The first international break of the season is slowly but surely coming to an end. Four Bayer 04 players were in action on Tuesday night in the last matches before their return to Leverkusen.
Mitchel Bakker and Jeremie Frimpong were first up with the Netherlands U21s against Moldova. With the two Bayer 04 full-backs in the starting eleven, the Dutch team lived up to their billing as favourites in the opening qualifier for the U21 European Championships. The hosts netted all three goals in the 3-0 win in the first 54 minutes. Bakker, provider for the second goal scored by the Hertha Berlin new signing Jürgen Ekkelenkamp, was substituted on 66 minutes. Frimpong played for another 15 minutes.
The Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky and his Finland teammates faced a considerably stiffer challenge. In a World Cup qualifier game in Group D there was an away game at the reigning World Cup winners who ended up winning 2-0 thanks to a brace from Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann. Hradecky went the full distance, striker Joel Pohjanpalo (now on loan at Caykur Rizespor) played up to the 73rd minute. Moussa Diaby did not feature for France in this game.
The World Cup winners are opening up a clear lead in the group but Finland are still in with a good chance of making the play-offs. Having played one game less than second-placed Ukraine, Hradecky and Co. are currently third on the same number of points.
Russia are also on course for the World Cup finals in Group H. The favourites beat Malta 2-0 in Moscow, Werkself keeper Andrey Lunev did not play.
Charles Aránguiz (World Cup qualifier)
10.9., 01.00 CEST, Colombia vs Chile, Bogota
Piero Hincapie (World Cup qualifier)
10.9., 00.30 CEST, Uruguay vs Ecuador, Montevideo
Exequiel Palacios (World Cup qualifier)
10.9., 01.30 CEST, Argentina vs Bolivia, Buenos Aires
Panos Retsos (World Cup qualifier)
8.9., 20.45 CEST, Greece vs Sweden, Athens
Florian Wirtz (World Cup qualifier)
8.9., 20.45 CEST, Iceland vs Germany, Reykjavik
Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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