
Mexico made a bright start to the game but were initially unable to create any clear-cut chances. In contrast, Portugal looked flat at first but it was the European Champions who had the first opportunity: A volley from Cristiano Ronaldo crashed against the bar on 21 minutes and Pepe was on hand to put the rebound in the net. The goal was ruled out following an intervention by the video referee. The Portuguese upped their game and their efforts were rewarded on 34 minutes when Quaresma opened the scoring. The Mexicans refused to give up and Chicharito levelled before the break with a wonderful flying header on 41 minutes.
The second half proved to be dour before coming to life again in the closing stages: Cedric made it 2-1 for Portugal on 86 minutes but the tireless Mexicans hit back as the European Champions appeared to be certain of winning the game. The central defender Moreno netted a deserved equaliser in added time. Chicharito played the full 90 minutes and he is set to play again on Wednesday at 20.00 CET when Mexico take on New Zealand.
Chile score late on against Cameroon
Charles Aránguiz, former Leverkusen player Arturo Vidal and La Roja started the game, as expected, with a dominant and aggressive approach. They succeeded in creating a number of chances in the opening minutes. There were plenty of goalscoring opportunities in the match as Cameroon showed their strength in counter-attacks and set pieces. However, the ball did not end up in the back of the net until added time in the first half. Vargas put away a diagonal ball from Vidal but the celebrations were cut short. Video evidence proved that Vargas was just offside.
The two sides competed on equal terms after the restart as Cameroon were significantly livelier. At the same time, neither side was able to finish. Chile only found their scoring boots in the closing stages of the match: Vidal scored with a header on 81 minutes and, in added time, Vargas doubled the lead after Sanchez failed to score. Aránguiz was substituted on 71 minutes and his next outing is a special match on Thursday at 20.00 CET against his team-mates Leno, Henrichs and Brandt.
Bernd Leno in goal against Australia
Germany play their first game in the tournament in Russia on Monday evening at 17.00 CET. At the press conference on Saturday, Joachim Löw confirmed Bernd Leno will be in goal against Australia for his fifth international cap. The Germany coach also has two other Bayer 04 players available in Benjamin Henrichs and Julian Brandt.
U21s beat Czech Republic in opener
The Germany U21 side started their European Championship finals on Sunday. Max Meyer scored the first goal against the Czech Republic on 44 minutes before Serge Gnabry made it 2-0 after the restart. Germany could have won by a bigger margin with Davie Selke missing a penalty. Dominik Kohr did not play. The next group match is against Denmark on Wednesday night at 20.45 CET.


Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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