BERLIN: Defender Matthijs de Ligt produced a crucial goal-line clearance before scoring himself as Bayern Munich reclaimed the Bundesliga lead from Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 win at Stuttgart on Saturday.
De Ligt’s goal came late in the first half just after he prevented Stuttgart from going ahead, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting grabbing a second for Bayern midway through the second half.
Stuttgart pulled one back late on through Juan Jose Perea, but Bayern held on to go back above Dortmund on goal difference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in Munich.
Bayern picked up where they left off in last week’s 3-0 win over Union Berlin, with Leon Goretzka forcing goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow into two stunning reflex saves in quick succession.
Not content to allow Bayern to turn the screws, Stuttgart kept looking dangerous on the counter through the speed of striker Silas.
Silas’ near-post shot forced a save from Yann Sommer after 36 minutes and the home side almost took the lead from the ensuing corner, with De Ligt desperately clearing a deflected ball off the line.
The Dutch center-back put Bayern in front just a minute later, blasting a low shot under Bredlow from outside the box.
Fresh from inking a one-year extension in Munich on Friday, former PSG striker Choupo-Moting doubled Bayern’s lead by hammering a shot past Bredlow when put through on goal by Thomas Mueller.
With just two minutes remaining, the home side gave their fans hope, Tiago Tomas curling in a superb cross to find Perea, who headed past Sommer.
French winger Tanguy Coulibaly had a chance to equalize in the second minute of injury time when he jumped high to head a cross from Hiroki Ito, but his effort went just wide.
Stuttgart, who have lost five of their past six games, are one of four teams holding up the bottom of the table equal on 19 points.
Earlier on Saturday, Union Berlin missed a chance to keep in touch with Bayern and Dortmund, playing out a scoreless draw at home against Cologne.
Chances were few throughout and despite some late attacking changes from Union manager Urs Fischer, the visitors held firm.
Fischer singled out goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow for particular praise, telling Sky: “Cologne were a bit more dangerous... we can thank our goalkeeper for keeping us in the game.”
The result, Union’s third 0-0 draw in their past five matches, sees the Berliners fall five points behind Bayern, sitting in third place.
Elsewhere, Freiburg missed a chance to overtake RB Leipzig into the Champions League places, drawing 0-0 away to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
France striker Marcus Thuram won Gladbach a second-half penalty but the spot kick was overturned by VAR, which found insufficient contact with the forward’s foot.
Gladbach were reduced to 10 men with three minutes remaining when Algerian wing-back Ramy Bensebaini picked up a second yellow for kicking the ball away in frustration.
At the other end of the table, Schalke boosted their hopes of avoiding a direct return to the second division, winning 2-0 away at fellow strugglers Bochum.
The win, set up by a first-half goalkeeping howler from Bochum’s Manuel Riemann and a clever second-half strike from Marius Buelter, was Schalke’s first away victory in the top flight since November 2019.
Schalke, who had anchored the Bundesliga table since October, are now unbeaten in their last six games ahead of next week’s clash with derby rivals Dortmund.
Mainz lifted themselves to seventh with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Hoffenheim, thanks to a first-half strike from Leandro Barreiro.
The result was the visitors’ seventh loss in eight matches in 2023, leaving Hoffenheim in grave relegation danger.
Augsburg lifted themselves eight points clear of the relegation spots with a 2-1 home win over Werder Bremen.
De Ligt sends Bayern back on top ahead of PSG tie
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De Ligt sends Bayern back on top ahead of PSG tie
- De Ligt's goal came late in the first half just after he prevented Stuttgart from going ahead
- Stuttgart pulled one back late on through Juan Jose Perea, but Bayern held on to go back above Dortmund on goal difference
Hosts Morocco face Mane’s Senegal for AFCON glory
- Final kicks off at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where almost all the 69,000 spectators will be backing Morocco
- Senegal are appearing in their third final in four editions and are targeting a second title to follow their 2022 triumph
RABAT: The Africa Cup of Nations reaches its climax on Sunday with a showdown between host nation Morocco, looking to win the title for the first time in 50 years, and Sadio Mane’s powerful Senegal side.
The final kicks off at 1900 GMT at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where almost all the 69,000 spectators will be backing Morocco, captained by African player of the year Achraf Hakimi.
The first AFCON ever to start in one year and end in another could be the second in a row to be won by the host nation, with the Atlas Lions aiming to follow in the footsteps of Ivory Coast, crowned champions on home soil in 2024.
Walid Regragui’s Morocco have established themselves in recent years as Africa’s pre-eminent national team, becoming the first from the continent to reach a World Cup semifinal, in 2022, and climbing to 11th place in the world rankings.
However, they have long been AFCON underachievers, with their only title to date coming in 1976. This will be their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia when Regragui was part of the team.
Senegal, meanwhile, are appearing in their third final in four editions and are targeting a second title to follow their 2022 triumph, when Mane scored the decisive shoot-out penalty against Egypt in Yaounde.
“We dreamt of being here and now we have done it,” Regragui told reporters on Saturday.
He has been under suffocating pressure to deliver the title for the football-mad nation, and would possibly not have kept his job through to the approaching World Cup in North America had he not reached the final.
“I hope this is just the beginning and not our last AFCON final,” he added.
“Big football nations want to be up there on a regular basis. Tomorrow we want to try to make history.”
He added: “Senegal will need to be really strong to beat us at home, although they are capable.”
Morocco’s success over the last four weeks has been based around the attacking threat of Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz, the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, and a defense which has conceded only once.
Security concerns
Being at home brings extra pressure, but can also be a huge advantage, and Senegal have complained about the conditions in which they were welcomed to Rabat ahead of the game.
The Lions of Teranga were based in the northern port city of Tangiers until they arrived in Rabat by train on Friday.
The Senegalese Football Federation complained about a “lack of adequate security” for the team’s arrival amid a crowd of fans “which put the players and staff at risk.”
It also complained about their hotel, the fact that their supporters were given fewer than 3,000 tickets for the final, and about being asked to train at the Moroccan team’s base in nearby Sale.
“What happened was not normal,” said Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.
“Given the number there, anything could have happened. My players could have been in danger.
“That type of thing should not happen between two brother countries.”
Mane, a two-time winner of the African player of the year award, said after netting the winner in the semifinal against Egypt that Sunday’s game would be his last ever AFCON appearance.
But Thiaw insisted on the eve of the game that the former Liverpool forward may have to rethink that decision.
“I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment and the country does not agree, and I as coach of the national team do not agree,” said Thiaw.
“We would like to keep him for as long as possible,” added the coach, who is without center-back and captain Kalidou Koulibaly due to suspension.
Off the pitch this edition of Africa’s premier sports event has demonstrated that Morocco is determined to be a successful co-host of the 2030 World Cup.
The tournament has been free of the problems that have plagued earlier AFCONs, the stadiums and pitches have generally been of a high quality and high-speed rail links show a country significantly upgrading its infrastructure.
