BERLIN: Harry Kane scored the go-ahead goal to help Bayern Munich to a 3-1 comeback home win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, keeping hot on the heels of leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who won 2-0 at Darmstadt.
Bayern stay just two points behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten side, with the two facing off next Saturday in Leverkusen.
“The big game is coming. We wanted to show our fans something,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said after the match.
But while Leverkusen secured a comfortable win at last-placed Darmstadt thanks to a brace from Nigeria winger Nathan Tella, Bayern were once again bailed out by Kane, who now has 24 goals in 20 league games this season.
Gladbach traveled to Munich boasting a brilliant recent record against the perennial German champions, with Bayern winning just one of their past six matches.
Bayern conceded early after a horror pass from Manuel Neuer allowed Gladbach to waltz through the penalty box, with Nico Elvedi tapping in from close range.
Bayern youth product Aleksandar Pavlovic drew the home side level just before half-time when he slid through the Gladbach defense and drilled in the equalizer.
Gladbach were courageous against an injury-hit Munich side who have lacked confidence and fluency since the winter break.
Kane however stepped up with 20 minutes remaining, heading in after a mistake from Gladbach ‘keeper Moritz Nicolas.
Kane’s 24th league goal of the season keeps him on track for the all-time record of 41 goals in a Bundesliga season, set by his Bayern predecessor Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel set his sights on next week’s top-of-the-table clash.
“Leverkusen are playing an outstanding season, but we’ve got just two points fewer.
“We’ll travel to Leverkusen with a clear goal — to inflict a first defeat of the season on them and to overtake them into top spot.”
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller was presented with a special shirt after winning his 500th match with the German champions, but told reporters: “I’m not such a fan of these commemorations.”
“Next week we play Leverkusen. The feeling of winning is a beautiful thing. We want to experience that in Leverkusen as well.”
Leverkusen’s win ensured they would stay top of the table ahead of Bayern’s visit.
Making his first league start since moving to Leverkusen from Southampton at the start of the season, Tella put Leverkusen ahead after half an hour, shedding his marker to head in a looping chip from Alex Grimaldo.
Tella doubled up early in the second half, blasting in from close range past the helpless Darmstadt ‘keeper.
Stuttgart took advantage of Borussia Dortmund’s 0-0 draw at Heidenheim on Friday, winning 3-1 away against a 10-man Freiburg to go three points clear in third place.
Brighton loanee Deniz Undav gave Stuttgart the lead after just three minutes, with Germany winger Chris Fuehrich added another just four minutes later.
Freiburg lost Merlin Roehl to a straight red card for an ugly studs-up tackle after just 18 minutes, but they pulled a goal back through Lucas Kuebler late in the first half.
Maximilian Mittelstaedt scored for Stuttgart with 15 minutes remaining to seal victory.
In Saturday’s late game, Cologne won just their third match of the season, triumphing 2-0 at home over Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished with nine men.
Frankfurt defender Niels Nkounkou picked up a second yellow for a foolish tug on the leg of Faride Alidou, with the midfielder scoring from the ensuing free kick.
Jan Thielmann scored Cologne’s second on the counter with ten minutes remaining to seal the victory, moments before Tuta was sent from the pitch for picking up his second yellow.
Still in the play-off spot, Cologne’s win allowed them to widen the gap on the automatic relegation places to four points.
Elsewhere, Augsburg scored a penalty in injury time to snatch a point in a 1-1 draw at Bochum.
Werder Bremen scored after just two minutes through Marvin Ducksch to win 1-0 at lowly Mainz.
Kane scores to help Bayern keep pace with leaders Leverkusen
https://arab.news/r9ftj
Kane scores to help Bayern keep pace with leaders Leverkusen
- Bayern stay just two points behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten side, with the two facing off next Saturday in Leverkusen
- “The big game is coming. We wanted to show our fans something,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said after the match
Soccer or football, the world’s most popular sport has its own day for fans to celebrate — May 25
- The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis
- On May 25, the resolution “invites” all nations, UN bodies, international organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector to observe World Football Day
UNITED NATIONS: Soccer fans around the world will now have a day to celebrate the world’s most popular sport every year — May 25.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day. The sport is called football outside of the US.
