"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.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of 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. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of 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. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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