But that was no surprise. The youngster has made fantastic progress in the past few weeks and he reached another milestone in Serraville on Friday night.
“I think I need another two nights before I can take it all in,” beamed Henrichs after the 8-0 win in San Marino. “The lads have been brilliant and I really feel at home in the team. Serge and me should give a speech, sing or something similar. We’d be happy to do that after a game like that,” said Benny with a smile after the expectedly high win against the absolute underdogs.
Youngest-ever Germany international in Bayer 04’s history
19 years and 262 days: That is how old Henrichs was on his full international debut for Germany. That makes him the youngest-ever Germany international at Bayer 04. Gonzalo Castro, the previous record holder, was a month older when he made his debut in 2007.
Henrichs showed no signs of nerves on the night. The full back even had the first chance on the match but he just missed the target from 14 yards out on two minutes. The goals started coming a few minutes later with the captain Sami Khedira making it 1-0 on seven minutes. Serge Gnabry, the second debutant alongside Henrichs, doubled the lead two minutes later.
Henrichs chances on goal
The team coached by Joachim Löw dominated proceedings after the early brace and plenty of goalscoring opportunities followed. One of them again fell to Benny Henrichs but the homegrown Bayer 04 talent again missed the target. On 32 minutes, Jonas Hector scored the third goal on the night. Half-time came with the scoreline still 3-0 in favour of Germany.
Volland like Gerd Müller
Germany still retained complete control of the game after thec restart. Serge Gnabry netted his second goal on his international debut on 58 minutes to put Germany 4-0 up. Jonas Hector bagged his second just after the hour mark and goal number six was also scored by Werder Bremen’s Gnabry (75’).
And the goal fest carried on – thanks to Kevin Volland. The Werkself striker, introduced on 70 minutes, put in a pin-point cross on 82 minutes and the ball was put into the San Marino net by one of their own players. Three minutes later it was Volland who got onto the scoresheet with a goal on the turn like Gerd Müller at his best to round off the scoring at 8-0. That was the first international goal for Volland and the result strengthens Germany’s lead in Group C with a five-point lead over second-placed Northern Ireland.
Aránguiz makes a point with Chile
Charles Aránguiz was in action on Thursday night with Chile in a 0-0 draw with Colombia in the South American World Cup qualifiers. Aránguiz went off injured on 73 minutes. The Chileans are now fifth in the table behind Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay and leaders Brazil.
Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
Show more
Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
Show more
In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
Show more
The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
Show more
