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)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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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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