GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany: With players keen to avoid injury risks ahead of the World Cup, Bayern Munich stretched their Bundesliga lead to six points after a 2-0 win over Schalke on Saturday in their last game before the tournament in Qatar.
Bayern lacked some of their usual intensity as Julian Nagelmann’s team cruised to victory against last-place Schalke thanks to goals from Serge Gnabry and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Bayern were without Sadio Mané — because of a fibula injury which has made the Senegal forward a World Cup doubt — while Canada left back Alphonso Davies has a muscle issue and Nagelsmann opted not to risk Thomas Müller after the experienced German had a run of minor injuries.
Schalke held Bayern at bay until the 38th minute when Gnabry ran onto Jamal Musiala’s smart backheel pass to score the opener. Choupo-Moting, heading to his third World Cup with Cameroon, finished off a quick counterattack in the 52nd for his seventh goal in his last seven Bundesliga games.
Bayern forward Leroy Sané’s younger brother Sidi made his league debut off the bench for Schalke. The brothers weren’t on the field together as Leroy was taken off five minutes before his 19-year-old brother came on.
Around the country, German fan groups continued to display banners urging fans not to watch the upcoming World Cup. A large banner reading “Boycott Qatar 2022” was displayed along one side of Hertha Berlin’s stadium, and similar messages were shown at Schalke, Werder Bremen, Augsburg and at other games.
Leipzig rose to second with a 2-1 win at Bremen. Xaver Schlager surged into the penalty area and held off a stern challenge from Amos Pieper to restore Leipzig’s lead in the 71st minute after a fortunate deflected equalizer for promoted Werder. Leipzig could drop back to fourth depending on results Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen continued their recent resurgence under coach Xabi Alonso, beating Stuttgart 2-0 for their third consecutive win to move up to 11th after weeks of hovering just above the relegation zone. Forward Moussa Diaby scored for the sixth time in Leverkusen’s last seven league games.
Ecuador midfielder Carlos Gruezo covered his face with his jersey and was comforted by his Augsburg teammates as he limped off with an injury that could put his World Cup chances in jeopardy. Bochum beat Augsburg 1-0 for their third win in five league games but remain second from last.
Ridle Baku was overlooked for Germany’s World Cup squad, but the Wolfsburg wing back responded by scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 defeat of Hoffenheim. Goals from Wilfried Kanga and Marco Richter lifted Hertha Berlin to a 2-0 win over Cologne to stay clear of the relegation places.
Bayern stretches Bundesliga lead ahead of World Cup break
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Bayern stretches Bundesliga lead ahead of World Cup break
- Nagelsmann opted not to risk Thomas Müller after the experienced German had a run of minor injuries
- Leipzig rose to second with a 2-1 win at Bremen
Kylian Mbappe signs with Real Madrid for upcoming season
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe has signed every document completing his transfer to the LaLiga club Real Madrid next season, according to noted Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano on X.
The French striker made his decision in February to leave Paris Saint-Germain after seven years of playing for them. His contract was set to expire this summer making him a free agent.
Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, HERE WE GO! Every document has been signed, sealed and completed.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 2, 2024
Real Madrid, set to announce Mbappé as new signing next week after winning the Champions League.
Mbappé made his decision in February; he can now be considered new Real player. pic.twitter.com/MMqEp1C0pK
Mbappe’s stint with Paris Saint-Germain has won him six Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups, two League Cups and a record five Player of the Year awards.
Real Madrid celebrated a record-extending 15th Champions League title on Saturday after defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Madrid’s latest triumph came without a recognized striker after club icon Karim Benzema departed last year. The gap was filled by English midfielder Jude Bellingham, but by next season Ancelotti will have more fire power to call upon.
Mbappe is the name most wanted by Madrid fans after a decade-long pursuit of the man many believe to be the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s greatest player.
No marathon this time as Swiatek sprints into French Open quarterfinals
- Defending champion dismisses Anastasia Potapova in just 40 minutes with a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win
- Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall
PARIS: After the French Open marathon came the sprint.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek swept into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in just 40 minutes after a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win against Anastasia Potapova.
Swiatek won without even facing a game point against her. The match ended when Potapova hit a forehand into the net on the first match point.
“I was just really focused and in the zone,” Swiatek said. “It went pretty quickly, pretty weird.”
Their match started at around 11 a.m.
