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 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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Spurred on by a flawless hat-trick from Cornelia Kramer, the Bayer 04 women’s team won their penultimate pre-season friendly in commanding fashion. As part of the season launch, the Werkself beat Dutch top-flight side Feyenoord 7–0. In front of 3,000 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, Kramer (6’, 25’, 45’), Sofie Zdebel (47’), Maja Sternad (59'), Natasha Kowalski (83') and Vanessa Fudalla (86') scored the goals for coach Roberto Pätzold’s side.
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There’s plenty for Bayer 04 fans to enjoy both on and off the pitch at the official 2026 season launch. In addition to the women’s team taking on Feyenoord at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at 13:15 CEST and the men’s team facing Sevilla at the BayArena at 15:30 CEST, fans of all ages can enjoy a range of activities – and get to meet Bayer 04 players and former players in the process. The Fanwelt is also offering a special promotion: buy a new shirt and get free printing! Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about the season launch, including the live streams.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day six (Friday 7 August) is as follows: This morning, the squad completed their final training session – this time behind closed doors – here in Blankenhain, before heading back to Leverkusen after lunch. The big season launch is scheduled for tomorrow.
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