The visitors made the better start in front of 26,101 fans at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. Serbia took the lead with less than 15 minutes on the clock with a goal from Eintracht Frankfurt's Luka Jovic (12'). The striker was completely unmarked from a corner and was able to direct his header past the 32-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into the net. Germany then took control of the game and created two good chances from Timo Werner on 22 minutes, with good work in the build-up from Kai Havertz, and on 37 minutes. Both times, the RB Leipzig striker was unable to beat the Serbian goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.
Kai Havertz was substituted at half-time with Marco Reus coming on for the second half. The Germany team. coached by Joachim Löw, upped the pressure after the restart but missed a number of promising chances to level at 1-1 through Reus (59'), Leroy Sané (64') and Ilkay Gündogan (65'). However, there was not long to wait after that: Substitute Leon Goretzka netted the deserved equaliser with a shot from 15 yards out on 69 minutes. Julian Brandt was not on the pitch at this point. The lively Werkself pro was substituted on the hour mark.
After that, Sané (73') and Reus (75') had the best chances to put Germany 2-1 up. The friendly did end with an unsavoury scene: In added time (90+3'), Milan Pavkov cut down Sané with a reckless challenge that earned the Serbian a red card. The Manchester City winger was able to hobble off the pitch. Then came the end ofthe game that saw Jonathan Tah go the full distance.
Germany are back in action on Sunday 24 March with the first competitive international of the year. The Netherlands are the opponents in the European qualifier In Amsterdam. The match kicks off at 20.45 CET.
Exciting experiences and exclusive insights into the Werkself and the BayArena awaited the young footballers from the BA04 Football Academy Guangzhou in China during their visit to the Rhineland this week. As well as taking part in a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy, the youngsters marvelled at the Bundesliga club’s stadium during a guided tour. The highlight of the visit was a private press conference with former Bayer 04 striker Stefan Kießling, during which he shared tips from his own career with the young players. On Saturday afternoon, 10 October, the group will round off their visit by supporting the Werkself in the away match in Mainz.
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Fun, games and promising talent: At the fourth Bayer 04 Junior Girls’ Talent Day at the Kurtekotten training centre, 90 football-mad girls had the chance to put themselves forward for the Werkself youth teams. During a 90-minute training session, children born between 2011 and 2019 had the chance to demonstrate their skills.
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Despite the international break, numerous Werkself fans turned up at the BayArena on Saturday 3 October. The occasion: Bayer 04, together with Bayer Vital and main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer, organised a Health Day. In the stadium’s Premium Lounge, guests listened to fascinating talks on the subject of cancer, featuring, amongst others, Bayer 04 record appearance holder Rüdiger Vollborn and former Werkself player Hans Sarpei. Afterwards, young and old alike enjoyed interactive stations such as a grip strength test and eye pupil test.
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In issue #56 of Werkself Magazine, Afonso Moreira offers some interesting insights into his home country, Portugal, as part of the ‘Sag mal’ (Tell me) feature. Among other things, the 21-year-old talks about his favourite places in the country on the Iberian Peninsula, the local cuisine and music, as well as heroes and historical figures beyond the world of football. ‘Sag mal’ with Afonso Moreira!
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