Tag: Bundesliga

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HAALAND NETS BRACE AS DORTMUND DEMOLISH FRANKFURT IN BUNDESLIGA OPENER

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland scored twice and set up another three goals as the hosts steamrolled past Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 on Saturday to put down a marker in their Bundesliga opener.

It was captain Marco Reus who put new coach Marco Rose’s team in the driving seat in the 23rd minute, scoring from a Haaland assist, with Dortmund fans returning in limited numbers to the 81,000-capacity stadium

A Felix Passlack own goal four minutes later did nothing to slow them down as Thorgan Hazard rifled them back into the lead in the 32nd after Reus combined with the 21-year-old Haaland, who had scored a hat-trick in their German Cup first round win last week, for yet another counter attack.

The hosts, who face champions Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Tuesday, completed their first half goal rush with Haaland pouncing on a Stefan Ilsanker mistake to charge into the box and slot in for a two-goal lead in the 34th.

Gio Reyna added a fourth goal with a tap-in on the hour with Eintracht at the complete mercy of the bursting Dortmund runs that kept on coming. Another Haaland run earned him his second goal of the evening following a VAR review.

Fellow Norwegian Jens Petter Hauge scored late on his Bundesliga debut to somewhat improve the scoreline for Frankfurt. Bayern slipped up on their season opener on Friday with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Monchengladbach.

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LEWANDOWSKI ON TARGET AS BAYERN MUNICH DRAW BUNDESLIGA SEASON OPENER AT BORRUSIA MONCHEGLADBACH

Robert Lewandowski equalised as defending champions Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach in a hard-fought opening game of the new Bundesliga season on Friday. “It wasn’t perfect football from us,” Lewandowski told broadcaster Sat1. “We made a lot of mistakes, but the first game is over, now we can look ahead.” Gladbach deservedly took the lead when French striker Alassane Plea fired past Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with just ten minutes gone. Lewandowski levelled just before the break from a corner, but both sides wasted second-half chances to grab the winner.

Only superb saves from home goalkeeper Yann Sommer repeatedly denied Lewandowski and the Bayern attack.

At the other end, Gladbach substitute forward Marcus Thuram failed to connect with the goal at his mercy and later saw his appeals for a clear penalty waved away by the referee.

“There were fireworks from us in the first quarter of an hour,” Gladbach captain Lars Stindl told DAZN and hailed Sommer’s “world-class” performance.

Bayern’s new head coach Julian Nagelsmann is still waiting for his first victory after three defeats and a draw in pre-season friendlies.

The 34-year-old is under pressure to deliver a tenth straight Bundesliga title for Bayern in his first season.

“We have to live with the point, both sides had chances, it was a pretty crazy game for the fans to watch, not so easy for the coaches,” Nagelsmann told DAZN.

Borussia Park was a third full as Bundesliga clubs welcome back supporters on the opening weekend of the season.

Bayern were missing injured France defender Benjamin Pavard, whose place went to reserve left-back Josip Stanisic for only his second Bundesliga appearance.

Gladbach tore open the Bayern defence after just six minutes when Patrick Herrmann sprinted clear and squared to Lars Stindl, who could not get a shot away.

Bayern fell behind when Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies lost the ball on halfway.

The ball was moved to Stindl, who flicked his pass onto Plea, who was unmarked and fired past Neuer.

At the other end, only a stunning reflex save by Sommer denied Lewandowski from point-blank range.

However, the Bundesliga’s record goal-scorer for a single season struck just before half-time to make it 1-1 at the break.

When Joshua Kimmich fired in a corner, Lewandowski slipped his marker and fired past Sommer, picking up when he left off last season when he scored a Bundesliga record 41 goals in 2020/21.

Bayern had a golden period approaching the hour mark when only more superb Sommer saves denied Davies, then Lewandowski in quick succession.

Gladbach won 3-2 when the sides last met at Borussia Park in January and the hosts again put up a fight.

Neuer did superbly well with a diving save to deny Stindl after Gladbach midfielder Hannes Wolf broke down the wing and squared inside.

With just over ten minutes left, Thuram came within a whisker of restoring the hosts’ lead when he just failed to connect with the goal at his mercy.

Referee Marco Fritz then waved away Gladbach’s furious calls for a penalty when Thuram appeared to be brought down in the area by new Bayern signing Dayot Upamecano

New Gladbach head coach Adi Huetter received a yellow card on the sidelines for his impassioned protest while Kimmich fired wide in added time.

