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SCHALKE END 30-GAME WINLESS RUN AS MATHEW HOPPE SCORES HATRICK IN 4-0 WIN OVER HOFFENHEIM.

Schalke finally ended their 30-game winless run as 19-year-old Matthew Hoppe bagged a hat-trick to help give the Bundesliga side their first league victory in 358 days.

The German side are on their fourth manager of the season and were rock bottom of the table with their last three points coming on January 17, 2020.

But their 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim means they have moved off the foot of the table and avoided equalling a league record of 31 games without win, which was set more than 50 years ago.

The result is a huge relief for the players and staff and it seems former Schalke star Weston McKennie was also overjoyed with the win.

McKennie, who left Schalke for Juventus in August, tagged the club in a celebratory video on social media in which he sang in German.

The club shared the post with the caption: ‘Once a Schalker, always a Schalker.’

It was McKennie’s United States team-mate Hoppe who was the star of the show with the youngster scoring his first three senior goals in only his fifth appearance.

Amine Harit was the provider for each of Hoppe’s strikes and the midfielder got on the scoresheet himself to round off an emphatic victory.

Christian Gross was appointed as the club’s new manager on December 27 after Huub Stevens was sacked. Manuel Baum and David Wagner were also axed by the German club earlier this season.

Gross suffered a 3-0 defeat by Hertha Berlin in his first game in charge on January 2 but will now be hoping this result can be a turning point in the club’s campaign.

The win also came on Sead Kolasinac’s first game back for the club after he joined on-loan from Arsenal last week.

The defender captained the side and received a congratulatory message from his Gunners’ team-mate Mesut Ozil.

The midfielder tweeted: ‘Yessss my brother!!! Ladies and gentlemen – The Kolasinac Effect! Maschiiiine!!!’

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JADON SANCHO ENDS GOAL DROUGHT IN TITLE RACE REJUVENATION WIN AGAINST WOLFSBURG.

England winger Jadon Sancho scored his first Bundesliga goal this season to seal a 2-0 win for Borussia Dortmund at home against Wolfsburg on Sunday to breathe life back into his side’s fading title hopes. After crashing to a shock 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin a fortnight ago before the league’s two-week winter hiatus, Dortmund saw off a spirited Wolfsburg side who created plenty of chances for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst. Dortmund finally broke the deadlock at Signal Iduna Park when Manuel Akanji’s powerful header hit the net on 66 minutes before Sancho broke clear to score their second in added time.

Having occasionally struggled this season, the 20-year-old Sancho capped a fine display having also provided the corner from which Akanji scored.

“It wasn’t an easy win, but we stayed calm and I’m pleased that Sancho put in such a good corner and the ball went in,” goal-scorer Akanji told Sky.

Dortmund move up to fourth, six points behind leaders RB Leipzig, who went top of the league table after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stuttgart thanks to Dani Olmo’s winning goal.

European champions Bayern Munich can later restore their two-point lead with a home win against strugglers Mainz.

Having missed the previous seven games, Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland returned from a hip injury and although short of match fitness, he went close with several chances before coming off with ten minutes left.

In the goalless first-half, Wolfsburg were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after the ball struck the hand of Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel, but the VAR refused to award a spot kick after a lengthy review.

Dortmund finally broke the deadlock 24 minutes from time when Akanji out-leapt the defence to power Sancho’s corner past Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels.

Having been booked on 80 minutes for kicking the ball away in frustration after a missed chance, Haaland was subbed off shortly after.

His replacement Steffen Tigges came within a whisker of claiming Dortmund’s second goal when he fired across the Wolfsburg goal.

With Wolfsburg pushing hard for the equaliser, Dortmund counter-attacked from their own goalmouth as Sancho broke clear and fired past Casteels in the 91st minute.

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LEV 1-2 MUN: LEWANDOWSKI SENDS BAYERN TOP OF THE TABLE WITH STOPPAGE TIME WINNER.

Robert Lewandowski scored a dramatic injury-time winner, his second goal of the game, to earn Bayern Munich a 2-1 comeback victory at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, sending them top of the Bundesliga table going into the Christmas break.

Patrik Schick brilliantly volleyed the hosts in front in the 14th minute, with Bayern falling behind for the seventh successive Bundesliga match.

