Bayer Leverkusen Offical Thread

[Lance Knight]

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Liverpool 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen

PA

Liverpool will travel to Bayer Leverkusen in a fortnight with a nagging fear their outstanding performance at Anfield might not secure a Champions League quarter-final spot - even though they won 3-1.

They were two ahead at the break through Luis Garcia and John Arne Riise and grabbed what they thought was a precious third in injury time thanks to a Dietmar Hamann free-kick.


But with seconds left Franca punished a Jerzy Dudek fumble and the German side had their away goal, knowing that a 2-0 win in the second leg will see them grab a place in the last eight of the competition.

But this was still a remarkable display by Liverpool, who found their erratic form at just the right time despite being forced to play without a host of influential regulars because of injury, suspension or ineligibility.

Stripped of so many front-line players, including suspended skipper Steven Gerrard, Rafael Benitez's side virtually picked itself with Harry Kewell returning after a two month injury lay-off.

Igor Biscan took over from Gerrard with Luis Garcia also back from a domestic suspension.

Hamann had the chance to take the lead in midfield in Gerrard's absence, no doubt inspired at being given a chance to take on his countrymen.

And he started in fine style, winning possession and driving forward. He had one edge of the box shot deflected wide while stand-in skipper Sami Hyypia had a cross punched off his head by visiting keeper Jorg Butt.

But Leverkusen withstood Liverpool's opening burst with confidence and control, and then carved out an excellent chance. Paul Freier forced his way in from the right before setting up Robson Ponte 12 yards out. But the Brazilian lifted his shot over the bar.

The German club's attacking strength was underlined when Dimitar Berbatov fired in a fierce 25 yarder from the left corner of the box and Jerzy Dudek palmed it away with some difficulty. Another 20 yarder flashed wide of a post from the tall Bulgarian.

But, on 15 minutes, the unlikely figure of Biscan cut open the visitor's defence after going past two tackles and sliding a ball into space for Luis Garcia to collect and clip expertly past Butt to send Anfield wild.

Liverpool immediately had an amazing let-off when Steve Finnan's weak header hit Hyypia and dropped perfectly for Berbatov to sprint clear on his own. Dudek advanced but knew he had little chance, only to stand and watch the striker's shot roll wide of a post.

Just as Leverkusen gained confidence they were hit by Liverpool's second. Kewell was fouled way out on the right by Diego Placente, and Riise stepped up curl a cracker from 30 yards into the bottom corner leaving Butt sprawling and his wall well beaten.

Ponte was rather unlucky to be booked for kicking the ball back at a fallen Riise, Bernd Schneider having committed the original foul. The caution puts Ponte out of the second leg.

Freier was booked early in the second half for a foul on Traore, and he will also miss the second leg, while Dudek was also cautioned for time wasting.

Baros missed a glorious chance of a third when Riise's run took him cleverly into the box. His square pass was controlled by the unmarked Czech Republic international, but his shot was lifted over the bar.

Hamann was next into the book for a foul on Freier before Voronin lifted a shot over the bar on the hour after Bayer's best passing move of the match.

Liverpool then wasted two more great chances of a third. Riise put Baros clear in the box, but his 12 yard shot clipped Butt's leg and rolled wide. From the corner, Jamie Carragher hit a point-blank effort that Butt somehow pushed away.

Then it was Dudek's turn to be a hero. First he palmed out a Freier 20-yard drive before tipping over Schneider's pile driver from 30 yards.

But the tension lasted right into injury time. First Hamann gave Liverpool a three-goal cushion when he curled in a 20-yard free kick for a foul on Anthony Le Tallec.

But their was still time for the Germans to get their own lifeline when Franca scored with seconds to go, Berbatov's shot being fumbled by Dudek for the Brazilian to punish the error, which could be very costly in the BayArena in a fortnight.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 3-3 Hertha Berlin: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, March 12 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen appeared to be suffering the repercussions of their Champions League exit after being held to a draw by 10-man Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Just days after their European loss to Liverpool, Klaus Augenthaler's men struggled to get the better of a Hertha Berlin side who played 80 minutes with one less player after Dick van Burik's early red card.

Despite a bright start in which they took a two-goal lead through Robson Ponte and a Hans-Jorg Butt penalty, Leverkusen were unable to defend their lead even after Van Burik's dismissal for conceding the spot-kick.

Marcelinho was a thorn in the side of Bayer and his double before the break hauled Berlin level before Andreas Neuendorf's strike on the hour put Falko Gotz's side ahead for the first time in the game.

Andrei Voronin finally earned a point for the hosts five minutes from time, but it was too little too late for Bayer, who left the field with their final objective of the season - third place and qualification for the Champions League - hanging by a thread.

Bayer looked keen to wipe away memories of their midweek elimination from the Champions League and raced into a two-goal lead.

Ponte gave Klaus Augenthaler's side the start they had been dreaming of on when he put the home side ahead after just five minutes with a solo run which culminated in a driven shot into the bottom corner.

