With an impressive return of three goals in two games, Patrik Schick led the Czech republic into the final clash in Group D. The Reprezentace were already guaranteed to go through to the next round but the final group positions remain to be resolved. The match ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat with Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) scoring the only goal of the game on 12 minutes.
That meant that the Czechs, with Schick being substituted on 75 minutes, ended up in third place in Group D. The four points guarantees them a place in the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. It remains to be seen who the Czech Republic will play in the knockout round.
Austria, with the Werkself players Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger, qualified for the Round of 16 on Monday night. Austria will play Italy on Saturday, 26 June with the kick off at 21.00 CEST. Finland are still in limbo. Lukas Hradecky, Joel Pohjanpalo and Co. are third in Group B and now have to wait to see whether their three points will be enough to take them through to the next round.
The Copa America also continues this week. In the night from Monday to Tuesday, Chile with Werkself skipper Charles Aránguiz played Uruguay. After 90 minutes the scoreline was 1-1 and our number 20 played the full game. The next opponents for Chile are Paraguay. The kick-off on Friday, 25 June, is at 02.00 CEST.
Chile were replaced as leaders of Group A by another team with the Bayer 04 player: Argentina. The Albiceleste beat Paraguay 1-0 but Exequiel Palacios did not play in this game. The next match for Argentina is on Tuesday, 29 June (kick-off: 02.00 CEST) is against the as yet pointless and bottom of the group Bolivia.
Good performances at the partner club have led to a contract extension: Jan Boller, at Kurtekotten from 2013 to 2019, signed a two-year deal at the Austrian club Linzer ASK. The 21-year-old central defender was on loan at second division, FC Juniors OÖ, the feeder team for LASK. He impressed their, made 46 appearances as well as scoring five goals and providing two assists. Now the former Germany youth player will be looking to establish himself with the top team in the Austrian Bundesliga. We wish him continuing success.
When the current Bayer 04 honorary captain Ulf Kirsten move to Leverkusen from Dresden in 1990, his son Benjamin came with him. A goalkeeper in contrast to his striker father, he also played for Leverkusen in his younger years. Benjamin went through the ranks of all the teams at Kurtekotten and joined the Bayer 04 Reserves in the summer of 2006 – and he was between the sticks under the guidance of his father.
Kirsten spent the majority of his subsequent professional career at Dynamo Dresden. He played there for seven years. After moving on to NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) plus Lokomotive Leipzig the goalkeeper recently announced the end of his career. Kirsten will start retraining in the summer as a sports business administration and his former club from Dresden will support him in his education. Good luck, Benny.
Bayer 04 and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer have shown great commitment to the community as the sale of custom-designed T-shirts for charity in the Fanwelt as part of the “BarmeniaGothaer Brings Joy campaign raised a good €5,000. Bayer 04 matched this sum with an equal contribution. As a result, a total of €10,000 was presented to Edmond Tapsoba for his foundation ahead of the home match against Hamburg. The foundation supports people facing challenging daily circumstances in his home country of Burkina Faso.
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Bayer 04 host Hamburg at the BayArena for the first time since September 2017 on the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season on Saturday (15:30 CEST). HSV are safe in their first campaign back in the top flight after back-to-back wins, but Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 19 games against promoted teams as they go for the victory they need to have a chance to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. There’s also heavy discounts on food and drinks at the BayArena. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 fixture in our matchday news.
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As well as previously confirmed departures, Bayer 04 Women will also say goodbye to Vanessa Haim and Shen Menglu before Sunday’s final game of the season at home to Werder Bremen as the pair leave Leverkusen upon the expiration of their contracts.
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The last competitive match of the 2025/26 season takes place at the BayArena on Saturday 16 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), where Hamburger SV are the visitors. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand discussed the mindset and the approach for the crucial final game against HSV, among other topics.
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