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SKY SPORTS WINS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO SHOE BUNDESLIGA GAMES IN IRELAND

Sky Sports has won the exclusive rights to show the Bundesliga in the UK and Ireland for the next four seasons.

As the home of German top-flight football, they said fans will be able to tune in to watch superstars including Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and 30-time Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München as they challenge for domestic glory from the 2021/22 to 2024/25 seasons.

Sky Sports’ coverage of the league will begin at 7.30pm on Friday, August 13th with champions FC Bayern München travelling to Borussia Mönchengladbach, before eight time league winners Borussia Dortmund take on Eintracht Frankfurt on the Saturday, with kick off at 5.30pm.

In addition to the Bundesliga, Sky Sports will also broadcast the German Supercup live, with Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München going head-to-head on, August 17th at Signal Iduna Park.

Sky said the premium fixture of each weekend will be shown live every Saturday at 5.30pm on Sky Sports Football, with further matches broadcast via Sky Sports linear or digital channels including Sky Sports YouTube.

They said the deal widens the Sky – Bundesliga partnership, with deals in place across the Sky Group in UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany (including German language rights in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and South Tyrol) and Austria.

Speaking about the partnership, Sky Sports managing Director Jonathan Licht said: “We’re delighted to have acquired the rights to the Bundesliga. Sky Sports customers will have the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world as well as some of the leading teams in Europe.”

Meanwhile, Bundesliga International chief executive Robert Klein added: “This is a partnership that will deliver the best of the Bundesliga week-in, week-out, through world-class production and multi-platform coverage.

“With Sky as our partner, Bundesliga fans will benefit from a first-class football viewing experience. This, paired with the Bundesliga’s trademark attacking style of football, means that fans can expect an action-packed season, featuring some of the world’s best players and the most exciting up-and-coming talent.”

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ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI BREAKS 49-YEAR OLD BUNDESLIGA GOAL RECORD WITH LAST-GASP BAYERN GOAL

Robert Lewandowski broke a 49-year Bundesliga record by scoring his 41st goal of the season in the very last minute of Bayern Munich’s final 2020/21 outing at home to Augsburg.

The Poland striker had already equalled Bayern legend Gerd Mueller’s long-standing record, set all the way back in 1972, for the most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign, getting on the scoresheet for the 40th time in last weekend’s 2-2 draw away at Freiburg.

Nevertheless, he appeared set to miss out on the 41st in Saturday’s 5-2 thrashing of Augsburg, first spurning a number of golden opportunities to write history.

But just as it seemed the chance to break the record would pass him by, Lewandowski capitalised on a rebound in the box, pouncing on the loose ball and rounding the goalkeeper before stroking it home in the 90th minute.

That strike means he has produced the highest ever return in a single Bundesliga campaign with his remarkable tally of 41 goals in 29 appearances.

After etching his name into German football folklore, Lewandowski told BT Sport: “It’s difficult to say about my emotions because I’m very happy, I’m very proud.

“Also, I want to dedicate this goal to my mother because she has her birthday today, and also to Hansi Flick and all the staff – because they did an amazing job.

“We’ve worked together and had amazing performances since Hansi Flick’s [been] here, so that was something special also for me as a player.

“I’m feeling great. I don’t know exactly what I did yet, but I’m very proud, very happy and my emotions are high.

“I have to say that I never dreamt about breaking this record, to score more than 40 goals, because I thought that it’s impossible if you have only 34 games – and I played 29 games.

“So that’s why I still don’t believe what I did. But after this whole game I scored in the last seconds, the last minute. I was trying before three, four, five times to score even just one goal and I couldn’t.

“And the last situation came and I scored the goal. That is something special, something historic. I still don’t believe it but maybe tomorrow, maybe even one or two weeks later, I will understand what I did.”

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BUNDESLIGA: ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI EQUALS GERD MUELLER’S LEAGUE GOAL RECORD

Robert Lewandowski equalled Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old scoring record as the Bayern Munich striker netted his 40th Bundesliga goal of the season in a 2-2 draw at Freiburg on Saturday.

Lewandowski equalled Mueller’s tally, scored over 34 games in 1971/72, in just 28 league fixtures this term. “It’s a huge honour for me and for the modern history of the Bundesliga,” Lewandowski told Sky. Lewandowski converted a penalty for the champions after 26 minutes to match Mueller’s milestone.

As part of his penalty celebrations, the Poland striker lifted his match shirt to reveal a picture of Gerd Mueller over the text “4ever Gerd”.

“I would never have thought that this would happen. What Gerd Mueller did is incredible. Sharing the record with him makes me very, very proud,” Lewandowski added.

