The Germany camp reacted with satisfaction after a competitive tie played in pouring rain. “I can only sum it up in the words of my players: It was an awesome game,” said coach Horst Hrubesch. “It was fun. I’m proud of what the team did, how they fought back and never gave up. You could see we’re lacking rhythm and fluency at the moment. But we are in the tournament.” Germany sporting director Hansi Flick said “It’s fantastic the way the team fought back and levelled twice. You have to say the performance after just five training sessions and no warm-up games is sensational.”
Mexico gained the upper hand early on with some aggressive pressing and the FC Köln keeper Timo Horn was called into action on several occasions. After the break Oribe Peralta put the Olympic champions ahead on 52 minutes with a header that Julian Brandt unsuccessfully attempted to clear off the line. Germany drew level six minutes later through substitute Serge Gnabry (Arsenal) who replaced the captain Leon Goretzka. Rodolfo Pizarro restored Mexico’s lead just after the hour mark but Germany levelled again: A pinpoint corner from Julian Brandt was converted by Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter to make it 2-2 on 79 minutes. Lars Bender lined up alongside his twin brother Sven in holding midfield.
South Korea cruise to victory
Germany’s next game on Sunday (21.00 CET, live on ZDF) is against South Korea. The Koreans routed Fiji in their opening match with an 8-0 victory including a hat-trick from Seung-Woo Ryu and a penalty scored by Heung-Min Son.
Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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One ticket, two matches – and a varied programme of events, including appearances by players from the professional teams: Bayer 04 has come up with something very special for the 2026 season launch on Saturday, 8 August. From morning right through to the evening, Werkself fans can use just one ticket to not only enjoy top-class football from the Bayer 04 teams live, but also to experience unforgettable moments with the whole family through a variety of hands-on activities around the BayArena and the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The day will also end on a real high note: after both matches, Bayer 04 supporters will have the opportunity to interact directly with the players during joint activities and get to know them from a different angle.
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Issa Traoré is moving from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Slovakian top-flight side AS Trencin. The club has loaned the centre-back out for one year to this year’s ninth-placed team in the Slovakian league.
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