
Germany lost the opening game in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1982. There was a self-critical reaction after the final whistle. Germany coach Joachim Löw said: "We are obviously disappointed that we lost. It's an unfamiliar situation for us. We didn't play well in the first half and allowed too many counter-attacks. It was better in the second half but we didn't produce the passing game we're known for. We weren't clinical and decisive enough in finishing, too half-hearted going forwards and we gave away the ball too often. We need to show a response in the next game."
Toni Kroos came to the following conclusion. "In the first half we didn't find a way of getting round the Mexicans who were well organised. We did better in the second half and we had the chance to equalise." Mats Hummels said: "We played like we did against Saudi Arabia but against a better team. Mexico deserved to win, partly because we made it too easy for them."
The match winner for Mexico, with two former Bayer 04 players in the starting eleven in Andrès Guardado and Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, was Lozano who netted the decider on 35 minutes after good work by Chicharito. Kroos almost equalised on 39 minutes when he hit the bar from a free kick. 'El Tri' also had good opportunities to extend their lead.
Julian Brandt came on in the closing stages to make his seventeenth international appearance and he was unlucky with a volley from distance as his effort hit the outside of the post. "Of course, we're under pressure and we have to try and get six points from the last two games," said Kroos. Germany's next opponents on Saturday (20.00 CET) are Sweden in Sotchi.
In contrast, Tin Jedvaj got off to a winning start with Croatia. The Werkself defender remained on the bench in the 2-0 victory for Croatia against Nigeria.

This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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 personalised 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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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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