The day marks the 100th anniversary of the first international soccer tournament in history with the representation of all regions which took place on May 25, 1924 during the summer Olympic games held in Paris, according to the resolution.
The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis, to applause from diplomats in the assembly chamber. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 countries.
Libya’s UN Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, who introduced the resolution, told the assembly, “Football or soccer as others call it is the number one game played and followed around the globe.”
But he stressed that soccer is more than just a game played by all ages on streets, in villages, schools and courtyards for fun and in competitions.
Because of its “unparalleled position” in the world of sports, El-Sonni said, “football serves as a universal language spoken across the globe, cutting across national, cultural and socio-economic barriers.”
He said the game has become “a pivotal platform” championing gender equality and social inclusion, “a common ground where individuals from varying backgrounds converge, promoting mutual understanding, tolerance, respect and solidarity.”
The resolution acknowledges “the global reach of football and its impact in various spheres, including commerce, peace and diplomacy, and recognizing that football creates a space for cooperation.”
It also recognizes “the fundamental role” of soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, and the important role of regional and national soccer federations, as well as relevant associations, in p romoting the game.
The resolution encourages all countries to support soccer and other sports as a tool to promote peace, development and the empowerment of women and girls. And it also encourages countries to adopt policies and programs to promote football and other sports and physical activities.
On May 25, the resolution “invites” all nations, UN bodies, international organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector to observe World Football Day in line with national priorities “and to disseminate the advantages of football for all, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities.”
Hummels stuns Mbappe and PSG to take Dortmund to Champions League final
- Hummels struck five minutes into the second half
- Dortmund will face Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the final in London
Paris, May 7, 2024 Agence France Presse: Mats Hummels headed in the only goal as Borussia Dortmund stunned Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League semifinal second leg on Tuesday, winning 1-0 on the night and advancing 2-0 on aggregate to next month’s final at Wembley.
Hummels struck five minutes into the second half at the Parc des Princes and PSG were unable to muster a response, the home side all out of luck as they hit the woodwork four times in total.
Dortmund, who sit fifth in the German Bundesliga, were never expected to go so far and will be underdogs in the June 1 showpiece regardless of whether they face their old rivals Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who meet on Wednesday.
It will be their first final since 2013 when, remarkably, the match was also played at Wembley and Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund lost to Bayern.
Hummels played in that final and here, 11 years later, he was the hero as Dortmund built on the advantage given to them by Niclas Fuellkrug’s goal in the first leg.
“It’ll take us a bit of time to realize that, but we’re looking forward to it extremely,” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic told broadcaster Amazon Prime of getting to the final.
“We did it somehow, making it to London.”
The story of this semifinal, however, is as much about PSG’s failure in another crunch knockout tie in the competition.
They have still never won the trophy despite all the money invested by their Qatari owners since the 2011 takeover, and there will be no dream send-off for Mbappe.
He will leave when his contract expires after this season and had been hoping to play his last game for the club in the June 1 final.
Instead PSG will be left to reflect on how they failed to get their hands on the biggest trophy of all during Mbappe’s seven years at his hometown team.
“We were not clinical enough. They scored two goals, one from a corner and one from a long ball. We created lots more chances, many more than them, but we didn’t take them,” PSG captain Marquinhos told Canal Plus.
“We got so close and we wanted to get to the final. But we had to win tonight and be more clinical, and we were not.”
PSG’s last two semifinal appearances both came during the pandemic, meaning this was the first time they had hosted a match at this stage of a European competition with fans in 29 years, since losing to AC Milan in 1995.
Luis Enrique’s team had won 2-0 at home against Dortmund in the group stage and were safe in the knowledge that a repeat of that performance would be enough.
The PSG coach made one major selection decision, dropping Bradley Barcola and bringing in Portuguese striker Goncalo Ramos. That meant moving Mbappe from the middle onto the left wing.
Dortmund would have been bracing themselves for an onslaught from kick-off, but that did not transpire.
Mbappe took only seven minutes to produce his first attempt, yet his volley was easily saved by Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
The hosts had most of the possession but struggled to get Mbappe into the game, the France captain often looking isolated on the wing.
