The German Football League (DFL), as organisers of the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL), decided in the middle of December to postpone the remaining two-against two games in the VBL planned for 22 December due to the coronavirus pandemic. That meant the Leverkusen eSports players only completed their individual games against Werder Bremen and Hannover 96.
The outstanding virtual matches against the northern clubs have now been completed. Bayer 04 carried out comprehensive hygiene measures in the Elgato gaming room which included screens between the players for the two-against-two matches. If there are are individual matches then only the player involved stays in the room. And the main requirement still applies: maintain distancing.
Thanks to the measures taken, Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr and Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin were able to fully focus on the rearranged games – and that paid off. Against the reigning champions Bremen, there was an overall 7-1 win thanks to the 2-0 success in the doubles; after the 1-1 draw in the two-against-two game against Hannover, Bayer 04 also won against the team from Lower Saxony with a 5-2 victory.
The #B04eSports players went into the second session of the evening in confident mood. The opponents were again from the far north of the country and this time it was Holstein Kiel. The Black and Red console players were able to celebrate parallel to the 4-1 home win for the Werkself against Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB Cup. First of all, ‘DETO’ drew 3-3 with his opponent Cihat ‘CIHAT6161’ Korkmaz and then Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae beat Kiel’s Benedict ‘B3NN1FIFA’ Ratzlaff 2-0 on Xbox.
As the following two-against-two ended all square at 1-1, Leverkusen earned the third overall winner of the evening. The #B04eSports players are now sixth in the North West division.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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