
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.

Welcome back! On Tuesday morning, 11 August, Jarell Quansah and Exequiel Palacios – the last of the Werkself’s World Cup participants – returned to training. The two medallists and their team-mates are set to play their final two pre-season friendlies in England this week before the start of competitive fixtures.
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Bayer 04 have unveiled the new third kit for the 2026/27 season. The design, developed by kit supplier New Balance, combines the city’s colours with symbols that have defined Leverkusen and Bayer 04 for generations.
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Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without Montrell Culbreath for the start of the 2026/27 season. The forward injured his foot injury in yesterday’s preseason friendly against Spanish top-flight side Sevilla (2–1), which rules him out of action for the time being. Culbreath’s diagnosis is not yet complete; further examinations are to follow in the coming days.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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