Wirtz played in midfield alongside former Leverkusen player Kai Havertz for the opening 45 minutes before being replaced at half-time by Mario Götze. Niclas Füllkrug netted a brace in the 2-0 win in Mainz (12', 33'). Wirtz and Co. have a second friendly on Tuesday 28 March against Belgium. The kick-off at the Rhein-Energie-Stadion in Cologne is at 21.00 CEST.
A winning start for Adam Hlozek and his Czechia teammates on Friday 24 March with a 3-0 victory over Poland in Group D in their first Euros qualifier. The striker started the game and was replaced by Vaclav Cerny on 89 minutes.
Moussa Diaby and France also made a successful start to their Euro qualifiers on Friday: The Équipe Tricolore registered an impressive 4-0 win against the Netherlands in the match in Group B in Paris. Diaby came on in place of Kingsley Coman on 67 minutes.
Patrick Pentz also celebrated a first win with Austria: The Austrian national team entertained Azerbaijan in Linz on Friday with a 4-1 win in Group F. Pentz was not in goal.
Odilon Kossounou with the Ivory Coast celebrated their first win in the AFCON qualifiers with a 3-1 victory against Comoros. The defender came on as a sub on 86 minutes to replace Eric B. Bailey. And Edmond Tapsoba was also a winner in the same competition with Burkina Faso: Tapsoba and Co. beat Togo 1-0.
Piero Hincapie was in action in Melbourne: The Leverkusen player appearing for Ecuador came up against the hosts Australia on Friday morning (CET). The match ended in a 3-1 win for Australia with Hincapie on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes.
Mitchel Bakker was a winner on Saturday with the Netherlands U21 team in a friendly against Norway (3-0). Bakker came on as a sub on 70 minutes. Amine Adli was on the losing side with the France U 21s in a 4-0 defeat to England in Leicester. Adli started the game but was substituted after 63 minutes.
Following the goalless draw against the Slovenia U19s on Wednesday 22 March, Noah Mbamba drew again with the Belgium U19 side: Mbamba and Co. drew 1-1 with the Germany U19s in Bremen in a qualifier for the 2023 U19 European Championships. Mbamba played for 70 minutes.
Madi Monamay and the Belgium U17 team yesterday played against Croatia in the U17 elite round. The game in Fredrikstad in Norway ended in a 1-0 defeat. Monamay did not play in this game. The first match against Slovenia three days ago ended in a 1-1 draw.
The only game on Sunday 26 March involves keeper Lukas Hradecky with Finland: Following defeat against Denmark three days ago, the Eagle Owls play the second Euro qualifier in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland beat San Marino 2-0 in their first qualifier. The kick-off at Windsor Park in Belfast is at 20.45 CEST.
Forthcoming international fixtures:
Adam Hlozek (Euro qualifier):
27.03., 20.45 CEST, Moldova vs Czechia, Chisinau
Patrick Pentz (Euro qualifier):
27.03., 20.45 CEST, Austria vs Estonia, Linz
Moussa Diaby (Euro qualifier):
27.03., 20.45 CEST, Ireland vs France, Dublin
Lukas Hradecky (Euro qualifier):
26.03., 20.45 CEST, Northern Ireland vs Finland, Belfast
Odilon Kossounou (AFCON qualifier):
28.03., 15.00 CEST, Comoros vs Ivory Coast, Moroni
Edmond Tapsoba (AFCON qualifier):
28.03., 21.00 CEST, Togo vs Burkina Faso, Lomé
Florian Wirtz (Friendly):
28.03., 20.45 CEST, Germany vs Belgium, Cologne
Exequiel Palacios (Friendly):
28.03. Kick-off TBC, Argentina vs Curacao, Santiago del Estero
Piero Hincapie (Friendly):
28.3., 10.30 CEST, Australia vs Ecuador
Mitchel Bakker (U21 friendly):
27.3, 14.00 CEST, Netherlands U21 vs Czechia U21, Pinatar
Amine Adli (U21 friendly):
28.3, 18.30 CEST, France U21 vs Spain U21, Vannes
Noah Mbamba (U19 elite round):
28.3, 12.00 CEST, Italy U19 vs Belgium U19, Bremen
Madi Monamay (U17 elite round):
28.3, 17.00 CEST, Norway U17 vs Belgium U17, Sarpsborg
The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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The champions of Slovenia NK Celje are in a European competition for the fourth time in their history. This Wednesday, 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the side lead by head coach Vitor Campelos visit the BayArena for matchday 1 in the group stage in the UEFA Europa League. Celje’s last match at the weekend did not go to plan. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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