Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen have experienced almost everything soccer has to offer over the last year. (AFP/File)
Short Url
Updated 13 September 2024
Follow

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
  • Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots
  • “We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said

DUESSELDORF, Germany: Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen have experienced almost everything soccer has to offer over the last year. Having to rebound from a loss, not so much.

Leverkusen go into Saturday’s game against Hoffenheim having lost their last league match 3-2 to Leipzig. It was the first Bundesliga game Leverkusen had lost since May 2023.

Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots, but Leipzig’s sudden, incisive counterattacks made the difference.

“We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said Friday. “We have to be stable without the ball, we have to be aggressive, not too passive. I think we conceded chances too simply and that is a football topic but also a mental topic, too.”

Leverkusen’s unbeaten run last season was no ordinary streak. So often did Alonso’s team score late goals to save a point or win a crucial game that it began to feel inevitable, even like part of their identity — like a Hollywood director whose movies all feature improbable final-act twists.

Leverkusen’s unbeaten run in all competitions ended at 51 games when the team lost to Atalanta in May in the Europa League final. Their unbeaten record in German competition hit 15 months before the loss to Leipzig, including the only unbeaten Bundesliga season by any team in history.

The recent international break means Alonso and his team have had two weeks to mull over the Leipzig loss ahead of the away game at Hoffenheim — and a Champions League visit to Feyenoord on Thursday — but there’s been little face-to-face contact between Alonso and his many players on international duty.

“It’s express preparation, express conversation,” he said. “It’s not so many things but there are important things to improve. We had enough time to analyze and to show that and to discuss how we can do that better, so hopefully we have a better, more complete performance.”

Alonso had words of support for defender and vice-captain Jonathan Tah, who was substituted at halftime in Germany’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Tuesday after struggling at times to deal with the Dutch forward.

Tah is a “top player” who returned to the club with a positive attitude after the game, Alonso said.

Like Leipzig, Hoffenheim are another team that Leverkusen beat implausibly late last season.

Back on March 30, Hoffenheim were on course for a 1-0 win that would have shocked European soccer. But then Robert Andrich scored in the 88th minute and Patrik Schick in the 91st, and Leverkusen won 2-1. It was just another gravity-defying feat in a season that was full of them.


Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
Updated 02 July 2025
Follow

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
  • The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Gonzalo Garcia’s 54th-minute header was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Juventus at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday and book their place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.

The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight.

It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side and adding to a positive day, Kylian Mbappe made his return from illness, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the tournament.

The first half was a finely-balanced contest with Igor Tudor’s Juventus starting brightly before Real ended it on top.

There was an early chance for Juve’s Randal Kolo Muani after clever work from Kenan Yildiz to put him through on goal, but the French forward opted for an attempted chip of Thibaut Courtois and his shot floated over the bar.

The impressive Yildiz then burst through the middle and unleashed a fierce effort which deflected off Aurelien Tchouameni and flew wide.

The Turin team, beaten 5-2 by Manchester City in their final group game, were moving the ball around with confidence but Real grew into the contest and they went close when Jude Bellingham forced a save out of Michele Di Gregorio from close range.

Federico Valverde then tested the Juve goalkeeper from long range and Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a low ball across the face of the goal as Madrid finished the half strongly.

The interval did nothing to alter the momentum of the game with Real creating several chances — Bellingham laid off to Valverde, whose sweetly-struck shot was just wide and then Bellingham himself brought another good save out of Di Gregorio with a shot from the edge of the box.

Dean Huijsen’s rocketing drive was parried out by the busy goalkeeper as Real laid seige to the Juventus goal and it was no surprise when the breakthrough finally arrived.

Alexander-Arnold floated in a cross from the right which Gonzalo met with a perfectly-timed header for his third goal in four games in the tournament.

Juve responded with Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao bringing Courtois into action from a low shot the Belgian shot-stopper did well to get down to.

But Real wanted to finish the contest off and Valverde tested Di Gregorio’s reactions with an overhead kick before Alonso decided to introduce Mbappe to the delight of the 62,149 crowd.

Juve’s belief remained however and Nicolas Gonzalez flashed a 25-yard drive just wide.

At the other end, Real’s Turkish midfielder Arda Guler saw his crisp shot kept out by the feet of Di Gregorio, but the one goal was enough.


Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
Updated 01 July 2025
Follow

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
  • The Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about growth of its domestic game

MANCHESTER, England: The great Saudi Arabian football experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup.

The Kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al-Hilal beat Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

It was a seismic result in football terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034.

“We wanted to show that Al-Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,” said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe’s top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years.

Superstar signings and ones that got away

The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in football history when joining Al-Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia.

It is likely why Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most successful team — were so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

They pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City.

“We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great,” Inzaghi said.

Saudi  football has faced doubts

The broader picture is what Al-Hilal’s run says about the standard of football in Saudi Arabia, which has been dismissed by some as a cash grab for players, who can earn far more than if they’d remained in Europe.

“Let’s see now if they will criticize us after these games,” said midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Italian team Lazio. “It’s not like how they are speaking about the league.”

Despite recruiting so many players from Europe’s top clubs — including Champions League winners N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino — it is difficult to judge the quality of the Saudi league.

To put Al-Hilal’s run into context: While they may have won a record 19 league titles and four Asian championships, they are not the Saudi Arabia’s reigning national champion, having been beaten to the title by Benzema’s Al-Ittihad last season.

Another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, who count former Liverpool forward Firmino and ex-Manchester City winger Mahrez among their players, won the Asian Champions League this year.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is yet to win the title in three attempts with Al-Nassr — pointing to the depth of strength in the league.