That’s just eight hours after men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic finished his five-set, 4 1/2-hour marathon against Lorenzo Musetti at just after 3 a.m. in the latest finish in tournament history.
Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall. The top-ranked Pole will play Wimbleon champion Marketa Vondrousova after the fifth-seeded Czech beat unseeded Serb Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.
They played on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the only other court with a roof. After five consecutive days with rain delays, play on the other roofless courts got underway on time.
Later Sunday, third-seeded American Coco Gauff took on unseeded Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz were in men’s fourth-round action.
Second-seeded Sinner faced Frenchman Corentin Moutet and third-seeded Alcaraz played No. 21-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Pakistan will look to be positive in T20 World Cup— skipper Babar Azam
- Pakistan, T20 world champions in 2009, reached semifinal and final stages in 2021, 2022
- Their preparation for this year’s World Cup includes losses against Ireland and England
Pakistan captain Babar Azam called on his side to stay in high spirits as they begin their Twenty20 World Cup campaign off the back of a poor run of form.
Pakistan, T20 World Cup champions in 2009, have performed well in the past two editions of the competition, reaching the semifinals in 2021 and losing to England in the final in 2022.
However, their preparations for this year’s tournament in the United States and West Indies has been far from ideal, with a sobering defeat by Ireland in an eventual 2-1 series victory followed by a 2-0 defeat by England in a rain-affected series.
“Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know,” Babar said in an episode of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast released on Sunday.
“How we present ourselves on the ground, our body language and how we communicate with each other will matter. We must be positive, so results will come... Conditions in the USA may pose challenges as we are going there as a national side for the first time.
“We are in the process of collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which can help and assist us in our preparations.”
Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup and begin their campaign against hosts US on June 6. They will then take on arch-rivals India in one of the event’s highly-anticipated matches three days later.
Pakistan and India have faced each other seven times at the T20 World Cup, with Pakistan winning just once.
“An India-Pakistan match is always the most talked about; it is discussed too much wherever you go in the world,” Babar said.
“The players get different vibes and excitement. What will happen is that everyone supports their country, so the focus is on that match. The whole world is focused on the day when the India-Pakistan match is held.
“Naturally, there will be nerves, but we need to keep our focus, stick to the basics and play easy cricket. It is always a pressure game; the more you keep cool and calm, believe in your skills and hard work, then things get easier.”
Turkish club Fenerbahce announces Jose Mourinho as its new coach
- Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will be unveiled as the new coach of Fenerbahce soccer club, the club said
ISTANBUL: Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will be unveiled as the new coach of Fenerbahce soccer club later Sunday, the club said.
Following days of strong indications that Mourinho was to take charge of the Istanbul club, it said in a post on social media platform X early Sunday that the Portuguese manager was to attend a ceremony at its Sukru Saracoglu ground.
“Saracoglu is waiting for its new coach Jose Mourinho and its great fans at 19.00!”
On Saturday night Fenerbahce had posted a video message from Mourinho, 61, in which he told Fenerbahce fans he would “see you tomorrow in Kadikoy and let’s start our journey together.”
It’s Mourinho’s first job since he left Roma in January after two and a half years marked by winning the Europa Conference League in 2022 and a series of disputes with referees.
The Portuguese has not worked outside of the top five European leagues since 2004, when he left Porto after winning the Champions League and joined Chelsea, which was on the rise under then-owner Roman Abramovich.
Since then he has also coached Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham in a career filled with trophies and off-field controversy.
Fenerbahce finished second to fierce rival Galatasaray in the Turkish league this season and clashed with the Turkish soccer authorities, including by taking its team off the field in the Turkish Super Cup game in protest.
Makhachev beats Poirier by submission at UFC 302 to defend lightweight title
NEWARK: Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight title and extended his winning streak to 14 fights, third-longest in UFC history, by getting a submission victory over Dustin Poirier in the fifth round on Saturday night at UFC 302.
Overcoming one of the sport’s accomplished veterans and a crowd that was against him from the start, Makhachev ran his record to 26-1 and said afterward he may move up in weight for another challenge.
There’s certainly not much left for the Russian at 155 pounds, where he defended his title for the third time and showed again why he is ranked as the pound-for-pound best in UFC.
Poirier (30-9) fell short in his third attempt for the undisputed title, all three ending by submission.
He battled back after Makhachev controlled the first round and bloodied the champion’s face later, but Makhachev took him down midway through the fifth and quickly pounced, with Poirier unable to escape.
