After tearing a cruciate last July, Paulinho had to work in rehab over many months – now his indomitable determination to get back on the pitch has also been rewarded with selection for the Brazil Olympic squad. Congratulations, Pauli!
In addition to the 20-year-old Werkself striker, Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin) is another Bundesliga player travelling to Japan for the titleholders. The Olympic football tournament runs from 21 July to 7 August.
The many months of rehab for the Brazilian in the Werkstatt at the BayArena and Paulinho's thoughts at the time can be seen in the Bayer 04 documentary ‘NEVER STOP FIGHTING – Paulinho’s path from torn cruciate to comeback’.
Following the historic first international for Finland at a major tournament (1-0 against Denmark), the Eagle Owls had the opportunity to progress to the Round of 16 on matchday two. That required victory against Russia who lost their first match – however the match ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat. The battle to remain in the tournament after the group phase will be decided on the final matchday in Group B.
The clash with Russia started positively from a finish perspective: The Bayer 04 player Joel Pohjanpalo, on loan at Union Berlin last term, appeared to have put the North European side ahead on five minutes. However, the centre-forward was marginally offside with his headed goal.
Aleksey Miranchuk gave Russia the lead in added time in the first half with an impressive shot that left the Werkself number one Lukas Hradecky stranded in the Finland goal. That was the first goal conceded by the 31-year-old in the European Championship finals. To have a chance of progressing to the Round of 16, Pohjanpalo, Hradecky and Co. need to get a result against group favourites Belgium on Monday night, 21 June (kick-off: 21.00 CEST).
Like their Finnish Bayer 04 teammates, Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger were on the losing side with Austria on matchday two. The Austria team lost 2-0 against the Netherlands. While Drago was replaced on 83 minutes by Freiburg's Philip Lienhart, Baumi was not in the squad under Austria head coach Franco Foda this time.
The Werkself duo and their national teammates do have a chance of going through to the knockout stages. They play Ukraine on Monday, 22 June (kick-off: 18.00 CEST). Austria have to win in Bucharest to push Ukraine out of second spot.
The Czech Republic caused a slight upset at the European Championship with their 2-0 opening win against Scotland. Not only was the result positive but also there was a very decent performance by the young team. Man of the match was undoubtedly Werkself centre-forward Patrik Schick who secured the three points for his team with a brace. His second strike from nearly 50 metres out is the longest range goal scored in the European Championships.
The Czech Republic meet World Cup semi-finalists Croatia on Friday night at 18.00 CEST – will Schick be able to take his team through to the Round of 16 in Glasgow? It would be the surprise in Group D, which also includes England.
Charles Aránguiz (Chile) and Exequiel Palacios (Argentina) are also in action with their national teams. Matchday two in the Copa America is at the start of the weekend. The Werkself skipper Aránguiz plays first. Chile take on Bolivia at 23.00 CEST on Friday night. That is followed three hours later with Palacios and Argentina up against Uruguay, also in Group A. Chile and Argentina drew 1-1 in the opening match. Good luck, lads!
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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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.
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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.
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