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.
A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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