In front of a sell-out crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium in the Russian capital, England took an early lead on four minutes when Kieran Trippier scored direct from a free kick and went into the break with a 1-0 lead. The former Borussia Dortmund player Ivan Perisic put Croatia level on 68 minutes. The score was 1-1 on 90 minutes so the game went into extra time. The two sides fought to gain the upper hand but it was the team that finished third in 1998 that came out on top: Former Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic netted the winner at 2-1 in extra time on 109 minutes – to put Croatia, with the former Bayer 04 pros Domagoj Vida (Besiktas) and Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), through to the final.
Croatia, under coach Zlatko Dalic, will face France on Sunday at 17.00 CET after the European Championship runners-up beat Belgium 1-0 in the other semi-final on Tuesday night. Jedvaj's Croatia team now have the opportunity to win the World Cup for the first time in the final against France.
A special surprise: during the preview for the 'Fierté Burkinabè' documentary about Edmond Tapsoba, Bayer 04 directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes announced Tapsoba's contract extension until 2031 together with the centre-back. He then spoke to Werkself-TV about his time in Leverkusen so far and future ambitions...
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This evening was deeply moving: At a really special setting, Bayer 04 exclusively presented the specially produced documentary ‘Fierté Burkinabè’ ("Burkinabe Pride") about Edmond Tapsoba on Tuesday. For the preview at the BayArena, the parents of the Werkself player and other close companions travelled all the way from his African homeland Burkina Faso. The 45-minute film shows Tapsoba's extraordinary career from his beginnings in Ouagadougou to Leverkusen as well as the work of his foundation "Fondation Edmond Tapsoba", with representatives from Burkina Faso also present. Fans can watch the documentary free of charge on Werkself TV and YouTube from Wednesday night at 20:00 CEST.
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Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 4-1 win against SC Freiburg on the 23rd matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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