The fixture was briefly halted after Lewandowski scored as his Bayern team-mates formed a guard-of-honour on the side of the pitch which the smiling 32-year-old ran through.

Freiburg drew level almost immediately when Manuel Gulde headed in at the near post from a corner on 29 minutes after slipping his marker.

Bayern, who were crowned German champions last weekend for the ninth season in a row, upped the tempo after the break.

Serge Gnabry had a goal disallowed six minutes into the second-half after the VAR spotted he was offside in tapping home a Leroy Sane cross.

However, the Bavarians kept up the pressure and when David Alaba’s long-range pass found Thomas Mueller in the area just moments later, he squared for Sane who hit home on 53 minutes.

Freiburg had their chances to equalise as second-half replacements Lucas Hoeler and Janik Haberer both went close before Christian Guenter brought the sides level nine minutes from time.

Lewandowski can still break Mueller’s record as Bayern have one match left of the campaign at home to Augsburg next Saturday.

He squandered a late chance to score “at least one more goal. You don’t break records like that so quickly,” added Lewandowski.

The former Borussia Dortmund forward, who has scored 47 goals in 39 games in all competitions this season, is also set to be crowned the Bundesliga’s top-scorer for the sixth time in eight years.

“Robert Lewandowski has broken Gerd Mueller’s historic mark, but you don’t score goals alone,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick.

“You need players who serve him passes. That’s why I have to give the team a huge compliment.”

Lewandowski tally this season includes four hat-tricks as well as a four-goal haul in Bayern’s nervy 4-3 home win against Hertha Berlin last October.

“It’s crazy. It’s normal for Lewandowski to score, but this is something else,” said Bayern forward Thomas Mueller.

“But he’s only human, you saw that when it came to the 41st goal,” Mueller joked after Lewandowski’s late miss.
Elsewhere, bottom side Schalke, who are already relegated, pulled off a stunning 4-3 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt, who remain outside the Champions League places in fifth.

US striker Matthew Hoppe, 20, scored what proved to be the decisive goal to seal the win for Schalke which could have profound implications in the top four.

Both Borussia Dortmund, who are fourth before their away match at Mainz, and third-placed Wolfsburg, who travel to RB Leipzig, can secure Champions League qualification with away wins on Sunday.

At the foot of the table, Werder Bremen’s 2-0 defeat at Augsburg pushed them into the bottom three, just above second-from-bottom Cologne who were held to a goalless draw at Hertha Berlin

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BAYERN MUNICH WIN HISTORIC NINTH STRAIGHT BUNDESLIGA TITLE AS LEIPZIG LOSE AT DORTMUND

Bayern Munich have won their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title thanks to RB Leipzig’s 3-2 defeat to Borusia Dortmund on Saturday which came before Hansi Flick’s side celebrated with a 6-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Bavarians could have clinched the championship crown two weeks ago, but fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at Mainz. Leipzig’s subsequent victory over Stuttgart kept the title race alive through the break for the DFB Pokal semifinals. But their loss in Dortmund makes Bayern national champions for the 31st time, with 30 coming in the Bundesliga era.

Jadon Sancho scored in the final minutes of the match to seal victory for Dortmund, and spark celebrations in Bavaria.

Nine Bundesliga titles in succession extends Bayern’s own record, with no one else — including the Munich giants — having won more than three in a row prior to this run.

The 2020-21 campaign also marks the end of an era at the Allianz Arena as David Alaba, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez are set to leave this summer.

Bayern manager Flick will also leave the club after just over 18 months where he won seven trophies and became only the second coach after Pep Guardiola at Barcelona in 2009 to win six trophies in a single calendar year. Flick has been linked with the managerial role at Germany, where he could take over from Joachim Low after this summer’s European Championship. Flick will be replaced as Bayern manager by Julian Nagelsmann, who will leave Leipzig at the end of the season.

Last term, Bayern completed an historic second Treble of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League.

They kicked off this season the with an 8-0 win over Schalke, Bayern led for most of the season and have been in first place since a 2-1 away win at Bayer Leverkusen in December when striker Robert Lewandowski scored a brace including a stoppage-time winner.

Bayern never looked back as they picked up key wins in the latter stages of the season. Against Dortmund in early March they turned an early 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 win, and a month on they won 1-0 away at Leipzig, who had been threatening a title challenge.

Chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is also set to vacate his position in December 2021. Rummenigge will leave after 30 years at the club, with 20 of those as the CEO. Former Germany and Bayern captain Oliver Kahn is set to take over in the front office.

