"Of course, the win was a bit lucky with the goal in added time when we were a man down. But it was also deserved because we always believed in ourselves and we demonstrated our morale is very, very good," said the relieved Germany coach Joachim Löw.
"We deserved the win with the way we fought," said Toni Kroos after the final whistle. "I hold my hands up. The first goal was definitely down to me. But you have to have the guts to fight back like we did in the second half." Thomas Müller declared: "We gave our all and were rewarded for it in the end. Obviously, it wasn't perfect but we knew we had to stick at it right to the end."
Germany started well, built up pressure and created some good chances in the opening stages. As the game went on, Sweden increasingly pressed forward and benefited from mistakes made by the German defence. Ola Toivonen's opener on 32 minutes came from a misplaced pass from Toni Kroos in midfield. Germany were lucky Sweden did not increase their lead before the break with chances missed by Viktor Claesson and Marcus Berg.
Brandt unlucky again
Germany made a perfect start to the second half: Timo Werner provided the assist for Marco Reus to level on 47 minutes. Germany upped the pressure and carved out more goalscoring opportunities but then had to play with ten men after Jerome Boateng was sent off on 82 minutes for a second bookable offence. Julian Brandt came on with five minutes to go - and the Bayer 04 pro almost found the back of the net two minutes into added time. Brandt hit the left-hand post with a powerful shot from 17 yards out. An impressive effort - the 22-year-old made his mark after coming on as he did in the Mexico game. When Werner won a free kick just on the left side of the penalty area in the fifth minute of additional time, Kroos stepped up to curl the ball into the top corner of the Swedish net to secure a last-minute win that keeps Germany in the World Cup.
The situation ahead of the final group match on Wednesday remains very tense. Germany could still go out even if they defeat South Korea. If Sweden beat Mexico it will come down to goal difference as Mexico, Sweden and Germany would all have six points. Mexico won 2-1 against South Korea on Saturday afternoon. Two former Bayer 04 players were on the score sheet. Chicharito made it 2-0 for Mexico before Heung-Min Son pulled a goal back for South Korea in added time. Germany face South Korea in Kazan on Wednesday (16.00 CET). A wining margin of at least two goals would see Germany progress to the last sixteen.
Jedvaj through to last sixteen with Croatia
Tin Jedvaj booked his place in the Round of 16 with Croatia on Thursday. Croatia secured a surprisingly clear 3-0 win against two-time World Cup winners Argentina. As in the first game, Jedvaj remained on the bench. The Werkself pro could be in with a chance of starting in Tuesday's final group match against Iceland (20.00 CET) as the coach Zlatko Dalic has said he will rest a number of his players.
With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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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 personal 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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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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