Bayern beat Man United as Real Madrid, Arsenal triumph in Champions League

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Real Madrid's English midfielder Jude Bellingham scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 1st round Group C match between Real Madrid and Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Wednesday. (AFP)
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Bayern Munich's English forward Harry Kane celebrates scoring the 3-1 goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group A match FC Bayern Munich and Manchester United in Munich on Wednesday. (AFP)
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Updated 21 September 2023
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Bayern beat Man United as Real Madrid, Arsenal triumph in Champions League

  • The meeting between German champions Bayern and a struggling United side was the biggest game of the opening round of matches and it did not disappoint
  • Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in their first Champions League game since the 2016/17 season

PARIS: Harry Kane was among the scorers as Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 4-3 in their heavyweight Champions League clash on Wednesday, while Jude Bellingham snatched a dramatic late winner for Real Madrid and Arsenal began their campaign with a big victory.

The meeting between German champions Bayern and a struggling United side, a repeat of the 1999 final, was the biggest game of the opening round of matches in this season’s competition and it did not disappoint.

Leroy Sane gave Bayern the lead at the Allianz Arena with a shot that squirmed through the grasp of United goalkeeper Andre Onana, and Jamal Musiala set up Serge Gnabry to make it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark.

Rasmus Hojlund pulled one back early in the second half with his first United goal, but shortly after Christian Eriksen was penalized for a handball in the box and Kane blasted in the resulting penalty.

Sane hit the post for the hosts before a crazy finish saw Casemiro reduce the deficit again, substitute Mathys Tel score Bayern’s fourth, and Casemiro nod in another at the death to make it 4-3.

“A crazy finish,” Kane told British broadcaster TNT Sports after netting his fifth goal in six games for his new club.

“We lost a bit of concentration there in the last five minutes. Thankfully we were able to hold onto the lead.

“Overall it’s a really good start to the campaign against a tough side.”

Erik ten Hag’s United team have now suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions and lost four of their last five matches.

“After my mistake we lost control of the game. It’s a difficult situation for us, for me,” said Onana in reference to Bayern’s first goal.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are already in control of Group A, in which the other game saw Galatasaray come from two goals down to draw 2-2 with FC Copenhagen.

Goals from Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves had the visitors in control in Istanbul but they then had Elias Jelert sent off and Galatasaray struck twice in the last four minutes of regulation time through Sacha Boey and Tete to earn a point.

In Madrid, Bellingham popped up from close range to score a 94th-minute winner as record 14-time European champions Real beat tournament debutants Union Berlin 1-0 in Group C.

The England international has started his Madrid career in stunning goalscoring form with six goals in six games for the club across all competitions.

“He has great qualities, it seems he’s got luck too, because the goal is a rebound, but he was there, he arrives from deep, and he’s more switched on than others, he’s got that quality and he’s taking advantage of it,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid’s next game is away to Napoli, who won 2-1 against Braga in Portugal with Sikou Niakate’s late own goal giving the Italian team victory.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo had put Napoli ahead but Bruma looked to have earned Braga a draw when he struck with six minutes left.

Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in their first Champions League game since the 2016/17 season.

Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all scored first-half goals in the rain in London and Martin Odegaard wrapped up the win after the break.

“It was a beautiful night after such a long time. It was great to see the atmosphere, the Champions League music. It was emotional before the game,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.

Their Group B rivals Sevilla and Lens drew 1-1 in Spain, with Angelo Fulgini’s free-kick earning the French side a draw after Lucas Ocampos headed the hosts in front.

Last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan needed an 87th-minute Lautaro Martinez equalizer as they came from behind to draw 1-1 at Real Sociedad in Group D.

Brais Mendez had given the home team an early lead in San Sebastian.

In the same group Red Bull Salzburg missed one penalty but scored another in a 2-0 win away to Benfica in Lisbon.

Karim Konate blazed the Austrian team’s first spot-kick over the bar in the third minute but home defender Antonio Silva was sent off on 13 minutes for a handball on the line and Salzburg’s second penalty was converted by Roko Simic.

Oscar Gloukh scored their second goal just after the break.


Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Updated 1 min 30 sec ago
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Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

  • James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
  • City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool

MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.


Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Updated 56 min 50 sec ago
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Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

  • Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
  • Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal

LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”


Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Updated 23 November 2024
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Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

  • Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer
  • In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens

