The Netherlands U21s, with Bayer 04 left-back Mitchel Bakker playing the full 90 minutes, are top of Group E in the European Championship qualifiers. Thanks to a 3-0 victory over Moldova, the Oranje youngsters went above Switzerland in the group. They have a one-point lead.
Direct qualification for the U21 Euros finals is in the hands of Bakker and Co. this week. The final opponents in the qualifiers are Gibraltar (7 June) and Wales (11 June) – and they are currently in the bottom two in the group.
Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou were also winners in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Tapsoba’s Burkina Faso secured a 2-0 win against Cape Verde in the first game in Group B. The Werkself central defender was in the starting eleven but he had to off on the half-hour mark due to a thigh problem. Get well soon, Eddi. The next match is against Eswatini on 7 June.
Ivory Coast with Kossounou took top spot in Group H. They started with a 3-1 win against Zambia with the Leverkusen defender on the bench. The Ivorians have another international fixture coming up against Lesotho on 9 June.
Moussa Diaby was the only player on the losing side for starters. The Werkself winger and the Nations League title holders were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline against Denmark. Andreas Cornelius, teammate of Bayer 04 homegrown player Emrehan Gedikli at the champions of Turkey Trabzonspor, hit back after Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) scored the opener. Diaby came on in added time to make his fifth full international appearance.
France have another two games in the top group in the Nations League: The Equipe Tricolore play Croatia on 6 June and Austria four days later.
Hincapie und Co. siegen
Ecuador with Werkself player Piero Hincapie played the first of three friendlies in the current international fixtures overnight from Thursday to Friday European time. Pervis Estupinan (FC Villarreal) scored the only goal of the game against Nigeria on three minutes at the New York Red Bulls ground. Hincapie played the full 90 minutes. The World Cup participant has a friendly against Mexico on 6 June and another against Mali five days later.
Two other Werkself players start the final international fixtures of the season tonight (Saturday 4 June): Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky with Finland face Bosnia and Herzegovina at 18.00 CEST and Germany, with Jonathan Tah in the squad, play Italy at 20.45 CEST.
INTERNATIONAL FIXTURES:
Jonathan Tah – Germany
4 June, 20:45 CEST: Italy vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
7 June, 20:45 CEST: Germany vs England (UEFA Nations League)
11 June, 20.45 CEST: Hungary vs Germany (UEFA Nations League)
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Germany vs Italy (UEFA Nations League)
Lukas Hradecky – Finland
4 June, 18.00 CEST: Finland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (UEFA Nations League)
7 June, 18.00 CEST: Finland vs Montenegro (UEFA Nations League)
11 June, 20.45 CEST: Romania vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
Moussa Diaby – France
6 June, 20.45 CEST: Croatia vs France (UEFA Nations League)
10 June, 20.45 CEST: Austria vs France (UEFA Nations League)
13 June, 20.45 CEST: France vs Croatia (UEFA Nations League)
Exequiel Palacios – Argentina
5 June, 20.00 CEST: Argentina vs Estonia (Friendly)
Piero Hincapie – Ecuador
6 June, 01.30 CEST: Mexico vs Ecuador (Friendly)
12 June, 23.30 CEST: Ecuador vs Cape Verde (Friendly)
Edmond Tapsoba – Burkina Faso
7 June, 15.00 CEST: Eswatini vs Burkina Faso (AFCON qualifier)
Odilon Kossounou – Ivory Coast
9 June, 21.00 CEST: Lesotho vs Ivory Coast (AFCON qualifier)
Mitchel Bakker – Netherlands U21
7 June, 20.00 CEST: Netherlands U21 vs Gibraltar U21 (Euro qualifier)
11 June, 18.00 CEST: Wales U21 vs Netherlands U21 (Euro qualifier)
Here we go! The new season of the VBL Club Championship by WOW starts on Thursday, 16 October. The games can be seen live on the Bayer 04 app and on the club Twitch channel. Bayer04.de presents an overview of the first opponents for the Leverkusen eSports team in the new season.
Show moreThe autumn holidays attracted a host of Bayer 04 fans to the BayArena on Tuesday, 14 October. An open training session for the Werkself in the morning ended with the players taking time out for selfies and autograph requests from the 160 or so fans in attendance. During a children's press conference organised by Barmenia Gothaer, Werkself player Arthur and Kristin Kögel from the Bayer 04 Women's team fielded questions posed by the youngsters. Meanwhile, a trio of young players from the Leverkusen U19 squad put a smile on everyone's faces at a meet & greet event. And fans enjoyed a range of exciting activities at the Fanwelt.
Show moreThe Werkself host 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 at the BayArena on matchday 10 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on 8 November at 15:30 CET and is a Members matchday. Information on ticket sales.
Show moreThe Werkself host Borussia Dortmund at the BayArena on matchday 12 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The match is on Saturday, 29 November, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-0 win at TSG Hoffenheim on the 6th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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