Boateng, Alaba and Martinez have each enjoyed two Treble successes at the club, having been with Bayern when they achieved the same feat in 2013.

The rift between Flick, who succeeded Niko Kovac in November 2019, and sporting executive Hasan Salihamidzic overshadowed a large part of 2021. The pair fell out over the club’s transfer strategy and Flick in mid-April confirmed he believed his time at Bayern is coming to an end despite having a contract until 2023.

With Bayern out of the Pokal and the Champions League, they have now set their sights on helping attacker Lewandowski to the all-time record of goals scored in a single season. That record is held by Gerd Muller, who scored 40 goals in the 1971-1972 season.

Lewandowski now has 36 goals after his consolation strike in the defeat to Mainz and needs five more from the final five matches of the campaign to break Muller’s record.

The 32-year-old Poland striker this season rose to second in the all-time Bundesliga scorer list and is on 272 goals but remains well behind Muller, who scored 365 times for Bayern.

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VETERAN MARTINEZ PART OF BAYERN CLEAR-OUT

Bayern Munich confirmed Tuesday that veteran Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez will be the third member of their treble-winning squad to leave the club world champions at the end of the season, along with head coach Hansi Flick.

Martinez joined in 2012 from Athletic Bilbao for a then-club record of 40 million euros ($48 million), winning the Bundesliga in all eight seasons he has so far completed in Germany.

Bayern, and Martinez, are on the brink of winning a ninth straight league title this Saturday.

The Spain international was also part of the Bayern squads which won the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles in 2013 and 2020.

Headed goals by Martinez helped Bayern win the UEFA Super Cup in both 2013, against Chelsea in Prague, and again in 2020, against Sevilla in Budapest.

“I’m very proud and happy to have been part of the FC Bayern family for nine years… and am very happy about the many titles we won together,” said Martinez in a statement.

He joins defenders Jerome Boateng and David Alaba who are also out of contract at the end of the season, while Flick has asked to be released.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann has already been named as Flick’s replacement for 2021/22.

Alaba, 28, is reportedly set to join Real Madrid after failing to agree to a contract extension with Bayern, while Martinez and Boateng, both 32, have not been offered new deals.

Like Martinez, Alaba and Boateng were key members of the Bayern squads which twice won the treble.

“At the end of this season Martinez, Alaba, Boateng and Flick will be given a fitting farewell by FC Bayern in recognition of their great achievements for the club,” Bayern said in a statement.

Martinez has made 266 appearances for Bayern, but this season he has started only four Bundesliga games and one Champions League match with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich preferred in midfield.

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BAYERN’S BUNDESLIGA CELEBRATIONS ON HOLD AFTER LOSS TO MAINZ

Bayern Munich missed the chance to clinch the Bundesliga title when it lost at relegation-threatened Mainz 2-1 on Saturday.

First-half goals from Jonathan Burkardt and Robin Quaison put Bayern’s title celebrations on hold and lifted Mainz five points clear of the relegation zone after a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the season.

Robert Lewandowski returned from a month out with a knee injury to score for Bayern in the fourth minute of injury time and take his season tally to 36, but it was too late for the eight-time defending champions.

“We tried but in the end we didn’t deserve to take a point here,” Thomas Müller said.

Bayern could still win the title this weekend, depending on how second-placed Leipzig fares against Stuttgart on Sunday. A Leipzig defeat would hand Bayern the title with three games to spare, but anything else means the Bavarian powerhouse will have to wait. Bayern hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach next weekend in the next opportunity to win the league.

Mainz forward Burkardt opened the scoring in the third minute when Bayern captain Manuel Neuer was deceived by his centrally placed shot.

Neuer reacted well to deny Mainz a second goal minutes later, then again in the 16th, a minute after Lewandowski had Bayern’s first chance.

But Quaison headed Mainz’s second goal in the 37th when he beat Müller and David Alaba to meet Phillipp Mwene’s free kick.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick reacted with three changes at the break, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Jamal Musiala replacing the ineffective Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman, and Tanguy Nianzou going on for Leon Goretzka, who was in danger of a second booking.

Bayern came back from 2-0 down to win the reverse fixture 5-2 in Munich on Jan. 3, but Mainz is a different prospect since Bo Svensson took over as coach the following day. Mainz is unbeaten in seven games with five wins in that run.

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SCHALKE RELEGATED FROM THE BUNDESLIGA AFTER 30 YEARS OF STAY

Bottom side Schalke had their relegation confirmed by a 1-0 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld after 30 consecutive years in Germany’s top flight.