Niko Kovac lost the ball to Paul Freier in midfield and Ponte picked up the ball on the halfway line and drove towards Christian Fiedler's goal before pulling the trigger from 20 yards out.

Berlin appeared to be out of the game five minutes later when Van Burik was given his marching orders and Leverkusen goalkeeper-turned-penalty-taker Butt took the chance to double the advantage.

Van Burik took Voronin's back leg away from him and the referee pointed to the spot before taking the red card from his pocket.

Butt put the spot-kick away for his second goal of the season, but 10-man Berlin were far from beaten and hit back with a brace from Marcelinho.

The Brazilian striker beat the offside trap and then wrong-footed inexperienced Bayer defender Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker before sweeping his shot past Butt in the 24th minute.

Berlin were level five minutes later and again it was Marcelinho who benefited from a defensive mix-up to fire in from 20 yards.

Diego Placente and Sascha Dum got in each other's way while trying to defend a Fiedler punt forward, and Marcelinho welcomed possession on the halfway line before making a beeline for Butt's goal and placing his shot firmly into the corner.

Berlin continued to press despite their numerical disadvantage and Marcelinho almost completed his hat-trick 10 minutes before the break with a direct free-kick which curled inches past the post.

The visitors were ahead on the hour mark though as they continued to dictate the game against a disorganised Leverkusen. Neuendorf placed his left-footed shot comfortably past Butt after being threaded through by Thorben Marx.

Yet despite their midweek exertions, Leverkusen had saved up enough energy for the final 10 minutes as they drew level through Voronin.

In a rare scurry forward, Bernd Schneider got to the goalline and pulled the ball back to the feet of Voronin, who diverted his shot into the far corner of Fiedler's goal.

But it may not be enough for Augenthaler's side, who now face an uphill task to overhaul Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen to claim a place in the Champions League next season.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Kaiserslautern: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, March 19 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen kept their charge for European football on track with an ultimately comfortable victory over Kaiserslautern at the BayArena.

A first-half strike from defender Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker followed up by Andrej Voronin's goal a minute into the second period ensured the points would stay with the home side.

Leverkusen are on 43 points - four adrift of third placed Werder Bremen who occupy the final Champions League qualifying place with eight games remaining.

If they failed to reach the top club competition, Leverkusen have an excellent chance to secure a UEFA Cup place.

Leverkusen keeper Jorg Butt was first brought into action as Halil Altintop's shot from inside the penalty area brought a good save out of the keeper in the eighth minute.

In the next action of note, the home side took the lead 13 minutes in. Callsen-Bracker and Kaiserslautern defender Timo Wenzel fought over the ball and after the former gained possession he crashed the ball home from distance.

The visitors pressed in search of an equaliser but they found Butt in great form in the Leverkusen goal.

First, he denied Altintop again on the quarter hour before saving a shot from long-range by Thomas Riedl in the 27th minute.

Kaiserslautern had been fighting back but it was Leverkusen who extended their lead early in the second half.

Bernd Schneider played the ball to Voronin whose shot from the centre of the penalty area left Thomas Ernst with no chance in the visitors goal.

Robson Ponte was proving a lively presence for the home side and after threatening the goal in the 54th minute he fired in a long-range rocket with 15 minutes remaining which Ernst managed to handle with some difficulty.

Top scorer Dimitar Berbatov had a late chance to make the scoreline more emphatic for the hosts but his 84th minute header was well saved by Ernst

[Lance Knight]

leverkusen loses, and falls behind

Saturday, April 2, 2005

Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen: FT Report

PA

BIELEFELD, April 2 (Bundesliga) - Arminia Bielefeld snapped their three-game losing streak with a narrow victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Radomir Djalovic opened his Bundesliga scoring account in the 66th minute after some good work from halftime substitute Ervin Skela.

Leverkusen never looked like the ambitious team that reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League earlier this month and chalked up a deserved defeat.

The opening 45 minutes brought meagre goalmouth action, with Arminia unable to replace German international Patrick Owomoyela (knee) and hard-working striker Fatmir Vata (broken nose).

The visitors had little to offer themselves and it was a bicycle kick from Andrej Voronin that marked the sole highlight of an otherwise slow-paced first half.

Robson Ponte had delivered a corner but Voronin's acrobatic effort landed on top of the bar after 13 minutes.

A Petr Gabriel header from a Massimiliano Porcello free-kick after 34 minutes was as close as Bielefeld got to Leverkusen's goal.

The half-time introduction of Albanian international Skela helped Arminia gain impetus.

Defender Gabriel showed limited offensive skills when he shot over from promising position after a Detlev Dammeier corner in the 54th minute while Delron Buckley headed over from six yards out 10 minutes later.

After Leverkusen's Dimitar Berbatov sent a header just wide, Arminia eventually broke the deadlock in the 66th minute when Skela darted into the attacking third.

He beat Juan and fired a pin-point cross to Djalovic, whose spectacular left-footed first-time effort found the back of the net from the central position.

Bielefeld kept pressing and missed two glorious chances in quick succession.

