Ahead of the match in Gelsenkirchen it was clear the result would not affect Germany's position in Group A1: The 2-0 win for Holland against World Cup winners France on Friday condemned Germany to relegation to Group B in the European competition. That meant the final group match against the team from the Netherlands was primarily a matter of prestige as the visitors only needed a draw to secure top spot in the group.
Germany were on the front foot from the start and deservedly took a 2-0 lead with goals from Timo Werner (9') and Leroy Sané (19'). Through to the final stage of the game the hosts created a large number of chances but failed to extend their lead. Somewhat out of the blue, Holland pulled a goal back with five minutes to play with an unstoppable shot from Quincy Promes. The game changed from that point and the Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk levelled in added time. In contrast to the friendly against Russia on Thursday Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz and Jonathan Tah did not add to the international caps as they watched the match from the bench.
Germany failed to register a win in the first Nations League campaign and now have to hope that Portugal beat Poland on Tuesday to ensure a seeding at the top of a group for the Euro qualifiers. Thanks to a superior goal difference, Holland go through the finals as group winners ahead of France.
Jakub Bednarczyk was on the winning side on Monday night as the Poland U20s beat their contemporaries from Ukraine 2-1 in a friendly. The 19-year-old started at right back in the match in Bielitz-Biala – and he was involved in the opening goal for his team with a cross that led to a penalty. The Werkself number 32 had to go off on 33 minutes after picking up a knock.
In the final international break of the year, the last two players from Heiko Herrlich's squad are in action on Tuesday: Issac Kiese Thelin (for Sweden against Russia) and Paulinho (with the Brazil U20s against Colombia).
The German Football League (DFL) has announced the three candidates for Bundesliga ‘Rookie of the Month’ for February. Among the candidates is Werkself player Jarell Quansah. Fans of Bayer 04 can vote for their favourite on the Bundesliga app from now until Thursday, 5 March (23:59 CET).
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On a day that celebrated 50 years of official Bayer 04 fan clubs with festivities on the pitch during the match against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday, New York-based Werkself Warriors were proudly represented on the field by co-founder Alex Kramm.
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The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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