B04 Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen - SVW Bremen SV Werder Bremen

Highlight Video bayer 04 leverkusen vs sv werder bremen

Highlights

L. Vázquez
37'

BayArena(Sold out)

Tobias Reichel

45 %Lucas Vázquez

0:18

Watch: Lucas Vázquez on a "special day" as Leverkusen win

Full-time: Leverkusen 1-0 Bremen

That's the final whistle! Leverkusen pick up a much-needed victory over Bremen, who can consider themselves a little unlucky not to have taken something from the match. Vázquez got the all-important winner for the home side in the first half, while Werder will regret several missed chances, including a header from Njinmah that came back off the post.

Full-time

90'

+ 6

Yellow card

Olivier Deman

90'

+ 4

All Bremen now

Bremen are pushing hard for an equaliser, with Malatini and Njinmah involved in the build-up around the box. In the end, Njinmah fires a wayward effort over the bar.

90'

+ 1

We are into added time

Five mins of stoppage time to go at the BayArena.

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Justin Gideon Njinmah34.79km/h

Julián Malatini33.97km/h

Ernest Poku33.23km/h

89'

Malatini in the book as well

Malatini's late challenge sees him also go into the ref's book.

88'

Booking for Badé

Referee Reichel shows Badé a yellow card, which means he'll miss the next game.

88'

Yellow card

Julián Malatini

87'

Yellow card

Loïc Badé

86'

Topp gets up well

Topp gets his head on a Friedl cross, but he can't direct it properly and it goes wide.

83'

Impressive share of possession from the away side

Werder just need to turn that possession into a late goal now.

Possession (%)

5149

80'

Leverkusen on the hunt for a second

Leverkusen are stepping things up now, as they search for what could be a decisive second goal. Tillman wins a corner, but the delivery doesn't pose any danger.

79'

Substitution

Keke Topp

Yukinari Sugawara

78'

Yellow card

Marco Friedl

78'

Yellow card

Jonas Hofmann

0:30

Backhaus denies Grimaldo again

Grimaldo has a great chance to clinch the three points as he goes one-on-one with Backhaus, but the Werder 'keeper stays big and makes a good save.

72'

Substitution

Exequiel Palacios

Aleix García

72'

Substitution

Arthur

Ibrahim Maza

71'

Another Maza blast!

Maza loves a long-range shot, and he goes close once again with an effort that just clears the bar!

70'

20 mins to go

We're into the final quarter of the match, and this match is far from being dead and buried. Werder look capable of grabbing a leveller in the latter stages.

67'

Good pressure from the visitors

Werder keep pushing: this time substitute Milošević tries a speculative long-range effort, but it's blocked.

63'

Werder still in this

A point is certainly not beyond Bremen, who continue to look threatening when they drive forward. As if to prove the point, Malatini wins a corner down the right.

60'

Substitution

Jovan Milošević

Marco Grüll

57'

Two changes for Bayer

Tillman and Fernández come on as Leverkusen look for a way to seal the win. Poku and goalscorer Vázquez head off.

57'

Substitution

Ezequiel Fernández

Lucas Vázquez

57'

Substitution

Malik Tillman

Ernest Poku

56'

Schmid shot blocked

Schmid has a go from distance but it's blocked away for a corner. He takes it himself, but it comes to nothing.

53'

Bremen moving it around

Werder have had a sustained period of possession in the last 2-3 minutes, as they probe for an equaliser.

0:22

Grimaldo goes close!

Grimaldo pounces on a loose ball and tries to steer it into the corner, but Backhaus is equal to it!

46'

Half-time sub

Werder make a change for the second half, bringing on Deman for Schmidt.

46'

Back at it

Leverkusen get us underway in the second half.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 6

Substitution

Olivier Deman

Isaac Schmidt

Half-time: Leverkusen 1-0 Bremen

The half-time whistle goes in an entertaining clash at the BayArena. Leverkusen lead through Vázquez 37th-minute strike, but it's been a fairly even game - both teams also hit the woodwork - and Bremen will fancy their chances of getting back into things in the second period.

Half-time

0:14

Watch: Maza piledriver pings the woodwork!

45'

+ 1

Now Leverkusen strike the post!

Maza hits a rocket of a shot out of nowhere off the Bremen post. Unlucky!

45'

Into stoppage time

We're going to have five mins of injury time, mainly due to the early treatment for the subbed-out Pieper.

41'

Off the post!

Bremen's heads have clearly not gone down, as they head right up the pitch and hit the post with a header! Njinmah is desperately unlucky to see his effort bounce off the woodwork.

38'

Home fans happy

With their recent troubles, and Werder's strong performance up until the goal, Leverkusen fans will be breathing a sigh of relief that they have the lead at the BayArena.