Bayern had not lost any of the previous six, and they again overturned the deficit as the newly-crowned Best FIFA Men’s Player, Lewandowski, equalised two minutes before halftime.

The match appeared to be heading for a draw before Lewandowski struck in the 93rd minute, sending Bayern top of the standings on 30 points, as Leverkusen dropped to second on 28 after their first league defeat of the season.

With RB Leipzig having missed the chance to go top earlier on Saturday after being held to a 0-0 draw by Cologne, Schick’s second goal in as many Bundesliga games looked to have put Leverkusen on course to retain top spot.

The hosts were masters of their own downfall, however, as they gave the ball away cheaply, Thomas Muller crossed and Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky missed the ball completely, leaving Lewandowski to head into an empty net to level things up.

While Bayern were improved after the break, they did not create too many clear-cut chances, with Leverkusen seemingly happy to take the point.

But Lewandowski’s year finished on a yet another high, as in his and Bayern’s final match until Jan. 3, the 32-year-old Pole fired home, via a deflection, to snatch another victory for the champions.

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BORRUSIA DORTMUND SACK COACH LUCIEN FAVRE FOLLOWING 5-1 DEFEAT TO STUTTGART.

Borussia Dortmund have sacked coach Lucien Favre following a 5-1 home defeat to newly promoted Stuttgart, the club has confirmed.

Dortmund, title contenders ahead of the season, have lost their last three home games and trail league leaders Bayer Leverkusen by six points after 11 matches.

We are all grateful to Lucien Favre for his excellent work over the past two-and-a-half year, in which he and his team won two runner-up championships. As a professional and as a person, Lucien Favre is beyond any doubt,” Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.

Edin Terzic, Otto Addo and Sebastian Geppert will take over until the end of the season amid a tight schedule which sees Dortmund face away trips to Werder Bremen on Tuesday, to Union Berlin on Friday, and then to 2. Bundesliga club Braunschweig in the German Cup on Dec. 22.

Terzic, a youth coach who has also worked as an assistant at West Ham and Besiktas, took charge of the Sunday afternoon training session.

“It is very difficult to take this step,” sporting director Michael Zorc said. “But we believe because of the negative developments lately that there is a need to act.”

After just one point from their last three games against Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Dortmund have dropped to fifth in the Bundesliga and face a fight to return to the Champions League next season.

“It was a disaster. It was bad,” Favre said after the loss. “We weren’t good at winning the ball. We made too many big mistakes. It’s hard to explain. If you’re not good at winning the ball, and I mean the whole team, then you have a problem. Stuttgart played well, but we were very, very poor. You can’t get away with that.”

Despite players pushing to break through into the European elite such as Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and United States international Gio Reyna, as well as established and experienced stars like Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Axel Witsel, Dortmund have struggled this season.

Dortmund have scored only four of their 23 league goals in the first 45 minutes and have conceded first in their last four games, of which they only won one when Haaland scored four in one half at Hertha Berlin on Nov. 22.

Favre was appointed by Dortmund in the summer of 2018 following a turbulent season at the club which saw them qualify for the Champions League thanks to goal difference.

In his first year, Dortmund led the Bundesliga for large parts of the season, but ultimately lost out on the title following a home defeat to local rivals Schalke.

In the 2019-20 season, Favre’s Dortmund once again finished runners-up, having challenged until a 1-0 home defeat to Bayern in late May following the restart of the Bundesliga amid the coronavirus pandemic.

His three-year contract was due to run out at the end of the season.

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STUTTGART 1-3 BAYERN: GERMAN GIANT COMPLETES A SPIRITED FIGHTBACK IN BUNDESLIGA.

Bayern maintained their place at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart, thanks to goals from Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski and Douglas Costa.

The hosts took a shock lead on 20 minutes, when Tanguy Coulibaly side-footed home following a great ball across the box by Silas Wamangituka.

That lead was extinguished on 38 minutes however, after Coman struck home from the edge of the box to round off a clinical counter-attacking move.

Stuttgart thought they had put their noses in front once again immediately after, but Philipp Forster’s goal was disallowed for a foul spotted in the build-up by VAR. And Bayern took full advantage, with Lewandowski drilling home a rocket from outside the penalty area on the stroke of half-time.

