
Burkina Faso were in the Round of 16 as group runners-up where they faced Gabon who also finished second in their group. In the Cameroonian city of Limbe, Tapsoba’s teammate Bertrand Traore – who used to play for Chelsea in England – missed a penalty early on (18'). The same player then opened the scoring for Burkina Faso. As a strike by Gabon was ruled out just before half-time following the intervention of VAR, they took the lead into the break.
The chances of winning increased for Tapsoba and Co-in the middle of the second half when a Gabon player was shown a second yellow card. However, they conceded a late equaliser in added time – leading to extra time. No more goals were scored. The Leverkusen central defender converted his penalty as the third taker and the game ended with a much celebrated 7-6 victory. Congratulations, Eddy.
In the quarter-finals, Burkina Faso face Tunisia, including FC Köln player Ellyes Skhiri, who surprisingly beat Nigeria 1-0. The match on Saturday, 29 January kicks off at 20.00 CET. The streaming service DAZN will broadcast the match live.
And the second Bayer 04 player to start in the Africa Cup of Nations is also still in the competition: Odilon Kossounou with the Ivory Coast play their Round of 16 tie on Wednesday, 26 January (kick-off: 17.00 CET – also live on DAZN). They are up against record winners Egypt including Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.

Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
Show more
Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
Show more
Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
Show more
He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
Show more