On Wednesday afternoon Central European Time, Werkself central defender Edmond Tapsoba played for Burkina Faso against Uganda in Group B of the Africa Cup qualifiers. The 22-year-old, who went the full 90 minutes, kept a clean sheet in Kampala along with his teammates. The goalless draw was enough to stay ahead of the other teams in the group.
Burkina Faso now have nine points from five games. As second-placed Uganda (8 points) and third-placed Malawi (7) play each other on the final matchday then the West African team with the Leverkusen player are already certain of finishing in one of the top two qualifying spots in Group B.
Tapsoba and Co. round off the international break on Monday 29 March against bottom of the table South Sudan (3 points). The kick-off in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou is at 18.00 CEST.
Having surprisingly gone behind, Werkself centre-forward Patrik Schick set Czechia on course for a convincing away win. Playing in Lublin in Poland, Estonia were the opponents for the start of the World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday night. The 'hosts' from the Baltic took an early lead (12') but Schick responded just six minutes later: From a cross from the right, the Leverkusen striker shook off his marker and scored with a volley.
The Czechs then lived up to their role as favourites – and the Werkself player had a big part in that. Schick shone as the provider for the goal is to make it 2-1 (27') and 4-1 (43'). The game was over for the man of the match with ten minutes to play with the scoreboard showing the final score of 6-2.
The Czechs have two qualifiers still to play: The first match on Saturday 27 March (kick-off: 20.45 CET) is against Belgium in Prague. Three days later, they are away to Wales in Cardiff with the kick off again at 20.45 CEST. Schick will only play in the second match as Bayer 04 international players are not allowed to play in so-called 'virus variant areas'– that currently includes the Czech capital Prague.
It can happily carry on like this. The Germany U21 side started in the European Championships on Wednesday night. The team under coach Stefan Kuntz faced one of the two hosts Hungary in Székesfehérvár. It took an hour before Anderlecht's Lukas Nmecha put the dominant Germany team in the lead. That solved the logjam: Ridle Baku from VfL Wolfsburg netted a brace (66', 73 ') final result of a deserved 3-0 win. Bayer 04 goalkeeper Lennart Grill watched proceedings from the bench as Kuntz opted to play the Mainz keeper Finn Dahmen.
Germany have another two matches to play in Group A: On Saturday night, 27 March (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on ProSieben) the Netherlands provide the opposition. The Dutch junior side surprisingly dropped points in their opening fixture with a 1-1 draw against Romania. Germany will then play Romania three days later.
If Grill and Co. finish first or second after three matches then they will progress to the knockout rounds. They will be played from 31 May to 6 June. That will involve the teams finishing first and second in the four qualifying groups.
Three other Bayer 04 players start the international break on Thursday night. Jonathan Tah and Germany debutant Florian Wirtz face Iceland in Duisburg. The group match kicks off at 20.45 CET and will be broadcast live on RTL and DAZN. The match will take place as planned despite a case of coronavirus within the Germany squad. The test on the unnamed player was positive. The asymptomatic player will immediately self-isolate. "The game will definitely be played," confirmed DFB spokesperson Jens Grittner.
Austria play their match at the same time as Germany. The team including Werkself stalwart Aleksandar Dragovic play Scotland in Glasgow. 'Drago' can also be seen on DAZN.
The remaining international fixtures involving Werkself players:
Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz (Germany):
Thursday, 25 March (20.45 CET, Duisburg): Germany v Iceland (World Cup qualifier, Group J)
Sunday, 28 March (20.45 CEST, Bucharest): Rumania v Germany (World Cup qualifier, Group J)
Wednesday, 31 March (20.45 CEST, Duisburg): Germany v North Macedonia (World Cup qualifier, Group J)
Lennart Grill (Germany U21):
Saturday, 27 March (21.00 CET, Székesfehérvár): Germany U21 v Netherlands U21 (Euros, group stage)
Tuesday, 30 March (18.00 CEST, Budapest): Germany U21 v Romania U21 (Euros, group stage)
Aleksandar Dragovic (Austria):
Thursday, 25 March (20.45 CET, Glasgow): Scotland v Austria (World Cup qualifier, Group F)
Sunday, 28 March (20.45 CEST, Vienna): Austria v Faroe Islands (World Cup qualifier, Group F)
Wednesday, 31 March (20.45 CEST, Vienna): Austria v Denmark (World Cup qualifier, Group F)
Patrik Schick (Czechia):
Tuesday, 30 March (20.45 CEST, Cardiff): Wales v Czechia (World Cup qualifier, Group)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso):
Monday, 29 March (18.00 CET, Ouagadougou): Burkina Faso v South Sudan (Africa Cup qualifier, Group B)
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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