The inaugural match for the Germany U23 team ended in victory under captain Kristin Kögel: Germany beat France 3-0 in a U23 international at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt. The skipper Kögel and Katharina Piljic played the full game. For the second friendly against the Italy U23 team, coach Kathrin Peter included another Leverkusen player in Julia Mickenhagen. The Germany U23 team drew 2-2 with Italy in Florence. Kögel did not play, Piljic (46’) and Mickenhagen (82’) came on as substitutes in the second half.
For Lilla Turanyi and Hungary, the quest for a place at the European Championship finals in Switzerland next summer is over. In the first round of the Euro qualifier play-offs, they lost 1-0 in Budapest and the return match in Edinburgh ended in a 4-0 defeat. Defender Turanyi played the full 90 minutes in both games.
The international break was a little more successful for Denmark with Cornelia Kramer in the squad. The striker did not play in Denmark's 5-0 win against South Africa but made an astonishing international debut in the friendly against the Netherlands in Esbjerg four days later: Kramer came off the bench on 85 minutes and scored her first international goal two minutes later. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old was unable to prevent Denmark losing 2-1.
Her Leverkusen teammate Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir clocked up the most air miles with Iceland in two friendlies against the USA. Iceland lost both games 3-1. The first match against the USA team in Austin saw Vilhjalmsdottir come on as a substitute on 85 minutes. The 23-year-old started in the second friendly in Nashville and gave Iceland the lead with a goal from a corner on 31 minutes.
Emilie Bragstad played one friendly with her national team. The defender was on the winning side with the Norway U23 team in a 3-0 victory against the Portugal U23s. Bragstad played the whole game in Melgaco in Portugal. The Germany U19 squad was also in Portugal for a DFB training camp with the two Bayer 04 Women Delice Boboy and Estrella Merino Gonzalez called up. The two Leverkusen forwards played from the start in a 2-1 defeat against Norway. In the second friendly against the Netherlands U19 side, the team coached by Michael Urbansky drew 2-2 after being 2-0 down. Merino Gonzalez and Boboy were again in the starting line-up.
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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In the final international break in the current 2025/26 campaign, Bayer 04 striker Patrik Schick with Czechia will be battling for a place at the World Cup. Meanwhile, national teams that have already qualified, include other Werkself players called up, are involved in friendlies in the build-up to the World Cup. Read on for an overview of the Leverkusen internationals and their match dates.
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The Werkself kicked off the final international break of the current season on Monday morning with the first of three open training sessions this week. While eleven Bayer 04 players will be away on international duty in the coming days, the other players will be working together in Leverkusen. The next challenge in the Bundesliga awaits on Saturday, 4 April (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) with the home game against VfL Wolfsburg.
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