The difference between success and failure in football is often minimal. With twelve minutes to play, Croatia were on course for a win in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley Stadium with a 1-0 lead over the hosts England. If the World Cup runners-up had held on to their lead then Croatia would have been through to the finals in Portugal next June. However, a brilliant strike by TSG Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramaric was not enough in the end. Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane sealed the comeback for England with their late goals. With far-reaching consequences: The Three Lions secured top spot in the group with the last-gasp victory while Croatia join Germany in being relegated from Group A. Tin Jedvaj (pictured above with Raheem Sterling), who was the match-winner against Spain on Thursday with his two goals in a 3-2 victory, again started at left-back before moving across to the right side of defence after half an hour. In the first half, the Bayer 04 pro cleared on the line with a header after the Croatia keeper was beaten.
Captain Julian Baumgartlinger and Aleksandar Dragovic were winners with Austria in a 2-1 win away to Northern Ireland as the Hertha Berlin player Valentino Lazaro sealed the victory with a goal in added time. Both Werkself pros played the full 90 minutes in Belfast. Regular first-choice keeper Lukas Hradecky, rested by Finland for this game, watched a 2-0 defeat in Hungary from the bench. The Finns were able to accept defeat as they were already group winners and promoted from Group B in the Nations League.
The last two Bayer 04 pros in action, in addition to Julian Brandt, Jonathan Tah and Kai Havertz, who are set to play for Germany against Holland on Monday night, are Isaac Kiese Thelin and Paulinho. The central striker is due to play for Sweden against Russia on Tuesday, following a 1-0 win in Turkey on Saturday. Kiese Thelin came on in the final minute of the game. A win by two or more goals could see Sweden, currently on three points, overtaking the group leaders Russia to seal promotion to Group A. Paulinho and the Brazil U20s have a second friendly against their contemporaries from Colombia on Tuesday following a goalless draw on Thursday.
Bayer 04 and Olympiacos had only met twice before the current UEFA Champions campaign. After the encounter on Matchday 7 of this season’s league phase, the Werkself travel to face the Greek side for the second time in just four weeks for the knockout play-off first leg. The Black and Reds were dominant for large spells in mid-January but lost 2-0 after missing a number of presentable chances. The Werkself aim to do better on Wednesday night to “seize the chance for revenge,” as managing director sport Simon Rolfes put it. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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A bitter end to the fifth showdown of the 2025/26 VBL Club Championship as the #B04eSports team failed to take any points in the three remaining matches of the preliminary online round of the fifth and final showdown, missing out on the offline round. They can no longer take points in the overall table. Bayer 04 slipped out on the top eight, so direct participation in the final event for the German Club Championship is no longer possible, with Bayer 04 having to contest the play-offs.
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A rematch in Athens: On Wednesday, 18 February (kick-off: 21:00 CET), the Werkself face Greek double winners Olympiacos for the second time this season at the Karaiskakis Stadium. After the encounter in the league phase, it's now time for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Ahead of the game, head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about how his side will approach the clash, while captain Robert Andrich explained how the team will try to dampen the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow.
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With the much-celebrated 2-1 derby win against 1. FC Köln, the Bayer 04 Women underlined their credentials as one of the top teams in the Bundesliga. Anyone wishing to support the Werkself in the stadium in the race for third place can now purchase tickets for the home match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tickets are also still available for the upcoming clash against TSG Hoffenheim at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Sunday, 22 February. The latest information at a glance.
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Let's give it our all one more time! Today, Tuesday 17 February (live on the VBL Twitch channel from 18:00 CET), the #B04eSports team play the remaining three preliminary round matches of the fifth and final showdown of the VBL Club Championship 2025/26. The Leverkusen console pros go up against 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg and Bayern Munich, aiming to secure their place in the offline knockout round and pick up valuable points for the overall table and the battle to get into the final event for the German Club Championship. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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