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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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