They developed into the surprise team at the Africa Cup of Nations: After going through the group stage, Burkina Faso with Leverkusen player Edmond Tapsoba first knocked Gabon out of the competition (2-1 in the Round of 16) and that was followed a few days later by a 1-0 victory against favoured Tunisia in the quarter-finals. On Wednesday evening, they faced Senegal in the semi-finals with Tapsoba and Co. having to accept defeat in the end. The Werkself player was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in the 3-1 defeat.
Odilon Kossounou, who was also at the Africa Cup of Nations, went out in the Round of 16 when Ivory Coast lost 1-0 against Egypt. Senegal's opponents in the final will be decided tonight in a game between Egypt and Cameroon – winners of Burkina Faso's Group A. Tapsoba and Co. will play the losers of the semi-final in the third-place play off on Sunday 6 February at 17.00 CET. Tapsoba will then return to Leverkusen as Kossounou already has.
Sardar Azmoun, the winter signing from Zenit Saint Petersburg, arrived in Germany on Thursday afternoon. The 27-year-old was met by a small Bayer 04 delegation at Düsseldorf Airport and they accompanied him to Leverkusen.
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk has shared his views of the Iran international in the Bild Zeitung. The 42-year-old played for Bayern Munich from 2009 to 2013 and he knows the Bundesliga as well as the new member of the Werkself squad: Tymoshchuk has been the assistant coach at Zenit since 2017 and he has coached Azmoun for the past three years. "He's a bit like Klose (World Cup record goalscorer and former player at Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, ed.). Miro was also quick, strong in the air and clever with his movement," said the Ukrainian in drawing a comparison.
In the interview, Tymoshchuk also spoke about Sardar Azmoun away from the pitch. The new Leverkusen player is very communicative and is also a "funny, but calm and respectful bloke. I was very close to him." The former Bayern player also revealed a special hobby pursued by the centre forward: Azmoun is mad about horses and he has a large number at home in Iran. They regularly take part in competitions and races.
The game turned round, a derby win – and the cup lifted. It was a successful Wednesday evening for the Bayer 04 Women's U17 team. The team coached by Aleksandar Vukicevic beat FC Köln in the final of the district cup. Playing at home at the Performance Centre, the Black and Red youngsters went behind on 15 minutes but hit back in the second half as they showed what they could do. Paula Dziallas scored on 62 minutes and Estrella Gonzalez netted the second ten minutes later to secure a 2-1 win. Congratulations!
Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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The fifth consecutive derby win over 1. FC Köln was a hugely significant one in terms of the battle for the UEFA Champions League places. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, speaking for the whole team, dedicated the 2-1 victory in the cathedral city to the travelling support: "I'm especially happy about this victory for our fans!" Get the rest of the reaction from those involved and the media, as well as some impressive stats on two-goal hero Patrik Schick and a look at the all-time Bundesliga table, in the Werkself Review.
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