VAR, Victory, and Very Long Records – Bayer 04 Says Tschüss with a Bang

 If you go 34 (!) consecutive Bundesliga away games without losing, you’re either defying the laws of physics or you’ve got a giant red Bayer cross on your chest. Our Werkself just wrapped up the 2024/25 season with a wild 2:2 draw in Mainz, and while the match might not have had title drama, it had everything else: chaos, comedy, controversy – and history. With that result, we’ve officially set a Bundesliga record: 34 straight away matches unbeaten. Bayern? Never heard of her.

Let’s talk about the game – although calling it a "game" is generous. The first half was a full-on VAR festival, where the video assistant referee decided to make one last desperate push for MVP. Mainz put the ball in the net three (!) times in 30 minutes, and each time VAR popped up like an annoying software update to say “Nope, try again.” Honestly, we were one offside away from a full-blown drinking game.

Meanwhile, Bayer in the first half? Let’s be honest – flatter than our Meisterträume in May. The boys in black and red barely showed up while Mainz threw everything forward, including a bicycle kick, two tap-ins, and the ghost of Nadiem Amiri. And yet, somehow, it stayed 0:0 until Paul Nebel finally beat Hradecky – with a helpful deflection off Jonathan Tah. Not ideal, but at least it counted, which is more than we can say for most Mainz goals that day.

Second half? Totally different story. Xabi Alonso – managing his final game in charge of the Werkself – made some halftime changes and suddenly Bayer remembered that football also happens outside the BayArena. Enter Patrik Schick, the Tschechischer Traum. First he won and buried a penalty like it was 2022 again, then he headed in a corner five minutes later like it was his job. Because, well, it is.

That 2:1 lead didn’t last long though, because of course it didn’t. This is Bayer 04, not Disney. Mainz earned a controversial penalty of their own – the kind where you need five slow-motion angles, an Ouija board and a panel of philosophers to interpret it. Burkardt equalized, and suddenly we were back at 2:2. Mainz kept pushing, even thought they’d won it in stoppage time, only for the VAR (yes, again) to cancel yet another goal – this time for a handball. At this point, the VAR probably deserved its own man-of-the-match award and a warm bath.

So we leave the 2024/25 Bundesliga season with a point, a record, and a bittersweet goodbye. No Meisterschale, but a second-place finish, a whole lot of memories, and two full years of not losing away from home. Not too shabby for a club whose nickname literally translates to "Never Champions."

And yes, it was Xabi Alonso’s last dance. No trophy in hand, but a legacy firmly cemented. He took us from “might make Europa League” to “might actually win it all” – and even though we didn’t, we believed. In Leverkusen, that’s already a miracle.

The pros head to the beach now, but the U19s take center stage tomorrow in the BayArena, battling Köln for the national title. Over 22,000 tickets sold – and counting. If you’re not there, do you even Werkself?

Oh, and one more time for the haters in the back: 34 away games unbeaten. Records are forever. And so is Bayer.

Tissues Over Tactics – Leverkusen Says Goodbye to Two Hearts of the Club

Let’s be honest: the 2–4 against Dortmund? Nobody in Leverkusen will remember the score. What we will remember is the lump in our throats, the scarves held high, and the moment Xabi Alonso stood on the advertising boards, waving goodbye. This wasn’t just the final home match of the season. It was the farewell of two pillars, two icons, two heartbreakers: Xabi Alonso and Jonathan Tah.

Sure, there was a football match. Frimpong scored a beauty, we created chances galore, and the BayArena was buzzing early on. But Dortmund, in all their calculated efficiency, punished every mistake with the precision of a Swiss tax accountant. Kobel turned into a brick wall, and we found ourselves down 1–4 before Hofmann added a little late gloss. But honestly? The game was just background noise to the real drama.

Let’s start with Xabi. Oh Xabi. The man who strolled into Leverkusen with the poise of a Bond villain and the tactical brain of a chess grandmaster. He didn’t just coach this team – he transformed it. From a club known for almosts and not quites to one that played with elegance, courage, and a newfound identity. In two and a half years, he made us believe – not just in results, but in style. And now he’s probably heading off to Real Madrid, where he’ll sip espresso in the sun and win trophies with the same calm he used to defuse press conferences. And though we’ll miss him terribly, we can’t help but be proud. He made us dream. He made us proud to be Bayer.

And then there's Jonathan Tah. Our rock. Our ever-present giant. 400 games, countless headers, blocks, and moments of silent leadership. He was never loud, never flashy – just always there. Through ups and downs, through changes and chaos, Tah was our constant. When he wore the armband for the final time at home, it wasn’t just a nod to his status – it was a thank-you note from the entire club. The kind of player who didn’t just represent Leverkusen – he was Leverkusen.

