The difference between success and failure in football is often minimal. With twelve minutes to play, Croatia were on course for a win in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley Stadium with a 1-0 lead over the hosts England. If the World Cup runners-up had held on to their lead then Croatia would have been through to the finals in Portugal next June. However, a brilliant strike by TSG Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramaric was not enough in the end. Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane sealed the comeback for England with their late goals. With far-reaching consequences: The Three Lions secured top spot in the group with the last-gasp victory while Croatia join Germany in being relegated from Group A. Tin Jedvaj (pictured above with Raheem Sterling), who was the match-winner against Spain on Thursday with his two goals in a 3-2 victory, again started at left-back before moving across to the right side of defence after half an hour. In the first half, the Bayer 04 pro cleared on the line with a header after the Croatia keeper was beaten.
Captain Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic were winners with Austria in a 2-1 win away to Northern Ireland as the Hertha Berlin player Valentino Lazaro sealed the victory with a goal in added time. Both Werkself pros played the full 90 minutes in Belfast. Regular first-choice keeper Lukas Hradecky, rested by Finland for this game, watched a 2-0 defeat in Hungary from the bench. The Finns were able to accept defeat as they were already group winners and promoted from Group B in the Nations League.
The last two Bayer 04 pros in action, in addition to Julian Brandt, Jonathan Tah and Kai Havertz, who are set to play for Germany against Holland on Monday night, are Isaac Kiese Thelin and Paulinho. The central striker is due to play for Sweden against Russia on Tuesday, following a 1-0 win in Turkey on Saturday. Kiese Thelin came on in the final minute of the game. A win by two or more goals could see Sweden, currently on three points, overtaking the group leaders Russia to seal promotion to Group A. Paulinho and the Brazil U20s have a second friendly against their contemporaries from Colombia on Tuesday following a goalless draw on Thursday.
There will plenty of action at the BayArena when Bayer 04 and SC Freiburg, the two most competitive teams in the current Bundesliga campaign, meet this Sunday, 26 October (kick-off: 15:30 CET). The A59 autobahn will be closed to traffic. Thirteen fan clubs will be honoured for their long-standing commitment during the half-time break. Matchday news brings you the latest information on today’s home game.
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With twelve points from the six matches in the online preliminary round of showdown one, the Leverkusen eSports players have made a successful start to the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship campaign. They finished eleventh in the table and made it through to the offline knockout round of the first showdown, where they will first face FC Schalke 04 in the Round of 16 on Sunday, 26 October (from 15:15 CET/live on the VBL Twitch channel). The latest information on their opponents and possible further adversaries.
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After a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign, SC Freiburg have long since bounced back. Coach Julian Schuster's team are unbeaten since the end of August and got a confidence boost on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League for their next challenge at the BayArena this Sunday, 26 October (kick-off: 15.30 CET).
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The Bayer 04 Women have made good use of the international break. In stormy weather, the Werkself beat top-flight Dutch team NAC Breda 8-1 in a friendly on Thursday afternoon. Caroline Kehrer (5’/18’), Paulina Bartz (15’), Valentina Mädl (38’/69’/79’) and Vanessa Fudalla (53’) scored for the Leverkusen side.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without captain Friederike Repohl for the next few weeks. The 31-year-old keeper, who has played in six matches this season, suffered a muscle injury to her left thigh in training.
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