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)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Jonas Omlin. Bayer 04 have signed the 32-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach until the end of the season. Managing director sport Simon Rolfes described the Swiss shot stopper, signed by the Werkself in reaction to the long-term absence of first choice keeper Mark Flekken, as an "internationally experienced keeper." Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the new signing, who will wear the number 18 jersey.
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Under the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26’, Bayer 04 are turning this season's UEFA Champions League season into a festival. In addition to a Spotify playlist that fans can use to get in the mood for the Champions League nights, there is also a tour pass with stickers for the respective UCL matches exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members. These could be picked up in the respective weeks of the matches. The sticker for the final clash in the league phase (Villarreal, 28 January, 21:00 CET) is now available at the Fanwelt. The competition for all diligent sticker collectors is also now open. Read on for further information.
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