The Ivory Coast were a goal down on 38 minutes. Franck Kessié levelled just after the hour mark and Sebastien Haller netted the winner at 2-1 on 81 minutes. Kossounou was in the starting line-up and he played the full 90 minutes. It is the third AFCON win for the Ivorians and Ivory Coast is the first country since Egypt in 2006 to lift the trophy in their own country.
Ivory Coast reached the knockout stage as one of the four best third-placed teams in the groups. That was followed by a win against Senegal in the Round of 16, victory over Mali in the quarter-finals and DR Congo in the semi-finals.
Bayer 04 congratulates Odilon Kossounou and wishes him a great time celebrating with his teammates. The whole club is looking forward to his return.
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a centre for the development of female talent for the 2026/27 season. The club was awarded that role on 1 January 2026, and this status has now been renewed.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have sold young defender Andrea Natali to AZ Alkmaar on permanent terms. The 18-year-old Italian was on loan at the Dutch club last season, where he mainly played for the reserve team in the second division.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have loaned new signing Luca Erlein to newly promoted FC Energie Cottbus for the 2026/27 season. This will give him the opportunity to play in Bundesliga 2. The club signed the 19-year-old right-back on a permanent basis last week, on a contract to 30 June 2030.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 3-1 victory in the friendly match at Kickers Offenbach...
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