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
Liverpool’s Salah named Premier League player of the season, Gravenberch best youngster
- Having also earned the award in 2017-18, Salah became only the fifth player to win it twice
- The 32-year-old Egyptian is on course to win another Golden Boot
LONDON: Mohamed Salah was named the Premier League player of the season on Saturday after a stellar individual campaign as Liverpool cruised to their second Premier League title while his team mate Ryan Gravenberch was named the young player of the season.
Salah scored 28 goals and provided 18 assists to guide the Anfield club to the title, with Arne Slot’s side winning it with four games to spare.
Having also earned the award in 2017-18, Salah became only the fifth player to win it twice after Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Kevin De Bruyne.
The 32-year-old Egyptian is on course to win another Golden Boot for most goals in a season and is five strikes ahead of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak going into the final day of the season on Sunday.
No player before has had 46 goal involvements in a 38-game season and Salah could even break the record of 47 held by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, who achieved the feat in a 42-game campaign, when Liverpool host Crystal Palace at Anfield.
With six more assists than any other player, Salah can become the first footballer to win the Golden Boot, Golden Playmaker and player of the season awards.
Salah also won the Football Writers’ Association men’s player of the year for the third time earlier this month.
Gravenberch became one of the first names on the team sheet under Slot, who deployed the Dutchman as a deep-lying midfielder, and the 23-year-old has become a crucial part of Liverpool’s spine, making 36 appearances this season.
His versatility to shield Liverpool’s back line has come to the fore this season while his ability to quickly initiate attacks, cutting out passing lanes and winning back possession, has made him indispensable.
No midfielder has made more interceptions this season than Gravenberch (59).
Gravenberch was also nominated for the Player of the Season award along with Virgil Van Dijk — the three Liverpool players who have clocked the most minutes in the team in the Premier League this season.
He is also the second Liverpool player to win the youngsters’ award after Trent Alexander-Arnold won it in 2019-20, the season it was introduced.
Arsenal seek to defy the odds against mighty Barcelona in women’s Champions League final
- Manager Renee Slegers believes her disciplined side can triumph over the Catalan giants of women’s football, who are the strong favorites to win their fourth European title
- Alessia Russo: They (Barca) are a really good football team, but we are here to win
LISBON: Arsenal will bid to defy the odds against Barcelona in Saturday’s women’s Champions League final in Lisbon, aiming to secure their second title with courage and underrated defiance.
Manager Renee Slegers believes her disciplined side can triumph over the Catalan giants of women’s football, who are the strong favorites to win their fourth European title.
“We want to show courage tomorrow. We respect Barca as a team. They are a really good football team, so we are humble, but we are here to win,” she told reporters on Friday.
“We have to find ways to win, and I am confident that the momentum of the game will shift. It’s important that we deal with every moment really well. We need courage and discipline, and we need to be switched on. If we do all those things well, we can perform well. We believe in our ability tomorrow.”
Arsenal forward Alessia Russo echoed Slegers’ sentiments.
“We want to show courage tomorrow. We respect Barca as a team,” she said. “They are a really good football team, but we are here to win. We have to find ways to win, and I am confident that, if we handle all situations well and stay focused, we can perform well.
“Belief is something we have spoken about a lot as a team this season. We have found lots of different ways to win. It’s been a season full of highs and lows, but we’ve learnt a lot,” the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker added.
Veteran midfielder Kim Little, who played in the 2007 final victory against Sweden’s Umea, looked back in time when asked about Arsenal’s first meeting with Barca in Europe’s top club competition during the 2012–13 season, when the London team won 7–0 on aggregate.
“It’s incredible for me to still be at the club. We came out on top,” Little said. “After 2007 and everything the club has achieved since then, leading the team on this occasion is so special.”
Three clubs fighting relegation in SPL Roshn League’s final round
- Two out of the three clubs — Al-Wehda, Al-Akhdood and Al-Orobah — will be relegated to join Al-Raed
- Al-Wehda will stay in the league if they win or draw against Al-Ettifaq in Dammam
RIYADH: Three clubs — Al-Wehda, Al-Akhdood and Al-Orobah — will be fighting relegation during the Saudi Pro League (Roshn League) final round on Monday with matches being played simultaneously.
Two out of the three clubs will join Al-Raed, who have already been relegated to the first division. As things stand, Al-Wehda is in 15th place with 33 points, Al-Akhdood is in 16th place with 31 points and Al-Orobah is in 17th place with 30 points.
Al-Wehda will stay in the league if they win or draw against Al-Ettifaq in Dammam. A loss means they will need both Al-Akhdood and Al-Orobah to also lose or draw.
Al-Akhdood must beat Al-Khaleej and hope that Al-Wehda lose, as that would keep Al-Akhdood in the SPL for another new season.
Al-Orobah has the most difficult task. They need to beat Al-Taawoun in Al-Jouf and then hope that both Al-Wehda and Al-Akhdood lose. If that happens, Al-Orobah will move above Al-Akhdood in points and tie with Al-Wehda.
