And the tricky Werkself winger also showed his ability in the air: Joshua Kimmich put the ball into the box and Brandt made the most of his opportunity to score with a flying header. "It was obviously a sensational feeling. I really enjoyed it. It's always an honour to play for the national side. It gives you goose bumps," said a euphoric Julian after the match in Nuremberg.
Leno and Henrichs on the bench
In a predictably one-sided encounter the TSG Hoffenheim striker Sandro Wagner scored a hat-trick. The other goals were netted by captain Julian Draxler, Armin Younes and Shkodran Mustafi. With six wins in Group C the world champions Germany can almost start planning for next year’s tournament in Russia. Bernd Leno did not play as Joachim Löw opted instead for Mark-Andre Ter Stegen in goal. Benjamin Henrichs was also on the bench. After a short break, the Bayer 04 trio are set head off to Russia on Tuesday with the Germany squad. The Confederations Cup sees Germany start with group games against Australia (19 June), Chile (22 June) and Cameroon (25 June).
Mehmedi and Chicharito on road to victory
Other Bayer 04 players have been on international duty at the weekend. Admir Mehmedi was in the Swiss team for the 2-0 win against the Faroe Isles on Friday night. The Bayer 04 striker was substituted on 62 minutes. Just like Germany, Switzerland are unbeaten at the top of Group B with six wins from six games. European Champions Portugal are three points behind. Bayer 04 striker Chicharito and Mexico are still on course to qualify for the World Cup: The Mexicans beat Honduras 3-0 early on Friday morning Central European Time. Chicha did not play. That will probably change in the prestigious match against the USA on Monday at 3.30 CET. The Mexicans are way ahead in their group with 13 points from five matches.
Austria and Finland in action
Bayer 04 pros Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic are set to line up for Austria away to Ireland on Sunday at 18.00 CET. With seven points from five games the team coached by Marcel Koller have not lived up to expectations. Currently in fourth position, the Austrians need a win in Dublin against second-placed Ireland on eleven points to be in with a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Hopes of participation in the World Cup are as good as over for Finland and Bayer 04 striker Joel Pohjanpalo. However, in spite of just one point from five games Scandinavians are looking to register a first win in the home match against Ukraine (18.00 CET).
Once again, well over 100 Werkself fans were delighted to receive an invitation from the club’s record appearance-maker, Rüdiger Vollborn, to the sold-out Schwadbud at the BayArena. This time, the supporters listened as the club historian provided fascinating, exclusive insights into the period from Bayer 04 being founded in 1904 to the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. A journey through time is also planned for the upcoming ‘Rudi lädt ein’ event in early November – this time focusing on the years of the Nazi regime.
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Happy children’s faces at the SSV Lützenkirchen training ground: For the 25th time, the Birkenberg soccer school – organised by SportBund Leverkusen – offered participating youngsters an exciting holiday activity. Meeting a Bayer 04 player has now become a cherished tradition. This time, Ibrahim Maza visited the 150 children and spoke to them about his World Cup experiences, amongst other things. “It’s always lovely to see the children’s enthusiasm for football,” said the 20-year-old, after bringing a sparkle to many eyes with selfies and autographs.
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One day after the successful DFB Pokal first round tie at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (4–0), the mood was understandably really good: Over 400 Bayer 04 supporters gathered on Sunday, 23 August, for the annual fan club meet-up at the BayArena and got in the mood for the new season through direct and informal discussions with Bayer 04 management, head coach Carles Martínez and Werkself players.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at RB Leipzig on the 1st matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
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