MUNICH: Harry Kane scored two penalties as Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3-0 on Friday to go nine points clear of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
There were few chances in the first half but Kane signalled his intent 30 seconds after the break, rattling the crossbar with a shot from outside the box.
Kane was key in winning Bayern’s first penalty and breaking down Bremen’s stubborn resistance.
The England captain tussled with defender Anthony Young and headed a chipped cross against the Bremen man’s arm, which was slightly extended.
The England captain stepped up and converted the spot kick, sending goalkeeper Michael Zetterer the wrong way.
Leroy Sane tapped in a Konrad Laimer cross from close range for Bayern’s second in the 82nd minute.
In stoppage time, Young was again deemed guilty of a foul in the box, this time on Jamal Musiala.
Kane stepped up and converted, bringing his penalty streak to 29 in a row for club and country.
The former Spurs striker now has 21 goals in 19 league games for Bayern this season, including nine penalties.
Defending champions Leverkusen travel to Wolfsburg on Saturday and can cut Bayern’s lead back to six points with a win.
Bayern play away at Leverkusen next week in a match bookended by a two-legged Champions League knockout tie against Celtic.
Bremen fought hard but were undermanned, on and off the field.
Coach Ole Werner along with defenders Niklas Stark and Marco Friedl were all missing due to red cards in the 1-0 home win against in-form Mainz last time out, while attackers Leonardo Bittencourt and Romano Schmid were sidelined with muscle strains.
Despite the loss, Bremen sit eighth, one point behind the European placings, as they bid for a return to continental competition for the first time since 2010-11.
Kane hits brace as Bayern beat Bremen to move nine clear
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Kane hits brace as Bayern beat Bremen to move nine clear
- Kane was key in winning Bayern’s first penalty and breaking down Bremen’s stubborn resistance
- Leroy Sane tapped in a Konrad Laimer cross from close range for Bayern’s second in the 82nd minute
Trump said Iran ‘welcome to compete’ in World Cup, says Infantino
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran is “welcome” to participate at the upcoming World Cup in North America, despite the ongoing Middle East war, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday.
The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, has thrown into doubt Iran’s participation at this summer’s men’s football World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
During a meeting to discuss preparations for the competition, “we also spoke about the current situation in Iran,” Infantino, the head of world football’s governing body, wrote on Instagram.
“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” he wrote.
The comments marked the first time that Infantino, who in December created a FIFA peace prize and awarded it to Trump, has acknowledged the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Trump’s remarks to Infantino are a stark contrast to his comments to Politico last week.
Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care” if Iran play at the World Cup.
FIFA’s president has grown close to Trump since he returned to the White House, even attending his inauguration.
Asylum claims
Iran’s federation football chief on Tuesday cast doubt on his team’s participation in the sporting extravaganza, following the defection of several women footballers from the Islamic republic during the Asian Cup in Australia.
“If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Mehdi Taj asked on Iranian state television.
While the event is spread out across three countries, Iran are scheduled to play all three group games in the United States, two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
Should Iran withdraw from the sport’s quadrennial showpiece, it would be the first time a country did that since France and India pulled out of the 1950 finals in Brazil.
On Tuesday, at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, some players from Iran’s team claimed asylum after they came under fire from state television for not singing the country’s national anthem before one match.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim sanctuary from Australian officials, the Australian government announced.
At least two more team members applied to stay later in the day, according to local media.
However, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday that one of them had subsequently changed her mind.
Burke said in parliament on Wednesday that he had since been advised that one of the group “had spoken to some of the team mates that left and changed their mind.”
“She had been advised by her team mates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.
“As a result of that, it meant the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was.”
The remaining players have been moved from a safe house to another location, he said.
