Jonathan Tah stood on the sidelines ready to come on to help secure victory for Germany. However, the final whistle at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam prevented the central defender earning another cap, but did not diminish his joy at the 3-2 win against Holland. Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz did not appear either after the Bayer 04 trio were in the starting line-up against Serbia on Wednesday.
While Germany were able to celebrate a successful start to the European Championship qualification campaign, the other Werkself pros were left empty-handed. That particularly applies to Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger who were in the Austria side that lost 1-0 against Poland and now experienced another setback with a 4-2 defeat in Israel. Drago and Baumi went the full distance against the hosts coached by fellow countryman Andreas Herzog.
Tin Jedvaj played 77 minutes for Croatia in a 2-1 defeat in the European qualifier away to Hungary. Lukas Hradecky also tasted defeat with Finland in the match against Italy: The Bayer 04 keeper had to pick the ball out of the net twice as his team lost 2-0 against the World Cup winners of 2006. Charles Aránguiz also played the full 90 minutes as Chile lost 3-1 to Mexico in a friendly played in the USA.
While the other international players are on their way back to Leverkusen, Aránguiz, Hradecky and U19 player Adrian Stanilewicz still have games to play for their countries.
Lukas Hradecky (Finland)
Tuesday, 26 March (18.00 CET,Yerevan): Armenia vs Finland (European qualifier, Group J)
Charles Aránguiz (Chile)
Wednesday, 27 March (02.00 CET, Houston): USA vs Chile (Friendly)
Adrian Stanilewicz (Poland U20)
Tuesday, 26 March (18.00 CET, Bielsko-Biala): Poland U20 vs Germany U20 (Elite League)
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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