It was an important victory: Ecuador secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Bolivia in their World Cup qualifier to cement their third place in the South American group. Bayer 04 player Piero Hincapie played his part in that success helping to keep a clean sheet over the 90 minutes. The goals for La Tri were scored by Michael Estrada (14') and a brace from Enner Valencia (17', 19'). The first four teams qualify directly for the tournament in Qatar. The team finishing fifth will go through to a play-off for the World Cup finals against the representative from Oceania
Qualification for the next World Cup will now be a major achievement for Charles Aránguiz. Following the 2-0 defeat against Peru, Chile only have seven points. Aránguiz was in the starting line-up but was replaced by Diego Valdes on 65 minutes. La Roja are now seven points behind fifth-placed Colombia.
The Leverkusen South American quartet in the current international break also includes the two Argentinians Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario. The Bayer 04 players watched from the sidelines in the night from Thursday to Friday as the team drew 0-0 against Paraguay. The next opportunity for international action for the duo is on Monday, 11 October (kick-off: 01.30 CEST) with the game against Uruguay.
There was an incredible case of catch-up on Thursday night in the Nations League semi-final between Belgium and France. The Equipe Tricolore were 2-0 down at half-time. The team under coach Didier Deschamps fought back in the second half and turned the game around almost with the final kick of the game to make it 3-2 – the winner came on 90 minutes. The Werkself winger Moussa Diaby watched proceedings from the bench with the 22-year-old missing out on his third appearance for his national team. The final in the Nations League is on Sunday, 10 October (kick-off: 20.45 CEST). France face Spain.
Zidan Sertdemir was on the winning side on Wednesday in a European Championship qualifier with the Denmark U17s as they secured a 2-0 victory over Montenegro. The six foot tall Bayer 04 midfielder scored both goals to make a significant contribution to his team's success. The Leverkusen player is back in action on Saturday afternoon, 9 October (kick-off: 16.00 CEST). Denmark play Malta.
Florian Wirtz (World Cup qualifiers)
8.10, 20.45 CEST, Germany vs Rumania, Hamburg
11.10, 20.45 CEST, North Macedonia vs Germany, Skopje
Lukas Hradecky (World Cup qualifiers)
9.10, 18.00 CEST, Finland vs Ukraine, Helsinki
12.10, 16.00 CEST, Kazakhstan vs Finland, Nur-Sultan
Patrik Schick (World Cup qualifiers)
8.10, 20.45 CEST, Czech Republic vs Wales, Prague
11.10, 20.45 CEST, Belarus vs Czech Republic, Kazan
Andrey Lunev (World Cup qualifiers)
8.10, 20.45 CEST, Russia vs Slovakia, Kazan
11.10, 20.45 CEST, Slovenia vs Russia, Maribor
Moussa Diaby (Nations League)
10.10, 20.45 CEST, Spain vs France, Milan (Finale)
Charles Aránguiz (World Cup qualifiers)
11.10, 02.00 CEST, Chile vs Paraguay, Santiago
15.10, 02.00 CEST, Chile vs Venezuela, Santiago
Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario (World Cup qualifiers)
11.10, 01.30 CEST, Argentina vs Uruguay, Buenos Aires
15.10, 01.30 CEST, Argentina vs Peru, Buenos Aires
Piero Hincapie (World Cup qualifiers)
10.10, 22.30 CEST, Venezuela vs Ecuador, Caracas
14.10, 23.00 CEST, Colombia vs Ecuador, Barranquilla
Odilon Kossounou (World Cup qualifiers)
8.10, 15.00 CEST, Malawi vs Ivory Coast, Johannesburg
11.10, 18.00 CEST, Ivory Coast vs Malawi, Marrakesh
Mitchel Bakker and Jeremie Frimpong (U21 Euro qualifiers)
8.10, 19.00 CEST, Switzerland vs Netherlands, Lausanne
12.10, 20.00 CEST, Netherlands vs Wales, Nijmegen
Amine Adli (U21 Euro qualifiers)
8.10, 18.30 CEST, France vs Ukraine, Brest
12.10, 18.30 CEST, Serbia vs France, Belgrade
Zidan Sertdemir (U17 Euro qualifiers)
9.10, 16.00 CEST, Malta vs Denmark, Paola
12.10, 11.00 CEST, Denmark vs Turkey, Paola
Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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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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