Tah, who suffered a dead leg in the final group match against Austria and wasn't able to train fully, was fit again in time for the semi-finals. The former Leverkusen player Benjamin Henrichs missed out due to a one-match ban. The Germany coach Stefan Kuntz replaced him at right back with Lukas Klostermann. Nadiem Amiri started up front in place of Marco Richter.
The Germany team started by pressing forward into the opposition box at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. Rumania focused on their defensive game with counter-attacks and set pieces while Germany looked good up front. It turned into a lively game with Germany having more of possession while Rumania always looked capable of posing a threat. On 21 minutes, Amiri broke through the middle in a counter-attack with the Hoffenheim player scoring with a low drive from 17 yards out to make it 1-0. Rumania had more possession after going behind and looked to find a solution on the pitch. Tah and Co. were lucky when George Pușcaș hit the post on 24 minutes a minute later Rumania found the back of the net from the penalty kick (25'). Rumania were were inspired and Germany looked right after a second drinks break on the half-hour mark. Rumania then hit back again just before the half-time whistle as they turned the game round: Tah endeavoured to stop Andrei Ivan on the edge of the box but his cross found Pușcaș in the middle and he was able to nod Rumania into a 2-1 lead.
Tah was shown the yellow card two minutes after the restart: After losing the ball in midfield the captain held onto the double goalscorer to frustrate a counter-attack. Germany fought their way back into the game as the Kuntz half-time talk appeared to do the trick. Germany then won a penalty on 50 minutes. Luca Waldschmidt tucked the penalty away into the right corner – 2-2. Germany were on top in the second half but were unable to take the lead. Rumania were no longer capable of the counter-attacking style of the first half. In temperatures of almost 40 degrees, Waldschmidt was able to prevent the game going into extra time. The Freiburg player hit a free kick through the wall to make it 3-2. Germany finally wrapped up proceedings in added time: Rumania's Alex Pascanu was shown a red card for pulling the shirt of substitute Lukas Nmecha and Amiri converted the spot kick to make it 4-2.
The final on Sunday night at 20.45 CET as against winner of the second semi-final between Spain and France.
A Werkself pro is in the final of a continental championship and two others are aiming for the semi-finals. Chile with Charles Aránguiz play Colombia on Saturday 29 June (01.00 CET). Leon Bailey and Jamaica are looking to go through to the last four in the Gold Cup – late on Saturday night (23.30 CET) the Reggae Boyz play Panama. Bayer 04 U19 player Marc Lamti is in the second group match for Tunisia at the Africa Cup.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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It is an expression of solidarity and a tribute to the unique fan culture Under the Cross: Bayer 04 Leverkusen make a special statement with the "50 Years of Fan Clubs" jersey. To mark the founding of the "First Fan Club 1976 Leverkusen", which was followed by many more over the years right up to the present day, the Bundesliga club is commemorating 50 years of passion with this new jersey. Highs and lows, successes celebrated together as well as defeats suffered are manifested in this piece of white fabric, a symbol of unwavering identification with the Werkself.
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There’s lots going on at the BayArena today. The home game against FSV Mainz 05 is all about the numerous Bayer 04 fan clubs, whose birth - the founding of the "1. Fanclub 1976 Leverkusen" - dates back 50 years. A number of fan club representatives will be involved in awards, a banner display and a half-time matchday chat, and the Werkself are set to play in a special white fan club jersey. During half-time, Leverkusen mayor Stefan Hebbel and javelin world champion Steffi Nerius will also talk about the Olympic bid involving Leverkusen. Black and Red fans are advised to get to the stadium in good time today. Matchday news.
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The Werkself host Premier League club Arsenal in the Round of 16 first leg in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. The match at the BayArena is on 10/11 March. Read on for information on ticket sales for this fixture.
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