The start of the black and red evening at the Euros saw Austria with Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger play Ukraine for second place in Group C. Austria came out on top to secure qualification for the Round of 16 the team under coach Franco Foda.
With Dragovic in the starting line-up, Christoph Baumgartner (TSG Hoffenheim) scored the only goal of the game on 21 minutes. Baumgartlinger was not in the squad as was the case in the 2-0 defeat against the Netherlands.
As the second-placed team in Group C, Austria meet Italy, the runaway winners of Group A, in the Round of 16. The kick-off on Saturday, 26 June, is at 21.00 CEST with the match probably played in London.
Group B was also decided this evening. Finland with goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and striker Joel Pohjanpalo were up against the group favourites Belgium while Russia and Denmark played each other at the same time. The Finish team were level at 0-0 at half-time, also due in part to several impressive interventions by Hradecky. Belgium broke the deadlock with 15 minutes to play: From a corner, Thomas Vermaelen hit the woodwork and the ball bounced down off the arm of the Finnish keeper over the line. The second goal of the game was scored by striker Romelu Lukaku (81').
Finland finished third in Group B on three points and now they have to wait for the remaining results in the parallel groups. Four of the six third-placed teams will reach the Round of 16.
The fifth Werkself player at Euro 2020, Patrik Schick, is in a position to cause a medium surprise with his Czech Republic teammates and, like Austria, also go through under their own steam. The team ranked 40th in the world are currently top of Group D with four points from two games. The last group encounter for the Czech Republic is on Tuesday, 22 June (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) against England who have the same number of points. A draw would see Schick and his fellow players in the 'Reprezentace' go through to the Round of 16.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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