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
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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