Football: Leipzig move into third spot with 4-2 win at Cologne

BERLIN -- RB Leipzig reclaimed third place in the Bundesliga with an entertaining 4-2 victory at Cologne on Monday that put them firmly on course for a Champions League spot with five games left in the season.

Leipzig's second win in their last six league games put them two points ahead of Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen with the top four qualifying for the Champions League group stage.

Cologne stunned the visitors in the seventh minute when Jhon Cordoba fired in on the rebound after Elvis Rexhbecaj first hit the post but Leipzig turned things around before halftime.

Patrik Schick grabbed his ninth goal of the campaign with a 20th minute header and Christopher Nkunku was then sent through to calmly chip the ball over keeper Timo Horn in the 38th.

In a furious start to the second half the visitors added another goal when keeper Peter Gulacsi spectacularly served up a perfect 60-metre assist with a direct delivery for striker Timo Werner to finish it off.

"At that moment when I had the ball I saw that Timo had started his run and that there was a lot of space," Gulacsi said. "It was a good ball from me but Timo still had to score and he did that well."

Cologne substitute Anthony Modeste's 55th minute missile briefly gave the hosts hope but it was quickly cancelled out by Dani Olmo's effort two minutes later.

Leipzig are now third on 58 points, two behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund and nine off leaders Bayern Munich. 

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

-reuters-

Football: Bayern Munich down Dortmund to close on Bundesliga title

BERLIN, Germany -- Joshua Kimmich described his winning goal as "brutally important" after Bayern Munich took a huge step towards an eighth straight Bundesliga title on Tuesday with a 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund to leave them seven points clear at the top with just six games left.

Kimmich's brilliant effort came just before half-time behind closed doors at Signal Iduna Park as hosts Dortmund missed the chance to turn up the heat on the Bavarians without the backing of their huge support.

"It was brutally important: I looked around to see if everyone understood how important it was," Kimmich said of his deft chip.

Kimmich's captain Manuel Neuer echoed the defensive midfielder's thoughts.

"That was a very important sign," said Neuer.

Bayern won 4-0 when the teams met in Munich in November and they kept up their excellent recent record against second-placed Dortmund.

"Now only Bayern can decide what happens," said frustrated Dortmund captain Mats Hummels.

"Sometimes, games are decided by brilliant moments and that was the case today."

Dortmund's star teenage striker, Erling Braut Haaland, who had scored ten goals in as many league games, failed to make an impact against Bayern's watertight defenSe before going off injured in the second half.

Jerome Boateng and David Alaba gave him no room, while Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in midfield made sure passes intended for him rarely met their mark. The Norway forward limped off with 20 minutes left after a heavy tackle from Boateng.

- Cleared chances -

Things might have been different, with Haaland coming close inside the first minute with an attempt that went through the legs of Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer but was kicked off the line by Boateng.

At the other end, Lukasz Piszczek cleared a Serge Gnabry shot inches from the line, while moments later Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki denied Kingsley Coman.

Bayern were in control, and Kimmich grabbed what proved to be the winner two minutes before half-time when he chipped Buerki from 20 yards.

It was the Germany international's third league goal from outside the box this season.

In an attempt to turn the game around, Dortmund coach Lucien Favre brought on midfield enforcer Emre Can at the start of the second half and added the pace of Jadon Sancho on the wing.

The home side had a shout for a penalty just before the hour mark when a Haaland shot was deflected wide by the arm of Boateng, but nothing was given.

Shortly after, Haaland limped off to be replaced by 17-year-old Giovanni Reyna.

In the dying stages, Favre brought on 2014 World Cup winner Mario Goetze, who is out of contract next month and set to leave, in the vain hope of grabbing an equaliser.

With time running out, Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski hit the post.

The league's top scorer then had a strong appeal for a late penalty waved away after a push in the area by Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji.

But the roars of celebration at the end came from the Bayern bench and echoed around the near-empty stadium.

- Leverkusen crash -

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen dropped to fifth after being routed 4-1 at home by Wolfsburg, whose defender Marin Pongracic claimed two goals.

It was a shock defeat at home for Peter Bosz-coached Leverkusen who had won their previous 12 games. 

Borussia Moenchengladbach climbed over Leverkusen into fourth with a goalless draw at second-from-bottom Werder Bremen, who are two points from safety.

Eintracht Frankfurt took a point at home in a 3-3 draw with Freiburg thanks to late goals by Timothy Chandler and Japan striker Daichi Kamada.

Third-placed RB Leipzig can draw level on points with Dortmund if they win on Wednesday at home to Hertha Berlin, who have won both games so far under new head coach Bruno Labbadia.

