After the matches against Nigeria (1-0) and Mexico (0-0), Piero Hincapie and Ecuador remained unbeaten in the third and final friendly against Cape Verde in Fort Lauderdale with a 1-0 win on Saturday 11 June. The goalscorer for La Tri was Jordy Caicedo (38'). The Werkself number 33 played the full 90 minutes.
Odilon Kossounou played his second and last match in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the Ivory Coast on Thursday 9 June. The game against Lesotho ended in a goalless draw. The Black and Red defender was in the starting line-up and came off at half-time. The Ivorians are currently top of the table after the draw and the previous 3-1 win against Zambia. The next match in the AFCON qualifiers is against Comoros in September.
Mitchel Bakker also has a spotless record with the Netherlands U21 side in the European Championship qualifiers. In the match against Wales on Saturday, Bakker & Co won 1-0 with a late goal from Lutsharel Geertruida (86’). Bakker played the full 90 minutes. The ‘JongOranje’ secured convincing wins in the previous matches against Moldova (3-0) and Gibraltar (6-0) and were already qualified for the U21 Euros top of the group (26 points) ahead of the final game.
After two draws against Italy and England, Germany again ended all square in the UEFA Nation's League. The match in Budapest against Hungary on Saturday evening ended with a 1-1 scoreline with Jonas Hofmann scoring on nine minutes. Werkself defender Jonathan Tah was an unused sub. The Flick team are currently third with three points in Group A3 behind Italy (five points) and Hungary (four points).
Moussa Diaby and France drew 1-1 with Austria in the UEFA Nations League. Kylian Mbappé put the Équipe de France level on 63 minutes. Diaby started and completed the game. Austria are in second place and France are in fourth with two points from three games. The leaders in Group 1 are Denmark in spite of their latest 1-0 defeat against Croatia.
Werkself captain Lukas Hradecky was on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline on Saturday in Finland's game against Romania in the UEFA Nations League. The Leverkusen keeper was not in goal and instead watched the game from the bench. The Scandinavian side are second in Group B3 after three matchdays four points behind Bosnia-Herzegovina.
REMAINING INTERNATIONAL FIXTURES:
Jonathan Tah – Germany
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Germany vs Italy (UEFA Nations League)
Lukas Hradecky – Finland
14 June, 20.45 CEST: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Finland (UEFA Nations League)
Moussa Diaby – France
13 June, 20.45 CEST: France vs Croatia (UEFA Nations League)
Today sees Bayer 04 go head-to-head with their next direct rivals in the race for Champions League qualification (kick-off 15:30 CEST). Opponents Stuttgart are currently fifth in the table, level on points with the Werkself but one place below them due to a three-goal inferior goal difference. The Black and Reds' record at Bad Cannstatt tells a clearer story: they've not lost at VfB for over 16 years. One important factor in securing what would be three crucial points away from home is Leverkusen's strength on the counter-attack. Whilst Stuttgart are also extremely dangerous going forward, they will be without their captain. Today’s matchday news.
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Another showdown in the race for the Champions League places takes place in Swabia: on Saturday 9 May (kick-off 15:30 CEST), the Werkself visit VfB Stuttgart, who are only behind on goal difference. In his pre-match press conference, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about confidence, excitement and mentality.
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Reinforcement in attack: Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured the transfer of striker Maja Sternad from Bundesliga rivals SV Werder Bremen. The 22-year-old has signed a contract until 30 June 2028.
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It's a thrilling situation: as the season draws to a close, Stuttgart and Bayer 04 are heading into the home stretch almost neck and neck. After 32 games, with 17 wins, seven draws and eight defeats each, both teams are on 58 points. Even in terms of goals scored, VfB and the Werkself are level on 66. The Black and Reds have conceded just three fewer goals (43) than their rivals (46), which is why they sit one place behind fourth-placed Leverkusen. This Saturday, 9 May (kick-off: 15.30 CEST), the two teams go head to head at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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