DORTMUND: RB Leipzig continued to lose ground on Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich with a 4-3 defeat at lowly Hoffenheim on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen registered big wins.
Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer.
Hoffenheim’s Adam Hlozek collected a brace while Tom Bischof scored a clever free kick and Jakob Bruun Larsen was responsible for the winner in the 86th minute.
Leipzig’s efforts came through Willi Orban, Antonio Nusa and an own goal from Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki.
Equal on points with Bayern just three matchdays ago, Leipzig have lost two and drawn one and now sit eight behind the league leaders.
Leipzig had only conceded five goals in the league season before Saturday’s outing.
Eintracht Frankfurt can leapfrog Leipzig into second place and close the gap on Bayern to six points when they host Werder Bremen later on Saturday.
In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens, while the visitors finished with nine men.
Under fire and sitting outside the European placings coming into the match, Dortmund’s one saving grace this league campaign has been their home form, with five wins from five.
The hosts got on track early, when Beier, who scored a double for Germany’s under-21s against France this week, opening the scoring seven minutes in.
Midfielder Nmecha, who scored for Germany’s senior side in their 1-1 draw in Hungary midweek, added a second with a superb long-range effort on the 40th-minute mark.
Freiburg’s hopes of a comeback were snuffed out after 63 minutes when Patrick Osterhage picked up a second yellow card for a rough tussle with Marcel Sabitzer.
From the ensuing free kick, Dortmund’s Brandt curled the ball home and England winger Gittens curled in a fourth to seal the match with 13 minutes remaining.
Freiburg’s Junior Adamu saw straight red for striking Dortmund’s Waldemar Anton in stoppage time, reducing his side to nine men.
Dortmund have now won their past six against Freiburg, scoring 24 and conceding five.
Defending champions Leverkusen came from two goals down to win 5-2 at home against Heidenheim thanks to a hat-trick from Patrick Schick.
Heidenheim, who host Chelsea in the Conference League on Thursday, were two goals up within 21 minutes, with Niklas Dorsch and Mathias Honsak taking advantage of some sleepy defense.
World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios pulled one back on the half-hour mark before Schick, in for the injured Victor Boniface, scored three unanswered goals to wrestle back control of the match before Granit Xhaka added a fifth with eight minutes remaining.
Last season’s runners-up Stuttgart scored two second-half goals through Chris Fuehrich and Justin Diehl to win 2-0 at home over last-placed Bochum, who have just one point from 11 games this season.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg’s Ridle Baku scored the only goal as his side defeated Union Berlin 1-0 at home.


Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

Updated 23 November 2024
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Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

  • Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions
  • “What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said

MALAGA: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday it was “ugly” to speculate about the mental health of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions and is also involved in a multi-million euro pay dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Ancelotti was asked at his weekly press conference if the striker was struggling with pressure.
“What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said.
“I see him as happy to be here, if he is, he doesn’t show it, but I think speculating about problems of this type is a bit ugly.”
The forward was left out of France’s squad for recent Nations League matches for the second time in two months, and was linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, which Mbappe has denied.
France coach Didier Deschamps did not select the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Italy, saying “it was better that way.”
Ancelotti said he was confident Mbappe, who joined Madrid this summer at the end of his PSG deal, would find the net at the weekend away at minnows Leganes.
“There are always bad moments, all the great strikers have been through them, but he’s motivated and happy, and that’s all I can see,” continued Ancelotti.
“I’m convinced that he’s going to play a great match tomorrow and that all this will come to an end.
“He has extraordinary qualities, it’s just a matter of time.”


PSG beat Toulouse 3-0, Akliouche double gives Monaco home win over Brest

Updated 23 November 2024
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PSG beat Toulouse 3-0, Akliouche double gives Monaco home win over Brest

  • The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, who came into the game in a more even second half
  • The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain retained a six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a labored 3-0 home win over Toulouse on Friday.

The defending champion dominated the first half but it took until the 35th minute to open the scoring.

Young Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves spun to meet a cross from the right and struck a superb half volley from just outside the box.

Lucas Beraldo got a second with six minutes remaining when he pounced on loose ball and fired home.

Vitinha made it 3-0 in stoppage time when he showed fine footwork inside the box to finish off a quick counterattack.

The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, who came into the game in a more even second half.

Only Vitinha’s last-gasp tackle stopped Zakaria Aboukhlal from equalizing after 69 minutes and then Shavy Babicka blazed over from close range a minute later when he should have hit the target.

The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich.

PSG lie in 25th place in the 36-team Champions League table with one win in four matches and outside the playoff spots.

Monaco beat Brest

The win came immediately after second-placed Monaco beat Brest 3-2 to briefly close the gap at the top to three points.

Brest, who face Barcelona next week in the Champions League, turned in another inconsistent French league performance and not the sparkling form they have shown in Europe.

Brest have struggled in Ligue 1, where they remain 12th, but shone with three wins from four in their first-ever Champions League campaign.

It was behind after just five minutes on Friday when Maghnes Akliouche scored with a superb airborne volley, and 2-0 down after 24 minutes thanks to Aleksandr Golovin.

The Russian striker seized on a poor pass just outside the Brest penalty area and his low shot was perfectly placed to sneak in off the post and give him his first goal in nine league appearances.

On-loan Brighton striker Abdallah Sima used his 1.88-meter frame to outjump the Monaco defense four minutes into the second half and cut the deficit but Akliouche restored Monaco’s two-goal cushion when he brilliantly finished a quick counterattack in stoppage time.

Ludovic Ajorque got a second for Brest in the sixth minute of added time but it was not enough in a second half most notable for the red card shown to Brest coach Eric Roy.