The hosts pushed their visitors hard in the second half, and went close to stealing a point at the end, but Waldemar Anton’s strike whistled just wide of the post.

Bayern confirmed all three points through substitute Costa’s late strike, securing Die Roten’s place at the top of the Bundesliga for another week.

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DORTMUND 2-3 BAYERN: BAYERN EDGE YELLOWS IN A GOAL FEST.

Bayern Munich made it three Der Klassiker wins in 2020 by beating Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday. Robert Lewandowski, David Alaba, and Leroy Sane provided goals for visitors, while Marco Reus and Erling Braut Haaland were on the scoresheet for the hosts.

Hansi Flick was forced to make on change in the defense that played against Red Bull Salzburg. Benjamin Pavard missed out due to injury, so Bouna Sarr slotted in the right-back position. Leon Goretzka replaced Corentin Tolisso in the midfield. Dortmund made two changes to the team that won against Club Brugge in midweek. Mats Hummels replaced Mahmoud Dahoud, while Reus and Jadon Sancho replaced Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt in the attack.

The game started at an incredible tempo as both teams looked to stamp the authority straightaway. Dortmund looked threatening on the break while Die Roten used a more measured way to build attacks and break down the resilient defense of BVB. The first big chance fell for Lewandowski but his attempt hit the side netting.

The Polish striker scored in the 24th minute after some tidy play by Serge Gnabry on the left flank. However, the VAR chalked off the goal after replays suggested that Lewandowski was marginally offside. Both sides continued to create half-chances in the latter part of the first half. Dortmund managed to convert one of these chances as Reus blasted the shot in the net after a neat cross delivered by Raphael Guerreiro.

Die Roten reacted immediately after going down as a cleverly worked freekick was converted by Alaba. The Austrian defender continues to show his impeccable skills from setpieces. At half-time, both teams cancelled each other out with two well-crafted goals.

The German Champions roared back into the lead straight away after half-time as Lewandowski scored the 11th goal of the league campaign. The Pole headed past Roman Burki after Lucas Hernandez delivered a cushioned cross from the left flank. The visitors were all over BVB as Coman smashed the woodwork with a fierce attempt from the box.

Dortmund found it very difficult to contain Die Roten’s attack, but they did have chances at the other end to get back into the game. Jerome Boateng and Alaba had to defend resolutely as Haaland was often bullying them aerially.

The pressure on BVB increased when Sane came off the bench and curled it past Burki to double Bayern’s lead. The missed chances came back to bite Dortmund. The German winger scored his second goal of the week as he also came off the bench against RB Salzburg,

Haaland finally got his goal after he timed his run to perfection to meet Guerreiro’s chipped pass. Die Roten were on the ropes in the final five minutes, but they showed composure to see out the game. Lewandowski had scored the fourth goal in injury time, but it was once again disallowed due to offside.

Flick will be pleased with the performance as Die Roten look formidable in the Bundesliga. His main concern will be the extent of Joshua Kimmich‘s injury as the German midfielder hobbled off in the first half. Bayern remains top of the table after this win, with a two points lead over RB Leipzig.

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EMRE CAN TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Emre Can has tested positive for coronavirus ahead of Saturday’s derby agains Schalke.

The ex-Liverpool star is not suffering from any symptoms and has already entered a 14-day period of self-isolation in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

Can will miss the Bundesliga clash against Dortmund’s bitter rivals, but the club have confirmed that the game will go ahead as planned.

The 26-year-old was the only member of Dortmund’s playing and backroom staff to return a positive test on Friday.

The club delayed their training session by 90 minutes following talks with the Dortmund health department, but they will host Schalke at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday as scheduled.

Can missed the midweek Champions League defeat by Lazio due to suspension and has now been ruled out of games against Zenit St Petersburg and Arminia.

He is likely to return against Club Bruges on November 4, providing he tests negative for Covid-19 in the run up to the game.

Can becomes the latest big name to contract the disease, with Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo currently in self-isolation after being infected on international duty with Portugal earlier this month.

Other players to have tested positive for coronavirus in recent months include Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez and Crystal Palace new boy Jack Butland, who was also diagnosed on Friday.

