A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

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The fixture list for the the 2021-22 has been released. Leverkusen will open the preseason in Brazil at the South American Continental Cup. Their opponents in the group stage include Atletico Mineiro (Brazil), Wolverhampton (England), and Real Sociedad (Spain).

Leverkusen will open Bundesliga play on August 15 at Mainz 05 and conclude the campaign by hosting Werder Bremen on May 14.

They will face defending champion Bayern Munich away on December 11 and at home on February 13, rivals Koln (October 24 and April 16), Monchengladbach (October 31 and April 10) and newly promoted Dusseldorf (November 6 and May 1).

The club will be participating in the 2021-22 Champions League, but the schedule of the group stage has not been drawn yet pending the results of the play-off matches.

The club will begin in the second round of the DFB-Pokal which is tentatively scheduled for December 23-24, 2021.

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Leverkusen has assigned youth scouting in 2021-22 to the Germany, Ivory Coast and France. We are looking to build a world class youth academy.

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SOUTH AMERICAN CONTINENTAL CUP RECAP

[size=1]Manchester United rallied for a 3-1 victory over Leverkusen for the title in Brazil.

Brazil (AP) - Manchester United defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in the final to raise the trophy in the preseason South American Continental Cup in Brazil. Bruno Fernandez goal in the 52nd minute was the difference with Leverkusen playing a man down for the final 67 minutes.

Leverkusen won their group, defeating Atletico Mineiro 3-2 to open the tournament, then slipping past Real Sociedad 1-nil before drawing with Wolverhampton in the final group stage match to finish atop Group A with seven points.

Bayer would then edge Everton 1-nil thanks to a Patrik Schick goal in the semifinals, before falling to Manchester United in the final. United dominated the final after falling behind early on a Dani Olmo goal in the 11th minute.

Jonathan Tah was sent off in the 23rd minute for a hard foul inside the box. BUt Ciro Immobile would be denied from the spot by Lukas Hradacky. Immobile would get revenge in the 31st minute as he cracked one past Hradacky to level the match at 1-1.

Bruno Fernandez would put Man U in front in the 52nd minute as he tapped home a misplayed ball from Eduardo Camavinga. Viktor Tsygankov would seal it in the 85th minute with a left footer past a helpless Hradacky.

Florian Wirtz injured broke a toe in the last group stage match against Wolverhampton and will miss the next 8-12 weeks. A tough blow for the youngster who has shown flashes that he should get some more first team reps.

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UEFA SUPER CUP



vs.

LIVERPOOL 2:2 LEVERKUSEN
(Liverpool Wins 4-3 on Penalties)
Windsor Park (Capacity: 22,000)


Liverpool celebrates a win in the UEFA Super Cup.

SCORING:
17' - (B04) - P. Schick
24' - (LIV) - Fabinho
93' - (B04) - M. Diaby
107' - (LIV) - A. Lacazette

DISCIPLINE:
120' - (B04) - E. Camavinga (Yellow)

8/11/21
Belfast, Northern Ireland (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool put on quite the showcase on Wednesday evening in Northern Ireland in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup with Liverpool prevailing on penalties 4-3 after a thrilling 120 minutes and a 2-2 draw. Allison's save on Eduardo Camavinga in the sixth round clinched the Cup for Liverpool and sent Leverkusen home disappointed.

Leverkusen grabbed the lead twice in the match, but both times could not hold on. In the 17th minute, it was Patrik Schick putting home a left footed shot off of a great pass from Moussa Diaby to put Leverkusen in front.

But Liverpool wasted little time in finding an equalizer. Firmino touched a pass into Fabinho and he one-timed it past a helpless Lukas Hradacky just seven minutes after the Leverkusen goal.

The match would remain tied through the rest of the ninety minutes, but both squads had great chances. Leverkusen looked like it had the winner in injury time as Moussa Diaby crossed one into Dani Olmo, but his one timer sailed just over the bar and the match went into extra time.

Just two and a half minutes into extra time it was Moussa Diaby taking a pass from Eduardo Camavinga and beating Alisson to put Leverkusen back in front, 2-1.

