BERLIN: Former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp said his return to the club’s dugout in Saturday’s testimonial match was “like a school reunion,” nine years after his last match as club coach.
Dortmund bid farewell to team stalwarts Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukas Piszczek, with each captaining a side featuring several club legends as well as current manager Nuri Sahin.
Blaszczykowski’s side, coached by Klopp, won 5-4 in front of 82,000 fans at a sold out Westfalenstadion.
“It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together.
“It’s like coming home. There are so many great memories. It’s nice to see the fans again.”
Klopp spent seven years as Dortmund coach, winning two Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and taking the team to the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley, where they lost to archrivals Bayern Munich.
Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool boss at the end of last season citing exhaustion, is yet to return to coaching, having said in July “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach.”
The coach poked fun at the aging players, saying “we had a lot of excess weight in attack, midfield and defense today.”
Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels, who left the club for Serie A side Roma in the summer.
Hummels, who played 508 games for Dortmund, was one of only a few current players to take the pitch.
He said afterwards “it’s a mix of joy and sadness.
“I’ve spent a lot of my football life here.”
Klopp celebrates ‘school reunion’ on return to Dortmund dugout
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Klopp celebrates ‘school reunion’ on return to Dortmund dugout
- “It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together”
- Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels
Qualifier Maria completes fairytale run to Queen’s title
- The 37-year-old’s victory secured the fourth singles title of her career
LONDON: Tatjana Maria completed her fairytale run at Queen’s Club as the German qualifier beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final to become the oldest winner of a WTA 500 event.
The 37-year-old’s victory secured the fourth singles title of her career, and her first since 2023 on the clay in Bogota.
World number 86 Maria is the first German to win a WTA 500 title since Angelique Kerber in 2018 in Sydney.
In the first women’s tournament at Queen’s since 1973, Maria is the event’s first female champion since Russia’s Olga Morozova 52 years ago.
When Morozova won in west London, the prize money was just £1,000 ($1,353).
Maria banked a cheque for £120,000 and more importantly earned a huge confidence boost ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on June 30.
The mother of two arrived at Queen’s on a nine-match losing streak and had to survive two rounds of qualifying matches to reach the main draw.
Deploying her slice-heavy style to devastating effect, she stunned sixth seed Karolina Muchova, fourth seed Elena Rybakina and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys en route to the final.
Maria, who has taken two maternity breaks from the WTA Tour, has never been past the second round of any Grand Slam except Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinals in 2022.
But once again she proved a formidable force on grass, brushing aside Anisimova to secure her second title on the surface as her husband and young daughters Charlotte and Cecilia watched from courtside.
“A dream come true. I came here I was never thinking I could hold the trophy at the end,” Maria said.
“When we arrived my little girl said: ‘Wow that’s a nice trophy, so big’ and I said: ‘OK let’s go for it, I will try to win it’. And in the end I’ve won it, it’s incredible.
“Everything is possible if you believe in it. You go your way, doesn’t matter which it is but you have to keep going. I want to show this to my kids and hopefully they are proud. It’s amazing.”
Asked if she planned to celebrate with her family, Maria said: “For sure. This doesn’t happen every week so we have to celebrate with something.
“I think the kids will probably want some crepes with Nutella!“
Anisimova has struggled to live up to her early success after reaching the French Open semifinals aged 17 in 2019.
She took an eight-month break from tennis and dropped out of the top 400 after suffering with depression bought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy.
The 23-year-old returned last year and won the Qatar Open this February, reaching a career-high 15th in the rankings before underlining her renaissance by defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach her first grass-court final.
However, Maria was too savvy on grass for Anisimova, who said: “It’s incredible to see Tatjana playing at this level. To have her family here, it’s super special.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her in the Wimbledon final. She really had me running out there today.”
Merciless Bayern hit 10 against amateurs Auckland City at Club World Cup
- Kingsley Coman, Michael Olize and Thomas Mueller all netted twice, while Sacha Boey was also on target for the German champions
CINCINNATI: Bayern Munich showed no mercy to amateurs Auckland City at the Club World Cup on Sunday, beating the minnows from New Zealand 10-0 in their opening game as Jamal Musiala came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick.
Kingsley Coman, Michael Olize and Thomas Mueller all netted twice, while Sacha Boey was also on target for the German champions in the game in Group C, which also features Boca Juniors and Benfica.
Harry Kane started but didn’t find the target before being replaced just after the hour mark by Musiala, who netted his three goals in the space of 18 minutes toward the end.
It was a stroll in the park in the midday sun in Cincinnati for Vincent Kompany’s side, with France winger Coman scoring twice in the opening 21 minutes either side of goals by compatriots Boey and Olize.
