Sports
Kane Scores As Bayern Win At Mainz, Leverkusen Go Top
Harry Kane scored his ninth goal in eight league matches as Bayern Munich won 3-1 at Mainz on Saturday, after Bayer Leverkusen returned to the top of the table by winning at Wolfsburg.
Kane headed in from close range after Kingsley Coman had given Bayern an early lead, continuing his stunning form since leaving Tottenham in the summer.
Mainz, who had won their previous three home league matches against the perennial German champions, pulled one back just before half-time when Anthony Caci blasted home.
Early in the second half, Mainz defender Stefan Bell was centimetres away from equalising for the home side but shot wide on the counter.
Bayern however launched a counter of their own, Leon Goretzka slamming in from outside the box for the visitors’ third to put the game to bed.
Bayern, who have won the past 11 Bundesliga titles in a row, now sit two points behind Leverkusen with eight matches played.
In Wolfsburg, a second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo took Leverkusen one point clear atop the table with a 2-1 win, replacing Borussia Dortmund who had taken top spot with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen on Friday.
The visitors had hit the lead early, Victor Boniface holding off four defenders while chipping across to Jeremie Frimpong, who leapt acrobatically to direct a shot into the net.
Wolfsburg ‘keeper Pavao Pervan caught it and played on as Frimpong celebrated, but goal-line technology confirmed the goal was valid.
Wolfsburg were less elegant in reply, Maxence Lacroix tapping in from close range to equalise just before half-time.
Bayer coach Xabi Alonso brought creative midfielder Florian Wirtz off the bench in search of a winner with 30 minutes remaining and the 20-year-old obliged, winning possession to help set up Grimaldo’s equaliser.
“After we hit the lead, we got worse and there were too many mistakes” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka told Sky Germany.
“In the second half we showed a reaction and we won deservedly.”
Unbeaten Bayer return to the top and have now won seven of their eight league fixtures.
Surprise package Stuttgart sit one point behind Leverkusen in second after a 3-0 win at struggling Union Berlin, with red-hot striker Serhou Guirassy scoring again.
Guirassy headed Stuttgart in front with his 14th goal of the campaign in just eight games, before being substituted after half an hour with a leg injury.
Union fought hard but have not scored at home since the opening match of the season and their lack of scoring hurt them again as Silas and Deniz Undav both netted for Stuttgart in the final 10 minutes.
Union, who host reigning Serie A champions Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday, have now lost eight matches in a row in all competitions.
RB Leipzig won 3-1 at promoted Darmstadt, a double from Lois Openda and a goal from Emil Forsberg cancelling out Tobias Kempe’s first-half penalty.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt overturned an early deficit to win away at Hoffenheim 3-1.
Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier scored after just three minutes but goals from Omar Marmoush, Ansgar Knauff and Ellyes Skhiri helped the visitors storm back before half-time.
Freiburg also came from behind on Saturday, a goal from Ritsu Doan and Vincenzo Grifo’s penalty cancelling out Goncalo Paciencia’s opener for a 2-1 home victory over Bochum.
AFP
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland (centre right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his third goal, City’s fourth during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on August 24, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
Matches were played on Saturday in the fifth round of the English FA Cup with Manchester City seeing off giant killers Plymouth.
Languishing in the Championship relegation zone, Plymouth had stunned Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round after beating top-flight side Brentford in the third round.
Pep Guardiola’s men were in danger of becoming Plymouth’s latest famous scalp when Maksym Talovierov gave the visitors the lead in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.
But Manchester-born O’Reilly, making just his sixth start for City, emerged as the unlikely hero with a brace that ensured his troubled team would avoid their lowest moment in a turbulent season.
English FA Cup Fifth Round Results
Below are the results for the fifth round of the English FA Cup matches:
Bournemouth 1 (Evanilson 30) vs Wolves 1 (Cunha 60) aet, Bournemouth won 5-4 on penalties
Crystal Palace 3 (Tanganga 33-og, Munoz 40, Nketiah 81) vs Millwall 1 (Harding 45+3)
Manchester City 3 (O’Reilly 45+1, 76, De Bruyne 90) vs Plymouth 1 (Taloverov 38)
Preston 3 (Brady 31, Osmajic 44, Keane 73) vs Burnley 0
Played Friday
Aston Villa 2 (Asensio 68, 80) vs Cardiff 0
Playing Sunday
Newcastle vs Brighton (13:45), Manchester United vs Fulham (16:30)
Playing Monday
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich (19:30)
AFP
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish branded the challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that left Jean Philippe-Mateta in hospital as “the most reckless” he has ever seen.
Roberts was sent-off just eight minutes into Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie, which Palace won 3-1, after catching Mateta’s head with his boot as he raced out to clear the ball.
Referee Michael Oliver only issued a red card after a VAR review.
Mateta received lengthy treatment, including oxygen, on the pitch before being stretchered to an ambulance and transported to hospital.
“What we know, he’s got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury. Obviously he’s at the hospital. So, we hope for the best,” Parish told the BBC.
“That is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen and I think he needs to have a long hard look at himself, that lad, because he’s endangering a fellow professional, maybe in his life, with a challenge like that.”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed Mateta is conscious but that he has suffered a serious injury to his ear.
“He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It’s a very serious injury so we hope all the best for him,” said Glasner.
“We are not really happy, we can’t be really happy. Of course, it’s a great win and into the quarter-finals but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach.”
Mateta had scored eight goals in his previous nine games and has 15 in total for Palace this season.
The 27-year-old also netted five times as France won silver at the Paris Olympics last year.
Parish drew comparisons to the famous clash between German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher and French forward Patrick Battiston at the 1982 World Cup.
“It’s difficult for me to think about anything else at the moment with JP (Mateta) in hospital,” added Parish.
“Somebody mentioned there was one in the World Cup in 1982 like it, but it’s a dreadful challenge. And why the referee needed to go to the screen, I’ve got no idea.”
Palace made use of the man advantage for virtually the whole game to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Japhet Tanganga’s own goal broke the visitors resistence before Daniel Munoz prodded in a second.
Wes Harding pulled a goal back for the Lions, 13 minutes into first-half stoppage time added on for Mateta’s treatment.
Palace were made to wait until 82 minutes to secure progress when Eddie Nketiah’s looping header found the far corner.
Ex-Nigerian international, Jay Jay Okocha has dismissed Jamie Carragher’s comments about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) pedigree, saying no father would want his son to have a football career as the former Liverpool man.
Carragher landed himself in controversy after he suggested s that Mohamed Salah is disadvantaged in the yearly debate for the Ballon d’Or over his not being able to win a ‘major’ international tournament – in his eyes, the Euros, Copa America, or the World Cup with the Egyptian National team.
“There are some players that will say something; you just overlook it. If you look at their careers, if you look at the type of football that they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Carragher.”’Okocha said during an interview on Thursday.
So, he can never appreciate African football or the talents that come from Africa.”
A member of Nigeria’s AFCON-winning side of 2013, John Obi Mikel also condemned Carragher’s statement on his Obi One Podcast, calling the remarks “disrespectful.”
“The Africa Cup of Nations is as big as the Euros. I’ve played in it and won it. It’s not in his f*ing place to discredit the AFCON. He sits there week in, week out, teaching and coaching people on how to win the Premier League, and he never won it!”
He wrote: ‘The point I was trying to make yesterday was that MO Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or”
‘If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’or.”
‘Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros he would still have a great opportunity”
‘It’s not just about certain tournaments, Shevchenko (Ukraine) and Lewandowski (Poland) were never going to win the WC/Euros to help their case for the prize. I don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact.”