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.
Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
Show more
The Bayer 04 women’s team secured a win in the friendly during the international break. Without a total of eight international players, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team defeated Bundesliga 2 side Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 at the Kurtekotten Training Centre, thanks to goals from Lobke Loonen (1’, penalty), Caroline Kehrer (41') and Valentina Mädl (66').
Show more
Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
Show more
Bayer 04 will have to manage without striker Christian Kofane in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old sustained a muscle injury to his left thigh on international duty with the Cameroon national team during the recent international break. This will prevent him from playing in the upcoming Werkself matches.
Show more
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
Show more
