The match-winner was beaming after the final whistle unburdened of any stress and strain. “I’m really happy we did it. We’re all relieved and we’re over the moon,” said Benjamin Henrichs after his cool conversion of the winning spot-kick in the penalty shootout with Holland secured fifth spot at the U19 European Championships. Seconds after finding the back of the net he was submerged in a celebrating huddle with his deliriously happy team-mates.
The 5-4 win in the penalty shootout, following a a hard-fought 3-3 draw over 120 minutes, was enough to seal fifth place for Germany in the Euros on home soil – and qualification for next year’s U20 World Cup in South Korea. It was a roller coaster ride for the hosts with plenty of ups and downs: 1-0 ahead, 2-1 behind within minutes and an almost completely unexpected equaliser in the third minute of added time to take the game to extra time. Then 3-2 before the blow of an equaliser to level the scores at 3-3 – and to round it off a thunderous shot against the bar in the final minutes of extra time from Benny Henrichs. The lottery of penalties followed with Amara Conde failing to score for the Germany U19s. The game was in the hands of the Dutch side but they hit the bar before Henrichs slotted the winning penalty into the back of the net.
It was a thrilling encounter in front of 8,600 enthusiastic fans in Sandhausen. Germany were clearly the better side before the Dutch hit back out of the blue in the closing stages. Henrichs produced an outstanding display in defensive midfield and everything the impressive Werkself pro did seemed to come off. Bayer 04 central defender Lukas Boeder did not get in in Germany’s final match of the tournament.
The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
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The Werkself are back! Following the two-week winter break, head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team began the new year with an open session on Sunday. After Robert Andrich and his teammates arrived in Leverkusen yesterday for the official check-in, they got back down to business a day later in front of around 1,200 fans at the Ulrich Haberland Stadion. The report from the Werkself's first session of 2026.
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In her debut season of 2024/25, Cornelia Kramer immediately became the top scorer for Bayer 04 Women. However, the Danish national team striker was stopped by an injury at the start of the new season. Now, just in time before the end of last year, she is fit again – and has extended her contract early until 2027. In this interview, the 23-year-old talks about the reasons for her decision and looks ahead.
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After a two-week winter break, the Werkself resume training on Sunday, 4 January. The first session in 2026 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium starts at 11:00 and is open to fans. Bayer 04 look forward to welcoming supporters at the start of 2026. The Werkself schedule for the new year.
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