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Kane’s Late Goal Saves Bayern Against Leipzig

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Harry Kane scored two goals in the second half, including an injury-time winner, to snatch Bayern Munich a 2-1 home win over RB Leipzig on Saturday, ending the side’s worst run since 2015.

Bayern had lost three matches in a row for the first time in nine years before the club announced this week that coach Thomas Tuchel would leave in the summer.

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told Sky “it might seem a bit like the good old Bayern luck, but we deserved to win today.”

The win reduced the gap to leaders Bayer Leverkusen to eight points with 11 games left.

Neuer said Tuchel’s exit “cast a bad light on us as players, that we weren’t able to make it work with a top coach like Thomas Tuchel.

“It’s our mistake. We want to keep things going professionally until the end.”

Kane broke the deadlock midway through the first half but Leipzig hit back with 20 remaining minutes, Benjamin Sesko equalising for the visitors.

With Bayern in danger of conceding further ground to Leverkusen in the title race, Kane stepped up and scored in the first minute of injury time, his 27th league goal of the season.

Kane had a golden chance to release the pressure on the home side just five minutes in but his point-blank header was pushed onto the post by Janis Blaswich.

The England captain went close once more just before half-time but a bicycle kick was directed straight at Blaswich.

Kane finally broke through after 56 minutes, slamming a low shot into the Leipzig goal, his 26th strike in 23 games.

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Leipzig, who had not lost to Bayern in the league in two years, pressured the German champions, breaking through after 70 minutes through Sesko.

Sesko collected a short Dani Olmo pass and drove his shot low, with the ball deflected by Leon Goretzka and rolling into the net.

The match looked set for a stalemate until Kane latched onto a pass from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, before volleying past Blaswich to seize a valuable win.

Stuttgart held
Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Cologne.

Stuttgart were without injured Brighton loanee Deniz Undav, who had scored five goals in his past four league games, picking up the slack from striker Serhou Guirassy, who has only recently returned to club action after the Africa Cup of Nations.

Stuttgart took the lead in the 53rd minute, Enzo Millot finishing off the type of well-worked team move which has become the hallmark of Sebastian Hoeness’ side this season.

Cologne drew level nine minutes later, though, Eric Martel tapping in after being left unmarked at the far post from a free-kick.

After needing to win a two-legged relegation play-off to stay in the top division last campaign, Stuttgart have been this season’s Bundesliga surprise packages and stay third as they bid to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2010.

A disappointed Stuttgart captain Waldemar Anton said: “If you want to play international football you have to come out on top in games like this.”

Elsewhere, Union Berlin drew 2-2 at home to Heidenheim.

The visitors forged ahead through Nikola Dovedan on just three minutes thanks to a defensive blunder.

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Germany left-back Robin Gosens drew Union level in the 44th minute, sending an ungainly shot across the face of goal and into the net, moments before Andras Schafer gave the hosts the lead.

Heidenheim, who are surprisingly within touching distance of the European placings in their first top-flight season, equalised through Jan-Niklas Beste, who chipped the ball home after a counter-attack.

Borussia Moenchengladbach thumped Bochum 5-2 at home, picking up a crucial three points to move eight clear of the relegation play-off spot.

Darmstadt went within inches of a third win of the season, having two goals chalked off in the dying stages for offside and handball in a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.

The result keeps Darmstadt last on 13 points.

AFP

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Aston Villa Record 7th Consecutive Win Ahead of PSG Trip

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Aston Villa climbed into the Premier League’s top six as early goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen secured a 2-1 win over third-placed Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

A seventh consecutive victory for Unai Emery’s men in all competitions sets up Villa perfectly for Wednesday’s trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Villa’s hot streak has also brought them well into the race for Champions League football next season.

A top-five Premier League finish will almost certainly be enough to qualify thanks to the strong performance of English sides in European competition this season.

Villa sit below fifth-placed Manchester City only on goal difference and moved to within one point of Chelsea in fourth.

