BERLIN: A Christopher Nkunku-inspired RB Leipzig won their second straight German Cup title on Saturday, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in Berlin.
A year after scoring a second-half goal which sent the 2022 final to penalties, Nkunku broke the deadlock after 71 minutes, his low shot taking a deflection and into the goal against the run of play.
A shellshocked Frankfurt, who had the better of the second half looked to equalize but Leipzig scored again, Dominik Szoboszlai sweeping in an Nkunku pass on the counter.
After featuring in four of the past five German Cup finals, Leipzig’s second title in two years firmly establishes themselves alongside Borussia Dortmund as challengers to Bayern Munich’s throne.
“When you win something like this, then you just have to celebrate — and that’s what we’ll do,” Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer told Germany’s ZDF network.
Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode said Nkunku’s goal was the turning point, telling ZDF “we just didn’t have the power in behind” after the strike.
The victory spoiled Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner’s farewell, with the Austrian leaving the club at the end of the season, one year after taking them to the Europa League title.
Despite the victory, the immediate future is uncertain for Leipzig, who could lose several stars including Nkunku, Szoboszlai and Laimer in the summer.
Sporting director Max Eberl confirmed a possible exit for Nkunku, telling German TV “it could be” the France striker’s last match for Leipzig.
Pre-game, the match had been billed as a clash of conflicting ideologies in German football.
In one corner, nouveau riche Leipzig, playing in just their 14th season, against the tradition of Frankfurt, one of only four clubs remaining from the first Bundesliga season in 1963-64 guaranteed to play in next year’s top division.
The Frankfurt stadium announcer played into the conflict just before kickoff, saying “tradition can’t be bought,” a direct jab at the Red Bull-owned Leipzig.
Unbeaten in their last 11 cup games, Leipzig burst out of the blocks, Werner latching onto a Dominik Szoboszlai pass just four minutes in before blasting straight at the ‘keeper.
Leipzig dominated possession but Frankfurt caused problems on the counter, France striker Kolo Muani probing a defense missing the commanding presence of the suspended Josko Gvardiol.
The best chance of the first half fell to Nkunku in the shadows of halftime, the France striker cannoning the ball into the side netting past the outstretched fingers of Frankfurt goalie Kevin Trapp.
Fresh from extending his deal in Frankfurt by one year until 2026 on Friday, 2014 World Cup winner Goetze grabbed control of the game early in the second stanza.
The veteran of four German Cup final wins, two with Dortmund and two with Bayern, put Kolo Muani through on goal with a perfect threaded path before forcing a desperate close range save from Janis Blaswich.
With a Frankfurt opener looking likely, Leipzig scored against the run of play, Nkunku’s shot from the edge of the box taking a sharp deflection of defender Evan Ndicka and into the net.
Frankfurt made multiple changes pushing for an equalizer but Leipzig scored again, Szoboszlai hammering in after a sweeping counterattack with five minutes remaining to seal the win.
Nkunku helps Leipzig defend German Cup title
https://arab.news/vavnr
Nkunku helps Leipzig defend German Cup title
- A year after scoring a second-half goal which sent the 2022 final to penalties, Nkunku broke the deadlock after 71 minutes
- "When you win something like this, then you just have to celebrate -- and that's what we'll do," Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer told Germany's ZDF network
Newcastle’s Tonali charged with alleged breaches of English betting rules
- Tonali’s multiple alleged breaches of FA rule E8 are said to have taken place between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023
- The 23-year-old has until April 5 to respond
LONDON: Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct by England’s Football Association relating to 50 alleged incidents of betting on matches, the governing body announced Thursday.
Tonali’s multiple alleged breaches of FA rule E8 are said to have taken place between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023.
The 23-year-old has until April 5 to respond.
In October last year, it was announced Tonali would miss the rest of the season for club and country after FIFA, football’s global governing body, ratified a 10-month ban by Italian authorities for breaching betting rules.
He will also miss Italy’s defense of their European Championship title in the June-July finals in Germany.
Tonali’s agent has previously said his client, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July for around £55 million ($69 million, 64 million euros), has a gambling addiction.
As well as the 10-month ban, Tonali was fined 20,000 euros and ordered to undergo an eight-month course of therapy to address his problems after reaching a plea bargain following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian prosecuting authorities and the Italian Football Federation.
Newcastle, reacting to Thursday’s announcement by the FA, said in a statement: “Newcastle United acknowledges a misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali in respect of alleged breaches of FA betting rules.
“Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and he retains the club’s full support.
“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”
Bayern wait on Kane’s and Neuer’s fitness for ‘Klassiker’ against Dortmund
- Kane “was able to join in with parts of the session” in training Wednesday
- Neuer tore the adductor muscle in his left thigh in training with Germany last week
DUESSELDORF, Germany: Bayern Munich’s slim title chances might depend on a win over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga “Klassiker.”
Dortmund isn’t the real threat though. With Bayer Leverkusen still soaring 10 points clear with just eight games to go, dropping any more points could be fatal to Bayern’s chances of a dramatic comeback in defense of the title.