Yes, we also said goodbye to a few loanees – Buendía, Mukiele, Hermoso – each of whom gave us moments of joy and value. But the spotlight belonged to Xabi and Jona. And rightly so. They weren’t just part of this team – they defined it.

As the final whistle blew, there were no boos, no frustration. Just applause. Long, loud, heartfelt applause. Alonso climbed into the fan block, waved, clapped back – and even he looked like he was holding something back. Tah stood quietly, soaking it all in. The scoreboard said 2–4, but nobody cared. Because we weren’t watching football. We were witnessing a farewell. A moment. A memory.

Next week, the season wraps up in Mainz. But emotionally? This was the finale. And even though it hurts to see them go, there’s comfort in knowing we had them at all.

Thank you, Xabi. Thank you, Jonny. If you ever feel like coming home – you know where the fridge is, and we’ve still got tissues left.

Hincapie Scores in the Wrong Goal – and Tah Heads Straight into Our Hearts!

There are days when you need nerves of steel, a strong heart, and maybe a good dose of humor to survive as a Bayer 04 fan. Saturday afternoon in Freiburg was definitely one of those days. You travel deep into the Black Forest full of pride, expecting to see your team—on the verge of setting a historic away record—play some confident football. Instead, you get 70 minutes of careful ball circulation that had about as much cutting edge as a rubber knife. And yet, somehow, we ended up celebrating like lunatics at the final whistle. Why? Because Jonathan Tah decided: "400 games? Guess I'll write myself a little fairytale."

It all started out the way you’d expect from a team chasing a record: lots of possession, lots of control, lots of... let's be honest: lots of beautifully boring football. Rain pouring down, great atmosphere in the away end, but on the pitch? It was football that only a die-hard could love. Freiburg bunkered down, Bayer knocked the ball around with all the urgency of a lazy Sunday stroll. And when Eggestein hammered a shot from downtown into the net—with Kovar giving an Oscar-worthy but ultimately useless dive—it was clear: this was going to be one of those days.

Then, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Hincapie decided to give Freiburg a little gift—an own goal that looked like a deleted scene from a slapstick comedy. 0-2 down, against Freiburg, while Bayern Munich were already chilling on their couches, popping champagne corks. Our boys? They looked like they were mentally checking their summer vacation plans.

But—because Bayer is Bayer—just when you think hope is lost, they suddenly remember how to play football. Out of nowhere, Florian Wirtz woke up, danced through three defenders like he was in a video game, and smashed the ball in off the post. 1-2, and suddenly the away end exploded back to life. That tiny, irrational Bayer hope—that beautiful, stubborn hope that never really leaves us—was alive again.

And then, deep into stoppage time, just when Freiburg thought they had it in the bag, he appeared: our captain, our rock, our Jonathan Tah. Of course it was him. On his 400th appearance for Bayer 04, he threw his whole body into a cross, somehow headed (or should we say "shouldered") the ball into the net—and sent us straight into pure, delirious joy. Equalizer. Record tied. Heart attacks narrowly avoided.

Sure, the point meant Bayern Munich officially clinched the title. Sure, we looked like a tired boxer in round twelve for most of the game. Whatever. What matters is this: 33 away Bundesliga games unbeaten. Tied with Bayern's best run ever. That’s not luck. That’s heart. That’s Bayer 04.

Now it’s onto one last home game against Dortmund and awy in Mainz. Who knows—maybe we’ll finish this season with one last happy ending that feels a little less like a math homework assignment. Until then, we celebrate the moment: Thank you, Tah. Thank you, Wirtz. Thank you, Bayer 04.

Two Goals, One Ruined Title Party – Just Another Saturday at the BayArena

Some days, everything just falls into place: the sun is shining, the beer stands are working overtime, and Bayer 04 are casually brushing aside any recent frustrations with a performance that screams confidence. Against Augsburg, it felt like the boys had taken a masterclass with Xabi Alonso the night before. Honestly, looking at Augsburg’s recent form – only one loss in their last 14 matches – this wasn’t supposed to be a walk in the park. But then again, this is the BayArena, not your average village field.

Xabi shuffled the deck and brought in Matej Kovar between the posts. Not that he needed to break a sweat – he could have sunbathed in his box for all the action Augsburg managed to create. Up front, though, the Werkself hit the ground running: Patrik Schick, our Czech goal machine, fired one in after 14 minutes – with a little help from a defender’s deflection to send it right under the crossbar. Goal number 19 of the season for him, and goal number one for our good mood.