Earlier, RB Leipzig crashed to a 2-1 defeat at second-from-bottom Cologne, whose captain Jonas Hector scored the first Bundesliga brace of his career to end a miserable run of nine league games without a win.

“Cologne fought and showed passion,” admitted Leipzig attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg.

“We had a few chances, but unfortunately we aren’t taking advantage of them at the moment and, of course, we are disappointed about that.”

After a goalless first-half in Cologne, the match burst into life after the break.

Germany international Hector headed his side into the lead just 56 seconds into the second half with the visitors’ defence napping.

Leipzig hit back on 59 minutes when Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara was left unmarked to launch his shot from the edge of the area past Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn.

Just 100 seconds after Cologne conceded the equaliser, Hector struck again when he collected a flick just outside the box, held off his marker and fired into the bottom corner.

“Today, everyone did everything for the win— that is crucial for the coming weeks,” added Jonas Hector with Cologne still in one of the automatic relegation places.

The result boosts Cologne’s survival hopes with games against mid-table sides Augsburg and Freiburg to come before facing strugglers Hertha Berlin away on the last day of the season.

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BUNDESLIGA ROUNDUP: INJURY-HIT BAYERN HELD BY UNION BERLIN AHEAD UCL CLASH WITH PSG

Depleted Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday, three days before their Champions League return leg at Paris Saint-Germain.

Teenager Jamal Musiala beat three defenders to give Bayern the lead midway through the second half at the Allianz Arena only for Marcus Ingvartsen to equalise for Union four minutes from time.

“That is very annoying,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer told Sky. “We played well over long stretches and would have deserved the victory.”

In Paris on Tuesday, European champions Bayern need to overturn a 3-2 first-leg defeat in the quarter-finals and started reserve team players Tiago Dantas, on a season-long loan from Benfica, and Josip Stanisic against Union.

The club world champions have nine players sidelined, including injured top-scorer Robert Lewandowski and winger Serge Gnabry, who was quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19.

Musiala showed great footwork to pick his way through the Union defence for the opening goal, only for Ingvartsen to beat Stanisic to the ball and grab the visitors’ late equaliser.

Off the field, tensions are brewing between sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and coach Hansi Flick, who has Neuer’s backing.

“I think Hansi Flick is the right coach for us,” said Neuer.

The draw trims Bayern’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to five points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, who romped to a 4-1 win at Werder Bremen.

Leipzig dominated throughout and raced into a 3-0 lead as Dani Olmo gave them the lead before Alexander Sorloth netted twice.

Although Milot Rashica pulled a goal back for Bremen, Marcel Sabitzer made it 4-1 midway through the second half.

The sides meet again in Bremen on April 30 in the German Cup semi-finals.

Eintracht Frankfurt took another key step towards reaching the Champions League for the first time since 1960 with a thrilling 4-3 home win over Wolfsburg.

Daichi Kamada, Luka Jovic, Andre Silva and Erik Durm all netted for Frankfurt.

Third-placed Wolfsburg pulled goals back through Ridle Baku and Wout Weghorst before Frankfurt’s Brazilian defender Tuta turned the ball into his own net for an own goal five minutes from time.

Knauff rescues Dortmund

The result leaves Frankfurt with a seven-point cushion in fourth after fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund, later earned a dramatic 3-2 win at Stuttgart.

Dortmund need to overturn a 2-1 first leg defeat at home to Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Substitute striker Ansgar Knauff came off the bench to score Dortmund’s winner on only his third league appearance.

The 19-year-old, who made his Champions League debut in the defeat at City after being promoted from the reserves, dribbled clear following Erling Braut Haaland’s pass to score his first Bundesliga goal.

“It’s been an unbelievable week with my Champions League debut and first Bundesliga goal,” said Knauff. “I hope things keep going so well.”

This was Haaland’s sixth game without a goal for club or country, but he claimed two assists.

The visitors were 1-0 down at half-time, but after Jude Bellingham equalised, Haaland left the ball for Marco Reus to put Dortmund 2-1 up.

Daniel Didavi fired Stuttgart level before Knauff hit the winner 10 minutes from time as Dortmund avenged their 5-1 thrashing at home by Stuttgart last December.

Borussia Moenchengladbach earned a 2-2 draw at Hertha Berlin despite playing 77 minutes a man down after goalkeeper Yann Sommer was shown an early red card for fouling Jhon Cordoba.

Goals by forwards Alassane Plea and Lars Stindl had put Gladbach in control after Santiago Ascacibar gave Hertha the lead with a superb strike, before Cordoba equalised just after the break.