The Kölner Stadt Anzeiger provides a eulogy to Julian Brandt under the headline 'The Werkself on song': "The opener was the individual achievement of a great footballer. Julian Brandt won the ball 40 yards from goal and weaved his way through the Berlin defence before hitting the ball into the back of the net with the outside of his foot."
The Kölnische Rundschau succinctly sums up the Cup tie: 'Class beats passion' and reports: "The game quickly sorted itself out. Leverkusen dominated with a performance that reflected their Bundesliga quality and individual ability. Union tried to counter this class with passion and were well organised... A formidable goalkeeper helped the visitors keep a clean sheet for the time being. It took a brilliant individual move to break down the defence and beat the last man. Julian Brandt left the Berliners standing like slalom poles."
The Bild Zeitung title reads 'Thanks to Brandt: Leverkusen grow ever more impressive' and reports: "When Brandt plays then the opposition box is where the action is."
The Cologne-based Express focuses attention on next Saturday's derby against FC Köln: "Bayer get ready for Köln: Leverkusen blow Union Berlin away, clocking up nine goals in three days."
The verdict of the Rheinische Post: "Bayer 04 have reached the last sixteen of the Cup. In the 4-1 win against second division Union Berlin, the team coached by Heiko Herrlich only needed one impressive half...Bayer sporting director Rudi Völler praised the Berliners. 'They're a very, very good team. They'll go up,' said the 1990 World Cup winner."
The Berlin media also complimented Union for the courageous performance. "The warm-down 25 minutes after the final whistle saw the team enthusiastically cheered on by the travelling support. The 3,000 plus Berlin fans sang out in the almost empty stadium that Union would play in Europe one day. In the end, Union went down with flags flying," writes the Tagesspiegel.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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