Rudelic played for Croatia against Switzerland on Friday with the encounter ending in a 1-1 draw. The striker scored the opening goal on three minutes. That also happened in the meeting with Romania last Tuesday when Rudelic put Croatia 1-0 up on nine minutes. The Romanians did turn the game round and went on to win 4-1. With the announcement of a positive coronavirus test for one of her teammates, the Bayer 04 player immediately went into a five-day period of self-isolation as a precaution. The 28-year-old will not be available for Sunday’s Bundesliga match away to Turbine Potsdam (14.00 CEST).
Hungary, with Henrietta Csiszár, Lilla Turanyi and Dóra Zellerall in the starting eleven, were on the wrong end of a disappointing 8-0 defeat to Sweden in the first game in the international break. Csiszár was substituted on 57 minutes, Turanyi was shown a yellow card. The performance against Latvia was appreciably better; the Werkself players had a big part in a 5-0 victory: Zeller scored the opener on nine minutes and doubled the lead on 26. Turanyi made it 4-0 (54') and scored the second of her brace for the 5-0 scoreline in added time. Csiszár came off the bench against Latvia on 63 minutes.
Also in Group F, Iceland followed the example of the Hungarians against Latvia with a runaway 9-0 victory. Sandra Maria Jessen watched proceedings from the bench. Jessen also missed out in the 1-1 draw with Sweden.
Sylwia Matysik twice played for Poland against the Czech Republic: The first game ended goalless in the return match in a 2-0 defeat. The Pole played the full 90 minutes in the first match and 76 minutes in the second.
Austria secured a comfortable 5-0 victory against Kazakhstan – Viktoria Pinther came off the bench for a brief four-minute appearance late on.
Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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