MAINZ, Germany: Two goals from Jae-sung Lee took Mainz to a shock 2-1 home win over Bayern Munich on Saturday, handing coach Vincent Kompany his first league loss.
Lee scored in each half against an uncharacteristically poor Bayern, who are now just four points clear after Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 win at Augsburg.
Injuries meant Kompany was unable to call on several first team regulars including Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Joao Palhinha.
Kane’s absence was particularly telling in the first half, with the league leaders dominating possession but unable to convert any of their half chances into a goal.
Mainz boasted a better-than-expected home record against the German giants, having won three of their past four home league games over Bayern.
The home side struck shortly before half-time, Lee taking advantage of a poor clearance from his South Korea teammate Min-Jae Kim to hammer home.
Even with the knowledge that Leverkusen were ahead in Augsburg, Bayern came out poorer after half-time, lacking precision and energy.
Mainz soon capitalized through Lee again. Armindo Sieb threaded a clever cross goalwards for Lee to collect before blasting home on the spin.
Leroy Sane tapped in a deflected Joshua Kimmich shot in the 87th minute to give the league leaders hope, but Mainz held firm for a famous home win.
The result moved Mainz, who battled relegation last season, up to sixth.
Defending champions Leverkusen continued their recent resurgence, winning comfortably 2-0 at Augsburg, their seventh victory in a row.
Martin Terrier put Leverkusen in front 14 minutes in, curling the ball home with his first touch after a lovely low cross from Jeremie Frimpong.
Florian Wirtz added a second in the 40th minute when he controlled the ball, sold the Augsburg defense a dummy before skipping a shot across the grass and into the bottom corner.
Union Berlin drew 1-1 at home against last-placed Bochum in a game suspended by around half an hour after the visiting goalkeeper was hit by an object thrown from the crowd.
Bochum, were reduced to 10 men when Koji Miyoshi was red carded 13 minutes in, took the lead through Ibrahima Sissoko despite the deficit 10 minutes later.
Union levelled things up through Benedict Hollerbach in the 33rd minute, but were unable to take advantage against their undermanned opponents.
With the game in stoppage time and Union pushing, Patrick Drewes was hit by what appeared to be a cigarette lighter, with the referee ordering the players off the pitch.
When they returned, both sides kicked the ball between themselves until the clock wound down, apparently in agreement not to attack after the incident.
A double from Alassane Plea and goals to Robin Hack and Tim Kleindienst took Borussia Moenchengladbach to a 4-1 win over Holstein Kiel.
Gladbach have now lost just one of their past eight league games while Kiel, playing their first season in the top flight, sit second last.
In Saturday’s late game, promoted St. Pauli host Werder Bremen, while Champions League participants Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart and RB Leipzig are all in action on Sunday.
Mainz hand Bayern first league loss under Kompany
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Mainz hand Bayern first league loss under Kompany
- Lee scored in each half against an uncharacteristically poor Bayern, who are now just four points clear after Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 win at Augsburg
- Injuries meant Kompany was unable to call on several first team regulars including Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Joao Palhinha
Beyond the stars: How the Kingdom is shaping the next generation of football
- Ahmed Albahrani: 2022 witnessed a major transformation in Saudi football, particularly in the Roshn League, through the recruitment of star players
- Simon Colosimo: They (Saudi Pro League) have a strategy to compete with the Italian Serie A, the Premier League ... their objective is to be there
RIYADH: As the Kingdom accelerates in a wide range of sectors, the drive to elevate the sports industry constitutes a major part of its overall national development strategies.
From a traditional society to making headlines on the international stage, Saudi Arabia has become one of the best known countries in football recently, becoming a global hub and attracting millions of sports fans to its league.
Major changes are taking place in the country, especially after the announcement last year that Saudi Arabia is to host the FIFA World Cup 2034. Ever since, officials have been dedicated to developing knowledge on football through collaborations with significant football experts, as well as improving local talent, along with building an infrastructure suitable for Saudi ambitions.
“2022 witnessed a major transformation in Saudi football, particularly in the Roshn League, through the recruitment of star players,” Ahmed Albahrani, director of the department of grassroots, academies and regional training center at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, told Arab News.
“This was undoubtedly part of a specific vision and strategy to develop football in general within Saudi Arabia. This approach involved bringing in star players, hiring coaches, and investing in infrastructure — all contributing factors to this development.
“These are things we are fortunate to have as Saudis, especially in this generation, because we are witnessing qualitative leaps in the development of Saudi football,” he said.
“We in the Saudi Football Federation have begun to see some of its signs, but its (major) signs will be in 2034, especially when we host the World Cup, and our national team will have an honourable level and achieve the leadership’s aspirations.”
In the past, football in the kingdom was exclusive to male talent. Women were excluded from entering stadiums or attending sport events.
Luckily, with the fundamental transformation the country has been going through in recent years, this understanding of women’s contribution in sports vanished.
Progress has been made since 2015, with Saudi women participating internationally as a result of the creation of several sports federations. Saudi women are not only allowed to participate in sports but are encouraged to do so by the Saudi government, and Saudi female national teams have been established, thriving locally and internationally ever since.
In an interview with French female football agent and the founder of HEESSO Sports, Sonia Souid, she shared her excitement, optimistic, and supportive perspectives for women in Saudi sports.
“In 2020, when I first read the news that the Saudi league in football for women had been created, I was shocked. I was amazed because I am from Algeria, and as a Muslim woman, I feel proud of the country, especially coming from the outside, one of the last countries in the Middle East that I thought would be interested in women’s football was Saudi Arabia,” she said.
“It is actually the first one,” she said, as she further explained the investment the Kingdom is putting into women's football when compared with other countries in the region.
“Also, what I have been amazed by from Saudi people, they understood that they had to bring the knowledge from outside in terms of staff, medical staff, and everything around women’s football, and give the opportunities to women and to have a bright future in football and not only in the men’s side,” she said.
Furthermore, to celebrate the importance of football, the World Football Summit was organised in the Saudi capital from Dec. 10-11, bringing together experts, officials in the sports industry and sports enthusiasts to discuss major shifts and opportunities to elevate the Saudi Pro League.
During a panel discussion on leveraging the arrival of elite international players and coaches to accelerate local development, Simon Colosimo, CEO of FPA Saudi Arabia, shared his views on Saudi Arabia’s ambitious strategies for the future of football.
Referring to the Saudi Pro League’s future plans, he said: “They have a strategy to compete with the Italian Serie A, the Premier League ... their objective is to be there.
“When you talk about international players coming into the league, they are only going to improve the players’ capacity to compete at international level.”
