LEVERKUSEN, Germany: Harry Kane scored twice in Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday to set a new personal record for goals in a season as RB Leipzig tightened their grip on fourth spot with a home victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Kane scored in each half, finishing off a tearing Konrad Laimer run and converting a penalty, to raise his league tally to 35 goals in 31 games.
Kane is now six goals shy of Robert Lewandowski’s all-time single-season Bundesliga goals record and has hit a personal best of 42 goals in all competitions this campaign.
The England captain’s goals came either side of a Hugo Ekitike stunner, a day after the Frenchman became a permanent Frankfurt player.
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller said his side was “in a good flow,” saying since getting past Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals “we’ve been getting better, we’ve got a grip on things.”
Before the match, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel hit back at claims from the club’s honorary president Uli Hoeness that the manager wanted to buy rather than develop players, saying the “absolutely baseless” allegation “could not be further from reality.”
Despite the victory, which solidified Bayern’s chances of a second-placed finish, both Laimer and defender Matthijs de Ligt were subbed off with injury just days before Tuesday’s home Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid.
Dortmund, Germany’s other Champions League semifinalist, had a setback ahead of hosting Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, being thoroughly outclassed in a 4-1 defeat at Leipzig.
The undermanned visitors, missing captain Emre Can, Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen and Sebastien Haller, dominated early, hitting the lead after 20 minutes through Jadon Sancho.
The England winger curled an excellent shot from the edge of the box into the top right corner to give Dortmund the lead.
Jolted to life, Leipzig equalized almost immediately, Lois Openda turning in a superb Xavi Simons cross for his 24th goal of the season.
Originally called offside, the goal was awarded after a VAR review and the video referee intervened again shortly after, overturning a penalty for Leipzig.
Leipzig then scored two quick-fire goals either side of half-time. Benjamin Sesko pounced on a rebound just before the break and Openda found Mohamed Simakan early in the second.
Christoph Baumgartner added a fourth with 10 minutes remaining to send Leipzig five points clear of Dortmund in fourth, the final guaranteed Champions League spot.
Dortmund goalie Gregor Kobel said “like so often this season, we gifted the opponent too many goals.”
With three teams in the semifinals of the top two European competitions, Germany may however snare a fifth Champions League spot.
Werder Bremen guaranteed first division football next season, winning 3-0 away at Augsburg to go 10 points clear of the drop with three games to play.
Goals from Romano Schmid and Olivier Deman and a Marvin Ducksch penalty took Bremen to a second-straight win for the first time since February.
Wolfsburg also took a major step toward securing top-flight football, scoring two goals in the final minutes to come from behind and beat a 10-man Freiburg 2-1.
In Saturday’s late game, Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen will try and keep their unbeaten record alive this season when they host third-placed Stuttgart.
No team in Bundesliga history has ever gone through a season unbeaten.
Kane hits double in Bayern win as Leipzig tighten grip on fourth
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Kane hits double in Bayern win as Leipzig tighten grip on fourth
- Kane scored in each half, finishing off a tearing Konrad Laimer run and converting a penalty, to raise his league tally to 35 goals in 31 games
- Kane is now six goals shy of Robert Lewandowski’s all-time single-season Bundesliga goals record
Mamelodi Sundowns to meet Pyramids in African Champions League final
- Al Ahly defender Yasser Ibrahim turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time
- Later in the Egyptian capital, Pyramids twice came from behind to beat Orlando Pirates of South Africa 3-2
CAIRO: A last-gasp own goal gave Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa an upset result over holders Al Ahly on Friday and a place against another Egyptian club, Pyramids, in next month’s African Champions League final.
Al Ahly defender Yasser Ibrahim turned the ball into his own net in stoppage time at the end of a semifinal second-leg tie in Cairo to see Sundowns eliminate the Egyptian giants on the away goals rule after a 1-1 draw.
Later in the Egyptian capital, Pyramids twice came from behind to beat Orlando Pirates of South Africa 3-2 with Fiston Mayele scoring twice for the home side to advance to the deciding tie.