Leipzig will be without Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen, who is set to miss the rest of the season with injury.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Havertz double helps Bayer to 4-1 win at Werder

BREMEN, Germany -- Bayer Leverkusen stayed in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga after two goals by striker Kai Havertz as well as one each by Mitchell Weiser and Kerem Demirbay helped them to a 4-1 win at struggling Werder Bremen on Monday.

The result left Bayer fifth on 50 points from 26 games, one behind fourth-placed Leipzig and eight adrift of leaders Bayern Munich. Werder, who suffered a record-extending seventh straight home defeat, stayed 17th on 18 points from 25 matches.

With no spectators present in the stadium as part of the COVID-19 precautions, the game descended into a lull before a frantic five-minute spell produced three goals midway through the first half.

Havertz fired Leverkusen ahead in the 28th minute when he rose above his marker at the far post and headed past keeper Jiri Pavlenka after a darting run and cross by Moussa Diaby.

Theodor Gebre Selassie levelled two minutes later with a cheeky back-heel from six metres after Leonardo Bittencourt swung in a corner, but more slack defending by Bremen allowed the visitors to nose ahead again in the 33rd minute.

Havertz was left completely unmarked to head home from eight metres after Kerem Demirbay floated in an inch-perfect free kick and Bremen fell apart in the second half as the visitors carved them open almost at will.

Defender Weiser made it 3-1 in the 61st minute when he powered in a close-range header after another fine assist by the lively Diaby and Leverkusen missed several chances before Demirbay sealed the rout.

Substitute Karim Bellarabi waltzed his way through a static home defence before he released Demirbay with a clever pass which left the latter with a simple task of beating Pavlenka with a dinked finish. 

(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

-reuters-

Football: Cologne waste two-goal lead in draw with Mainz

COLOGNE, Germany - Cologne squandered a two-goal lead and had to sweat to rescue a point in their 2-2 draw with visitors Mainz 05 on Sunday in their first Bundesliga game back after a two-month suspension due to the COVID-19 virus.

Cologne, looking for their fourth straight league win, thought they had wrapped up the match played without spectators after early goals in each half.

Despite the lack of fans, Cologne had some support as about 1,300 season-ticket holders sent in their favourite club items -- team shirts, scarves or stuffed animals -- which were draped over the empty seats.

Mark Uth converted a sixth-minute penalty he won himself and Florian Kainz headed in a perfect Dominick Drexler cross at the far post in the 52nd minute.

But Mainz, led by former Cologne coach Achim Beierlorzer, cut the deficit through Taiwo Awoniyi in the 61st and levelled 11 minutes later thanks to Kunde Malong's 30-metre solo run and fine finish from inside the box. They also went close to scoring a third in the final minutes.

"I am not saying I am satisfied but we can live with the point," Cologne coach Markus Gisdol, who succeeded Beierlorzer, said. "That goal (in the second half) was not good for us. It made us too passive. We gave away too much space but maybe that is normal after such a short preparation to return."

Cologne remained 10th in the standings on 33 points while Mainz moved four points above the relegation playoff spot.

Leaders Bayern Munich are top on 58 points after beating Union Berlin 2-0 later on Sunday. Borussia Dortmund are a point behind following Saturday's 4-0 victory over Schalke 04.

The Bundesliga on Saturday became the first major league in the world to restart amid the pandemic.

A set of strict health regulations are governing the matches, including a ban on spectators in or around the stadiums to minimise the risk of infection. 

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge)

-reuters-

Football: Bayern demolish Dortmund to reclaim Bundesliga top spot

MUNICH, Germany - Champions Bayern Munich dismantled Bundesliga title rivals Borussia Dortmund 5-0 on Saturday, scoring four goals in a flawless first half to reclaim top spot and get back on course for a record-extending seventh straight league crown.

The Bavarians exploded into action and scored twice in the opening 17 minutes through Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski, adding two more from Javi Martinez and Serge Gnabry before the interval.

Lewandowski's strike meant the Polish forward became only the fifth player in Bundesliga history to reach the 200-goal mark and the first foreigner to do so.

The hosts, who drew 1-1 at Freiburg last week, stepped off the gas after the break and controlled the game before Lewandowski scored again in the 89th minute and Bayern moved up to 64 points with six matches remaining, one point clear of Dortmund.

"We put them instantly under pressure. We wanted to attack them early and we overran them," Bayern coach Niko Kovac said. "It was exactly what we had set out to do. We may have had some slip-ups this season but that happens.

"There were many critics of this team and that is why I am really happy for my players today."

The first chance, however, fell to Dortmund with Mo Dahoud hitting the post after a lightning quick break.

But that was the last Dortmund attack for a long time, with a glancing header by Hummels putting the host ahead in the 10th minute and highlighting their aerial superiority.