Breakthrough for Bayer!

There's the opener! Vázquez slots home coolly to give the home side the lead.

37'

Lucas Vázquez

GOAL!

1:0

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

31 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11.27 m

34'

Backhaus comes out well

Poku breaks clear, but Backhaus races out to block his effort. It's deemed to be offside in any case, but it was very alert goalkeeping nonetheless.

33'

Werder not overawed

The away side have given as good as they've got so far.

Goal attempts

3off target

1on target

3off target

2on target

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Justin Gideon Njinmah34.36km/h

Ernest Poku33.23km/h

Loïc Badé32.17km/h

28'

Schmid lets fly

Schmid fires one in in towards goal from the angle, but Blaswich makes the save!

27'

Grüll goes down

Maza makes a clumsy-looking challenge on Grüll in the box - the Werder players and fans claim for a penalty, but play goes on after a quick check.

Taking a breath

After a high-octane start, featuring some good early play by Bremen and that ruled-out goal at the other end, the tempo has dropped a little as the teams settle into the match.

18'

What a chance!

Schick finds Poku with a lovely outside-of-the-foot pass, but the Leverkusen No.19 can only scoop it over the bar. That was a big chance!

15'

Pieper subbed

Unfortunately, Pieper cannot continue, and he's replaced by Malatini. A bit of a blow for Werder.

15'

Substitution

Julián Malatini

Amos Pieper

Schick "goal" ruled out

It appeared that Schick had given the home side the lead, but it's chalked off for handball after a VAR check.

0:30

Watch: Schick's effort chalked off for handball

13'

SituationGoal

ReviewPrevious handball?

DecisionNo goal

11'

Werder playing with ten (for now)

The Bremen bench will have to make a quick decision about whether Pieper can continue.

10'

Pieper in pain

Pieper took a knock during a melee in his own box, and he's been down receiving treatment for 2-3 minutes now. Hopefully he's OK.

Werder looking good

Now Njinmah breaks clear briefly, but he's quickly closed down by the Leverkusen rearguard. Bremen laying down a marker here that they plan on taking something from this match.

Early chance

A quick free-kick leads to an early opportunity for Stage, but his low drive is collected fairly comfortably by Blaswich. Nice start by the visitors.

And we're off!

Werder Bremen get the ball rolling at the BayArena. Should be a good one!

Kick-off!

Never again

On 27 January 1945, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was liberated. Since 2004, football matches in Germany held around 27 January have become a symbol of remembrance for all the lives persecuted under National Socialism. Leverkusen and Bremen stand united today with the powerful message "Never Again".

Table talk

Leverkusen could jump up one spot to fifth today in the event of a much-needed home victory and a Leipzig loss. Werder, on the other hand, could move into the top half of the table with a win.

More on that Bremen team

Horst Steffen, meanwhile, keeps faith with the same starting XI that came so close to defeating Eintracht Frankfurt last time out. Despite eventually having to make do with a point in that 3-3 draw, Werder will be confident of getting something today against an out-of-sorts Werkself side.

0:26

Watch: Friendly rivalry

More on that Leverkusen team

Hjulmand makes two changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Olympiacos during the week, bringing in Schick and Hofmann for Kofane and Fernández as they look to bounce back from three defeats in a row in all competitions.

0:08

Watch: Werder players acknowledge travelling fans

0:13

Watch: Inside the Werder dressing room

0:04

Watch: BayArena preparations in full flow

Kasper Hjulmand on facing Bremen

"It will be very important to get into the game better than last time. We want possession, lots of passing, movement. But maybe we need to do something different in the first few minutes."

Starting line-up: SV Werder Bremen

Bremen subs

Hein, Deman, Malatini, Schmetgens, Puertas, Hansen-Aaröen, Čović, Topp, Milošević

Starting line-up: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Leverkusen subs

Subs: Lomb, Belocian, Tape, Arthur, Palacios, Tillman, Fernández, Kofane, Terrier.

Early Bremen team news

Horst Steffen has several confirmed absences to contend with, as Felix Agu, Victor Boniface, Niklas Stark, Mitchell Weiser and Maximilian Wöber sit this one out. There are also question marks over Romano Schmid and Olivier Deman, who did not take part in full training on Thursday.

Early Leverkusen team news

The Werkself are without goalkeeper Mark Flekken, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Edmond Tapsoba and Nathan Tella for this encounter but expect Exequiel Palacios to return after several months out.

2:03

Watch: Leverkusen beat Bremen 5-0

Special Bremen memories

Leverkusen, of course, have fond memories of playing the Werderaner. It was against Bremen that they secured their maiden Bundesliga title in 2023/24, with Florian Wirtz scoring a hat-trick from the bench in the 5-0 triumph.