But Liverpool found an answer early in the second extra time period. Alexandre Lacazette hit a left footed rocket into the top right corner after a turnover and the match was level. Lars Bender lost the ball, and Sadio Mane sent it into the box. The Leverkusen defense lost Lacazette and he made them pay.

Lacazette had a chance to put Liverpool in front in the 114th minute, but Lukas Hradacky came up with a huge save to send the match to penalties. Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Alexadre Lacazette each scored with Edmond Tapsoba and Kangin Lee missing as Liverpool went up 3-0. Kerem Demirbay would connect, then Lukas Hradacky stopped Thiago. Dani Olmo scored to make it 3-2. Georginio Wijnaldum then sent one over the bar, giving Leverkusen hope. Dwight McNeil buried one in the corner to make it 3-3. Sadio Mane stepped up and just knocked it in off of Hradacky to put Liverpool up 4-3. Alisson them deflected Eduardo Camavinga's shot in the top right corner to give Liverpool the victory.

All in all, it was a thrilling match and suspenseful ending even if it did not go Leverkusen's way. They will now hit the road to begin Bundesliga play on Sunday afternoon at Mainz.

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DFB-POKAL: ROUND 1

DFB-Pokal Round 1 Results:

Ingolstadt 1:2 Darmstadt
Wuzburg 2:0 Saarbruk
Paderhorn 1:2 Duisburg
SC Freiburg 2:1 TSV 1860
Osnabruck 1:3 VfL Bochum
Unterhaching 1:2 Dresden
Kiel 0:2 Karlsruhe
VfB Lubeck 1:1 Sandhausen (VfB Lubeck advances 5-4 on penalties)
Kaiserslautern 0:3 Stuttgart
FSV Zwickau 0:2 Nurnberg
Uerdingen 2:3 Rostock
SV Wehen 2:1 Regensburg
Aue 1:2 Heidenheim
Viktoria Koln 0:3 Hannover

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SUMMER TEAM NEWS

Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - The summer transfer window has been active for Leverkusen so far with still three weeks remaining before the window closes. The big news is who is out as Leverkusen sent Karim Bellarabi to West Ham United for a reported transfer fee of $40M. The 31-year-old midfield/winger was a valuable piece for Leverkusen in 2020-21, scoring 18 goals and assisting on 13 others in 48 appearances. But Mister Ninja and the Board at Leverkusen are determined to build long term success and they continue to try and get younger in their pursuit of Bayern Munich and a Bundesliga title.

Leverkusen also sent left back Wendell to Borussia Monchengladbach for $6.3M and 21-year-old defender Jordan Beyer. Joel Pahjanpalo, who spent last season out on loan, has transferred to Hamburger SV for a reported $4M. Youngster David Kruger has been sent out on loan to SV Reid in Austria.

The club added five new players, all under the age of 23. They added Kangin Lee, a 20-year-old striker from Valencia for $17.5M. It is hoped that he can give Patrik Schick some rest up front this campaign as the club has another busy schedule for Champions League action. Carles Alena, the 23-year-old center midfielder from Barcelona was brought in for $14M. He is thought to have a starting position until Charles Aranguiz returns from injury in November and should be a nice depth midfielder.

Alex Cantelles, a 21-year-old left back was brought in from UD Almeria to fill in with the departure of Wendell. He is six years younger and comes on a cheaper weekly wage than Wendell with little drop off in play. He was signed for a $17.5M transfer fee with teh Spanish side.

Ruben Vargas, a 22-year-old left/right midfielder was acquired from FC Augsburg for $17.5M, should take the role of Bellarabi. His greatest asset is his speed and this is a player that can create on the outside and it is hoped that he can develop into a force on the right side like Moussa Diaby has developed into on the left.

With a few weeks left, it is still possible that Leverkusen could add a player and rumors are floating that they are trying to add a star midfielder.

