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.
Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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