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
Following their 4–3 opening victory against Denmark, the Germany U19s made it two wins out of two by defeating hosts Wales, securing their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare. In the 4–0 win, Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka once again put in impressive performances, with both finding the back of the net.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed home-grown talent Sana Coskun on professional terms. The 18-year-old midfielder, who made her Bundesliga debut last season, has signed a contract to 30 June 2029.
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Attacking midfielder Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen for good on a permanent move to Hamburger SV in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. The 21-year-old, who was on loan to the newly promoted side in the winter, originally had a contract to 2027.
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The Bayer 04 Football School opened in 2007 – now this successful programme is getting a new name and a new logo: with immediate effect, the Bayer 04 Football School powered by BarmeniaGothaer is becoming the Bayer 04 Football Academy powered by BarmeniaGothaer.
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