
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.

The fourth European away trip of the season in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 takes the Werkself to the Greek capital. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand's team are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday seven in the UCL league phase. The match at the Karaiskakis Stadium is on Tuesday, 20 January (kick-off: 21:00 CET). We'll be taking you on a trip to Athens and reporting on the Werkself close-up...
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A great honour for Bayer 04 Women's German international: as part of the 2025 Sports Awards, Carlotta Wamser entered her name into the City of Leverkusen's Golden Book. On Tuesday, she looked back on a special year in a talk in the Morsbroich Castle hall of mirrors.
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It was a disappointing night in Athens: The Werkself lost 2-0 away to Olympiacos on Matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. In a match that was intense and fiery from the outset, the high-pressing home side made the better start and took the lead through Costinha on two minutes. Although the Werkself had a number of chances to equalise, the clinical Greek side increased the lead to 2-0 shortly before half-time (45+1’). In the second half, Leverkusen once again gave their all and showed total commitment but, despite their best efforts, the Black and Reds were unable to break down the Olympiacos defence on the night.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a loan deal with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach for Argentinian striker Alejo Sarco. The 20-year-old joins Mönchengladbach with immediate effect for the rest of the season.
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The Werkself are away to Greek double winners Olympiacos on matchday 7 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Tonight, 20 January (kick-off: 22:00 local time/21:00 CET), Bayer 04 will not only face a familiar face in Panagiotis Retsos, but also an experienced and successful team in their Greek top-flight opponents. The Olympiacos midfield and forward line in particular are peppered with seasoned veterans from top European clubs - but even they will first have to find solutions against the Werkself defence that has recently performed with aplomb in the UCL. The matchday news.
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