In their second game in the Nations League, following the 0-0 draw in the opener against France, Germany suffered a 3-0 defeat to neighbours Holland. Virgil Van Dijk put the hosts 1-0 up from a corner on the half-hour mark in Amsterdam. Germany missed three good chances in the first half with Thomas Müller (2) and Timo Werner failing to find the back of the net. Joachim Löw's team also had chances to score after the restart with the best falling to Leroy Sané (65') and Julian Draxler (70'). Julian Brandt came on to replace debutant Mark Uth on 68 minutes to make his 21st appearance for Germany but he was unable to turn the game round. Goals from Memphis Depay (86') and Georginio Wijnaldum (90+3') sealed the win late on.
Jonathan Tah, who captained the Germany U21s to a 2-1 victory over Norway on Friday night to secure a place in next year's European Championship finals in Italy and San Marino, was called up to the senior squad by Germany coach Joachim Löw on Saturday for Tuesday's Nations League game in France.
Tin Jedvaj was in the starting line-up for World Cup runners-up Croatia for the 0-0 draw against England in Rijeka. The match was played behind closed doors – Croatia received a ban from UEFA in 2015. In the re-run of one of the semi-final games at the World Cup in Russia, Jedvaj went the full distance at right back. Austria beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in the Nations League (Group B). Aleksandar Dragovic was brought ob by coach Franco Foda in the final minutes of the game to help seal the win .
Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky kept a clean sheet in the third international game in succession for Finland in Group C of the Nations League. The former Schalke player Teemu Pukki scored the only goal of the game against Estonia in added time. Sweden drew 0-0 with Russia in Group B of the Nations League. Isaac Kiese Thelin started in Kaliningrad but was substituted on 71 minutes.
In the 1-1 draw for the Germany U20s against Holland in Meppen, Sam Schreck had as little impact as Jakub Bednarczyk in the Poland U20's 3-0 win against the Czech Republic.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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