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
Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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Season tickets for the Werkself home matches in the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season are now on general sale. The season ticket is valid for all 13 matches at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The first home match will be played between 28 and 31 August against the runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, followed by the clash with the German champions, Bayern Munich, between 11 and 14 September.
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A new team, a new environment, a new challenge—and yet one thing remains the same for Afonso Moreira: his attitude. Total dedication, discipline, and the drive to improve every day have defined the Portuguese player since his early days at Sporting CP. “Even back then, I realized I had to work hard to achieve my goals,” said the 21-year-old. His parents also instilled those values in him from a young age. Values that have driven him ever since, accompanied him to France when he signed for Lyon, and now also form the foundation for his new chapter at Bayer 04. At a media session, the lightning-fast winger spoke about his values, as well as his new teammates, the new coach, and his targets at the club.
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