“We enjoy competing in the Champions League and the FA Cup, but the Premier League is the most important because it is through the league that we can reach our objective for the next season,” said Emery.

Forest’s cushion over Villa is reduced to six points, leaving Nuno Espirito Santo’s side plenty of work to do in their final seven games to secure a return to European football’s elite level for the first time since they were holders in 1980.

Emery had one eye on the trip to his former club in midweek as he made eight changes from Wednesday’s impressive 3-0 win at Brighton.

The Spaniard’s decision to inject fresh legs was justified in a flying start as the home side led 2-0 inside 15 minutes.

Rogers’ deft touch to control Youri Tielemans’ ball over the top teed up the England international to stroke home his 13th goal of a breakout season.

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Malen has been overshadowed by the impact made by fellow January arrivals Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio.

 

However, the Dutch international now has two goals in two games after turning in Ian Maatsen’s enticing low delivery.

Forest looked fatigued in holding off Manchester United on Tuesday just three days after being forced to extra-time and penalties by Brighton to book their place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Villa and Forest could meet again in the FA Cup final should they win their last-four ties later this month.

The visitors took 45 minutes to find their feet but came out a different side in the second half.

“Normally we always start really well and the big lesson was that we can’t start a game as bad as we did today,” said Nuno.

The Forest boss’ decision to sacrifice the in-form Anthony Elanga for Jota Silva at the break proved an inspired change.

Villa failed to heed the Forest warnings as Neco Williams and Callum Hudson-Odoi fired just wide at the start of the second period.

Silva spun on to Williams’ cross on 56 minutes to halve the arrears.

Elliott Anderson was then inches away from an equaliser as the former Newcastle midfielder’s effort swerved off target.

Emery turned to his talented bench to try and turn the tide as Rashford, Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara came on just after the hour mark.

But it was Rogers who had the biggest chance to make the three points safe when he failed to beat Matz Sels one-on-one.

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That reprieve gave Forest life and they could have snatched a point when Williams fired across goal before Murillo’s long-range effort hit the bar in stoppage time.

AFP

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Barcelona 4 points Clear of Real Madrid After Draw

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Barcelona failed to break down a frantic Real Betis defence as they were held to a 1-1 draw in La Liga on Saturday but still gained ground on Real Madrid who earlier conceded deep into added time to lose 2-1 at home to Valencia.

Barcelona moved four points ahead of Real Madrid atop La Liga. Both teams face Champions League first-leg ties this week, Real visit Arsenal on Tuesday and Barcelona play in Dortmund the following evening.

Barcelona cut open Betis in the seventh minute and Gavi slid the ball past goalkeeper Adrian from inside the six-yard box.

But the hosts were unable to turn a series of lively attacks into goals. Instead the visitors hit back after 16 minutes when centreback Natan Souza escaped the clutches of his defender to head home a Giovani Lo Celso corner.

Barcelona besieged the Betis goal in the second half but were denied by a combination of dogged defending, strong goalkeeping from Adrian and some agonising near misses.

Wojciech Szczesny did not have to make a save until the 88th minute when he turned away a long-range drive by Natan.

With Betis playing for time, Barcelona did not leave themselves exposed to a late counter-attack as they played out a draw that bolstered their lead at the top.

“If we had won we would be further clear, but in the end it’s football,” Gavi told Movistar. “The draw leaves a bitter taste, because we were unable to take advantage of the chances we had.”

The draw lifted Betis to fifth.

– ‘Lots of chances’ –
“La Liga is more complicated, but we have to fight until the last game,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

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“They didn’t need to do much to score two goals,” said Ancelotti. “We took risks at the end and found ourselves hit on the counter-attack.

 

“We’ve had deserved defeats this season, but I don’t think we lacked attitude today,” he added. “It’s not a deserved defeat. We created lots of chances but lacked a little effectiveness.”

The victory lifted Valencia to 15th, seven points clear of the bottom three.

