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)
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Rieden reloaded: Just like last year, the Bayer 04 Women’s team are spending their summer training camp in this idyllic corner of Bavaria. From this Sunday, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team will be based in Rieden in the Upper Palatinate for a week.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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