The Germany camp reacted with satisfaction after a competitive tie played in pouring rain. “I can only sum it up in the words of my players: It was an awesome game,” said coach Horst Hrubesch. “It was fun. I’m proud of what the team did, how they fought back and never gave up. You could see we’re lacking rhythm and fluency at the moment. But we are in the tournament.” Germany sporting director Hansi Flick said “It’s fantastic the way the team fought back and levelled twice. You have to say the performance after just five training sessions and no warm-up games is sensational.”
Mexico gained the upper hand early on with some aggressive pressing and the FC Köln keeper Timo Horn was called into action on several occasions. After the break Oribe Peralta put the Olympic champions ahead on 52 minutes with a header that Julian Brandt unsuccessfully attempted to clear off the line. Germany drew level six minutes later through substitute Serge Gnabry (Arsenal) who replaced the captain Leon Goretzka. Rodolfo Pizarro restored Mexico’s lead just after the hour mark but Germany levelled again: A pinpoint corner from Julian Brandt was converted by Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter to make it 2-2 on 79 minutes. Lars Bender lined up alongside his twin brother Sven in holding midfield.
South Korea cruise to victory
Germany’s next game on Sunday (21.00 CET, live on ZDF) is against South Korea. The Koreans routed Fiji in their opening match with an 8-0 victory including a hat-trick from Seung-Woo Ryu and a penalty scored by Heung-Min Son.
Bayer 04 will be preparing young talents for a potential sporting career in an even more systematic way in future. The club is breaking new ground to help develop their academic, social and personal skills as well. With the ‘Haus der Talente' or 'Talent House’, Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH is creating a new centre for the development of young athletes in a central location in Leverkusen. Once completed – expected to be in the summer of 2027 – the project will be run in partnership with TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-3 loss against Werder Bremen on the 26th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 Women have finished in fifth place after the best Bundesliga season in the club's history in terms of points. Roberto Pätzold's side went down 3-1 at home to SV Werder Bremen on the final matchday. With 46 points and 15 wins, they've bettered the previous record campaign of 2024/25. Despite periods of pressure, Cornelia Kramer's 73rd-minute strike was not enough at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, and the Werkself miss out on European qualification despite a strong end to the season.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed a conract extension with home-grown talent Sofie Zdebel by a further year ahead of schedule. The 21-year-old Germany U23 international will stay at the club until 30 June 2028.
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