Germany's goals in Sinsheim were scored by the former Bayer 04 player Kai Havertz on 36 minutes with a header from a corner and Timo Werner from an Ilkay Gündogan free kick just before half-time (45+ 1'). In spite of Thomas Müller missing a penalty late on, the 2-0 scoreline was never threatened. Tah was in the starting line-up in his 15th international appearance and he played the full 90 minutes.
That was the eighth victory in succession for Germany and coach Hansi Flick remains unbeaten on the international stage. Tah and Co. are back in action on Tuesday 29 March with a friendly against the Netherlands. The Oranje also started with a win with a 4-2 victory over Denmark. The match at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam kicks off at 20.45 CEST.
Mitchel Bakker played for the Netherlands U21s in a Euros qualifier against Bulgaria on Friday 25 March. The two teams drew 0-0 after 96 minutes. Bakker played on the left side of the back four from the start and he went the full distance. The Netherlands are in second place in Group E of the U21 European Championships qualifiers after six matches.
The Dutch team are back in action on Tuesday. The team under head coach Erwin van der Looi entertain Switzerland. The current league leaders in Group E clocked up a 5-1 win against Wales.
Familiar faces: Last Friday's friendly between France and the Ivory Coast saw the two Werkself players Moussa Diaby and Odilon Kossounou on opposite sides. The Équipe de France registered a 2-1 win against the Ivorians with a late winner coming from a Tchouameni header (90+3'). Diaby did not appear for Les Bleus. Kossounou came on as a substitute on 68 minutes.
Diaby and Co. have another friendly on Tuesday at home to South Africa (kick-off: 21.15 CEST). Kossounou and the Ivory Coast face England in a friendly on Tuesday (kick-off: 20.45 CEST).
After the Spain U21s with Iker Bravo started the qualifiers for the U 17 European Championships with a 4-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, there was a big match against Belgium on Saturday 26 March. Belgium went into the game on the back of an overwhelming 8-1 win against Estonia. Bravo and Co. came out on top of the clash between the two top teams in Group D with a 1-0 win against the Belgians. The Leverkusen striker did not feature.
The final match against Estonia is on Tuesday. The kick-off is at 15.00 CEST with the match being played in the east of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Exequiel Palacios was able to enjoy is a convincing 3-0 victory for his Argentinian teammates against Venezuela but he did not come on. The Albiceleste had already qualified for the World Cup finals before the game. And Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky was also on the sidelines in Finland's 1-1 draw in a friendly against Iceland.
Remaining international fixtures:
Jonathan Tah (Germany):
Tuesday 29 March: Netherlands vs Germany (Friendly)
Moussa Diaby (France):
Tuesday 29 March: France vs South Africa (Friendly)
Lukas Hradecky (Finland):
Tuesday 29 March: Finland vs Slovakia (Friendly)
Exequiel Palacios (Argentina):
Wednesday 30 March: Ecuador vs Argentina (World Cup qualifier)
Charles Aránguiz (Chile):
Wednesday 30 March: Chile vs Uruguay (World Cup qualifier)
Piero Hincapie (Ecuador):
Wednesday 30 March: Ecuador vs Argentina (World Cup qualifier)
Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast):
Tuesday 29 March: England vs Ivory Coast (Friendly)
Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso):
Tuesday 29 March: Belgium vs Burkina Faso (Friendly)
Sardar Azmoun (Iran):
Tuesday 29 March: Iran vs Lebanon (World Cup qualifier)
Mitchel Bakker (Netherlands U21):
Tuesday 29 March: Netherlands U21 vs Switzerland U21 (Euros qualifier)
Iker Bravo (Spain U17):
Tuesday 29 March: Estonia U17 vs Spain U17 (Euros qualifier)
Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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