Real had an early chance to take control when Valencia’s Cesar Tarrega was adjudged to have fouled Kylian Mbappe in the penalty area, but Giorgi Mamardashvili saved a weak spot-kick from Vinicius Junior.

It was the Brazilian’s second consecutive miss from the spot for Real, after he wasted a Champions League penalty against Atletico Madrid.

Within a minute Valencia went up the other end and won a corner. From it Mouctar Diakhaby outjumped Antonio Rudiger and rocketed home a header.

Real levelled after 50 minutes when Vinicius tapped over the line in a scramble following a Real corner. It was his 104th goal for Los Blancos, matching Brazilian compatriot Ronaldo.

Real gave a lacklustre performance, nevertheless, Mbappe carved out enough chances to win, but wasted opportunities in the 36th, 37th, 48th, 49th and 68th minutes.

Valencia’s Georgian goalkeeper Mamardashvili was in imperious form keeping his team in the game until Duro delivered his winner.

Valencia stunned the dominant hosts deep into injury time when a slick countering-attacking move was emphatically finished by Duro from Rafa Mir’s cross.

Ancelotti started third-choice ‘keeper Fran Gonzalez following injuries to Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin, although the Ukrainian was fit enough to be named on the bench.

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In addition to Arsenal, Ancelotti has to focus on the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 26 in Seville.

“The match against Barca in the Copa del Rey will be different; they’ll attack more, and we’ll have to be better at the back and be effective up front,” the Italian said.

AFP

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Teenager hands Djokovic shock defeat in Miami Open final

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Nineteen-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik beat his childhood idol Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 7-6(4) in an upset for the ages on Sunday, claiming his first ATP title at the Miami Open.

Victory for Mensik meant he denied the former number one, Djokovic, his bid for a milestone 100th.

The 54th-ranked Mensik faced tough odds in only his second ATP final but harnessed his best weapon to subdue the 24-time major winner with 14 aces.

He collapsed onto the court, overcome with emotion, after sealing it with an unreturnable serve.

The oldest ever to reach a Masters 1000 final, 37-year-old Djokovic had hoped to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only three men in the Open Era with 100 or more titles.

He however ran out of steam in the end.

“When I was young I started to play tennis because of you,” Mensik said to his opponent at the trophy ceremony.

“There is no harder task for a tennis player than to beat you in the finals of a tournament.”

Djokovic arrived on the court after several hours of rain delays with swelling near his right eye.

He appeared off-kilter as he handed Mensik a break with a clumsy shot out of bounds in the second game.

He slipped and fell in the fifth game, taking his time to get back up off the court.

This was as his legions of devoted fans in Hard Rock Stadium urged him on, and applied eye drops to his afflicted eye during the changeover.

The Serb levelled it in the seventh but boiled over with frustration as Mensik got off to a 5-0 head start in the tiebreak.

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He fumed at his box, where his former rival-turned-coach Andy Murray sat stone-faced.

The Czech held his nerve, meanwhile, and pumped his fist with satisfaction as he clinched the set with an overhead smash.

The two players battled toe-to-toe in a thrilling second set, where Mensik used his speed to his advantage to neutralise Djokovic’s fine drop shots at the net.

Djokovic had his veteran survival instincts on display as he fended off two break points in the fifth game.

But he gradually showed the wear-and-tear of the match before collapsing from exhaustion after a 21-shot rally in the tiebreak.

“It hurts me to admit it but you were better,” said Djokovic, who had previously invited Mensik to train with him after the then-16-year-old reached the Australian Open juniors final in 2022.

“In the clutch moments, you delivered the goods.”

The win capped a dream run through the tournament for Mensik, who upset third seed Taylor Fritz en route to the final.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to say. It feels incredible, obviously,” he said in on-court remarks.

The victory was made all the more sweet as Mensik said he nearly dropped out of the tournament an hour before his first match due to knee pain.

He gave his physio full credit for keeping his hopes alive.

“I came for treatment, needed a miracle,” said Mensik. “And because of him I stepped on the court and because of him I’m standing here.”(Reuters/NAN)

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