Roberto Pinto fed Buckley with low cross from inside the penalty area but the South African's running shot whistled over the top bar in the 75th.

Three minutes later, a Dammeier corner was met by substitute Klodian Duro at the far post.

The Albanian international neatly shook off two defenders only to fire his effort well over the goal.

Berbatov almost made the hosts pay in the 82nd minute.

Paul Freier swung a beautiful midfield cross to the center of the box but Berbatov4s running volley was superbly parried by Mathias Hain.

And when the keeper parried a Bernd Schneider drive in stoppage time, Arminia had secured three more points in their hunt for a place in the Intertoto Cup.

[go!ua]

Vorona was tired after match with Denmark, that`s why Bayer lost :)

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, April 9, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Borussia Dortmund: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, April 9 (Bundesliga) - Sebastian Kehl clinched a vital win for Borussia Dortmund with a goal two minutes from time against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.

The win leaves Bert van Marwijk's side two points behind Leverkusen and in with a real chance now of clawing their way back into contention for a spot in the UEFA Cup for next season.

In a first half with few chances, neither side showed the ambition needed to go ahead and the scoreline was rightly 0-0 at the break.

But of the chances there were, Leverkusen had the best.

Their first sight on goal came after 12 minutes when midfielder Jacek Krzynowek went past Dortmund defender Christoph Metzelder but on approaching the area he struck his shot over the bar.

Krzynowek again went close on the half-hour mark but his free-kick from the edge of the area went inches wide of the right post.

Good defending from midfielder Kehl prevented Leverkusen striker Andrej Voronin from scoring six minutes later after he blocked his shot when keeper Roman Weidenfeller looked beaten.

After the break Dortmund took control of proceedings and eight minutes in Salvatore Gambino went close only to see his shot cleared away at the last minute by Leverkusen defender Silveira Juan.

Weidenfeller saved easily from Voronin just after the hour mark before Dimitar Berbatov hit a stinging shot from all of 30 yards that would have opened the scoring had it not been struck straight at the Dortmund number one.

But the visitors made the most of their domination in possession in the second half and broke the hearts of the Bayer fans by clinching the three points right at the death.

After Leverkusen midfielder Gonzalo Castro lost possession to Ebi Smolarek, the ball was played through to Kehl who coolly finished past keeper Jorg Butt who had no chance with the effort.

Dortmund will be thanking their luck after this win, following an uninspiring 90-minutes in which neither side ever looked like creating the fireworks that would have put the game to bed a lot earlier.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, April 16, 2005

SC Freiburg 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen: FT Report

PA

FREIBURG, April 16 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen returned to winning ways at the expense of bottom club Freiburg as they took three points away from the Dreisamstadion.

Bernd Schneider opened the visitors account in the 25th minute before Alexander Iashvili levelled for Freiburg before the break.

But the hosts could not hold on for a point as Dimitar Berbatov found the back of the net twice in the second half.

Schneider broke the deadlock for Leverkusen after he got through the defence before shooting from 20 yards out.

Freiburg's equaliser came just 12 minutes later when Soumaila Coulibaly crossed the ball from the right wing to find Samuel Koejoe in the area.

Koejoe then found Iashvili well placed to coolly slot the ball home from five yards.

In the 66th minute Berbatov gifted Leverkusen the lead once again after he broke through the defence and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper before he fired home with an accurate shot from 12 yards out.

In the 81st minute Berbatov added his second and compounded Freiburg's misery further after Andriy Voronin found Berbatov in the area to score from seven yards.

Freiburg's only real chance of the second half had come in the 73rd minute when substitute Levan Tskitishvili shot from 12 yards out, but goalkeeper Jorg Butt safely held onto the ball.

The result sees Freiburg remain rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga as they lie 13 points adrift of top flight safety.

With just five games remaining this campaign it looks increasingly certain that they are destined for the German second division next season.

Leverkusen are now just four points away from a UEFA Cup spot after notching up their first win in three games.

[Lance Knight]

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Werder Bremen: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, April 24 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen stepped up their bid for a place in next season's UEFA Cup by beating defending Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen at the BayArena on Sunday afternoon.

Bayern Munich's defeat of Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Pokal semi-final in midweek meant that sixth-place in the Bundesliga would be enough to qualify for Europe's second tier competition.

And Leverkusen moved to within a point of sixth with this win.

Klaus Augenthaler's men started well and went in front after just three minutes through Jacek Krzynowek.

Marko Babic made it 2-0 after 37 minutes and although Miroslav Klose pulled one back almost immediately, Leverkusen hung on to secure their 14th win of the season.

Bremen have struggled to live up to last season's achievements although a win in Leverkusen would have kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

But the visitors could have hardly made a worse start as they gifted Leverkusen an early lead.

Paul Stalteri played an awful back pass which was intercepted by Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian showed commendable composure to pick out Krzynowek and he tapped into the empty net.

Berbatov was proving a handful for the Bremen defence and only a fine save from Andreas Reinke prevented the home side from moving 2-0 ahead after 19 minutes.

