Neymar, who opened the scoring on 27 minutes, converted the winning spot-kick after the keeper Weverton saved the previous penalty from Nils Petersen. Max Meyer levelled at 1-1 just before the hour mark. “It’s not a bitter blow. We knew it could end in penalties. We had the chance to win the game before that. Before the penalties I told the lads they’d done something outstanding. We leave here as winners not losers,” said coach Trainer Horst Hrubesch after his last match in charge for Germany: “Of course, I did want a gold medal as did the lads but I’m still happy. We spent the last four days in the Olympic Village and that was a fantastic experience.”
Brandt strikes first
Julian Brandt provided the first excitement in an incredibly intensive encounter when he rifled a shot against the bar from the edge of the box on 11 minutes. Brazil had more luck when Neymar hit a free kick just under the bar to give Brazil the lead on 27 minutes. The bar intervened again to frustrate a shot from Meyer (31’) and a header from Sven Bender (35’) – three times against the goal frame is a lot of woodwork.
Bender goes off
The deserved equaliser came after the restart: Julian Brandt put Jeremy Toljan through on the right and his cross was met by Meyer who turned it into the bottom corner to level at 1-1 on 59 minutes. A setback followed as the battler Lars Bender had to go off injured after putting in an heroic defensive run to keep out Renato Augusto on 65 minutes.
It was a no-holds barred encounter all the way with Brandt having another effort on goal in extra time but his impressive shot flew just over the target on 97 minutes. Brandt converted his penalty in the shoot-out as the third German player up with a shot into the right corner. The two sides remained inseparable until Weverton saved from Petersen and Neymar took the roof off the Maracana with the winning penalty.
A sensational effort by Germany ended in silver – and the recognition that a team put together late on could have a fantastic tournament. Well done, Lars and Julian.
The Werkself will host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 16 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 10 January, at 18:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
The Werkself will host Werder Bremen at the BayArena on matchday 19 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game is on Saturday, 24 January, at 15:30 CET. Information on ticket sales.
Show more
In the sixth and final match of the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, the Bayer 04 U19s have a great opportunity to advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s most prestigious youth competition for the first time. To achieve that under their own steam, they will need a win against Newcastle United at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Wednesday, 10 December (kick-off: 14:00 CET/ free admission). In an interview with bayer04.de, managing director sport Simon Rolfes analyses the team's performances so far and their special situation. And the 43-year-old reveals what he would be happy to do without on the day of the match.
Show more
The next opponents in the 2025/26 DFB Pokal have been announced: Bayer 04 will host Bundesliga rivals FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals. That was the outcome of the draw held this Sunday evening, 7 December, at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, where long-time Bundesliga player and coach Friedhelm Funkel made the draw. The Werkself will play their quarter-final tie on 3-4 or 10-11 February 2026. The exact dates have yet to be finalised.
Show more
After falling behind early on, Bayer 04 took control of the game against a combative and disciplined FC Augsburg on Saturday afternoon. However, they lacked the necessary precision in finishing and hit the post and crossbar three times. After the game, coach Kasper Hjulmand said he wanted to get back to the "right philosophy" of previous matches with three games left in 2025. The Werkself review.
Show more