Bayern might have to do without top scorer Harry Kane and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after injuries meant both were unable to play for their national teams.
Kane “was able to join in with parts of the session” in training Wednesday after he hurt his ankle in a collision with a goalpost in Bayern’s 5-2 win over Darmstadt on March 16, when he scored his personal-best 31st goal of the season. Bayern said Kane trained on Thursday, too, without elaborating.
Neuer tore the adductor muscle in his left thigh in training with Germany last week, meaning Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen took over in goal for friendly wins over France and the Netherlands ahead of hosting Euro 2024. Neuer managed what Bayern described as an individual workout Wednesday, his 38th birthday, and the same Thursday.
Even if Kane and Neuer aren’t fit for Saturday evening’s clash with Dortmund, Bayern might power through anyway. After all, Bayern had fitness concerns over their defense for the last Klassiker in November and still surged to a 4-0 win.
The problem with the Klassiker — in theory the German league’s showpiece game — isn’t just that Bayern are second and Dortmund a distant fourth. It’s also that so few recent Klassikers have been genuinely competitive contests.
Bayern have scored 23 goals in their last seven games against Dortmund in all competitions and haven’t lost since 2019 in a German Super Cup game.
The last time Dortmund won in the Bundesliga at Bayern’s Allianz Arena was all the way back in 2014, when the coaches were Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, and future Bayern great Robert Lewandowski was still a Dortmund player.
“They always save their best for us, so we have to be ready,” coach Edin Terzic said Thursday. He has some tough decisions to make on his lineup.
On-loan Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho is set to return after missing Dortmund’s last game, and striker Sebastien Haller could play for the first time since the Africa Cup of Nations after an ankle problem. However, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is suspended, while goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is doubtful with a stomach bug, and left back Ramy Bensebaini was injured on international duty with Algeria.
The international break may also prove extra motivation for some Dortmund players who are out of Germany’s plans after forward Niclas Füllkrug was the only player at the club called up by coach Julian Nagelsmann. Teammates such as Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck were left out.
Bayern could be 13 points adrift of the lead before the Klassiker even kicks off, given that Leverkusen hosts Hoffenheim earlier Saturday. Xabi Alonso’s team are still unbeaten in a scarcely believable 38 games in all competitions this season. A first ever Bundesliga title is on the horizon.
Unless Dortmund can beat Bayern, they will miss the chance to put pressure on third-placed Stuttgart, which host Heidenheim on Sunday. Leipzig are fifth and could leapfrog Dortmund with a win over Mainz on Saturday.
Chelsea and Lyon advance to the Women’s Champions League semifinals
- Chelsea advanced 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg in Amsterdam 3-0
- The French champion advanced to the semifinals for a record 13th time after a 4-1 win over Benfica
LONDON: Emma Hayes’ hopes of going out on the ultimate high at Chelsea moved a step closer on Wednesday as the London club reached the Women’s Champions League semifinals after a 1-1 draw with Ajax.
Chelsea advanced 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg in Amsterdam 3-0.
Hayes takes over the US women’s national team at the end of the season, when she will lead their bid to win Olympic gold in Paris.
Before that, she is aiming to win a quadruple of trophies with Chelsea — including the Champions League for the first time.
The Women’s Super League champion had effectively secured their place in the next round after a dominant performance in the first leg of the quarterfinals at Ajax. And they extended their overall advantage to 4-0 on aggregate after Mayra Ramirez’s goal in the 33rd minute at Stamford Bridge.
Chasity Grant scored in the 65th to give Ajax some consolation and a 1-1 draw on the night.
While Chelsea are searching for their first Women’s Champions League trophy, Lyon are hunting a record-extending ninth.
The French champion advanced to the semifinals for a record 13th time after a 4-1 win over Benfica.
Delphine Cascarino and Kadidiatou Diani scored two goals each as record eight-time champion Lyon won 6-2 on aggregate at Groupama Stadium after a 2-1 first leg win in Portugal.
Cascarino’s goal in the first leg had set up Lyon’s comeback win after trailing 1-0 at halftime of that match. And she tightened the French champions’ control of the tie when she opened the scoring in the 43rd of the second leg with a long-range chip to put Lyon ahead on the night.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou evened the score two minutes later, but Cascarino restored the home team’s lead with a powerful effort from distance in the 51st.
Diani put Lyon 3-1 ahead in the first minute of stoppage time and scored her second five minutes later.
Lyon were playing in the quarterfinals for a record-equaling 15th time, while Benfica became the first Portuguese team to advance to this stage.
Lyon last won the trophy in 2022 and will play either Hacken or Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Chelsea face either defending champion Barcelona or Brann.
PSG and Barcelona both won their quarterfinal first-leg matches 2-1 and will host their respective second-leg games Thursday.
The home-and-away semifinals will be played on April 20-21 and 27-28.
Prosecutor seeks 2-1/2-year jail term for Spain’s ex-football chief Rubiales over kiss
- Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions
- Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning
MADRID: A prosecutor at Spain’s High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former football federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offenses carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.
Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on Aug. 20 of last year during the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup in Sydney, making global headlines and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also accused the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the current sporting director of the Spanish federation (RFEF), Albert Luque, and the RFEF’s marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
The indictment said the three officials harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” directly on the player and through her friends and family. They each face 18 months behind bars as well.
All three denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durantez also said Rubiales should pay 50,000 euros ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, with another 50,000 euros to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 meters of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales would not necessarily have to go to prison. Spain’s criminal code allows judges to “exceptionally” suspend jail terms if — as in this case — none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Rubiales has been named in a separate corruption probe that shook the RFEF last week, when police searched the federation’s headquarters and an apartment belonging to Rubiales, arresting seven people.
A Spanish court has been investigating since June 2022 if Rubiales committed a crime of improper management when the RFEF agreed with former Barcelona player Gerard Pique’s Kosmos firm to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, a judicial source told Reuters then.
Rubiales, who was in the Dominican Republic during last week’s searches, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and told El Espanol newspaper he would cooperate with the investigation.
A court source said his lawyers told the judge he would return from the Dominican Republic on April 6.
Germany celebrate turnaround as confidence grows before hosting Euro 2024
- “Everything fits together,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus said after the France game
- “Something has come out of the last week that wasn’t there before,” said Toni Kroos, who came out of international retirement to rejoin the team for Euro 2024
BERLIN: What a difference a game makes.
The pessimism and frustration shrouding Germany’s soccer team ahead this summer’s European Championship has been lifted and replaced by confidence that the host can now win the tournament.
All it took was a win over France for the Germans to cast aside their doubts.
“Everything fits together,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus said after the France game, which was followed up by a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Tuesday. “The team not only can be European champion, they must be European champion!”
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that had lost their previous games against Austria and Turkiye in November, and which had only two wins from their previous 10 matches before beating France 2-0 in Lyon on Saturday.
“Something has come out of the last week that wasn’t there before,” said Toni Kroos, who came out of international retirement to rejoin the team for Euro 2024. “There’s a confidence in our actions and I hope we take that with us toward the tournament because then we can be confident of always doing well.”
Germany needed to dig deep to beat the Dutch in Frankfurt after Joey Veerman’s fourth-minute goal for the visitors, but goals from Maximilian Mittelstädt and Niclas Füllkrug consolidated the team’s new-found bullishness and rewarded coach Julian Nagelsmann for some brave calls in squad selection.
Nagelsmann had called up six new faces and coaxed the 34-year-old Kroos back from retirement.
The Real Madrid star’s return had arguably had the greatest impact because of his leadership qualities and a calm composure that helped settle the players around him. Kroos began by setting up for Germany’s fastest ever goal after just seven seconds in the win in France, then delivered both corners that led to the goals against the Netherlands.
“I know that the team is coming from a really tough time,” Kroos said. “What’s good is that few took that baggage with them, that it was left behind through the relatively radical changes and you could see that.”
Kroos’ return allowed İlkay Gündoğan to push further forward, Wirtz and fellow youngster Jamal Musiala starred on the wings, and in-form Arsenal forward Kai Havertz started up front. Bayer Leverkusen’s tough-tackling Robert Andrich made his second and third Germany appearances beside Kroos in midfield.
Nagelsmann named the same starting lineup for the Netherlands as he had for France, and – barring injuries – it will not change much from the team that will start Euro 2024 against Scotland in Munich on June 14.
“The spirit of the team is very good. They’re a good mix,” Nagelsmann said. “I think we’ve found a good mix of players who can take on the role of not playing and still give their all when they come in.”
Of the new faces, three were from Stuttgart, which are playing some of the best soccer in the Bundesliga this season. Mittelstädt, the Stuttgart left back, made his Germany debut against France and starred in both games. A year ago, he was fighting relegation with Hertha Berlin.
“Everyone said, he hasn’t played any international game, maybe it’s too early,” Nagelsmann said of Mittelstädt. “He’s a very good player, a lot of ambition, a lot of power and also a top guy. He’s good for us.”
Nagelsmann made a point of selecting in-form players for their confidence, while omitting the likes of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka and a host of Borussia Dortmund players.
Nagelsmann paid tribute to Leipzig defenders David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs for their impact as substitutes, as well as Pascal Gross in midfield, while Füllkrug, another substitute, was the one who scored the winner against the Netherlands.
All of the players, whether starters and substitutes, displayed a bite and commitment that had been lacking in previous Germany performances. Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah formed a formidable partnership in central defense, while Wirtz and Musiala in particular provided moments of inspiration.
“I think football is always about confirming things. A one-hit wonder is always possible,” Nagelsmann said before Tuesday’s match. “In the end it’s about confirming the path that we’re on. And I also said before I don’t want to be infected by this hysteria. But I’m also not one to put the brakes on euphoria.”
Nagelsmann was only given a contract through Euro 2024 after he was appointed successor to the fired Hansi Flick in September, but he’s likely to have it extended before the tournament starts.
Germany next faces Ukraine and Greece for their final tournament warmups before its opening game against Scotland in Munich on June 14. Nagelsmann’s team then play Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt on June 23.