It was a shortlived reprieve for Bremen though as Leverkusen added to their lead with their next meaningful forward sortie.

A quick counter-attack led to Gonzalo Castro playing in Babic and he made no mistake with a crisp finish.

Bremen hit back within 60 seconds, however, when Umit Davala's cross was not cleared by Roque Junior and Klose beat keeper Jorg Butt to the loose ball to head into the empty net.

Leverkusen were wobbling and Klose missed a wonderful chance to equalise four minutes before half-time, the Germany striker scuffing his close-range shot after a fine cross from Ivan Klasnic.

Bremen were finally coming to life after seemingly suffering a hangover from their midweek penalty shoot-out DFB Pokal defeat to Schalke.

And only a wonderful save from Butt to keep out Klose's volley kept Leverkusen's lead intact.

Butt also saved well from Klasnic and Tim Borowski, the latter chance coming in the final minute.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, April 30, 2005

Schalke 04 3-3 Bayer Leverkusen: FT Report

PA

GELSENKIRCHEN, April 30 (Bundesliga) - Schalke's slim hopes of lifting the Bundesliga title came to an end on Saturday with a draw against 10-man Bayer Leverkusen proving too little in their attempts to catch leaders Bayern Munich.

Schalke needed a victory to keep alive any hopes of closing the gap on Bayern, but a point, coupled with Munich's 4-0 win at Kaiserslautern, has left the Gelsenkirchen outfit 11 points adrift and unable to catch the pacesetters with just three matches left.

It was an entertaining spectacle for the AufSchalke Arena crowd, with the home side battling back from Paul Freier's early opener for Bayer with a Lincoln double and Ebbe Sand's strike handing them a 3-1 lead at the interval.

However, Schalke fell apart in the second half as Dimitar Berbatov and Andrej Voronin pulled the visitors level, and although Roque Junior's dismissal brought an end to Bayer's scoring, the home side were unable to find the necessary winner.

Despite a promising start to the match, Schalke surprisingly found themselves a goal behind after 23 minutes with Freier turning home a Bernd Schneider free-kick from 12 yards.

Yet the home side quickly recovered and just seven minutes later Lincoln impressively curled in a 25-yard free-kick to bring Schalke back into the match.

The Brazilian striker was proving problematic for the Leverkusen side and after 37 minutes he grabbed his second goal, once more judging a free-kick to perfection to leave keeper Hans Jorg Butt standing.

The chances kept coming for Schalke and within four minutes Sand made it 3-1 for the hosts, the Danish striker sweeping home a cross from Gerald Asamoah.

The interval could not come soon enough for Leverkusen and, with coach Klaus Augenthaler's words still ringing in their ears, the visitors began to fight back in the second half.

Berbatov was somewhat fortunate to find the back of the net after 56 minutes when his weak 15-yard shot took a deflection off Dario Rodriguez past Christopher Heimeroth in the Schalke goal.

And eight minutes later, Rodriguez's afternoon took another turn for the worst when he failed to pick up Carsten Ramelow's through-ball allowing Voronin to sweep home Leverkusen's equaliser.

The comeback was abruptly ended after 66 minutes when Roque Junior was giving his marching orders for a challenge on Sand, but the fight seemed to have gone out of Schalke as the side finally let go their slender grip on the title.

[go!ua]

I hope Bayer will be in CL next year and will not play with Dynamo there. I hate when 2 teams which I like playing with each other.

[Lance Knight]

lol yea, but atleast u can be happy when either team win

[nachi88]

I hope Bayer will be in CL next year and will not play with Dynamo there. I hate when 2 teams which I like playing with each other.

looks very unlikely that bayer will make it to the CL. They are 6th right now... and only 3 matchdays are left

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, May 7, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Hansa Rostock: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, May 7 (Bundesliga) - Hansa Rostock's slim hopes of staying in the Bundesliga took yet another blow as they suffered a comprehensive defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Mathematically Rostock still have a chance of staying up, but if Borussia Monchengladbach can win their game in hand against Hamburg on Sunday, then relegation will be confirmed.

Two goals from Dimitar Berbatov and one from Andrej Voronin secured the points for a Leverkusen outfit who dominated their struggling opponents from start to finish.

Berbatov's first strike came in the 27th minute, after a brilliant pass from Voronin set Carsten Ramelow clear. Ramelow's cross found Berbatov unmarked in the Rostock box and he easily beat goalkeeper Mathias Schober to score his 16th goal of the season.

The rest of the half was a quiet affair, with few clear-cut goal scoring opportunities, despite the home side dominating both possession and territory.

Voronin effectively made the game safe for Leverkusen in the 58th minute when Berbatov repaid the favour for the earlier assist and fed a sublime pass to Voronin to blast the ball past Schober.

Rostock looked to have pulled a goal back in the 70th minute but the referee adjudged that substitute Marcus Allback had handled the ball in the process of scoring for the visitors.

