Five Leverkusen players were involved in the last two international matches of the Germany U23 team. In the 3-1 loss against Portugal in Leiria, the first defeat for coach Michael Urbansky's team in the current international campaign, Katharina Piljic scored after just two minutes from 20 metres out - her first international goal. Despite the lead and clear superiority, Germany lost in the end. In addition to Piljic, Loreen Bender was also in the starting eleven. Selina Ostermeier, Julia Mickenhagen (both on 56 minutes) and Sofie Zdebel (65’) came on as substitutes. The sixth Werkself player, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, who was called up on standby for the senior national team for the first time, was on the bench and went home injured before the second game against France.
Four days later, Germany made up for the previous defeat by beating France 2-0 at the Stadion am Brentanobad in Frankfurt. This time Bender (up to 58 minutes) and Zdebel were in the starting line-up, with Ostermeier and Piljic coming on after 77 minutes. Mickenhagen was left out. The next two U23 international fixtures are against Norway and Belgium in March 2026.
A Werkself duo were in the Austria squad for two friendlies. Centre-back Claudia Wenger played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw in Finland and was on the bench in the 3-2 defeat in Ukraine. The same applied to her team-mate Valentina Mädl in both games. The attacking player is therefore still waiting for her debut.
Amy Wrigge, who made her debut for the Germany U19s at the Wedau Sports School in Duisburg, had three games in the European Championship qualifiers. In Group A2, coach Melanie Behringer's team drew 2-2 with Belgium, with Wrigge coming off the bench on 70 minutes. She scored her first goal for the U19s at the second outing after coming on as a substitute at the break. The 17-year-old scored to make it 5-0 (47') in the 8-0 win against the overwhelmed Faroe Islands. It was Wrigge's tenth goal in 18 games for a junior Germany side. In the final clash, Germany lost 5-0 to Spain, with Wrigge coming on after 61 minutes. As a result, Germany finished second in their group and are now in the second round of qualifiers. Ida Daedelow was also called up for the U19s, but had to withdraw due to illness. Next year's European Championship finals are in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 June to 11 July.
In their two - ultimately unsuccessful - UEFA Women's Nations League final games against Spain (0-0, 0-3), Germany had to manage without Carlotta Wamser. The wing back, who played the full 90 minutes in both semi-final duels against France, is still sidelined due to injury.
The Bundesliga continues for the Bayer 04 Women on Saturday, 6 December (14:00 CET), with a home match against RB Leipzig at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Tickets for the game are available HERE.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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