Meanwhile, Dortmund go into Saturday’s game with second-bottom Schalke third in the Bundesliga table after three wins and a draw so far this season.

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I’M COMING HOME: ARJEN ROBBEN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT U-TURN

Dutch winger Arjen Robben is preparing to come out of retirement at his formative club Groningen, he announced on Saturday.

After leaving Groningen in 2002, Robben won league titles with PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea and Real Madrid before a hugely successful decade with Bayern Munich.

He retired from Bayern a year ago at the age of 35, having helped the club to eight Bundesliga titles as well as the 2013 Champions League.

The 2010 World Cup finalist said he was fully motivated to return but that he had to get fit first.

“I want to make my comeback at FC Groningen. At this time I’m not sure it will happen,” Robben said in a video on the Groningen website.

“What I am sure of is that my motivation will be at 100 percent. I’m going to go for it and I will be at the first training session for the new season.

“Because my dream is to play in an FC Groningen jersey, we’re not there yet, but you can always dream.

“I was 12 when I joined the Groningen youth academy, and made my debut for them at 16 against PSV,” said Robben, who explained that a banner he saw at Groningen’s stadium had resonated strongly with him.

“‘Arjen follow your heart’, it said, so after a wonderful adventure of 18 years, I’m coming home.”

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LEWANDOWSKI BREAKS BUNDESLIGA GOAL RECORD IN FREIBURG BASHING.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski broke an existing BundesLiga record on Saturday with a double against Freiburg, seeing him surpass Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s previous best for the most goals scored by a non-German player in a Bundesliga season.

The Polish international helped Bayern, already crowned champion for the eighth straight season, to a 3-1 victory in its penultimate match of the league campaign.

Lewandowski has grabbed 33 goals in just 30 Bundesliga matches this campaign, both his latest coming in the first half at the Allianz Arena as Bayern secured a 3-1 advantage at the break. There was no further scoring in the second half.

Gabon star Aubameyang scored 31 in the 2016/17 season for Borussia Dortmund before he moved to his current club Arsenal in the English Premier League.

With just one round of matches remaining, Lewandowski is still short of the remarkable all-time record of 40 by the legendary Bayern Munich and German striker Gerd Mueller in the 1971-72 season.

But with 48 goals in 41 games in all competitions this season, Lewandowski has plenty of opportunities to improve his overall tally as Bayern is facing Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4 before continuing its bid to win the Champions League which resumes in August.

Lewandowski is the top scorer in Europe’s elite competition this season with 11 goals in six games, his latest against Chelsea in the first leg of the last 16 clash which Bayern won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge back in February.

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Bayern Munich win eighth straight Bundesliga title

Bayern Munich win an 8th successive Bundesliga title, continuing a run that has been uninterrupted since 2013. This their 30th German title overall

Bayern Munich secured the 2019/20 Bundesliga title with two games to spare, beating Werder Bremen 1-0 with a goal from Robert Lewandowski on Tuesday night. This is the eighth successive title for the German giants, continuing their run which started from 2013.

Bayern’s 1-0 win put them 10 points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund, who can earn a maximum nine points from their three remaining games.

Hansi Flick made four changes to his starting line-up after Saturday’s 2-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Thomas Müller and Lewandowski returned to spearhead the attack, while Davies and Kingsley Coman were reinstated on the left side. Javi Martínez and Ivan Perišić both missed out due to illness.

Werder kept Bremen at bay for most of the first half but the champions still found a breakthrough.

Jerome Boateng played a perfectly weighted ball over the defence in the 43rd minute for Robert Lewandowski to control on his chest and hit past the goalkeeper for his 31st Bundesliga goal this season.

Bayern finished with 10 men after a second yellow card for Alphonso Davies in the 79th minute.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made a crucial late save to stop Yuya Osako’s header.

Bayern powered to their 30th German title with a perfect record of seven wins in the Bundesliga since it resumed last month in empty stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hansi Flick has coached Bayern to 26 wins from 29 games in all competitions since he took over in November. Bayern are chasing a possible triple. They can add the German Cup if they beat Bayer Leverkusen in the July 4 final and are also in contention in the Champions League.

In the other half of the points table, last-placed Paderborn were relegated after losing 1-0 to Union Berlin.