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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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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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