Coman’s sixth-minute breakthrough goal was the first of the tournament following the 0-0 draw between Inter Miami and Al Ahly in Saturday’s opening game.
Mueller got the fifth and Olize’s second of the afternoon made it 6-0 in first-half stoppage time for the Bundesliga heavyweights.
Auckland City managed to stem the tide for much of the second half before Musiala came on and took center stage, his three goals including one from the penalty spot.
Mueller made it 10-0 in the 89th minute for a Bayern side who won the Club World Cup twice in its former seven-team guise, in 2013 and 2020.
They have recorded bigger victories in the past in the German Cup, but the 10-goal winning margin equals their best ever win in the Bundesliga, when they beat Borussia Dortmund 11-1 in 1971.
Bayern, who gave new signing Jonathan Tah a debut in central defense following his recent arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, play Boca in their next match in Miami on Friday.
Auckland City take on Benfica earlier the same day in Orlando.
Saudi Arabia complete final preparations ahead of Gold Cup opener against Haiti
- Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group D of the regional tournament, where they will face the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Monday’s opponents Haiti
SAN DIEGO: Saudi Arabia’s national team have wrapped up their preparations ahead of their opening match against Haiti in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Monday.
Herve Renard’s side held their final training session on Sunday at the Performance Center in San Diego, ahead of Monday’s Group D clash at Snapdragon Stadium.
The session began with warm-up drills before moving into possession-based training and a half-pitch practice match. Players concluded with stretching exercises.
Midfielder Muhannad Al-Saad was absent from group training due to muscle discomfort in his thigh, team officials confirmed.
Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group D of the regional tournament, where they will face the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Monday’s opponents Haiti.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly battle to scoreless draw in Club World Cup opener
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Lionel Messi was denied on a long shot in extra time and Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly settled for a scoreless draw in the opening game of the Club World Cup on Saturday night.
Argentina’s eight-time Ballon d’Or winner kicked a long, curling shot from the right side that was tipped by diving goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy and brushed off the crossbar in the 96th minute front of a crowd of more than 60,000 at Hard Rock Stadium. Messi also shaved the post with a free kick in the 60th minute in the second half.
Miami had its own good fortune, surviving a first half onslaught by 12-time African champion Al Ahly, with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari saving a penalty from Trezeguet just before the break.
Key moment
Miami had to rely on veteran Argentine goalkeeper Ustari to keep the game level in the first half, with the 38-year-old pulling off a number of saves as Al Ahly dominated the chances. He produced a crucial double save just before halftime — blocking Trezeguet’s 43rd-minute penalty and then getting up quickly to deny the forward again on the rebound.
Takeaways
A draw leaves both teams with a battle to advance from Group A with tougher tests likely to come against Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Porto from Portugal. The top two advance to the round of 16.
Miami can be encouraged by its performance in the second half after being dominated in the first half. Inter Miami had the better chances after the break, with Messi’s free kick and curling long shot both hitting the woodwork.
What they said
“It was a good party for football. It’s a new competition and the chance to play teams we don’t play normally in our league, so it can be very good for us. You can prove what we can do.” – Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach.
“I’m disappointed with the result. We could have taken all three points. We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could’ve finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.” — Wessam Abou Ali, Ah Ahly forward.
Seven Saudi-based foreign players to feature in 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- Five of the selected players featured in the latest season of the Saudi Pro League, while the remaining two played in the First Division
RIYADH: Seven Saudi-based foreign professional footballers have been called up to represent their national teams in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will take place in the US and Canada from June 14 to July 6.
Five of the selected players featured in the latest season of the Saudi Pro League, while the remaining two played in the First Division, highlighting the growing global impact of football in the Kingdom.
Among the standout names is Julian Quinones, the prolific striker for Al-Qadsiah, who earned a spot on Mexico’s national team roster. Quinones had an impressive season, finishing as the fourth highest scorer in the top flight with 20 goals.
Panama included Orlando Mosquera, the dependable goalkeeper from Al-Fayha, who helped his team secure a 13th-place finish in the league.
The Jamaican squad features two Saudi-based players: Demarai Gray, the winger for Al-Ettifaq, and Damion Lowe, the defender from Al-Okhdood.
Curacao’s team includes relegated Al-Wehda midfielder Juninho Bacuna, and Jurien Gaari, the defender from Al-Hazem, who secured promotion to the SPL.
Finally, Honduras will be represented by Romell Quioto, the striker for Al-Arabi, who finished the season 12th in the second tier’s standings.
