Germany were first out of the blocks. Stindl opened the scoring with a crisp shot from ten yards out. The assist was provided by the Leverkusen livewire Brandt who produced an incredibly impressive international performance. The 21-year-old covered a lot of ground, including down both wings, and he was involved in nearly all of Germany's attacks.
Brandt was unlucky on 21 minutes when the Aussie goalkeeper Mathew Ryan saved his effort on goal. Leno was also unlucky when Thomas Rogic levelled the scores on 41 minutes. Shkodran Mustafi blocked the first shot as Leno dived to the left but the keeper was unable to recover in time to save the second shot on goal. Julian Draxler restored Germany's lead three minutes later to make it 2-1 at half-time.
"It was a very, very good first half with good moves," said Germany coach Joachim Löw before adding: "Unfortunately it was only 2-1. A lot of players were making their first appearance at a tournament. I'm completely satisfied."
Germany made the perfect start after the break. Joshua Kimmich provided the assist for Leon Goretzka to make it 3-1 with a volley on 47 minutes.
Australia refused to give up. And they benefited from a deflection: Leno was unable to hold onto deflected long-range effort and Tomi Juric was able to bundle the ball into the net on 57 minutes. Referee Mark Geiger consulted the video evidence before awarding the goal. Brandt's game ended shortly after that. The striker was replaced on 63 minutes by the Liverpool and former Leverkusen player Emre Can.
Neither side was able to find the back of the net for the rest of the game. Germany deserved to win overall thanks to a superior first half. The game failed to flow in the second half.
Chile and Charles Aranguiz on Thursday
Germany's next game is against Chile on Thursday night at 20.00 CET in Kasan. The Leverkusen trio are set to face their team-mate Charles Aranguiz who played in Chile's opening match that saw La Roja beat Cameroon 2-0.
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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