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.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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