BERLIN: Scottish forward Oliver Burke scored a Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin delivered a master class in counterattacking soccer before holding on to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 away on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Ilyas Ansah also starred, capitalizing on a mix-up in the Frankfurt defense to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
Ansah was involved again before Serbian forward Andrej Ilić sent Burke through for his first goal in the 32nd.
Nathaniel Brown pulled one back before the break but Frankfurt’s hopes of an equalizer were dented when Ansah got up after a foul and eluded two defenders before playing the ball out to Ilić, who crossed for Burke to make it 3-1 in the 53rd.
Ilić also set up the next goal three minutes for his fourth assist. Burke finished with a delicate chip over Kaua Santos in the Frankfurt goal.
One young Frankfurt fan cried in disappointment.
But Can Uzun pulled one back in the 80th and Frankfurt got a penalty when Jonathan Burkardt went down spectacularly. Leopold Querfeld had his hand near the Frankfurt forward’s neck and was penalized after a VAR check. Burkardt stayed cool to score from the spot in the 87th.
Union coach Steffen Baumgart was sent off shortly afterward for kicking a paper cup in frustration.
Dortmund delight
Karim Adeyemi’s first-half rocket from 18 meters (yards) was enough for Borussia Dortmund to beat Wolfsburg 1-0 for its third straight Bundesliga win.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck returned after a six-month injury layoff because of a meniscus tear in his knee and played the whole game.
Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen made his Wolfsburg debut on the hour-mark but couldn’t prevent the team’s first league loss of the season.
Dortmund is second in the league, two points behind Bayern Munich.
Gladbach’s first goal
Haris Tabaković scored Borussia Mönchengladbach’s first league goal of the season to earn a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the team’s first match since firing Gerardo Seoane as coach.
Tabaković equalized with a header off a corner in the second minute of stoppage time for Gladbach to get a deserved point in its first game under interim coach Eugen Polanski, previously the under-23 team coach.
American midfielder Malik Tillman put Leverkusen ahead on a counterattack in the 70th, but the home team’s performance shows there is still much work to do for new coach Kasper Hjulmand. He inherited the rebuilding project from Erik ten Hag, fired after just three games in charge.
Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins
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Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins
Desert Vipers hold nerve to edge Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 thriller
- Key contributions from Shimron Hetmyer and Khuzaima Tanveer prove decisive as the Vipers weather tense finish to overhaul target of 171
- Knight Riders start well, reaching 87 in 10 overs, but momentum shifts in second half of their inning as the Vipers’ spinners struck back
SHARJAH: Desert Vipers made it two wins out of two in the DP World International League T20, as they held their nerve to secure a dramatic two-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Shimron Hetmyer’s counterattacking 48 off 25 balls, and a late-order cameo from Khuzaima Tanveer, who hit 31 off just 12 deliveries, proved decisive as the Vipers weathered a tense finish to overhaul a target of 171.
Sent in to bat, the Knight Riders made a confident start through Phil Salt and Alex Hales, with the latter anchoring the inning to top-score with 53 off 37 balls.
Despite reaching 87 in 10 overs, however, the momentum shifted in the second half of the inning as the Vipers’ spinners began to strike regularly. Qais Ahmad and Noor Ahmad led the middle-overs fightback, dismissing Hales and triggering a collapse as the Knight Riders lost five wickets.
Andre Russell’s unbeaten 36, and useful contributions from Alishan Sharafu and Unmukt Chand, at least helped Abu Dhabi reach a competitive total, but they were unable to fully capitalize on the side’s strong opening.
The Vipers began explosively in reply, smashing a tournament-record 19 runs from the first over. However, early wickets then left them wobbling on 44/3. Sam Curran and Dan Lawrence rebuilt the attack before the latter combined with Hetmyer for a crucial 68-run stand that swung the contest back in the their favor.
Late strikes from Ajay Kumar and Russell, the latter dismissing Hetmyer for his 500th T20 wicket, set up a tense finish, but Tanveer delivered under pressure. Needing eight runs off the final over, he sealed victory with a six and a boundary.
“It was, in many ways, a fortunate escape but an outstanding result for us,” said Curran, the Vipers’ stand-in captain.
“ADKR possess a very powerful batting lineup, and I believe our bowlers performed exceptionally well throughout the innings. The dismissals of Hetmyer and Dan introduced an unexpected twist but the team showed commendable composure in the crucial moments.”
Knight Riders’ stand-in skipper Sunil Narine felt his side had been lacking with the bat: “We were 15-20 runs short. We began well in the powerplay and that phase was crucial for us.
“The conditions eventually worked in their favor and the dew made it challenging for our spinners. But at the end of the day that’s part of the game.”
The result leaves the Vipers well placed at this early stage of the tournament, while the Knight Riders were left to reflect on missed opportunities after such a strong start.