Nathan Tella thought he’d made it two shortly after, heading home a Wirtz cross, but VAR decided to crash the party by ruling it out for offside. Whatever. Bayer kept the pressure on and continued to dominate, playing like a team that could have scored at will. And just before halftime, Emiliano Buendía sprinkled some magic dust on the game: a silky move inside from the left, a smooth curler into the bottom right corner, and 2-0 on the scoreboard. Pure football art.

In the second half, it was all about sealing the deal and, more importantly, postponing Bayern’s title celebrations. Augsburg tried to push, but never really looked dangerous – apart from one wild effort that almost ended up in a nearby parking lot. Jonas Hofmann nearly added a third with a hammer of a shot, but the two-goal cushion stayed until the end. Mission complete.

As the final whistle blew, the fans left the stadium buzzing, fully aware that this team still has some serious business left this season. Freiburg, Dortmund, Mainz – consider yourselves warned. Bayer 04 are not winding down – they’re just getting started. And who knows? Maybe there will be a few more champagne bottles popping under the Bayer Cross before the season’s over… not just in Munich.

Groundhog Day at the Millerntor: Another Draw, Another Deep Sigh

Sometimes it feels like Bayer 04 are stuck in their very own football version of Groundhog Day. Same story, different stadium: a decent performance, a Schick goal, and in the end… just one point. Again. This time it was St. Pauli – lovable underdogs with grit, charm, and a stadium that smells like beer and dreams. But let’s not kid ourselves: if we want to challenge at the top, we need more than polite handshakes and post-match regrets. We need wins. Dirty ones, ugly ones, lucky ones. Any kind.

And yet, it all started pretty okay. St. Pauli came out flying like it was their Champions League final, pressing high, chasing every ball like it owed them money. Our Werkself? A bit slow out the gate, like someone hitting snooze on a Sunday morning. But then, boom – Patrik Schick rose up like a majestic Czech eagle and nodded in his 18th goal of the season. That man scores headers like it’s a party trick. At that point, it felt like this was going to be that kind of game: get the lead, manage the chaos, bring home the three points.

But football, like German weather or Wi-Fi on a Deutsche Bahn train, is rarely that cooperative.

The longer the game went on, the more you could sense that something weird was in the air. Not full-blown disaster – just that lingering feeling that we’d somehow let it slip. And sure enough, after a brief scare with a disallowed goal, St. Pauli found their equalizer. A scrappy tap-in, the kind that smells of second balls and half-hearted clearances. Suddenly, 1:1. Cue collective groan from the traveling Leverkusen fans, many of whom were probably already eyeing currywurst and celebratory beers.

And that’s the thing – it’s not that Bayer played badly. It’s just that this wasn’t enough. Not for a team chasing the title. Not for a team that had already dropped too many points against teams we should be beating. Sure, 32 away matches unbeaten is a hell of a stat. But if most of them are draws, it starts feeling like getting a B+ on every exam and still not making honor roll. Respectable? Yes. Satisfying? Not really.

Xabi Alonso looked more thoughtful than furious post-match. He knows this wasn’t the performance of champions. He said all the right things – focus on improvement, season’s not over, yada yada – but let’s be honest: his team has lost some of that killer edge. Schick is scoring for fun, Wirtz is buzzing again, Frimpong is sprinting like a man late for his wedding. But something’s missing. That little spark, the ruthlessness, the belief that every opponent should be steamrolled, not shared points with.

So what did we learn from this rainy night in Hamburg? That St. Pauli are no pushovers? Sure. That the Millerntor is a tough place to visit? Definitely. But more importantly, that time is running out. Bayern are eight points clear, and unless they spontaneously combust or collectively decide to try baseball instead, we’re gonna need a miracle run to catch up.

Next up: Augsburg at home. On paper, a classic “get back on track” game. In reality? A potential banana peel. At this point, we’ll take a 2:1, a 94th-minute winner, an own goal off someone’s backside – anything, as long as it gets us three points and a break from this relentless cycle of almosts and maybes.

Because if we don’t snap out of this draw-daze soon, we might wake up in May wondering where it all went wrong – again. And trust me, we’ve had enough Groundhog Days to last a lifetime.

No Goals, No Party? Not Quite

Let’s be real – when you walk out of the BayArena after a 0-0 draw against Union Berlin and still feel a little inner fireworks show going off, something unusual must have happened. Either you’ve had one Kölsch too many (no judgment here), or Bayer 04 Leverkusen just qualified for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with five games to spare. Spoiler: it’s the second one. Though, for some of us, the first might’ve been true too.

