Germany and the Netherlands had already qualified for the Euro 2020 finals from Group C on the previous matchday – in the final international fixture of the year it was all about winning the group for Germany in the game against Northern Ireland.
Germany coach Jogi Löw made five changes from the team that beat Belarus 4-0 on Saturday when no Werkself players were involved. Jonathan Tah and the former Leverkusen players Emre Can and Julian Brandt were given their chance.
Northern Ireland took an early lead on eight minutes when Michael Smith scored following a throw in – leaving no chance for Marc-André ter Stegen in the Germany net. After conceding, Germany upped their game and applied a lot of pressure. The deserved equaliser came on 19 minutes from Serge Gnabry who hit an excellent shot on the turn. Leon Goretzka made it 2-1 just before the half-time whistle (43').
The Löw team kept it tight at the back in the second half and Gnabry was unstoppable. He made it 3-1 shortly after the restart on 47 minutes and, shortly after that, Brandt provided an assist for the next goal – 4-1 (59'). Germany were in complete control. Leon Goretzka on 72 minutes and Julian Brandt in added time netted at 5-1 and 6-1 to seal the result. The hat-trick hero went off to be replaced by Nadiem Amiri for the last nine minutes.
'Die Mannschaft' ended up as group winners thanks to the victory over Northern Ireland on 21 points ahead of the Netherlands on 19 after they beat Estonia 5-0.
Austria, who were also already through to Euro 2020, lost 1-0 against Latvia. The two Werkself pros Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger started against the team at the bottom of the group. The two sides went into half-time all square at 0-0. Baumgartlinger was substituted at half-time. Latvia scored on 65 minutes and held onto their 1-0 lead to the end. Austria finished second in Group G with 19 points behind Poland on 25.
Moussa Diaby also had to accept defeat on Tuesday night in a European Championship qualifier when the French U20s lost 3-1 against Switzerland. The 20-year-old was substituted on 63 minutes. After four matchdays, France are on nine points behind leaders Switzerland (12) in Group two.
Finland played Greece on Monday night in the final European Championship qualifier. There was nothing at stake for the Eagle Owls as they had already secured participation in their first ever Euro finals by finishing group runners-up on the previous matchday. The national coach gave Hradecky a break and he was able to watch from the bench as Greece ran out 2-1 winners. Finland ended up second in Group J with 18 points behind Italy on 30 points.
Also on Monday night, Argentina and Uruguay drew 2-2 in a friendly. Lucas Alario did not play for the ‘Selección Argentina’ and Adrian Stanilewicz did not play for the Poland U20s in a friendly against Norway that ended in a 1-1 draw.
The long-standing successful collaboration between Bayer 04 and the transport service provider wupsi GmbH has been expanded: From January 2026, 100 wupsi bikes with Bayer 04 branding will be available for hire throughout the city of Leverkusen. They will complement the many existing offers and services that provide key support, especially for fans travelling to and from home matches at the BayArena.
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The Werkself are back! Following the two-week winter break, head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team began the new year with an open session on Sunday. After Robert Andrich and his teammates arrived in Leverkusen yesterday for the official check-in, they got back down to business a day later in front of around 1,200 fans at the Ulrich Haberland Stadion. The report from the Werkself's first session of 2026.
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In her debut season of 2024/25, Cornelia Kramer immediately became the top scorer for Bayer 04 Women. However, the Danish national team striker was stopped by an injury at the start of the new season. Now, just in time before the end of last year, she is fit again – and has extended her contract early until 2027. In this interview, the 23-year-old talks about the reasons for her decision and looks ahead.
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After a two-week winter break, the Werkself resume training on Sunday, 4 January. The first session in 2026 at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium starts at 11:00 and is open to fans. Bayer 04 look forward to welcoming supporters at the start of 2026. The Werkself schedule for the new year.
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