Six Leverkusen players with the Germany U23 squad secured the title in the round of friendlies in Murcia. As part of a European wide tournament, the team led by coach Katrin Peter played eight games over recent months. Germany beat Norway in the final 6-5 on penalties after a 0-0 scoreline after 90 minutes. The winner came from substitute Werkself midfielder Katharina Piljic. Her teammates Selina Ostermeier, Loreen Bender, Sofie Zdebel plus captain Kristin Kögel were in the starting XI. And Julia Mickenhagen was in the squad but did not come off the bench.
"We hoped for the further development and promotion of our players on the international stage with the reintroduction of the U23 national team and participation in the tournament with other top countries," said DFB sporting director Nia Künzer: "That is confirmed in my view." Germany progressed to the final with a 3-0 victory over the Netherlands – with Ostermeier, Zdebel and Kögel in the starting line-up plus U23 debutantes Bender and Piljic on the bench.
Werkself teammate Ruby Grant completed the same U23 international tournament playing for England with a 2-1 defeat against Spain and a 2-1 win against Belgium. The midfielder, signed by Bayer 04 from Swedish club BK Häcken in the winter, played 71 minutes in the first game but was on the bench for 90 minutes in the second match.
The international break ended in bitter disappointment for one Leverkusen duo. Delice Boboy and Estrella Merino Gonzalez missed out on qualifying for the U19 European Championships in June with Germany by a single goal. In the second qualifying phase, the team led by coach Michael Urbansky beat Israel (2-0) and Finland (1-0) in a mini tournament. But the Germany team lost 2-1 in the decider against the already qualified hosts Poland despite Boboy opening the scoring from a cross from a free kick by Merino Gonzalez (8') – a draw would have been enough to win the group and qualify for the tournament. Striker Boboy started in the second and third games, Merino Gonzalez was the right-back in all three matches.
Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir played a blinder in the UEFA Women's Nations League. The striker scored her first hat-trick in her 51st international for Iceland in a 3-3 draw with Switzerland. The 23-year-old thereby almost secured a point for her team single-handedly. She received deserved applause when she was substituted on 87 minutes. Vilhjalmsdottir played 90 minutes in the previous 0-0 draw with Norway. Iceland have three points in Group A2 after four games.
Cornelia Kramer was on the bench in the two games for Denmark in Group A4. Germany's opponents at this summer's European Championships lost 2-1 to Wales and 3-0 against Italy.
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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