Head-to-head

Bremen are actually unbeaten in their past three against Leverkusen, although they failed to win their last eight meetings with the Werkself before that. They also won their last game at the BayArena, too, a 2-0 triumph last term.

Horst Steffen on facing Leverkusen

"A lot has happened since the first meeting between the teams. They've had many good matches. Leverkusen are one of the top teams in the league. It doesn't matter how unlucky their start to the year was. In the UEFA Champions League against Olympiacos, they had many chances to score, especially in the second half. We will be challenged again. Ultimately, we can only focus on what is in our own hands. Therefore, we want to deliver a strong performance.”

2:45

Watch: The best RefCam moments of 2025/26 so far!

Ever wondered what a Bundesliga match looks look from a referee's perspective? Well wonder no more...

Bremen's poor form

Die Werderaner are without a win in their previous eight Bundesliga outings. That leaves them 13th in the table, just five points clear of the relegation play-off spot.

Leverkusen's difficult start to 2026

Kasper Hjulmand and his side will have hoped to start the calendar year much differently. They have lost all three of their games in all competitions this year, scoring only one goal. That leaves them outside the top four in the Bundesliga as a result.

Leverkusen beaten in Greece

Leverkusen's dismal start to 2026 continued on Tuesday as they slipped to a surprise 2-0 defeat against Olympiacos. The result sees Die Werkself remain in the play-off places, but they are in danger of slipping out of them if they can't get a result at Villarreal next time out.

2:03

Watch: Bremen 3-3 Leverkusen - previous meeting

Despite being down to 10 men, Werder struck a stoppage-time equaliser in a topsy-turvy encounter on Matchday 2. The result cost Erik ten Hag his job after just three competitive games as Leverkusen head coach.

2:03

Watch: Hoffenheim 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights

Leverkusen are winless in 2026 after back-to-back defeats to top-six rivals VfB Stuttgart and Hoffenheim. Kasper Hjulmand's men return to action with a four-point deficit on the top four, but have played a game less than most of the teams around them. Originally set to take place on 13 January before being postponed due to weather-related safety concerns, Die Werkself's Matchday 17 trip to Hamburg has been rearranged for 4 March.

2:03

Watch: Eintracht Frankfurt 3-3 Werder Bremen - highlights

Bremen were minutes from snapping a six-game winless run in last Friday's meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt. They stay five points clear of the relegation zone in 13th, but have a home game against Hoffenheim in hand. That one's been rescheduled for 27 January, after being called off because of heavy snow in northern Germany earlier this month.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 19 fixture between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SV Werder Bremen.

B04 Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen - SVW Bremen SV Werder Bremen

Highlights

Vote for your Man of the Match!

Watch: Lucas Vázquez on a "special day" as Leverkusen win

Full-time: Leverkusen 1-0 Bremen

Yellow card

All Bremen now

We are into added time

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Malatini in the book as well

Booking for Badé

Yellow card

Yellow card

Topp gets up well

Impressive share of possession from the away side

Leverkusen on the hunt for a second

Substitution

Yellow card

Yellow card

Backhaus denies Grimaldo again

Substitution

Substitution

Another Maza blast!

20 mins to go

Good pressure from the visitors

Werder still in this

Substitution

Two changes for Bayer

Substitution

Substitution

Schmid shot blocked

Bremen moving it around

Grimaldo goes close!

Half-time sub

Back at it

Substitution

Half-time: Leverkusen 1-0 Bremen

Watch: Maza piledriver pings the woodwork!

Now Leverkusen strike the post!

Into stoppage time

Off the post!

Home fans happy

Breakthrough for Bayer!

Lucas Vázquez

GOAL!

Backhaus comes out well

Werder not overawed

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Schmid lets fly

Grüll goes down

Taking a breath

What a chance!

Pieper subbed

Substitution

Schick "goal" ruled out

Watch: Schick's effort chalked off for handball

Werder playing with ten (for now)

Pieper in pain

Werder looking good

Early chance

And we're off!

Never again

Table talk

More on that Bremen team

Watch: Friendly rivalry

More on that Leverkusen team

Watch: Werder players acknowledge travelling fans

Watch: Inside the Werder dressing room

Watch: BayArena preparations in full flow

Kasper Hjulmand on facing Bremen

Starting line-up: SV Werder Bremen

Bremen subs

Starting line-up: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Leverkusen subs

Early Bremen team news

Early Leverkusen team news

Watch: Leverkusen beat Bremen 5-0

Special Bremen memories

Head-to-head

Horst Steffen on facing Leverkusen