In fact it was Dortmund who had the best chance of the first half, when Karim Adeyemi led a counterattack before seeing his shot saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
It felt as though the hosts needed to change something or risk going out with a whimper.
They should have been ahead two minutes after the restart, when Ramos touched on a ball driven into the box by Mbappe, but Warren Zaire-Emery contrived to hit the post from close range.
That was to prove crucial as Dortmund struck moments later.
PSG cheaply conceded a corner, and Julian Brandt’s delivery from the Dortmund right was headed in by Hummels.
Ramos swept a shot over on the hour mark before Nuno Mendes became the second PSG player to strike the right-hand post, this time with a powerful shot from distance.
It was starting to look as if it would not be PSG’s night, and Luis Enrique realized he had to act as he sent on Barcola and Marco Asensio for Ramos and Fabian Ruiz, moving Mbappe through the middle.
Dortmund sent on an extra defender in the hulking Niklas Suele and they withstood everything PSG threw at them while also being helped by the frame of the goal.
Kobel turned Mbappe’s shot onto the bar on 86 minutes and Vitinha also rattled the woodwork but Dortmund hung on to book their date in London.
Hero Malcom assists and scores as Hilal edge closer to SPL title
- The Brazilian played starring role in the 2-1 Saudi Classico win against Al-Ahli in Jeddah
JEDDAH: Brazilian star Malcolm was the hero for Al-Hilal on Monday night when he managed an assist and a decisive goal in their 2-1 win over Al-Ahli in the latest Saudi Classico in Jeddah.
The match had been postponed from the 28th round of the Saudi Pro League due to Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League commitments.
Malcolm set up Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for the equalizer on 52 minutes after Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan had given Al-Ahli the lead on the half-hour mark at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Malcom then brought Al-Hilal within touching distance of a record-extending 19th league title by scoring the winner in the 89th minute.
Al-Hilal signed Malcom on a four-year contract from Zenit St. Petersburg last summer. And with five matches remaining until the end of his first season, he has scored 22 goals for the club, 14 of which have come in the SPL.
Major League Soccer must attract best players to grow: Infantino
- Infantino said Inter Miami’s signing of Lionel Messi, and the club’s acquisition of other big-name players such as Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, had proven the demand for top talent among US fans
LOS ANGELES: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Monday Major League Soccer needs to sign more top players in order to boost the profile of the sport in the US.
Infantino, speaking at a conference in Los Angeles, said he told MLS officials recently that bringing in the world’s best players would take football to the next level.
“I told them you have to be a bit more bold, a bit more in the game,” Infantino said at the Milken Institute Global Conference. “Bring in the best players.”
Infantino said Inter Miami’s signing of Lionel Messi, and the club’s acquisition of other big-name players such as Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, had proven the demand for top talent among US fans.
The FIFA chief alluded to the record 65,612 crowd who flocked to the New England Revolution’s recent home game against Miami at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
“The ‘Messi effect’ if we want to call it that way, you see Messi and Inter Miami filling stadiums, and not MLS stadiums but NFL stadiums,” Infantino said.
MLS salary and roster restrictions mean that teams are unable to spend freely when it comes to signing top players.
However the league has faced growing calls — not least from broadcast partner Apple TV — to relax those rules in order to enable clubs to target more top talent.
Infantino said bringing in top talent would ultimately reap dividends at grass roots level in North America, encouraging young players to believe they could forge a career in soccer.
“We want to see the best so we need to bring them the best players, but also the best game, and the best spectacle,” Infantino said.
“For this we need to invest in the players because we want to show to the kids who play soccer when they are at school or when they are very young, that there is a path in soccer to glory to become one of these world stars.
“This is what maybe they don’t see yet. They see it in basketball, American football, in baseball and ice hockey. But in soccer, it’s still kind of far away. You have to go to Europe. And is there really a great American soccer player?“
Klopp keeps the drama going to the end as Liverpool beat Spurs 4-2 in his penultimate Anfield match
- A nervy finish didn’t stop the home fans from beckoning Klopp to produce his trademark post-match triple fist pump to the crowd after his penultimate home game in charge
- A bad week for Aston Villa got worse after a surprise 1-0 loss at Brighton
LIVERPOOL, England: The smile is back on Jurgen Klopp’s face — even if his Liverpool players seem intent on testing his nerves right to the end.