Berbatov's second of the game came in the last minute of normal time as he fired a shot past Schober to condemn Rostock to yet another defeat away from home, and send them ever closer to relegation from the Bundesliga.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, May 14, 2005

VfL Wolfsburg 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen: FT Report

PA

WOLFSBURG, May 14 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen staged a second-half fightback to earn a crucial point at Wolfsburg.

Goals from Miroslav Karhan and Thomas Brdaric put Wolfsburg in control by half-time, but Franca replied for the visitors after the break and a late strike from Daniel Bierofka levelled things up.

Leverkusen would have remained sixth, in the final UEFA Cup spot, anyway, but the draw means that because they have a far superior goal difference to seventh-placed Borussia Dortmund, they only need a point at home to Borussia Monchengladbach next week to book their ticket to European football.

In the first half, Wolfsburg showed exactly why they made such a great start to the season, although they have now faded to ninth.

They first went close as early as the third minute, with Argentinean midfielder Andres D'Alessandro shooting wide from 20 yards.

The hosts were ahead by the 24th minute though, with midfielder Karhan firing the ball into the top corner following a Karsten Fischer corner.

A further six minutes later and Wolfsburg were deservedly two goals to the good after defender Juan gifted possession to Brdaric and the striker needed no encouragement to score against his former club.

Leverkusen came out of their shell in an entertaining second half and Carsten Ramelow had their first effort at goal four minutes after the restart from 20 yards.

Goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch managed to make a save and although the rebound fell to Leverkusen midfielder Paul Freier, Jentzsch made another save.

However, in the 61st minute, Leverkusen managed to pull one back, Brazilian striker Franca beating Jentzsch from close range after Dimitar Berbatov's corner.

It was all Leverkusen now and they threatened an equaliser just six minutes later after Gonzalo Castro combined with Jacek Krzynowek, but Jentzsch again denied Bayer.

But with four minutes remaining, Castro and Bernd Schneider linked up to release Bierofka, who left Jentzsch helpless in the home goal.

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Borussia M'gladbach: FT Report

PA

LEVERKUSEN, May 21 (Bundesliga) - Bayer Leverkusen secured their place in next season's UEFA Cup with a resounding defeat of Borussia Monchengladbach.

With Monchengladbach's season as good as over after last weekend's scoreless draw with Hertha Berlin had secured their Bundesliga status, Leverkusen looked hungrier and more determined.

A hat-trick from Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov and a goal each from Franca and Andrej Voronin secured the points for the home side, despite them falling behind to a second minute strike from Oliver Neuville.

Neuville struck after the home defence were caught cold by a superb through ball from Thomas Broich.

Neuville found himself unmarked in the box and coolly slotted the ball past Leverkusen keeper Jorg Butt.

It proved to be a false dawn for Monchengladbach, as Leverkusen sprung into life, with Veronin going close in the fifth minute.

Monchengladbach made Leverkusen work hard to get back into the game, snubbing out a series of attacks before Berbatov eventually levelled the scores with a fine strike in the 41st minute.

Leverkusen completely dominated the second half, scoring four goals in a remarkable 11 minute spell.

They went in front in the 58th minute when Berbatov met a Voronin free-kick to head home.

Leverkusen did not have to wait long to go 3-1 up as Voronin latched onto a pass from midfielder Paul Freier one minute later, before finishing from close in.

As Monchengladbach reeled, Leverkusen kept pressing, and Berbatov completed his hat-trick in the 61st minute when he pounced on a rebound from a Freier volley and tapped the ball home.

Franca completed the scoring in the 69th minute as a shocked Monchengladbach's defence capitulated, and the home side confirmed their European place.

[Lance Knight]

And the season is over Leverkusen finishes in a lowly 6th place but that atleast gives them a place in Uefa Cup next year,

[martin_petrov17]

BERBATOV finishes among the highest scorers in the league, to look on the bright side...

[Lance Knight]

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Borussia M'gladbach: FT Report

PA

MONCHENGLADBACH, August 2 (Bundesliga) - Borussia Monchengladbach have signed Norwegian defender Hassan El Fakiri.

The 28-year-old Moroccan-born defender, who parted company with Monaco earlier this summer, has signed a two-year contract.

Borussia director of sport Peter Pander told club website www.borussia.de: ``Hassan El Fakiri is a very strong player who can play in several different positions.''

El Fakiri, who moved to Norway with his parents when he was two years old, has also played for Lyn Oslo, Brann Bergen and Rosenborg in his homeland.

Kaiserslautern had also been interested in acquiring El Fakiri but were beaten to his signature by their Bundesliga rivals.

[Lance Knight]

i still cant belive Leverkusen lost so badly to munich, what has become of the once great Leverkusen, since ballack is gone they went sour, just like deportivo la courna, a 5-2 loss, that was aweful,

[kolumbus]

Shame to Lever! In this moment, is the 85-th min at Sofia and CSKA leads 1-0!
What is happening to this team?

