On the second matchday in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Burkina Faso secured a 3-1 win against Eswatini despite going a goal down. Bayer 04 defender Edmond Tapsoba played the full 90 minutes. Burkina Faso head Group B with six points from two games ahead of Cape Verde (4 points) plus Eswatini and Togo each on one point. The next qualifier for the West African side is against Togo on 19 September.
Following on from the 3-0 win against European Champions Italy in the Finalissima, the reigning Copa America winners Argentina beat Estonia 5-0 in a friendly on Sunday 5 June. The match played in Pamplona saw superstar Lionel Messi once again turn out to be the matchwinner with the left-footer scoring all of the five goals. Werkself midfielder Exequiel Palacios came on as a substitute on 62 minutes in the last match in the current set of internationals.
The Netherlands U21s clocked up a convincing 6-0 victory against Gibraltar in Group E of the U21 European Championship qualifiers. Leverkusen's Mitchel Bakker came off the bench on 62 minutes. The oldest Oranje youth team (23 points) held on to top spot ahead of Switzerland (22 points). Another win in the final match against Wales on Saturday 11 June offers Bakker and Co. the chance to qualify directly for the U21 European championship finals under their own steam.
As under the Bayer Cross, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky again proved to be a safe pair of hands in the Finnish national team. Finland picked up their first win in the current Nations League campaign with a 2-0 victory against Montenegro. Bayer 04 loanee Joel Pohjanpalo, who played for Çaykur Rizespor in the Turkish top-flight last season, scored both goals to help Finland take top spot in Group 3 in League B with four points. They are ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina (4), Montenegro (4) and the up to now pointless Romania.
France earned their first point in the current Nations League campaign on Monday 6 June. In a rerun of the 2018 World Cup final, the team under Didier Deschamps drew 1-1 against the previously pointless Croatia. Werkself player Moussa Diaby was in the starting eleven and he played on the right wing for 79 minutes. France are currently third in Group 1 in League A behind Denmark (6 points) and Austria (3 points).
Ecuador had their second friendly fixture in the current internationals on the previous night. The South American side with Bayer 04 defender Piero Hincapie drew 0-0 with Mexico in Chicago. The 20-year-old played the full game. La Tri play their final friendly against Cape Verde in the night from Saturday 11 June to Sunday 12 June.
Germany registered another 1-1 draw on the second matchday in the Nations League: A draw in Italy was followed by the points shared with England. Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah was on the bench. The team under coach Hansi Flick are currently third in Group 3 of League A behind Italy (4 points) and Hungary (3 points). England complete the group with one point.
Remaining international fixtures:
Jonathan Tah – Germany
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
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
10 June, 20.45 CEST: Austria vs France (UEFA Nations League)
13 June, 20.45 CEST: France vs Croatia (UEFA Nations League)
Piero Hincapie – Ecuador
12 June, 23.30 CEST: Ecuador vs Cape Verde (Friendly)
Odilon Kossounou – Ivory Coast
9 June, 21.00 CEST: Lesotho vs Ivory Coast (AFCON qualifier)
Mitchel Bakker – Netherlands U21
11 June, 18.00 CEST: Wales U21 vs Netherlands U21 (Euro qualifier)
Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Back at the BayArena at last! For the first time since the summer break, the Werkself played at their home ground in the 2026 season launch – and went on to beat Sevilla in the fifth preseason friendly. Patrik Schick turned the game around after Miguel Sierra put the visitors ahead (16’), scoring twice in the second half (66’, 79’) to the delight of the Bayer 04 fans in the new seats at the BayArena. New signing Miguel Gutiérrez was delighted to provide the assist for the equaliser on his debut under the Bayer Cross.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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