Everything is going like clockwork for Hakan Calhanoglu when he puts on a Turkey shirt. Four weeks ago the Werkself midfielder scored the goal for Turkey in a 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifier away to Croatia. And another Calhanoglu goal brought a point for Turkey on Thursday night in a 2-2 draw against Ukraine. With his team 2-0 down Hakan held his nerve when he converted a penalty with eight minutes to play to level at 2-2 to secure an important point in the race for a European qualifying slot for the 2018 World Cup. Calhanoglu also provided the assist for the first goal from Ozan Tufan with an accurate corner. Ömer Toprak returned to the starting line-up for his national side for the first time in two years.
Fortunately and Charles Aránguiz, who played the full 90 minutes, the World Cup qualifier in Ecuador ended with a bitter disappointment. The Copa America winner's lost 3-0. The hosts were 2-0 up at half-time and the third came just after the restart. Brazil coasted to a 5-0 win against Bolivia. Wendell, who was in the Seleção squad for the first time, did not make his debut for the record World Cup winners. The South American World Cup qualifying group sees Brazil in second place with 18 points from nine games, one point behind leaders Uruguay, and Chile are seventh with just 11 points.
Austria had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the home game against Wales but they twice came back from behind with Marco Arnautovic scoring both goals. Julian Baumgartlinger was the Austria captain in his 50th international. Aleksandar Dragovic was also in the starting eleven. And the Werkself trio for Austria was complete after 15 minutes when goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan replace the injured keeper Robert Almer.
Ran out easy winners with a 6-0 victory in Kosovo. Tin Jedvaj did not play. Australia also drew 2-2 in Saudi Arabia with Robbie Kruse playing the full 90 minutes.
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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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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