Thunder, Mud, and Schick’s Head: Bayer 04 Wades into Round Two

Let’s be honest: when you draw a team like SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, you’re not exactly expecting Shakespeare. But what unfolded in the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena on a soaking Friday night was somewhere between Slapstick-Comedy, Survival Training, and the good old Pokal-Schule – where the football might be ugly, but the lessons stick. In the end, Bayer 04 passed the test. With wet socks, a couple of late goals, and that lovely smell of “okay, we didn’t embarrass ourselves.”

The evening began like any good Pokal tie in rural Baden-Württemberg: a scrappy underdog full of belief, a star-studded Bundesliga side trying not to fall asleep, and a stadium name that sounds more like a printer error than a football arena. Ten Hag’s new-look Werkself, sprinkled with fresh summer signings and a pinch of nervous energy, started like a team still looking for the on-switch.

Then came minute 18. Thunder. Lightning. Rain like the BayArena’s sprinklers had gone rogue. And while Großaspach’s grounds crew turned into besen-wielding Superhelden (heroes), both teams disappeared into the cabins, presumably to Google “Can footballs float?”

After a nearly 40-minute weather break and some quality drainage work with what looked like the janitor’s entire equipment closet, the game resumed – and with it, Bayer’s sense of purpose. Patrik Schick, calm as a Czech glacier, nodded in a perfect cross to make it 1–0. Relief. Not style, not dominance, but relief. The same Schick then casually cleared a Großaspach shot off the line a few minutes later, just to remind everyone that if he ever gets bored up front, he could always moonlight as a centre-back.

But despite the lead, this wasn’t a Werkself flexing its muscles. It was more a case of “slowly finding the toolbox.” Ten Hag’s debut in the dugout had moments of promise (looking at you, Maza and Poku), but also showed that even Bundesliga-Vizemeister struggle to control a soaked Pokal pitch against Regionalliga defenders on a mission.

Things turned when the home side decided to self-destruct. First, a second yellow for captain Celiktas (you could hear ten Hag whisper “danke schön” from the bench), then a flying tackle from Tasdelen that deserved both a red card and perhaps a personal apology to Axel Tape. And with two men up, Bayer finally did what Bayer does: punish, finish, move on.

Arthur slotted in the second after a lovely give-and-go with debutant Poku, Kofane made it three with the kind of cool finish that screams “I want more minutes, Coach,” and Grimaldo celebrated his 100th match by thumping home a penalty to seal the 4–0.

It looked routine on paper. But paper doesn’t show puddles, nor how often we misjudged Großaspach’s pressing traps. There’s still rust in this team, still a lot of moving parts – and let’s be fair, it’s August, we’ve all just come back from summer mode. But Pokal is about surviving. And survive we did, with a grin, a few sighs, and zero injuries (praise be).

So, dear Leverkusen faithful, let’s pack away the rain ponchos and prepare for real Bundesliga business next week against Hoffenheim. The road to Berlin has started – a bit splashy, a bit scrappy, but without a banana skin in sight. And when the heavens open again, we’ll know: Schick’s head is waterproof.