The Premier League title may be all but beyond the Merseyside club, but that doesn’t mean the drama is over for Klopp, who will step down at the end of the season.
Last week he was arguing on the sideline with Mohamed Salah as Liverpool effectively dropped out of the title race. And while Salah opened the scoring in a 4-2 win against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, it was Harvey Elliott who appeared to bring the broadest smile to Klopp’s face with a wonderful long-range goal in what looked like being a cakewalk for Klopp’s team.
“What a goal,” the Liverpool manager said. “In the game you only see it flying in and I thought, ‘That was a good shot.’ The goal I saw afterwards, there was not a lot of space left or right. It went exactly where it should be be. Top goal.”
Elliott’s strike, after goals from Salah, Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo, fired Liverpool into a 4-0 lead before the game had even reached the hour mark. What followed was the unlikeliest of fightbacks from Spurs that might have made this another frustrating day in what has ultimately been a disappointing finale for Klopp at the end of nearly nine trophy-filled years.
Goals from Richarlison and Son Heung-min made it a much closer contest than it had ever looked like being. And it needed two outstanding saves from Alisson, a goal-line clearance from Joe Gomez and a VAR call to prevent it from being closer still.
“It’s a little bit of a mirror of the season. Really, really, really, good until we were really rubbish and then, we were okay again,” Klopp said.
A nervy finish didn’t stop the home fans from beckoning Klopp to produce his trademark post-match triple fist pump to the crowd after his penultimate home game in charge, with Feyenoord coach Arne Slot set to take over next season.
Mathematically, at least, it is not over for third-place Liverpool, who sit five points adrift of leader Arsenal with two games remaining. But, in reality, a late-season slump has killed Klopp’s hopes of walking away with a second Premier League crown of his reign.
His team had been heavily rebuilt over the past two seasons and was not expected to contend at the top so soon. But this season at one point offered Liverpool the hope of a quadruple of trophies. Now they feel like it is ending on an underwhelming note.
Still, Klopp, who delivered the English League Cup in February, will walk away from a team that is on the up and leave his successor with plenty of young talent to work with.
The 21-year-old Elliott is a prime example and he showcased his ample potential with an assist and a goal as Liverpool threatened to run riot.
His perfectly placed curling cross provided Gakpo with the simple task of heading in Liverpool’s third and then he swept an unstoppable shot from around 20 yards (meters) into the top corner and beyond Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
“Harvey is exceptional. Still so young. So exceptional,” Klopp said. “In the midfield position, it was probably one of the top three performances from him today. The goal was exceptional. Everyone needs moments to gain more confidence. It was a good moment. That helps definitely.”
VILLA SLIPS
A bad week for Aston Villa got worse after a surprise 1-0 loss at Brighton.
Unai Emery’s team lost 4-2 at home to Olympiakos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal on Thursday. And on a day when it could have secured its place in next season’s Champions League, it suffered another setback when Joao Pedro headed home a rebound in the 87th after seeing his penalty saved by Robin Olsen.
Only Spurs’ loss at Anfield prevented it from being a bigger blow after the result at the Amex Stadium had given Ange Postecoglou’s team hope in its pursuit of Villa in fourth.
But Villa still missed out on the chance of making certain of a top-four finish.
CHELSEA ROUT WEST HAM
Chelsea’s troubled season could still end on something of a high after Mauricio Pochettino’s team boosted their chances of European soccer next season with a 5-0 rout of West Ham.
The win at Stamford Bridge moved Chelsea up to seventh in the standings and two points behind sixth-place Newcastle. Only the top six teams in the Premier League will be guaranteed a place in Europe next season.
“We need to keep this momentum and belief going,” Pochettino said.
While Chelsea’s exorbitant spending under US owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital was supposed to put the 2021 Champions League winner back in contention for the biggest prizes, qualification for Europe would represent progress after finishing in the bottom half of the table last year and another season of struggle this term.
After a morale-boosting 2-0 win against Tottenham on Thursday, Chelsea followed it up by thrashing West Ham.
Nicolas Jackson scored twice in the second half after Chelsea had raced to a 3-0 lead by the break through goals from Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke.