[Bosnian Unit]

Bosnian Sergej Barbarez from Hamburg SV has joined Bayer Leverkuzen !!

[shevafan]

Bayer Leverkusen's UEFA CUP Group 2006/2007

Group B
Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts
Tottenham 1 1 0 0 2 0 3
Leverkusen 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Club Brugge 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Dinamo Bucuresti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Beşiktaş 1 0 0 1 0 2 0

GO VORONIN!

[Calif]

Hey what happened to Roque Junior???

[Calif]

Saturday November 11, 2006

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 3 Bayern Munich

[Calif]

Saturday November 18, 2006

Nurnberg 3 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen

Nurnberg Goals: R Vittek (12), M Schroth (48), I Saenko (85).

Bayer Leverkusen: A Madouni (8)(69)

[Lance Knight]

Leverkusen is not what it used to be, they need to stop trying to push it and take some time and rebuild the team

[Andriy]

they should give play more to Voronin, he doing realy a lot when he is on a field.

[Lance Knight]

well i cant say i havent seen them play for the season
but from i know on Voronin, i must wonder why he isnt starting?

[Saraj Fanatico]

How is Sergej Barbarez coming along anyways?

[Calif]

Sunday November 26, 2006

Bayer Leverkusen 3 - 1 Energie Cottbus

[Calif]

Saturday December 2, 2006

Arminia Bielefeld 0 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen

[shevafan]

Big game coming up for Bayern on the 15th of December against Besiktas. They have to win this one to stay in european competition. Hope Voronin scores!

[Calif]

I hope the best for Bayer Leverkusen!!!!!!!!

[Calif]

Friday December 8, 2006

Bayer Leverkusen 2 - 1 Hertha Berlin

[Calif]

This should motivate them for that game VS Besiktas!!!!!

[shevafan]

congrats to leverkusen. they continue in uefa cup.
lets go voronin!

[Calif]

Sunday December 17, 2006

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen

[holy\]

hey there people!
wonderful game against Aachen yesterday.

I was wondering can anybody give me a link or something to some bayer leverkusen fan songs lyrics?

thanks,stay feuerrot!

[Donschday]

hey there people!
wonderful game against Aachen yesterday.

I was wondering can anybody give me a link or something to some bayer leverkusen fan songs lyrics?

thanks,stay feuerrot!

I found a homepage with Lyrics
--> http://home.wanadoo.nl/maarten.geluk/
choose german on the left side and than you can find Leverkusen

[emode]

Leverkusen is meeting Blackburn today 14th.FEb on the UEFA Cup i hope they win.
the result :

Bayer Leverkusen 3:2 Blackburn

It quite expected because Blackburn was doing pretty bad recently in the EPL too.

[emode]

Bayer Leverkusen thru the next UEFA Cup round 16 after 0-0 draw with blackburn on the 2nd.leg round.

[emode]

UEFA Cup Result
Bayer Leverkusen 3 Lens 0 (Agg: 4-2)

Bayer Leverkusen eased into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.

[emode]

Bayer is meeting Osasuna in the next 1st leg UEFA Cup quarter - final round.
Ruudi Voller is pretty confident they will get thru.

[SiN]

Bayer Leverkusen have engaged the defender Costant Djakpa. The Ivorian has signed a four years deal .

[SiN]

Benedikt Fernandez (23), defender of Bayer Leverkusen, has renewed with the club until 2011. The goalie is the second of Renè Adler, considered the starter, but he has played the first three competitions of the season for an injury occurred to the number one.

[Chileno]

So now Leverkusen is at the top of the German league with Vidal as a starter in their lineup!

[yaniv536]

nice

[Finaslan]

Derdiyok signs for Bayer 04

FC Basel striker Eren Derdiyok will play for Bayer 04from 1 July 2009. The 20-year-old, with 12 international caps for Switzerland to his credit, has signed a four-year contract with the Werkself. The transfer was agreed between the clubs just a couple days before the DFB Cup Final. Both sides have agreed not to divulge the transfer fee. Managing director Wolfgang Holzhäuser: “We’re very pleased to have been able to sign this talented striker who will extend our attacking options.”


Bayer 04 sign Hyypiä

http://www.bayer04.de/bilder/08_09/05_266/040509_MG_0595.jpg


Bayer 04 have signed central defender Sami Tuomas Hyypiä from Premier League club Liverpool for the coming season. The Finland international will play for the Werkself up to 30.6. 2011. Hyypiä is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the current campaign. Hyypiä therefore joins Bayer 04 on a free transfer. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the contract.

Director of sport Rudi Völler: “Sami Hyypiä’s experience and presence on the pitch will stiffen our young side.”

Head coach Bruno Labbadia: “Hyypiä is a player who can help our team. I’m happy that he has chosen to come to Bayer 04.”

Sami Hyypiä: “The discussions with the management at Bayer 04 went very well. They made me feel that they really wanted to sign me. I’m looking forward to playing for Leverkusen and I hope that we can be successful.”