From the first minute, the match looked like a tutorial on "How to keep possession forever" – with Bayer as the teacher and Union Berlin as the poor students who forgot their notebooks. Over 700 passes, nearly 75% possession, 42 crosses. At times, it felt like we were less in a Bundesliga match and more in a passing drill – only with 30,000 fans watching and Union parked like a 90s Fiat Punto in their own penalty box.

And yet: no goal. Schick had chances early, Frimpong sprinted past people like he was playing a different sport, and then came the glorious return of Florian Wirtz – who instantly reminded us why we’ve been counting the minutes until he was back. He came on, the stadium rose as one, and boom – the tempo changed, the creativity returned, the spark was back. He even nearly created the winner. But football can be a cruel game, and this time, the ball stubbornly refused to cross the line.

Still, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Jonas Hofmann continued his magical unbeaten Bundesliga run in a Bayer shirt – 40 games, zero losses. The man is basically allergic to defeat. If he ever does lose a league game, I’m expecting a minor cosmic event, possibly visible from space.

Coach Xabi Alonso didn’t crack a smile in the post-match press conference – and to be fair, he wasn’t wrong. He said we lacked a bit of energy and sharpness in the final third, and yeah, you could see that. It’s been a long season full of brilliance, and every battery eventually flashes red. The important thing? We’re still picking up points even when we’re not at our best.

Union? Well, they did what Union always do. Parked the bus, added a second one for good measure, and defended like their lives depended on it. Offensively, they were about as threatening as a damp sponge. But you have to give them credit – they executed their game plan perfectly and even had one goal ruled out for offside. Still, if this game ever becomes a Netflix documentary, I promise I won’t be watching.

So, what do we take from all this? A point. A Champions League spot. And the comforting feeling that even when we’re not firing on all cylinders, we’re still clearly better than most. Let’s be honest – I’d rather draw 0-0 against Union than get smacked 3-0 by Augsburg, right?

Next stop: St. Pauli. A trip to the wild north, the Millerntor, a Sunday night under the lights. And hopefully, this time, with more goals in the backpack. Because if we’re gonna play Champions League next season, we might as well start acting like it again. Schick deserves a goal. Wirtz deserves the world. And we fans? We deserve a party.

How Buendía Saved Our Saturday (and Maybe Our Season)

Let’s be honest – anyone who cracked open a cold one on Saturday afternoon expecting a fiery Bayer 04 comeback after the Bielefeld embarrassment probably found themselves mowing the lawn by halftime out of sheer frustration. Because what we saw in Heidenheim for most of the match wasn’t exactly “title-challenger energy” – it was more like “let’s hope this ends quickly” energy. And yet… somehow… we won. Because football is weird. And because Emiliano Buendía decided he was done watching us suffer.

It all started – as it so often does with us lately – with high hopes and low output. Xabi Alonso shuffled the starting XI like a man searching for answers in the sock drawer: Boniface was back up front, Aleix Garcia replaced Palacios, and Andrich was suddenly a defender. The good news? The opponent wasn’t Bayern. The bad news? Heidenheim clearly didn’t get the memo that they’re supposed to be in the relegation battle. They came out swinging – pressing high, tackling hard, and looking like a team with something to prove.

And us? Well… if the first half were a dish, it would’ve been a lukewarm potato salad with no dressing. Possession without penetration, build-up without bite, and a vibe that screamed "still traumatized from Tuesday." The few chances we did have barely registered as such. Meanwhile, Heidenheim rattled the crossbar, pinged the post, and made Hradecky look like a man playing roulette with his own goal.

Second half? Slightly better, but not much. We had the ball, but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Alonso started making changes, throwing on attackers like he was hoping one of them might accidentally stumble into a goal. Spoiler alert: one did.

Enter Emiliano Buendía. On in the 67th, anonymous until the 91st – and then suddenly the main character. Hofmann, also fresh off the bench and determined to justify his haircut, slipped him the ball. One touch, one turn, one perfect curler – and boom. 1-0. Out of nowhere. Heidenheim frozen. Bayer fans erupting. Football, bloody hell.

That goal didn’t just win us the match – it quite possibly kept the title dream alive. It was Buendía’s first Bundesliga goal, and if there’s any justice in the universe, it won’t be his last in red and black. Because sometimes it’s not about playing pretty. Sometimes it’s about showing up, digging deep, and stealing three points when you absolutely don’t deserve them. That’s what champions do. Ugly wins count too.

So here we are – still chasing, still in the hunt, and still somehow standing after a week that nearly broke us. Next up: Union Berlin at home. Maybe we’ll actually play some decent football. Or maybe we’ll just need another last-minute hero. Either way, we’ll be there – with beer in hand, heart in mouth, and hope in our eyes.

Thanks, Emiliano. You beautiful, brilliant, last-minute legend.