Pyramids will play in their first Champions League final when they take on Sundowns in the first leg in Pretoria on May 24 and the return in Cairo on June 1.
The first legs of both semifinals last weekend ended goalless, handing a major advantage to the two Egyptians clubs who were hosting the return matches.
Al Ahly, who have long been the dominant force in African club competition, were aiming for a sixth successive final and looked to be on their way after Taher Mohamed slammed home a stunning effort from the right in the 24th minute at a near-capacity Cairo International Stadium, awash in the red colors of the home team.
Ahly needed only to hold on to their lead to ensure yet another final appearance but Sundowns forced several half-chances in the second half and threw on extra attackers in the closing stages to try to rescue a result.
Their equalizer, however, was fortuitous as the ball struck unsighted defender Ibrahim on the back of his leg in a goalmouth melee and rolled into the net to send Sundowns through to their third final appearance, and first since 2016.
Compatriots Pirates, who were winners in 1995 and runners-up in 2013, went ahead in the 40th minute at the Air Defense Stadium when Pyramids failed to clear a free kick and the ball fell for 20-year-old Relebohile Mofokeng to hammer home a right-footed half volley.
But the lead lasted only four minutes before Mostafa Fathy provided a cross for Congolese striker Mayele to chest home an equalizer.
Another rasping shot from youthful Mohau Nkota put Pirates back in front seven minutes into the second half but substitute Ramadan Sobhi equalized with his first touch after coming on to head home five minutes later.
Mayele then reacted quickest to a rebound from a corner six minutes from time to ensure Pyramids’ progress.
Al-Hilal storm into Champions League last four
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scores first in 7-0 rout of South Korea’s Gwangju
- Al-Hilal will play domestic rivals Al-Ahli or Thailand’s Buriram United in Tuesday’s semifinal
JEDDAH: Al-Hilal thrashed Gwangju FC 7-0 on Friday to ease into the semifinals of the AFC Champions League.
An early goal from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic gave the Saudi Arabians the lead and they never looked back, much to the delight of their fans in Jeddah.
They were three goals to the good by the break and the second half was even better. On this performance, the four-time champions, who had been in uncertain form in the Saudi Pro League of late, will take some stopping on their quest for a fifth continental crown.
It took just six minutes for the home fans — who provided a fantastic tifo backdrop — to be celebrating. Salem Al-Dawsari swung over a corner and Milinkovic-Savic broke free at the near post to send a perfect header into the far corner.
The South Koreans should have been level just three minutes later. Reis’ pass sent Jasir Asani through on goal. The stadium sat back waiting for the tournament’s top scorer to grab goal No. 10 but his shot was blocked by Yassine Bounou. It turned out to be a turning point in the game because just past the midway point of the first half Hilal extended their lead.
Malcom had space down the right, found Marcos Leonardo on the edge of the six-yard box and his fellow Brazilian made no mistake with his first-time shot.
Leonardo then turned provider. Still inside his own half, he found Al-Dawsari just inside Gwangju’s. The international outpaced the defense, sprinted into the area and found the back of the net with a confident finish.
That seemed to be that and the win was sealed 10 minutes after the break as Aleksandar Mitrovic got in on the act. Fellow Serbian Milinkovic-Savic swung over a cross from the right and there was the striker to attack the bouncing ball and lash it into the bottom corner.
From then it was all about how many the Riyadh giants would score. The fifth came 11 minutes from time. Malcom swapped passes with Mitrovic at the edge of the area and then slipped the ball past the goalkeeper. There was time for two more from two substitutes.
Nasser Al-Dawsari grabbed the sixth and Abdullah Al-Hamdan completed the rout.
Al-Hilal can now sit back and prepare for Tuesday’s semifinal against either domestic rivals Al-Ahli or Thailand’s Buriram United.
Guardiola says Man City must show ‘spirit’ to get back on top
- It was a display of unity that Guardiola didn’t see earlier in the season
- “We learn to do better. To create another bond with the team, to celebrate when we score a goal,” he said
LONDON: Pep Guardiola has vowed Manchester City will be back to their best next season after losing their “spirit” during a turbulent campaign that exposed an unexpected lack of hunger in his side.
