Kossounou and the Elephants took on the defending champions Senegal in the last 16. It finished 1-1 after 90 and then 120 minutes, meaning the tie went to a shootout. The Ivorians converted all five of their spot-kicks to win 5-4 and progress. Kossounou started the game for his first appearance at this year’s tournament, being substituted off in the 116th minute. The hosts will now face Mali in the final eight.
It was Mali who knocked out Tapsoba and Burkina Faso by winning 2-1 in the round of 16. The Werkself defender again started the match in Korhogo but unfortunately put into his own net in the third minute of the defeat. The dream of being crowned Africa’s best is also over for Adli after his Morocco side were beaten 2-0 by South Africa in San Pedro. The Bayer 04 forward made his first start of the tournament and was replaced on the hour mark.
Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast):
Mali vs. Ivory Coast, 3 February (18:00 CET)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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After their first win on matchday 6 in the UCL league phase, Olympiacos are still in with a good chance of reaching the play-offs in the UEFA Champions League. The 2024 UEFA Conference League winners will be looking to go one better in their home match against Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), but their stop scorer is unavailable. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Panagiotis, known as Panos, Retsos wore the Bayer 04 jersey for three years. Including his loan spells, he was under contract with the Werkself for a total of four and a half years. "It's a very special club for me," said the 27-year-old, who returned to his boyhood club Olympiacos in 2022, in an interview with bayer04.de. The former Leverkusen man is now captain and a first choice for the Werkself's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of the clash on Tuesday night, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET), Retsos talks about his fond memories of his time in Leverkusen and the imminent reunion with some of his former team-mates. He also talks about who brought him to Leverkusen and why he likes getting older.
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Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Nathan Tella for the time being.
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