Sami Tuomas Hyypiä facts and figures:

Date of birth: 7 October 1973
Place of birth: Porvoo in Finland


Height: 1.93 m (6 ft 4)
Weight: 85 kg

Position: Central defender

Previous clubs:
1992 – 1995: MyPa Anjalankoski (Finland) 96 apperances/8 goals
1995 – 1999: Willem II Tilburg (Holland) 100/3
1999 – 2009: Liverpool (England) to date 314/22, start of 2009 700 competitive games for Liverpool
Finland international since 1992: 96 appearances/5 goals


Honours:
Finnish Sports personality of the Year 2001
Finnish Footballer of the Year: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
Finnish Cup winner: 1992, 1995
Champions League winner 2005
European Super Cup winner: 2001, 2005
UEFA Cup winner 2001
FA Cup winner: 2001, 2006
English League Cup winner: 2001, 2003

[Salt The Fries]

^ Derdiyok seems to really fit such team as Bayer. Good signing.

[~zero_signal~]

Good luck and all the best to Sami Hyypia.

[TM87_Maniac]

bumping the team threads, hope they get more active :tsk:

[BavarianRed]

Leverkusen back to the top

http://www.bundesliga.de/media/images/03_spieltagsgalerien/00_bundesliga/001_saison_09_10/19__spieltag/hof_b04_hypiae_468.jpg

Bayer 04 Leverkusen returned to the top of the Bundesliga after what was ultimately a comfortable 3-0 away win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, giving them a two point lead over FC Bayern München at the summit.

The Bundesliga's only unbeaten team took the lead on 11 minutes; Toni Kroos with an excellent free kick towards the back post, where veteran Finnish defender was looming to smash home past Hildebrand, the first Bundesliga goal for the ex-Liverpool man.

[A(Bosancero)]

Probably right now the favorites for the title along with Bayern. I must say Bayer Leverkusen showed some class against Hoffenheim and basically made the village team looks like little boys. Great football being played by this team ;)

[MrRossi]

Wow... Toni Kroos did a great job in the second half and Bayer won again. Hopefully they can keep the good form till the end of the season.

[BavarianRed]

Leverkusen regain top spot

http://www.bundesliga.de/media/images/03_spieltagsgalerien/00_bundesliga/001_saison_09_10/20__spieltag/lev_scf_hyypiae_jubel_345.jpg

Three goals in the space of four first-half minutes ensured Bayer Leverkusen regained their place at the top of the Bundesliga as they beat lowly SC Freiburg 3-1 in Sunday's late Bundesliga kick-off.

Stefan Kießling, Eren Derdiyok and Sami Hyypiä all struck shortly before half time and despite a second-half consolation from Felix Bastians, the result never looked in doubt for the hosts.

Freiburg courageous

While Leverkusen created the first chance of the match when Kießling was foiled by Freiburg keeper Simon Pouplin when clean through, it was the visitors who showed the early initiative and almost took the lead when Cedrick Makiadi popped up free in front of Rene Adler, only to see his effort claimed equally well by the German international keeper.

Two minutes later and the travelling fans thought they had indeed scored when Mohamadou Idrissou stretched to poke a cross from the right goalwards. Adler fumbled the ball away, while Freiburg attack's fervent claims that the ball had crossed the line were not enough to convince referee Wolfgang Stark.

[topscorer]

Leverkusen's exploits are attracting attention in England, there are a couple of good Bundesliga football blogs (http://betting.betfair.com/international-football/german-football/bundesliga-betting-bayers-best-ever-chance-of-losi-010210.html) here and here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philminshull/2010/02/now_is_the_time_for_the_neverk.html) interviewing Hyypia and talking about Bayer's hopes of losing that 'Neverkusen' tag!

[BavarianRed]

"First Europa League, then the title"

http://www.bundesliga.de/media/images/00_vereinsbilder/leverkusen/lev_scf_adler_cha_345.jpg

In an exclusive interview with bundesliga.de, Bayer goalkeeper Rene Adler spoke about his side's perspectives this season, difficult pitch conditions and his own big challenge.

bundesliga.de: René Adler, congratulations on the 3-1 victory over SC Freiburg. It was a foregone conclusion, though, right?

René Adler: All of us expected that we'd stay on course. We don't talk about pressure and try not to create any for ourselves. We're in a privileged position and were able to get back to the top of the table. We knew that Freiburg were a team who would come here with their backs to the wall and who have a better record on the road than they do at home this season. The game could have been very different if Freiburg had taken the lead. At three-nil, though, all we had to do was bring the three points over the line. We lost our way a bit when they made it 1-0 but I think that had a lot to do with the snowy conditions. All in all it was a deserved victory.

bundesliga.de: Bayer Leverkusen now have a 16-point lead over sixth-placed Werder Bremen and seem to be extending the deficit week by week. The goal at the start of the season was to qualify for Europe. Surely that's not far away now...

