suffer a first defeat against Augsburg but the goalless draw was a blow for the Western German team focused on the race for a Champions League qualifying position."

Bild am Sonntag picks out two situations to describe the goalless encounter: "Khedira and FCA's Austrian defender (Hinteregger) were too high up the pitch. A diagonal pass put Volland through in the middle of the park and he had a seven or eight metre start. Hinteregger, who had never run faster than 33.6 km/h in his career, went into overdrive and caught up with the slower Germany international to put him off his stride. … With Julian Brandt's strike being ruled out eight minutes later due to Leon Bailey touching the ball with his heel when in an offside position,  Bayer missed out on two points in the race for a Champions League finish."

The online edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger comes to the following conclusion: "The Werkself, with the meagre return of just one point from the last two games instead of this six they expected, run the risk of missing out on their major ambition. What fails to make the position more bearable is the fact two direct rivals, Schalke and Leipzig, won at the weekend. The latter are the next opponents - the game in Saxony a week on Monday could be a decisive encounter for Leverkusen."

The Sonntags Express ranks Leverkusen's result against the overall picture: "While direct rivals Schalke and Leipzig clocked up wins, Heiko Herrlich's team were frustrated by the Swabians. 'They parked the bus in front of the goal,' said a bewildered Bernd Leno. Bayer's keeper (…) bemoaned the many missed chances: 'It was our own fault. We could have done much better.' (…) Three points were widely expected, particularly with Bayer facing the 'weeks of truth' with games against Leipzig, Frankfurt and Dortmund. 'We can't afford to panic. Now we're playing against the direct rivals. It's all in our hands,' said Bernd Leno."