Friday Night Fernschuss and Calm as You Like – Bayer 04 Does It the Leverkusen Way

Let’s be honest: watching this team right now feels a bit like someone took the "calm mode" from a yoga retreat and dropped it straight into a football stadium – only instead of soothing wind chimes, you get thunderous long-range rockets and well-timed tap-ins. The 3-1 win over VfL Bochum? Not exactly a footballing firework show, but once again, Bayer 04 proved they’ve got everything under control. And they’re doing it with the kind of quiet confidence that makes you believe nothing can go wrong – even when it briefly does.

This wasn’t chaos. This wasn’t drama. This was a measured, composed, espresso-shot of a game: strong, short, and with a solid punch in the middle. Bochum came to the BayArena with the full “underdog scrapping for survival” package – ten men behind the ball, all-in tackles, running until their lungs gave out. And fair play, they held us off for a while, even hitting back with a long-distance strike that probably left Hradecky wondering what kind of Bundesliga multiverse he’d woken up in.

But before that, Aleix Garcia had already decided to paint his name across the evening sky with one of the most glorious curlers we’ve seen all season. A laser beam from outside the box – his third of the season, because apparently the man doesn’t do boring goals. And from that moment on, you just had the feeling: we’ve got this. Not because it was easy, but because this team doesn’t panic anymore. Bayer 04 plays like they’ve seen this movie before. They know the ending. They’ve got the script.

Second half? All Werkself. Boniface, finally looking like the joyful wrecking ball we fell in love with before Christmas, bagged his return goal in classic poacher fashion after a clever set-piece routine. Nothing fancy, just in the right place at the right time. That’s exactly what we’ve been missing – and the grin on his face told you everything you needed to know. And then came Amine Adli, back on the Bundesliga scoresheet for the first time since the dinosaurs roamed the earth (okay, last April). A cool finish, a big moment – and just the kind of squad depth reminder you want heading into the business end of the season.

And speaking of milestones: how about Jonathan Tah? 300 Bundesliga matches, 284 of them in Leverkusen red and black. Not just a rock at the back, but a real institution at this club. He’s played so long for us, you half expect him to start handing out guided tours of the BayArena on off-days. The guy bleeds Werkself, and it shows.

What makes this team truly special, though, is how unshakable they’ve become. Remember the days when going 1-1 at home meant sweaty palms and frantic tactical overhauls? Those days are gone. Now it’s calm passes, patient buildup, the occasional Garcia rocket – rinse and repeat. Top of the league in goals before halftime. Top in long-range goals (okay, second behind Bayern, but give it a week). Top in vibes? Absolutely.

Next stop: Bielefeld. Pokal semifinal. Floodlights, third division grit, and that classic “giant-killing” energy in the air. But if there’s one thing this Leverkusen side knows how to handle, it’s pressure. No matter the pitch, no matter the opponent – they just do their thing. Focused. Efficient. Unfazed.

So dream on, Bayer fans. We’re three points off Bayern, in the DFB-Pokal semis, and still dancing in Europe. The finish line is in sight – and for once, it doesn’t feel like a sprint. It feels like a Sunday stroll.