
Disappointment in the Germany camp: Following the draw against Spain, the match against Switzerland ended all square at 1-1. With two new players in the starting eleven, Germany took the lead on 14 minutes with a serene finish by Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City). But the Swiss levelled on the hour mark through Silvan Widmer. Werkself central defender Jonathan Tah replaced Niklas Süle on 62 minutes.
Two Black and Red players had reason to celebrate in Dublin. Lukas Hradecky and Joel Pohjanpalo started for Finland against Ireland – and they found the right response to last Thursday’s 1-0 home defeat against Wales. Fredrik Jensen scored the only goal of the game on 63 minutes to give Finland three important points in League B. The scorer replaced Pohjanpalo just before netting the winning goal; Bayer 04 goalkeeper Hradecky went the full distance in goal for Finland.
Croatia failed to pick up points on their first matchday in the new Nations League campaign. The away game at European Champions Portugal, who played without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, ended in a 4-1 defeat. João
Cancelo (41'), Diogo Jota (58'), Joao Felix (70') and André Silva (90+4') scored for the hosts with Bruno Petkovic netting a consolation goal for the Croats at 3-1 (90+ 1'). The Werkself player Tin Jedvaj played the full 90 minutes at right back. Jedvaj and Co. face World Cup winners France on Tuesday, 8 September. The match in Paris kicks off at 20.45 CET and will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Moussa Diaby features in the first game of the new week from a black and red perspective. The winger is set to play for the France U21s in a Euro qualifier away to Azerbaijan on Monday night at 19.00 CET. The Werkself duo Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger with Austria play Romania in the Nation League at 20.45 CET (live on DAZN). In addition to Jedvaj, Lennart Grill will again be in action on Tuesday. The Leverkusen new signing will be in goal for the Germany U21 side in Belgium (16.0 CET/live on ProSieben MAXX).
Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria):
Monday, 7 September (20.45 CET/live on DAZN): Austria v Romania (UEFA Nations League)
Tin Jedvaj (Croatia):
Tuesday, 8 September (20.45 CET/live on DAZN): France v Croatia (UEFA Nations League)
Lennart Grill (Germany U21):
Tuesday, 8 September (16.00 CET/live on ProSieben MAXX): Belgium U21 v Germany U21 (U21 Euro qualifier)
Moussa Diaby (France U21):
Monday, 7 September (19.00 CET): Azerbaijan U21 v France U21 (U21 Euro qualifier)

With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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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 personal 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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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 4-0 victory in the friendly match against KRC Genk...
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