
Croatia were the favourites going into the Round of 16 game against Denmark after winning all three group matches against Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland. Tin Jedvaj, who played the full 90 minutes against Iceland, remained on the subs bench with the former Bayer 04 pro Domagoj Vida in the starting eleven. Mathias Jörgensen gave Denmark the lead in the first minute but Mario Mandzukic quickly levelled on four minutes. Luka Modric had a penalty saved in added time (114 mins) by the Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Croatia then came out on top in the ensuing penalty shoot-out with their keeper Danijel Subasic saving three penalties including the final spot-kick from former Werkself player Nicolai Jörgensen who came on after 60 minutes. The quarter-finals see Croatia take on Russia in Sochi on Saturday (20.00 CET) after the hosts beat Spain 4-3 on penalties.

Four Bayer 04 players are in action at the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations being played in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026: Eliesse Ben Seghir for the hosts, Edmond Tapsoba with Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Maza for Algeria and Christian Kofane with Cameroon. Updates on the AFCON matches involving Werkself players...
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen has gained a new partner in digital gaming platform Crown Coins, which joins the Bundesliga runners-up's Sponsors Club with immediate effect. The one-and-a-half-year contract runs until 30 June 2027.
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The Werkself host VfB Stuttgart this evening (10 January, 18:30 CET), a side whose recent Bundesliga form has been indifferent but who have regularly produced top performances in the DFB Pokal and UEFA Europa League, and who have a key player back in the squad in striker Ermedin Demirovic. Off the pitch, the BayArena faithful will be able to see the remaining stoppage time live on the video screens. The Matchday News.
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The Werkself face a tough challenge in the first game of 2026 when VfB Stuttgart visit the BayArena on Saturday, 10 January (kick-off: 18:30 CET). Ahead of the top-of-the-table clash, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about his impressions of training this week, anticipation of the start of the new calendar year and the personnel situation.
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