Costa wins opening stage of Saudi Tour

Portuguese rider Rui Costa of the UAE Team Emirates, center, crosses the finish line to win the first stage of Saudi Tour. (AFP)
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Updated 05 February 2020
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Costa wins opening stage of Saudi Tour

  • The 2013 Portuguese world champion ends three-year victory drought

RIYADH: Portuguese cyclist Rui Costa leads the field after day one of the inaugural Saudi Tour, which got under way on Tuesday. The UAE Team Emirates rider completed the 173 kilometer first stage, from Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex in Riyadh to Jaww, in a time of 3 hours 52 minutes.

Australian cyclist Heinrich Haussler, who rides for team Bahrain-McLaren, finished in second place, one minute behind the leader. Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, of Team Arkea-Samsic, was third, six minutes off the pace. Danish rider Andreas Lorentz Kron, of Riwal Readynez Cycling Team leads the youth section, and finished in seventh place overall.

A total of 126 contestants in 18 international teams are competing in the 760 km, five-stage race. Wednesday’s 187 km second stage will begin at Sadus Castle and finish at Al-Bujairi historical district of Diriyah Governorate. On Thursday, stage three will start from King Saud University and cover 119 km before finishing at Al-Bujairi.

Stage four stretches for 137 km between Wadi Namar Park in Riyadh and King Saud University in Al-Muzahimiyah. The final stage, on Saturday, will begin at Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University and cover 144 km before finishing at Al-Masmak Fort.

The race has been organized by the General Sport Authority, in coordination with the Saudi Cycling Federation, under the patronage of international sports cycling governing body Union Cycliste Internationale, as part of the Kingdom’s Quality of Life Program 2020.

Stage 1

1. Rui Costa (POR/UAE) 3hr 52 min 12sec, 2. Heinrich Haussler (AUS/BAH) same time, 3. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA/ARK) s.t., 4. Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED/BBH) s.t., 5. Carlos Barbero (ESP/NTT) s.t.

General classification

1. Rui Costa (POR/UAE) 3hr 52 min 12sec, 2. Heinrich Haussler (AUS/BAH) at 1sec, 3. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA/ARK) 6, 4. Andreas Kron (DEN/Riwal) 9, 5. Tom-Jelte Slagter (NED/BBH) 10.

 


Kane scores as Bayern deliver comeback romp over Leipzig

Updated 17 January 2026
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Kane scores as Bayern deliver comeback romp over Leipzig

  • The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund
  • Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break

LEIPZIG, Germany: Harry Kane scored his 21st goal of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich came from behind to win 5-1 at RB Leipzig on Saturday.
The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, while continuing their record-breaking campaign.
Unbeaten Bayern have dropped just four points on their way to a record-equalling tally of 50 after 18 games. Bayern’s total of 71 goals scored is also a record at this stage of a German league season.
Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break, Serge Gnabry, Kane, Jonathan Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olize all scoring.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said Leipzig were “twice as good as we were” in the opening half, adding “but in the second-half — my god, the boys delivered.
“We weren’t afraid and we really went for it.”
Leipzig goalscorer Romulo said “we played 75 minutes really on top, then I don’t know what happened, we turned off our minds. We have to learn something out of that.”
Leipzig were strong early and broke through after 20 minutes when Romulo snuck past Bayern’s Tah to poke in an Antonio Nusa pass from close range.
The hosts were undone in the simplest fashion just after half-time. Dayot Upamecano picked Christoph Baumgartner’s pocket and fed Gnabry, who guided the ball into the bottom corner.
Bayern took the lead after 67 minutes, once again thanks to a Leipzig mistake.
Olize’s floated cross looked harmless until Ridle Baku lost his footing, allowing an unmarked Kane time and space to blast home.
With Leipzig’s resistance broken, Tah, Pavlovic and Olize all scored in the final 10 minutes, while Jamal Musiala returned late off the bench after a six-month injury absence.

- Can rescues Dortmund -
Earlier, an Emre Can penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time saved Borussia Dortmund’s blushes in a 3-2 home win against lowly St. Pauli.
In the dying moments, VAR found a foul on Germany forward Maximilian Beier, bringing Dortmund captain Can to the spot.
“What a rollercoaster ride,” Can told Sky Germany.
“We need to do much better to settle things down and to convert our chances,” he added.
The hosts overcame a poor first half when Julian Brandt tapped in from close range just before the break. Having created the opener, Karim Adeyemi gave Dortmund a two-goal buffer in the 54th minute, converting a Fabio Silva assist.
Rock-bottom St. Pauli had won just once since September but fought back into the game when James Sands and Ricky-Jade Jones scored inside 10 minutes midway through the second half to stun the hosts.
Deep into stoppage time, Jones caught Beier on the edge of the penalty area, allowing Can to convert nervelessly from the spot.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim’s Wouter Burger scored the only goal in a 1-0 home win over flailing Bayer Leverkusen to climb past Leipzig into third in the table.
Burger swung in an excellent free-kick after nine minutes to give the hosts the three points.
“That was an important one,” Burger said of his free-kick. “I was practicing them a bit this morning.”
Relegation candidates last season, Hoffenheim are on track to qualify for Europe’s top competition for just the second time in their history, having last done so under now-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann in 2017/18.
Leverkusen have now lost four of their past six, falling three points behind the Champions League placings.
Cologne beat Mainz 2-1 at home, Wolfsburg played out a 1-1 home draw with Heidenheim and hosts Hamburg were held to a scoreless draw by Borussia Moenchengladbach.