Adler: True. That's the goal. We've opened up a healthy gap but Bremen are not to be underestimated. They're on a bad run at the moment, but I'm sure they're get back to winning ways at some point. We're just trying to win as many points as we can on a week by week basis so that we can secure our Europa League place. Then we can start thinking about the title.

bundesliga.de: Bayer have had to keep winning game after game to keep their nearest competitors, Bayern and Schalke, at bay. It's all gone to plan so far and the team look to be showing no signs of nerves...

Adler: We're certainly on a good run. We worked hard during the short winter break. We stayed here and got used to the difficult winter conditions. You're never going to play attractive football on these pitches, but our players have the technical skills to play a decent game even on those surfaces. Now we're up against Bochum and it's going to be a tough task because everyone is expecting us to destroy them.

bundesliga.de: The pitch is being relaid at the BayArena next week. Should that prevent any mistakes like Freiburg keeper Simon Pouplin's on Sunday that led to the third goal?

Adler: The new pitch is nice. We'd all been looking forward to it. It was really difficult to deal with backpasses and play any kind of passing game on that surface. It's not an excuse and Simon would say the same. Technically he's one of the best keepers in the league. It happens sometimes and it doesn't come down to your technical abilities, it's just the pitch.

bundesliga.de: How great would it be for opposing fans not to be able to sing the "You'll never win the title" chant next season?

Adler: That's a big challenge, believe me. I've been at the club for ten years now and experienced quite a lot. We don't want to get too carried away. The coach has us on the right path and we're just taking things one game at a time. And that's the way it has to stay.

Interesting Interview, Adler is turning into a world class keeper only 16 goals conceded, 2nd best in the bundesliga only Neuer conceded less goals which is 15. :faint2:

[BavarianRed]

Leverkusen still out in front at the top

http://www.bundesliga.de/media/images/03_spieltagsgalerien/00_bundesliga/001_saison_09_10/22__spieltag/lev_wob_derdiyok_345.jpg

:lol:

Bayer Leverkusen turned in another impressive display of attacking football to beat VfL Wolfsburg and underpin their position at the top of the table.

After going two-up however, Bayer wobbled late on as the champions rallied, and were left holding on for an eventual 2-1 victory. That result, coupled with FC Bayern's 3-1 win against Dortmund, leaves Leverkusen still ahead of the Munich side by the narrowest of margins on goal difference. For outgoing title holders Wolfsburg though, it was another disappointing afternoon's work.

Bayer get into their stride

The contest got off to a tentative start, with Toni Kroos' off-target shot following a 4th-minute corner for Bayer the closest either side came to a chance on goal in the opening phase. Leverkusen gradually began to up the tempo after the quarter-hour mark, Michal Kadlec firing a free kick just over on 18 minutes. Five minutes on from that, Wolfsburg keeper Andre Lenz was scrambling to clear a shot by Kroos from the left edge of the box for a corner.

A miscued pass from Bayer's Stefan Reinartz then presented Wolfsburg with their first opportunity and the best of the match overall up to that point, Edin Dzeko running through and firing in a ferocious shot from a tight angle that pulled a brilliant fingertip save out of home keeper Rene Adler. Bayer swiftly went back on the offensive and Lenz was again called into action on the half-hour mark, reacting solidly to an effort from Sami Hyypiä following a corner.

[TM87_Maniac]

Lenz is the worst GK in the history of bundesliga :sad:

[TM87_Maniac]

Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg are interested in Ballack.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=797323&sec=transfers&cc=5901

[BavarianRed]

Ballack in Leverkusen would be sick, since he played there before, and had the form of his life..

[TM87_Maniac]

Michael Ballack signs 2-year-contract with Bayer Leverkusen

BERLIN — German star Michael Ballack signed a two-year contract to return to his old Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Ballack chose the 12-million-euro (C$15.4 million) deal with Leverkusen over another offer by rival Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, which was reported to have offered more money.

"My return to Bayer 04 completes the circle," Ballack said. "I had a nice and successful time here which I fondly remember. That helped me decide on Bayer."

Ballack, 33, was released by Chelsea this month. He is the captain of Germany, but was ruled out of the World Cup after injuring his right ankle in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.

Ballack won three German league and cup doubles with Bayern Munich before taking up the English Premier League challenge in 2006.

He helped Chelsea win the league and cup double this past season.

Ballack played for Bayer Leverkusen from 1999 to 2002, then switched to Bayern Munich.

In a statement on Bayer Leverkusen's website, club manager Wolfgang Holzhaeuser was quoted as saying that "Michael has strong leadership qualifications, we expect a lot from him on a national and international level."

Sports director Rudi Voeller said that Ballack would give the team a boost.

"We did everything to convince Michael. The fact that he chose Bayer 04 over the competition despite our limited financial possibilities, shows his close emotional connection with the club."

[BavarianRed]

Michael Ballack cant live without playing in the bundesliga :D its good that hes returning back to his old club where he once played before, and now he will most likely hang his boots very soon with Leverkusen..

[BavarianRed]

leverkusen plays St Pauli tomorrow in a friendly, I believe Ballack will play in this game, cant wait too see him play again like the good old days :D