A trio started the new campaign in the UEFA Women's Nations League with two games each. In League A Group 2, Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir collected a point with Iceland against Switzerland (0-0) and she scored at 1-2 in a 3-2 defeat against France – her eleventh international goal in 49 games. The 23-year-old played the full 90 minutes in both games.
The same applies to Lilla Turanyi, who celebrated a first victory with Hungary at the first attempt in League B Group 3. The central defender opened the scoring in a 2-0 win against Serbia (57’) – her sixth international goal. Turanyi and Co. were left empty-handed against Finland after a 1-0 defeat.
Cornelia Kramer and Denmark also have three points after two matches in the Nations League. The striker came off the bench on 85 minutes in a 2-1 defeat against Sweden and she was an unused substitute in the 3-1 win against Italy.
Three Leverkusen players experienced an emotional roller coaster with the Germany U23 team. Captain Kristin Kögel, central defender Selina Ostermeier and midfielder Sofie Zdebel first secured a 3-2 win in Walsall against an England team including their Werkself teammate Ruby Grant. The trio played the full game for Germany. Grant was substituted on 59 minutes and she came on for the final minutes for England on Tuesday night in a 1-0 win against France.
Four days after the win against England, Germany suffered a 4-1 defeat against the Netherlands. Kögel, Ostermeier and Zdebel were again in the starting line-up. Kögel and Zdebel played for 45 minutes, Ostermeier 61. Julia Mickenhagen was also in the international squad but returned to Leverkusen after the England game without playing due to a knock. Katharina Piljic, who was also called up, did not travel due to her ankle injury. And Emilie Bragstad played for the Norway U23s in a friendly. The Werkself central defender went the full distance in a 1-0 win in Sweden.
The Germany U19 squad successfully completed a first training camp after the good start to the Euro qualifiers. The team including the Werkself players Estrella Merino Gonzalez and Delice Boboy beat Italy and Sweden 2-0 in La Nucia in Spain. The two Leverkusen players started both games, Merino Gonzalez played 72 and 75 minutes, Boboy 78 and 60. The second qualification phase will be played in April again in groups of four. In contrast to the first round of games, only the group winners will qualify for the 2025 Euro finals in Poland.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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