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)
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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The Germany U19 team were beaten 2-0 by record champions Spain in the final of the U19 European Championship in Wales. Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan at SV 07 Elversberg) were in the starting line-up and played the full 90 minutes.
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