Ivory Coast have successfully overcome the first hurdle in Group E: They faced Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday night in Douala in Cameroon. The Ivorian favourites picked up their first three points thanks to the early and only goal scored by Max Gradel on five minutes. Odilon Kossounou, who featured in all of last year’s qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, did not play in this match.
The next outing for the West African side is against Sierra Leone on Sunday, 16 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET). The final group match, on Thursday, 20 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET), is against the reigning champions Algeria. All AFCON matches are being broadcast on the streaming service DAZN.
Kossounou’s teammate Edmond Tapsoba is taking part in the tournament with Burkina Faso. Their opening match against hosts Cameroon began with a 2-1 defeat with the Werkself player not in the Burkina Faso line-up.
The next match in Group A is today, 13 January (kick-off: 20.00 CET). Cape Verde are the opponents. Burkina Faso round off the group stage against Ethiopia on Monday, 17 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET).
Before Kossounou and Tapsoba, 04 players on the Leverkusen books had previously played in the Africa Cup Nations:
Daniel Addo (Ghana, 1996 in South Africa)
The first Werkself player to appear at the Africa Cup of Nations was Daniel Addo. The midfielder joined Leverkusen from the Ghanaian club Accra Great Olympics at the age of 17 in 1993. He took part in AFCON three years later. After three wins in three games in the group stage and the quarter-final victory against Zaire, Addo and Co. played South Africa – and ended up on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against the hosts. Ghana finished fourth after losing 1-0 to Zambia the third-place play-off. Two years after the tournament, the now 45-year-old, who mostly played for the second team at Leverkusen, joined Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Appearances at AFCON 1996: Two
Finish at AFCON 1996: Fourth
At Bayer 04: 1993 to 1998
Pascal Ojigwe (Nigeria, 2002 in Mali)
After two tournaments without any Black and Red involvement, Pascal Ojigwe became the second Werkself player to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations. As with his predecessor Addo, the defensive midfielder was able to win the group with Nigeria as well as the following quarter-final encounter. Going out of the tournament again came in the semi-finals – this time against Senegal. Dreams of winning the title faded after a 2-1 defeat after extra time. The Leverkusen player Ojigwe did end the tournament with a medal: Nigeria finished in third place after a 1-0 win against hosts Mali.
Appearances at AFCON 2002: Two
Finish at AFCON 2002: Third
At Bayer 04: 2000 to 2003
Hans Sarpei (Ghana, 2008 in Ghana)
Six years passed again before another Leverkusen player was at the Africa Cup of Nations. Hans Sarpei, who joined the Werkself from VfL Wolfsburg a few months before, was at a very special finals tournament: AFCON number 23 was played in Ghana – the home country of the Werkself left-back. The hosts qualified for the quarter-finals in second place but Sarpei and Co. were knocked out in the semi-finals in a 1-0 defeat against Cameroon. Good news: the now 45-year-old, who played in all six matches in the tournament, received the bronze medal following a 4-2 victory against Ivory Coast in the third-place play off.
Appearances at AFCON 2008: Six
Finish at AFCON 2008: Third
At Bayer 04: 2007 to 2010
Karim Haggui (Tunisia, 2008 in Ghana)
The Tunisian player Karim Haggui, who previously played in France for Racing Strasbourg, joined the Werkself in the summer of 2006. The central defender took part in the tournament in Ghana with Tunisia. Again, the team with the Leverkusen player in their squad, qualified for the quarter-finals. However, the quarter-finals stage marked the end for Haggui and Co. as they lost 3-2 after extra time to the finalists Cameroon. The now 37-year-old appeared for Tunisia in all four games.
Appearances at AFCON 2008: Four
Finish at AFCON 2008: Quarter-finals
At Bayer 04: 2006 to 2009
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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