The third-placed team in Group D went into the knockout game against the Dutch as underdogs. In front of a 50,000 plus crowd at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, there was little to report in the first half – but the match livened up after the restart. The Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt foiled an attack by the opposition with a deliberate handball and he was shown the red card after the intervention of VAR. The Czechs had the extra player for over half an hour.
Patrik Schick and his team-mates exploited that advantage with Tomas Holes giving the Czech Republic the lead (68’). And the Bayer 04 striker then sealed the win: Schick made it 2-0 on 80 minutes with a left-foot shot with his fourth goal of the tournament. That makes the Leverkusen front man the second highest goalscorer at Euro 2020 behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who was knocked out along with title holders Portugal in a 1-0 defeat against Belgium. “It’s really crazy. Nobody thought we could get this far. We’re incredibly happy, ” said Schick, who went off to a deserved ovation from the fans when he was substituted in added time.
In the quarter-final between the supposed surprise teams, the Czech Republic play Denmark on Saturday, 3 July. The North Europeans clocked up a convincing 4-0 win against Wales in the Round of 16. The kick-off in Baku (Azerbaijan) is at 18.00 CEST. Good luck, Patrik!
Two other Werkself players were involved in the Round of 16. Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger with Austria were up against the impressive Italians. Austria, with Drago on the pitch for the whole game, caused real problems for the team under Roberto Mancini. As a strike by Austria’s Marko Arnautovic was ruled out as offside on 65 minutes, the match went into extra time – Italy came out on top in the end.
Federico Chiesa (95’) and Matteo Pessina (105’) scored for Italy; Sasa Kalajdzic netted a consolation goal at 2-1 on 114 minutes. Drago, the unused Baumi, and Co. were knocked out of Euro 2020 after a brave battle.
For Finland with Werkself number one Lukas Hradecky and striker Joel Pohjanpalo, who was on loan at Union Berlin last term, the exit came at the group stage. The European Championship finals newcomers finished third in Group B but the three points collected were not enough to secure a place in the Round of 16 as one of the top four third-placed teams
Under the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26’, Bayer 04 are turning this season's UEFA Champions League season into a festival. In addition to a Spotify playlist that fans can use to get in the mood for the Champions League nights, there is also a tour pass with stickers for the respective UCL matches exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members. These could be picked up in the respective weeks of the matches. The sticker for the final clash in the league phase (Villarreal, 28 January, 21:00 CET) is now available at the Fanwelt. The competition for all diligent sticker collectors is also now open. Read on for further information.
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This afternoon, Saturday 24 January (kick-off: 15.30 CET), Bayer 04 host SV Werder Bremen, who are winless in their last seven league games. Nevertheless, in their last outing, a 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, where they conceded a late equaliser, the Green and Whites did show their team spirit. The Werkself, led by birthday boy Patrik Schick, will be looking to counter this and secure their first three points of the new year on this ‘!Never Again’ remembrance matchday to commemorate the victims of National Socialism. Read on for the latest information in today's matchday news.
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Happy birthday, Patrik Schick! On his special day, it's not just the Czech striker who can look forward to lots of presents and hopefully many more goals – Bayer 04 fans can also get their hands on a free number 14 print when they buy a Werkself jersey today, January 24! In addition, a match-worn jersey belonging to the now 30-year-old will be raffled off among all purchasers next week.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 win at 1. FC Union Berlin on the 15th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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