A quintet from Leverkusen completed a perfect U19 EURO qualifying campaign with Germany, with three wins in seven days ensuring the group victory and with it a place in the finals in Lithuania (15 to 27 July). Captain Paulina Bartz particularly impressed in the games against Romania (2-0), Hungary (6-0) and Sweden (4-1) with a goal in each.
Her teammate Delice Boboy scored the fourth goal against Hungary just two minutes after coming on, shortly before assisting the fifth. In the first match she played the second half, while against the Swedes she came on after 62 minutes. Anne Moll was in goal for all three games, Julia Mickenhagen featured at left-back (46 minutes against Romania, 61 against Hungary and 90 against Sweden) and striker Estrella Merino Gonzalez also started all three matches, playing until the 72nd minute against Romania, the 71st against Hungary and the full 90 against Sweden, during which she provided the assist for the fourth goal. A sixth Leverkusen player could be part of the squad in Lithuania in 18-year-old Loreen Bender, who missed qualifying through injury.
Nothing has been decided yet in the senior Women's EURO qualifying. On the first two matchdays, two Werkself teammates came up against each other in Group 4 of League A, with Iceland's Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir kicking off against Polish duo Sylwia Matysik and Nikola Karczewska. And it was Iceland who came out on top, winning 3-0 with Vilhjálmsdóttir providing the assist for the third goal in the 66th minute. Matysik played the full game while Karczewska entered the fray on 76 minutes. The Poles were also left empty-handed after Matchday 2: in a 3-1 defeat to Austria, Matysik was again on the pitch throughout and Karczewska stayed on the bench.
For Vilhjálmsdóttir, there was another internal battle just four days later as the midfielder came up against captain Elisa Senß in the Germany starting line-up in Aachen. Senß had been an unused substitute in the 3-2 win in Austria but played 77 minutes against Iceland as the DFB team won 3-1. Vilhjálmsdóttir played 90 minutes this time. Lilla Turányi and the Hungary team have one point on the board following a 1-1 draw against Azerbaijan and a 2-1 loss to Turkey. The Leverkusen centre-back played every minute.
Three other Werkself girls were involved in friendlies with their youth national teams. Sofie Zdebel was a 78th-minute substitute for Germany U20s in a 0-0 draw against USA but didn't feature in a 4-0 win over Canada. Julie Jorde and Emilie Bragstad were on their travels with Norway U23s. After the friendly against Netherlands was cancelled due to heavy snowfall, there was a 3-2 defeat to Sweden, in which the Bayer 04 duo started. Jorde, who came off after 89 minutes, provided the assist for the opening goal. It was the Norwegians' first defeat since autumn 2022.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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