Lara Marti and her Swiss teammates had the chance to qualify for the European Championship finals in England in 2022 with the two legs against Czechia on 9 and 13 April. Switzerland – Marti came on as a sub on 65 minutes – drew 1-1 with the Czechs in the first leg.
The return match was even more exciting with a scoreline of 1-1 after 90 minutes. The game went into extra time and, after 30 minutes without a goal, to penalties with Switzerland winning 3-2 to secure their place at the European Championship finals. Marti again came on as a substitute in the second leg (87') but had to go off on 104 minutes due to the 21-year-old suffering a knock in extra time.
Henrietta Csiszár, Dóra Zeller and Lilla Turányi made their way to Hungary. A ten-day training camp enabled the team to get to know their new national coach. The former Germany international and Germany assistant coach Margret Kratz took over the post with Hungary last month. The training camp ended with a friendly on Tuesday afternoon, 13 April, against Bosnia-Herzegovina – the game ended in a goalless draw. Turányi played up to the 68th minute, Csiszár and Zeller did not feature.
Mina Tanaka made two appearances for the national team. She played for Japan in two friendlies against Paraguay (8 April) and Panama (11 April) – with Japan winning both games 7-0. The Bayer 04 striker came off the bench against Paraguay on 67 minutes and scored the final goal in added time. The 26-year-old came on for the final eleven minutes against Panama.
Bayer 04 turned in a dominant performance in a 7-0 win against fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in their first friendly ahead of the 2026/27 season. A brace from debutant Afonso Moreira (19', 27') either side of a Christian Kofane strike (23') put the Werkself 3-0 up in the first of the two 35-minute halves in Monheim am Rhein. After the break, Victor Boniface (49', 53'), Robert Andrich (56') and Nathan Tella (67') scored for the completely changed Leverkusen team. It was therefore a successful friendly debut for new head coach Carles Martínez and his team, although the hosts also had something to celebrate despite the defeat: the match marked the inauguration of Baumberg's new ground, the MEGA Stadion.
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Attention, Werkself fans: the new Away Matchday Collection is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. It includes t-shirts, zip tops and jackets.
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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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