Currently third in the Premier League, City — who had won the previous four English titles — want to salvage a dismal year by winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League via a top five finish.
Guardiola’s side face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semifinals on Sunday knowing defeat at Wembley would condemn them to finish without a major trophy for the first time since 2016-17.
But Guardiola is already thinking about how to avoid a repeat of City’s stunning struggles and he believes he has found the solution.
The City boss noticed the passion his players celebrated with after Bernardo Silva put them ahead in a crucial 2-1 win against top-five rivals Aston Villa on Tuesday.
It was a display of unity that Guardiola didn’t see earlier in the season, when he felt City took success for granted after winning six of the last seven Premier League titles.
“We learn to do better. To create another bond with the team, to celebrate when we score a goal,” he told reporters on Friday.
“When Bernardo scored the first goal on Tuesday we celebrated. The body language, the passion.
“We didn’t celebrate the same way when we scored in October. That stupid detail tells a lot.
“We have to recover the spirit we had in the first nine years. This year we didn’t have it.”
Guardiola hopes his quest to reignite his players’ fire will eventually close the gap on champions-elect Liverpool.
“Next season will be better. Everybody learned the lesson. I think we will compete a bit better for the Premier League,” he said.
“I’m not saying we will win it but we will be more who we are. I think the players understand. You have to fight to defend your club. I’m pretty sure we will be back again.”
Guardiola took heart from the way Rodri has been trying to inspire his team-mates as the Spain midfielder recovers from the knee injury that has sidelined him since September.
“I love that,” Guardiola said. “The guy doesn’t play and I allow him to be a manager.
“He will help the guys and it is the way we create a team. It is something special.”
City are aiming to reach the FA Cup final for a third successive season after winning the competition in 2023 and losing last year’s showpiece against Manchester United.
They face a tricky test from Nuno Espirito Santo’s team after losing 1-0 at the City Ground in the Premier League in March, a result that maintained Forest’s unexpected push for a first Champions League campaign since 1980-81.
“It would be good to make the final but we have a serious and tough rival. Nuno has been incredible,” Guardiola said.
This is the seventh successive season that City have reached the FA Cup semifinals, but they have only lifted the trophy twice in the Guardiola era.
No matter the result at Wembley, Guardiola acknowledged the season has been a failure.
“I said many times the season has not been good, regardless if we reach the final or go to the Champions League,” he said.
“Too many matches have not been good. We would avoid bigger damage for the club if we win the cup. But what will dictate the season is the Premier League.”
Real demand action against referees and boycott pre-Cup final activities
- Real had boycotted pre-match activities ahead of Saturday’s final against Barcelona after the match referee gave an emotional press conference
- De Burgos expressed his distress during the press conference, saying: “When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick“
SEVILLE, Spain: Preparations for the Copa del Rey final were thrown into turmoil on Friday when Real Madrid accused the match referees of having “animosity and hostility” toward them and called on the Spanish FA to take action.
Real had boycotted pre-match activities ahead of Saturday’s final against Barcelona after the match referee gave an emotional press conference in which he called out the club for criticizing him on their in-house TV channel.
A club source told Reuters that the decision to pull out of their pre-match obligations was taken due to Real’s “unprecedented astonishment” at the press conference given by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea earlier on Friday. The referee had broken down in tears while responding to a critical video put out by RMTV.
The source said Real saw the press conference as “a clear conflict of interest” and, while they had not asked the Spanish FA (RFEF) to replace the officials, they believed the refereeing team should be changed.
Real issued a statement later on Friday in which they defended RMTV as “protected by freedom of expression” and said the match referees had a “clear and manifest animosity and hostility... against Real Madrid.”
“In view of the seriousness of what has happened, Real Madrid hope that those in charge of the RFEF and the Refereeing Committee will act accordingly, adopting the corresponding measures in defense of the prestige of the institutions they represent,” the club added.