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DFB-POKAL: ROUND 2 DRAW

DFB-Pokal Round 2 Draw:
(Matches played October 26-27):

Karlsruher SC vs. RB Leipzig
SChalke 04 vs. Synamo Dresden
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Frankfurt
Cologne vs. Wolfsburg
FC Bayern vs. Monchengladbach
Hannover 96 vs. VfL Bochum
Hertha Berlin vs Dortmund
SVWW vs. Werder Bremen
Nurnberg vs. VfB Lubeck
Hamburger SV vs. Union Berlin
MSB Duisburg vs. Wurzburg
Hansa Rostock vs. SC Freiburg
FC Heidenheim vs Mainz 05
Dusseldorf vs. Leverkusen
SV Darmstadt 98 vs. VfB Stuttgart
FC Ausgburg vs. TSG Hoffenheim

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFYING ROUND

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round Results:

Slavia 0:1 (0:3) FC Porto
SParta Praha 1:0 (1:3) Malmo
Panathinaikos 1:1 (2:4) CFR Cluj
Galatasaray 2:0 (5:0) Club Brugge
Midtjylland 2:1 (4:1) HJK
Rangers 2:1 (6:4) Lech Poznan
Lask 0:2 (0:4) Feyenoord
Basel 0:1 (0:2) OM
PSV 2:1 (6:1) Rosenborg
Dynamo Zagreb 0:1 (2:1) Dundalk

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2021-22 EUROPA LEAGUE: QUALIFYING ROUND

QUALIFYING ROUND RESULTS:

Austria 0:2 (2:3) Randers
Anderlecht 2:0 (5:0) St. Pats
Leicester City 1:0 (3:1) Gaz Metan

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BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 1

vs.

MAINZ 05 2:3 LEVERKUSEN
Opel Arena (Capacity: 34,034)


Patrik Schick scored twice in Leverkusen's opening day win.

SCORING:
4' - (B04) - P. Schick (PEN)
17' - (M05) - J. Dong Won
21' - (B04) - D. Olmo
55' - (M05) - K. Malong
87' - (B04) - P. Schick

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

8/14/21
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen opened up the 2021-22 Bundesliga campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over FSV Mainz 05 at the Opel Arena on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Patrik Schick's second goal of the match in the 87th minute was the difference as Leverkusen came through in a season with very lofty expectations.

This one got off to a controversial start as Roneal Pierre-Gabriel tackled Patrick Schick inside of the box in the third minute and Leverkusen was awarded a penalty. Patrik Schick calmly stepped up and buried it in the lower left corner to to put Leverkusen in front.

In the 17th minute, it was Danieli Baselli feeding the ball into Ji Dong Won in the area. A defensive mixup left him unmarked and he left a left footed shot go past a screened Lukas Hradacky and into the lower right corner to level the match at 1-1.

Just four minutes later, Leverkusen regained the lead on a beauty of a goal. Moussa Diaby dribbled in from the left touch line, passed it into Patrik Schick, who immediately found an unmarked Dani Olmo in the box. Olmo took one touch and struck it high into the top right corner just as he was leveled to put Leverkusen up 2-1.

Early in the second half, Mainz found another equalizer. Kunde Malong dribbled in and found Mateta in the box. His shot hit the right post. Baselli's rebound was stopped by Topsoba, but the ball bounced directly back to Malong, who had an open goal and he did not miss.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish by Schick. Dani Olmo started the play with a nice long ball down the left flank to Moussa Diaby. He outran his defender and dribbled along the end line, passing it back to an unmarked Schick at the top of the six yard box. He knocked it in just inside the left post and Leverkusen escaped with a big three points away from home.

Patrik Schick earned Man of the Match honors with the two goals and one assist, picking up right where he left off last season.

Leverkusen will host Union Berlin on Saturday in their home opener.

Matchday 1 Results:
Werder Bremen 1:2 Cologne
FC Bayern 3:0 Frankfurt
RB Leipzig 1:2 Monchengladbach
TSG Hoffenheim 2:0 Dusseldorf
Wolfsburg 2:0 Hertha Berlin
Arminia Bielefeld 1:3 Dortmund
Hamburger 0:2 FC Augsburg
Union Berlin 2:4 Schalke 04

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LEVERKUSEN SIGNS SANCHES


Leverkusen landed major piece in Sanches

Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen made a big splash on Thursday afternoon, announcing the signing of Portugese midfielder Renato Sanches. Sanches comes to Leverkusen from LOSC in France for a reported transfer fee of over $48M.

