From Three Goals Conceded to Six Lessons Learned – Bayer Start in Slippers, Finish as a Steamroller against Wolfsburg

You have to give this team one thing: boring simply is not in their skill set. Against Wolfsburg, Bayer 04 once again reminded us why Leverkusen fans do not actually have hearts, but TÜV-certified high-performance components. First we handed out gifts at the back like it was a holiday sale, then we turned a 1:3, or rather 2:3, into a 6:3 win and walked out of the BayArena with that gloriously irrational feeling that maybe, just maybe, everything is possible again.

Of course, the first half was exactly the kind of material bad season endings are made of. Lots of possession, lots of passes, lots of “control” on paper — and still completely open at the back. That is what makes this 2026 Bayer side so maddening: they can suffocate opponents, manipulate space, and create chances in waves, while at the same time showing an almost touching willingness to invite anyone back into the game with their own mistakes. Wolfsburg did not even need to produce an attacking masterclass. Three goals from relatively little control of the match is simply not acceptable for a team with our ambitions.

And yet that is also where the hope lies. This side did not collapse. It reacted. The halftime changes, Schick added as another focal point up front, more force, more depth, more conviction — suddenly that old Bayer feeling returned: pressure, pace, hunger. Nathan Tella gave the game visible energy with his dynamism, Grimaldo was everywhere, Schick scored a historic goal, Maza and Tillman added the finishing touches, and even Tapsoba continued his strange transformation from defensive fire source to goal threat.

That is why this win matters beyond the spectacle. Not because everything is fine now. It is not. The defensive fragility remains the giant warning sign ahead of Dortmund and the run-in. But after those sticky recent weeks and the sense that the Champions League places were slowly slipping through our fingers, this felt like proof of life. A flawed, over-the-top, entirely pulse-raising proof of life. Which, in fairness, makes it a very Leverkusen kind of proof of life.