In that case, Al-Orobah would survive because they have a better head-to-head record against Al-Wehda — losing the first match 2–1 but winning the second 4–2.
Sports City Stadium in Lebanon springs back to life after years of disuse
- Several leading political figures watch Beirut derby between Premier League football teams Nejmeh and Al-Ansar, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
- The reopening of the stadium sends ‘message to athletes that your dreams are safe,’ says sports minister
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium sprang back to life on Friday after five years of disuse, as it hosted a Beirut derby match between Lebanese Premier League football teams Nejmeh and Al-Ansar.
Several leading political figures and other officials were among the crowd watching the game, which took place under the patronage of President Joseph Aoun and ended in a 1-1 draw.
One of them was Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who gave the signal to kick off the match at 4.45 p.m. local time. Others included Nora Bayrakdarian, minister of youth and sports; MP Wadah Al-Sadek; MP Nabil Badr, who is is also the president of Al-Ansar; and Hachem Haidar, president of the Lebanese Football Association. Their presence was seen as a clear indication of the new government’s commitment to engagement with and support for sports.
Bayrakdarian said of the renovated stadium, which was severely damaged in the 2020 Beirut Port explosion: “This is a unifying national symbol that has hosted international and national matches, uniting the Lebanese under one banner, far removed from divisions.”
The repair and reopening of the multiuse venue sends a “message to athletes that your dreams are safe, and to young people that you are a priority,” she added.
Ibrahim Zaazaa, a former Nejmeh player and coach, told Arab News: “This is an unprecedented achievement for Lebanese football. I hope such initiatives are applied across all other stadiums. It’s a great step for sports in general and football in particular.”
He thanked sporting and administrative authorities for their hard work to renovate and reopen the stadium at a time “when Lebanese football needs a distinguished renaissance to restore its glitziness and reputation,” in particular “through the most prominent competitors in the history of Lebanese football, Nejmeh and Al-Ansar.”
Abdel Fattah Chehab, a former player for Al-Ansar and the Lebanese national team, said the reopening of the stadium was a “step forward after years of abandonment.”
He called for similar projects to renovate and refurbish all stadiums in the country added: “I am 100 percent sure that such initiatives are important to develop the standard of Lebanese footballers.
“The fact that the two powerhouses (with the biggest fan bases) are the ones playing such an important game in this giant sporting complex following the major overhaul … will benefit football and footballers.”
Toufic Al-Turk, a fan of Nejmeh, said: “It is a great moment to see Beirut’s Sports City Stadium reopen and host the special derby between Nejmeh and Al-Ansar. This brings new energy to Lebanese football and gives a strong push to the whole sporting scene in Lebanon.”
Thousands of supporters of both clubs attended the match. Political chants could be heard coming from a small section of the fans.
In a message posted on social media platform X after the game, Prime Minister Salam said: “It was with great pleasure that I participated in bringing life back to Camille Chamoun Sports City, where sporting activities once again embody the spirit of unity and brotherhood among all.
“Sports are not just competition; they are a bridge that unites people of all affiliations, removing barriers and strengthening bonds of love and peace.”
Sports City Stadium, which has a capacity of 49,500 and is mostly used for football matches, was built in 1957 but completely destroyed during the 1982 invasion by Israel. Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri initiated a project to rebuild it in preparation to host the 2000 AFC Asian Cup. The rebuilt venue also hosted the 1997 Pan Arab Games, the 1999 Arab Athletics Championship and, in April 2017, a Barcelona Legends vs. Real Madrid Legends football match. On Feb. 23 this year it was used for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident
- Pedro did not play in Monday’s 3-2 win over champions Liverpool
- “With Joao we had a small issue in training,” Huerzeler told reporters
LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion will be without their joint top-scorer Joao Pedro when they visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with manager Fabian Huerzeler saying the Brazil striker has been left out due to a “small issue in training.”
Pedro, who equals Danny Welbeck with 10 league goals this season, did not play in Monday’s 3-2 win over champions Liverpool, with a report by The Athletic later attributing the 23-year-old’s absence to an altercation he had with a teammate during training.
“With Joao we had a small issue in training, a type which isn’t uncommon from time to time in all football clubs. We dealt with it internally and the matter is closed,” Huerzeler told reporters on Friday.
“Joao is an incredible football player. He is a match winner for us. That’s why we invested in him. But there are principles, there are values... they are non-negotiable.
“Joao is still a young player, and (there’s) still a lot of potential that he will grow. I’m sure he’ll learn from this and come back stronger next season.”
Pedro last played for Brighton on April 19, when he was sent off for flicking his hand into Brentford defender Nathan Collins’ face during a 4-2 loss, an act which got him a three-match suspension for violent conduct.
With ninth-placed Brentford three points below Brighton, a draw at Spurs will ensure Huerzeler’s men finish eighth, which could earn them a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League provided some other results go their way.