Al-Hilal’s performances have also come despite releasing Brazil great Neymar in January and with leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic having played no part so far because of injury.

Can Al Hilal win the Club World Cup?

The question now is how far Al-Hilal can go.

Next up is Brazil’s Fluminense in the quarterfinals in Orlando on Friday.

City’s exit — along with Inter Milan’s defeat to Fluminense — has opened up that side of the draw, which also features Palmeiras and Chelsea.

On paper it looks like the favorable side of the draw, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on the other side. But the success of Brazilian teams has been another theme of the tournament and Al-Hilal will have to beat at least one more if they are to advance to the final.

Inzaghi, however, is used to overachieving. His two Champions League finals with Inter Milan came despite having an aging team and relying on savvy deals in the transfer market to pick up free agents and veteran players.

Inter’s victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of this year’s competition was one of the all-time classic contests — winning 7-6 on aggregate.

Al-Hilal’s impressive run has come after Inzaghi spent just one week training with the team before the tournament.

Even if they are eliminated in the next round, a quarterfinals appearance would represent an outstanding campaign for a team that was not expected to compete for the title.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in sport is undoubtedly paying off and Al-Hilal’s run is succeeding in raising the profile of its soccer league.


Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
Updated 01 July 2025
Follow

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
  • Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy

LONDON: Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova survived a stiff examination from promising 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala before finding her groove to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Wimbledon’s Center Court on Tuesday. Czech Krejcikova, a shock winner as 31st seed last year and seeded 17th this time, came into the tournament short on form after a succession of injuries and initially had no answer to the confident, free-swinging Eala, who is the first woman from the Philippines to play at Wimbledon.

Eala turned 20 in May and was making her first Wimbledon appearance but she immediately looked at home in the daunting surroundings of the sport’s most iconic court.

Krejcikova forced the first break in the third game, however, Eala hit straight back, swinging her lefty forehand freely and throwing in a beautifully disguised drop shot.

She then upped the ante, holding confidently and breaking again as her two-fisted backhand came to the fore and, from 2-1 down with a break against, Eala reeled off four games in a row.

Krejcikova struggled to find any consistency and was not helped by five first-set double faults and very cautious shot choices.

The champion just about held serve after six deuces but Eala was not to be denied and served out to take the first set.

Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy and found her serving range.

LIGHTWEIGHT SERVE

With Eala also starting to lose her radar and with her lightweight serve being punished, the champion swept to a 5-0 lead and took the set 6-2.

Krejcikova grabbed an early break in the third with pounding returns and though Eala had an immediate breakback opportunity, she could not take it and quickly trailed 3-0.

It was relatively straightforward from then, as a tired-looking Eala’s error-count rose and Krejcikova raced home in ever-more confident style.

Krejcikova was quick to credit her opponent.

“I mean, what the hell she played in the first set?,” she said. “She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines, so wow, wow. She’s going to be really good in a couple of years.”

Krejcikova said she was “super happy” to even be back to defend her title after a back injury ruled her out of the Australian Open and a thigh problem curtailed her grasscourt build up.

“Definitely six months ago I was in a lot of pain with my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said.

“So I’m super-excited that I can be here and that I can play and that I can play on such a great court.”

She said she also took time before the match to inspect the trophy, with her name engraved from last year.

“I was definitely enjoying the moment,” she said. “Having that opportunity, that I can see my name there and that I can see the trophy and that I can just enter such a beautiful court, such a beautiful venue — it’s super, super special.”


Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
Updated 01 July 2025
Follow

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
  • Lacazette joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season
  • Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims

PARIS: Former France forward Alexandre Lacazette has signed for Saudi club Neom after the end of his contract at Lyon, the Pro League side announced on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season.

“From the cradle of heritage in Lyon to the frontier of the future at NEOM S.C,” Neom said in a social media post. “Sharpshooter @LacazetteAlex has arrived.”

Lacazette joined Lyon for a second spell with the team in 2022 from Arsenal and left the club as the second-highest goalscorer in their history with 201 goals.

Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims on Monday.


Andreeva youngest woman left in Wimbledon women’s draw after nervy win over Sherif

Andreeva youngest woman left in Wimbledon women’s draw after nervy win over Sherif
Updated 01 July 2025
Follow

Andreeva youngest woman left in Wimbledon women’s draw after nervy win over Sherif

Andreeva youngest woman left in Wimbledon women’s draw after nervy win over Sherif
  • Russian hot prospect put to work in opening match on hot and humid Court 3 by energetic Egyptian

LONDON: Wimbledon seventh seed Mirra Andreeva booked her place in the second round with a 6-3 6-3 win over Mayar Sherif following a nervy start on Tuesday, with the 18-year-old now the youngest woman standing at this year’s tournament.

Big things are expected of the Russian teenager who reached the fourth round on her debut at the All England Club as a 16-year-old, but was quickly put to work in her opening match this time on a hot and humid Court 3 by the energetic Sherif.

A nervous Andreeva found herself 2-0 down at the start, but broke back when Sherif hit a backhand wide. The pair traded breaks again, fighting a baseline battle, but Andreeva took a crucial 4-3 lead with a powerful backhand winner down the line.

She broke again and claimed the set with another backhand, this time passing the 86th-ranked Egyptian as Andreeva grew in confidence and began to demonstrate the kind of agility and dexterity that has made many tip her for Grand Slam success.

A wasted break point at the beginning of the second led the Russian to repeatedly hit her thigh with her racket in frustration. She made sure not to waste another, breaking to go 3-1 up and from there had no trouble in closing out the match.

Andreeva, coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, will next face 63rd-ranked Italian Lucia Bronzetti for a place in the third round.