There was one change to the starting eleven from the 3-1 victory over Denmark in the first group match. Arne Maier (Hertha Berlin) made way for Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach). That left Jonathan Tah and the two former Leverkusen players Benjamin Henrichs and Levin Öztunali in the starting line-up.
Germany dominated proceedings from the start at the Nereo Rocco Stadium. After the Augsburg players Marco Richter (8') and Neuhaus (10') missed the target, Germany were 1-0 up after 16 minutes. Öztunali won the ball in the opposition half and put Richter through. The FCA pro chipped the ball into the net to open the scoring.
Richter was the provider 14 minutes later. The ball came via Neuhaus and Richter to Luca Waldschmidt who converted from close range to make it 2-0 on the half-hour mark. The team led by captain Jonathan Tah, who had the Serbian star Luka Jovic well covered, did not rest on their lead but instead scored a third goal on 37 minutes. Henrichs put Waldschmidt through, he shook off his opponent and beat the Serbia keeper Boris Radunovic for a second time on the night. Öztunali had the last shot of the first half with a strike against the bar on 42 minutes.
Nadiem Amiri came on for Öztunali at the start of the second half but that did not affect the superiority of the Germany team. Amiri twice went close (52' and 63') but it was Mo Dahoud who did better on 69 minutes: His clipped shot from distance flew into the net to make it 4-0. Waldschmidt completed his hat-trick with a strike from the edge of the box to make it 5-0 (80').
Serbia did manage to score a consolation goal. The captain Zivkovic converted a penalty after Dahoud brought down Randjelovic to make the score at 5-1 on 85 minutes. Substitute Meier rounded off the scoring with a curler in added time for the final score of 6-1.
The Germany U21s extended their lead at the top of the table with their second win in their second group match. In the final game against Austria on Sunday (23 June, from 21.00 CET, live on ARD), the holders only need a draw to go through to the semi-finals of the European Championships as the group winners.
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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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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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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