#InternationalWerkself: Wirtz assist – Diaby hits the woodwork
Five Werkself players were again in action with their national teams in World Cup qualifiers at the weekend. Three of them were on the winning side and one had to go off injured.
Germany registered their second win under the new coach Hansi Flick in Stuttgart on Sunday night. Florian Wirtz started on the bench. Serge Gnabry (2), Marco Reus and Timo Werner put Germany 4-0 up in the first half and Jonas Hofmann increased the lead at the start of the second 45. Flick made a double substitution on the hour mark with Wirtz coming on for Marco Reus. The Leverkusen player was involved in the sixth and final goal scored by Karim-David Adeyemi as he provided a first assist for the Germany senior team with an excellent one-two setting up Adeyemi.
Chile played Ecuador in the capital Quito last night – the game ended all square at 0-0. Charles Aránguiz started the match but went off injured on 82 minutes. The extent of the injury is unclear.
There was a bizarre incident in Sao Paulo late on Sunday evening in the South America clash between Brazil and Argentina. The match was stopped after seven minutes when health authority staff appeared on the touchline to take three Argentinean players off the pitch. Those players, plus a substitute, had allegedly breached quarantine regulations on entering Brazil. After about an hour, the South American Football Association CONMEBOL finally announced the game would be abandoned. Exequiel Palacios was not in the starting eleven. It remains to be seen what happens with the match.
Greece drew 1-1 with Kosovo on Sunday evening; Panos Retsos did not feature in Pristina.
Pohjanpalo scores the winner
Finland faced Kazakhstan in Helsinki on Saturday. Joel Pohjanpalo, who signed a one-year loan deal with Turkish top-flight club Caykur Rizespor on Sunday, scored the only goal of the game on 60 minutes. Lukas Hradecky in goal kept a clean sheet for his team.
Moussa Diaby was in action with France against Ukraine. That was his second inclusion in the senior squad – and for the second time the France coach Didier Deschamps brought on the 21-year-old. Diaby replaced Kingsley Coman on 63 minutes in Kiev. There was no change to the score after he came on with a shot from Diaby only hitting the post (78’).
Andrey Lunev had a quiet Saturday night – he watched Russia take on Cyprus from the subs bench. The match in Nicosia ended in a goalless draw.
Related News
Women - 17.07.2026
Price freeze: Get your Women’s season ticket for the 2026/27 season now
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.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 17.07.2026
Moreira: Bayer 04 ‘a good place to grow as a player and as a person’
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.
Show more
Bayer 04 - 16.07.2026
Bayer 04 mourn the loss of Manfred Manglitz
Former Bundesliga and Germany keeper Manfred Manglitz, who was promoted to the Oberliga West with Bayer 04 in 1962, passed away on Monday at the age of 86.
Show more
Werkself-TV - 16.07.2026
Dutch duo Brandau and Loonen: ‘Competition is really good for us’
Justine Brandau and Lobke Loonen joined the Bayer 04 Women’s squad in quick succession this summer. The two Dutch players have been friends since their youth days, and are now playing for the same club for the first time. In an interview at the training camp in Rieden, Brandau and Loonen talk, amongst other things, about their experiences as opponents in the Vrouwen Eredivisie, the dynamic within their new team and their first few weeks in Leverkusen.
Show more
