The final World Cup qualifier in the era of Joachim Löw ended in an unexpected defeat for Germany. The German team found it hard going against a well-organised opposition, but Leon Goretzka (9') and Serge Gnabry (31') missed good chances. North Macedonia kept pressing and took the lead just before half-time (45+2') through Goran Pandev (Genoa).
Germany equalised just after the hour mark with captain Ilkay Gündogan converting a penalty but they were unable to turn the game round – on the contrary: After substitute Timo Werner missed a great chance for Germany (80'), the North Macedonian striker Eljif Elmas (Napoli) rounded off an impressive attack by the underdogs to make it 2-1 to ensure a sensational result (85'). Germany are now third in Group J. As in the previous two games the two Werkself players Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz did not play against North Macedonia.
The next match for Germany is the opening game in the European Championship in the summer. Germany play World Cup winners France in Munich on 15 June.
After scoring in the 3-1 win against the Faroe Islands, all did not go to plan for Aleksandar Dragovic in the international against Denmark. The Werkself defender did play the full 90 minutes in his 89th international but he was on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline with Austria against Denmark. Denmark scored all four goals in the second half through Andreas Skov Olsen (58', 73'), Joakim Maehle (63') and the former Bundesliga player Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg (67').
Lennart Grill has reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship with the Germany U21 team. The goalless draw against Romania in the final match of the group stage was enough for Germany on Tuesday to qualify for the knockout rounds as runners-up behind the Netherlands with the finals to be played from 31 May to 6 June. The team under coach Stefan Kuntz will play Denmark in the quarter-final on 31 May after the Scandinavians surprisingly ended up top of their group ahead of France. As in the first two group matches, Grill was on the bench against Romania.
The end of the international break did not end well for Patrik Schick either. The Werkself striker with the Czech national team lost 1-0 in Wales on Tuesday. Schick, who was unable to play in the 1-1 draw with Belgium at the weekend due to Czechia being classified as a "virus variant area", was in the starting line-up but was shown a red card at the start of the second half (48). Wales, who also finished with ten players after Connor Roberts was sent off (77'), won the game late on with a goal from Manchester United striker Daniel James (81').
On Monday, Edmond Tapsoba with the Burkina Faso national team won the final group match in the African Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 victory over South Sudan. The Werkself defender played the full 90 minutes with the winner scored by Bertrand Traoré of Aston Villa on 50 minutes. Burkina Faso finished top of their qualifying group unbeaten and will be in the finals in Cameroon next January and February.
Bayer 04 Women have their second straight home game as they close out Matchday 5 in the Google Pixel Bundesliga against Carl Zeiss Jena on Monday. Kick-off at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion is at 6pm CEST, with head coach Roberto Pätzold expecting a defensive-minded opponent while his team look to continue their good form.
Show moreBayer 04 host Bundesliga newcomers at the BayArena for Matchday 6 on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) in a game where the club will mark its 120th anniversary with a special-edition kit. Speaking at his press conference ahead of the game, Xabi Alonso talked about how his team will approach the fixture with the right mentality and required respect for the opposition.
Show moreThe German double winners’ special-edition jersey to mark the club’s 120th anniversary is reminiscent of the first kit worn by players back in the 1907/08 season. The jersey, which the Werkself will wear for the Bundesliga home game against Holstein Kiel on Saturday, 5 October and which has been met with enthusiasm by the players, has numerous special features relating to the club's history, including an NFC chip that leads to exclusive content when scanned with a smartphone.
Show moreBundesliga debutants Holstein Kiel come to the BayArena on Saturday, 5 October (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) looking to improve on their defensive record up against the Werkself after a tough start to the season. No team has conceded more goals so far than the promoted side. Learn more about our next opponents here…
Show moreVanessa Haim became Bayer 04 Women's sixth summer signing shortly before the start of the training camp in Poland. Around two months after her arrival in Leverkusen, the 27-year-old tells bayer04.de about her move under the Cross and her former job as a teacher.
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