The 24-year-old midfielder continues a trend of signing high profile players out of Ligue 1. Since Mister Ninja took over last year, the club has signed Eduardo Camavinga (Stade Rennais), Ryan Cherki (Olympique Lyonnais), Sinaly Diomande (Olympique Lyonnais) and now Sanches.

Sanches immediately slots in as a starter in the midfield and adds more depth in what is becoming a crowded midfield. The question may be who is on their way out. Could the club be sending the 32-year-old Chalres Aranguiz out? This move has exhausted their transfer budget as they have spent $115M this summer in hopes of competing in the Champions League and securing a spot in the top four in the Bundesliga.

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2021-22 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFF ROUND

UEFA Champions League Playoff Round Results:

PSV 2:0 (4:2) CFR Cluj
OM 1:1 (3:4) Galatasaray
Dynamo Zagreb 3:1 (5:2) Malmo FF
RB Salzburg 2:0 (4:2) Rangers
BSC Young Boys 0:1 (0:3) Midtyjlland
FC Porto 0:2 (1:4) Feyenoord

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2021-22 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP DRAW

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP DRAW:
Group A: Manchester City, Napoli, OL, FC Midtyjlland
Group B: Liverpool, Leverkusen, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb
Group C: Real Madrid, Chelsea, VfL Wolfsburg, RB Salzburg
Group D: Tottenham, RB Leipzig, CSKA Moscow, KRC Genk
Group E: Piemonte Calcio, Villarreal CF, PSV, Fenerbahce
Group F: PSG, FC Barcelona, Sporting CP, Dynamo Kyiv
Group G: Dortmund, Inter Milan, Feyenoord, Lokomotiv Moscow
Group H: FC Bayern, Sevilla FC, Galatasaray, Spartak Moscow

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2021-22 EUROPA LEAGUE: PLAYOFF ROUND

PLAYOFF ROUND RESULTS:
Panathinaikos 3:0 (6:1) HJK Helsinki
Sparta Praha 0:1 (1:2) Rosenborg BK
Sivasspor 0:2 (2:4) Hammarby IF
Montpellier 1:0 (3:0) Slask Wroclaw
Lech Poznan 2:0 (4:1) Dundalk
KAA Gent 1:0 (2:0) Valerenga
Kobenhavn 3:2 (6:2) Djurgardens IF
FCSB 0:2 (1:4) Brondby IF
Besiktas JK 2:1 (5:1) Randers
Athletic Bilbao 2:0 (5:1) Shamrock Rovers
TSG Hoffenheim 2:1 (7:2) Bohemian FC
AZ Alkmaar 1:1 (5:3) AIK
AC Milan 0:2 (4:4) Servette (Milan advances on away goals)
Legia Warszawa 2:2 (4:2) SK Brann
Leicester City 3:1 (6:1) Wolfsberg
RSC Anderlecht 2:1 (4:1) Kilmarnock
SL Benfica 2:0 (6:2) Livingston FC
Utrecht 3:4 (5:7) Wisla Krakow
Rio Ave FC 1:1 (2:1) Luzern
Ajax 3:0 (6:2) Molde FK
Celtic 1:2 (5:5) AFC Botosani (Celtic advances on away goals)

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2021-22 EUROPA LEAGUE: GROUP DRAW

2021-22 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE GROUP DRAW:
Group A: Leicester City, RSC Anderlecht, AZ, FC St Gallen
Group B: Lazio, SC Braga, FC Kobenhavn, LASK
Group C: Manchester United, OM, Slavia Praha, Legia Warszawa
Group D: Ajax, Montpellier, Besiktas, Malmo FF
Group E: Athletic Bilbao, Frankfurt, Rio Ave FC, FC Utrecht
Group F: Wolverhampton, Basaksehir, KAA Gent, Hammarby IF
Group G: AC Milan, TSG Hoffenheim, Rangers, Lech Poznan
Group H: Monchengladbach, Real Sociedad, Celtic, SK Rapid Wien
Group I: Roma FC, Club Brugge, Panathinaikos, Brondby IF
Group J: SL Benfica, LOSC, BSC Young Boys, CFR 1907 Cluj
Group K: FC Porto, Olympiacos CFP, Standard Liege, FC Basel 1893