In a repeat of the 1-1 draw in the group match, Chile applied pressure in the opening stages in the final in Saint Petersburg and succeeded in putting the Germany defence on the spot time after time. One of the most impressive players for La Roja during this stage of the game was Charles Aránguiz. The Werkself pro twice got himself in a good position up front but he was unable to take his chances.
The team coached by Joachim Löw then took the lead out of the blue. Timo Werner exploited a big mistake by Marcelo Diaz, squared the ball to Lars Stindl who had a simple tap in on 20 minutes. Germany were now in the game and they had three good chances to extend the lead in the last ten minutes of the first half through Leon Goretzka (36'/44') and Julian Draxler (40').
The match heated up in the second half. The game was interspersed with numerous niggles. Draxler had the first clear chance after a great solo run. Chile were failing to impress at this point. It was only in the closing stages that La Roja increased the pressure on the German goal. Vargas, Aránguiz and substitute Sagal all had decent chances. However, Germany were able to maintain their narrow lead with a mixture of determination and fortune. "I'm mega proud of this young group," said Löw after winning the title.
The Leipzig player Werner won the tournament golden boots with three goals and two assists. Draxler was named the best player In the Confed Cup 2017.
Following the U21s winning the European Championships, Germany lifting the Confed Cup as the second big success for the DFB within three days.
Chicha fourth with Mexico
Chicharito was in the starting line-up for his 96th international appearance for Mexico in the match for third place at the Confederations Cup. The match against the reigning European Champions Portugal quickly developed into an interesting clash with lots of chances on both sides. Chicharito was often sort out by his team-mates and also found.
The Werkself striker had an impressive game, covering a lot of ground, getting stuck into challenges and forcing Portugal's keeper Patricio to make a brilliant save on the half-hour mark with a shot on the turn. Before that, Portugal's André Silva had a better chance to score when he missed a penalty. After a goalless first half it was Chicha who brought about the lead for Mexico on 54 minutes. His sharp cross was turned into his own net by Portugal's Neto. Chicharito was substituted on 85 minutes Andy had to look on from the bench when Pepe equalised for Portugal in added time.
The match went into extra time and the decider came from the penalty spot just before the change of ends. Adrien Silva kept his cool on 104 minutes as he scored the winning goal to make it 2-1 for the European Champions.
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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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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