RFEF president Rafael Louzan told reporters that he would not comment on Real’s statement nor on whether they would change the final’s referees, calling “for calm, responsibility and common sense” from all parts.
The video, released on Thursday, showed what RMTV said was a series of errors made by De Burgos throughout his career.
The release was the latest in a string of edits by RMTV, criticizing Spanish officials.
’MAKES YOU SICK’
De Burgos expressed his distress during the press conference, saying: “When a child arrives at school and his mates tell him that his father is a thief, it makes you sick.”
He went on to emphasize his integrity and the challenges faced by many officials, in professional football and at grassroots level.
“What I do is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is an honest man, that he makes mistakes like any other sportsman. It’s very hard, I don’t recommend it to anyone.
“It is not right what we are going through for many colleagues... Let everyone reflect on where we want to go, on what we want from sport and from football.”
Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, the VAR official for Saturday’s final who was seated next to De Burgos, said referees would soon take action due to the continuous pressure they faced.
“In a few days you all will see,” he said. “We are going to make history and we are not going to continue to put up with what we are putting up with. A strike? You will have news from us soon.”
Real said in their statement that Fuertes’s comments had been made “in a threatening tone” and were “far removed from the principles of fairness, objectivity and impartiality that should prevail just a few hours before a football event.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said on Friday that action should be taken to protect referees.
“For me, it’s only a sport. It’s only a game. It’s only football... It is our responsibility to protect not only the players but all the people involved in the game,” Flick told a press conference.
In February, the RFEF highlighted referees’ concerns over abuse, citing the case of official Jose Munuera Montero who faced a backlash after issuing a red card to Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
A few weeks earlier, Real had also lodged a letter of complaint against the Spanish referees following their 1-0 defeat by Espanyol.
Eddie Howe ‘not 100 percent’ on Newcastle return after pneumonia
- Newcastle boss went into hospital on April 11 after feeling unwell for several days
- He missed his side’s Premier League fixtures against Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa
LONDON: Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted he does not feel “100 percent” after returning to work following his serious bout of pneumonia.
Howe went into hospital on April 11 after feeling unwell for several days and missed his side’s Premier League fixtures against Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
The 47-year-old, who led Newcastle to their first major trophy in 56 years earlier this season, is not completely recovered but was keen to get back to work with the League Cup winners.
“I’m OK. I’m not 100 percent in my body, but I’d like to think I’m very close to 100 percent in my mind, which is the most important thing,” Howe told reporters on Friday.
“I tried to take a positive from every experience, I think that’s really important to try and do that, but this has been a real challenge because your health, you take for granted.
“I certainly have and when you don’t have the luxury of feeling normal, it can be very difficult.
“I certainly have been through a range of emotions, but thankfully I feel like I’m on the road to recovery, which is the most important thing and I’m delighted to be here.”
Assistant coach Jason Tindall filled in for Howe, securing comprehensive wins over United and Palace before last weekend’s 4-1 loss at Villa.
With fifth-placed Newcastle in the midst of a tense battle to qualify for the Champions League via a top five finish, Howe will be back at St. James’ Park for Saturday’s clash with lowly Ipswich.
“For those first two games, I was watching and involved. I wasn’t feeling well enough to probably enjoy the performances, but a big thank you to the players because they gave everything in those two games to get two massive wins for us,” he said.
“The staff behaved and acted absolutely brilliantly so a real tribute to them and now I’m back I hope I can add something to the group as we go into the last five games.”
Asked if his illness could have become life-threatening without quick action, Howe said: “I’m one of those people, probably like most men, that you sort of go through everything, you don’t necessarily offer yourself to doctors and people but think ‘I’ll be ok in a couple of days, I’ll fight through it’.
“So I was very thankful the doctor here, Paul Catterson, acted quickly because without that quick intervention it could possibly have had a different outcome.”
It will be a while before Howe feels able to join in training with his players, but he is relieved to get back to the daily routine.
“I came back in and it was normal service resumed, probably minus running around,” he said.
“A lot more reserved physically and I think I’m gonna be that way for a while, but certainly back to normal service.”
