The Finland team including Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky travelled over 3,000 kilometres from Helsinki to the next venue in the World Cup qualifiers. After the 2-1 home defeat against Ukraine, the Eagle Owls headed to Nur-Sultan. With Hradecky in goal, Finland secured a 2-0 victory in the Kazakhstan capital. Striker Teemu Pukki netted a brace (45', 48'). Bayer 04 player Joel Pohjanpalo (currently on loan at Caykur Rizespor in Turkey) had to go off on 33 minutes.
Finland are now third in Group D with eight points. As second-placed Ukraine have played one more game and only have one point more, the Eagle Owls have the chance of qualifying for the play-offs in their own hands. Finland's two remaining opponents in the World Cup qualifiers are Bosnia-Herzegovina (13 November) and France (16 November).
Bayer 04 new signing Amine Adli followed on with the next chapter after his textbook debut on Friday: The 21-year-old found the back of the net again in the U21 Euro qualifier against Serbia when he opened the scoring for the France U21 side on 29 minutes. The versatile forward came off on 70 minutes with the young French team securing a 3-0 victory 20 minutes later. Adli and Co. are currently top of Group H.
There was an emphatic victory for another Leverkusen duo with their national team: Mitchel Bakker and Jeremie Frimpong were in the Netherlands U21 side that clocked up a convincing 5-0 home victory over Wales. Both Werkself players started and Frimpong was substituted on 74 minutes. Bakker provided the assists for the first and fourth goals.
Youngster Zidan Sertdemir and the Denmark U17 team ended up losing 4-3 on penalties in the Euro qualifier against Turkey. The 16-year-old Leverkusen player netted the leveller at 2-2 in normal time and scored as the first penalty taker in the shootout.
Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario (World Cup qualifier)
15.10, 01.30 CEST, Argentina vs Peru, Buenos Aires
Piero Hincapie (World Cup qualifier)
14.10, 23.00 CEST, Colombia vs Ecuador, Barranquilla
Bayer 04 make their first trip to Poland for over 30 years as they face Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday, but the team will be preparing for the action on Wednesday with training, travel and pre-match press conferences. We’ll bring you all the latest news here…
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Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
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Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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A first for the Werkself: Today, Thursday 15 October (kick-off: 18:45 CEST), Bayer 04 face Lech Poznan for the first time on matchday 2 in the UEFA Europa League group. Although the Black and Reds have a flawless record against the only Polish opposition faced before, they must not underestimate the attacking ability and goal-scoring threat of the reigning champions from Poznan. Lech’s squad also includes two former Bundesliga players. Today's matchday news.
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