In total Bayern had 22 shots on goal compared to Dortmund's four and things got worse when Dan-Axel Zagadou's backpass fell to Lewandowski in the 17th and the Bundesliga's leading scorer chipped it over keeper Roman Buerki and volleyed in.

Poland's Lewandowski, who has scored 21 in the league this season, was the first player to break the 200-goal milestone since 1987.

Buerki had to rescue his team again when Hummels and Lewandowski beat the Dortmund defenders in the air.

The keeper denied Thomas Mueller from close range in the 41st minute but could do nothing to stop Martinez's rebound that put the hosts 3-0 up.

Gnabry added another to kill off any hopes of a comeback by Dortmund, who badly missed their injured top scorer Paco Alcacer.

Lewandowski notched his 21st goal of the season and 201st in the Bundesliga to put the cherry on top of a big win for Bayern which made them title favourites once more.

"This was clearly a lesson for us today," said Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. "We have to accept it. They were faster, more aggressive, more skilled. We now must focus on the next game." 

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Five things to look for in the Bundesliga

Bayern Munich want to get their stuttering Bundesliga campaign back on track at Werder Bremen on Saturday by building on their gala 5-1 thumping of Benfica in midweek.

The defending champions, currently fifth, trail leaders Borussia Dortmund, who host Freiburg, by nine points after winning just two and losing three of their last eight league games.

Here are five things to look out for in the Bundesliga this weekend:

-Bremen's decade wait-

After 19 defeats and two draws in their last 22 games against Bayern, Bremen are chasing their first win over the struggling Bavarians since a 5-2 romp in Munich in September 2008.

Bremen are winless in their last four league games, but coach Florian Kohfeldt, 36, hopes to add to Bayern's woeful recent league record.

"It will be tough against a team of Bayern's quality, who have players who can decide games for themselves," said Kohfeldt.

He has a point as Franck Ribery, Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski have each scored at least 10 goals against Bremen, while home fans hope Claudio Pizarro, 40, comes on to score against his ex-club Bayern.

-Wary Neuer-

Bayern's rout of Benfica confirmed their Champions League last 16 berth, but captain Manuel Neuer is not getting carried away.

"That game could be an important step, but we don't know how things will now go," said the Germany goalkeeper.

"It's not as though we now have the confidence to say we'll just knock everyone else over, too much has gone wrong recently for that."

After last Saturday's lacklustre 3-3 draw at home to Fortuna Duesseldorf, Bayern president Uli Hoeness said Kovac's job was only safe until the Benfica game and defeat at Bremen would put Kovac back in the danger zone.

-Witsel scare-

Leaders Dortmund should have Axel Witsel fit to face Freiburg after the Belgium midfielder limped out of their midweek draw against Brugge which confirmed their last 16 place in the Champions League.

The 29-year-old went down in obvious pain late on against Brugge, but coach Lucien Favre revealed, "it was just cramp, it's nothing bad".

The Belgian midfield enforcer has started 11 of Dortmund's 12 league games this season and weighed in with a key assist in the 3-2 win over Bayern three weeks ago.

Freiburg last beat Dortmund in 2010 and 2001 was the last time they won at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.

Christian Streich is expecting a tough afternoon for his 200th league game.

"Dortmund has a brutal quality and fierce tempo", said Freiburg's coach.

-Gladbach reshuffle-

With chief defender Matthias Ginter sidelined after fracturing his cheekbone and eye socket, Moenchengladbach head coach Dieter Hecking must reshuffle his back four against fourth-placed Leipzig on Sunday.

Second-placed Gladbach have won their last three games with Belgian winger Thorgan Hazard on fire with eight goals and five assists this season.

Ginter, 24, had a two-hour operation and is expected to be out for up to eight weeks after colliding with Hanover's Noah Sarenren, who suffered concussion, in last Sunday's 4-1 win.

According to daily Bild, Gladbach could raid the transfer market in January with two former players targeted as cover for Ginter.

Danish centre-back Andreas Christensen, 22, has yet to play for Chelsea this season, while Reece Oxford is playing in West Ham's Under-23 team,

-Haller, Jovic on fire-

Eintracht Frankfurt forwards Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic, the league's joint top-scorers with nine goals each, are worth keeping an eye on against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Jovic banged in five goals in the 7-1 thrashing of Fortuna Duesseldorf with Haller setting up two and scoring another two of his own.

Frankfurt, unbeaten since September, are up to third and Haller has scored in each of his last five league games.

The Frenchman hopes his prowess will put him on Didier Deschamps' radar as he says playing for France "would be a dream".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bayern crash to shock defeat at Hoffenheim

BERLIN, Germany -- Striker Mark Uth netted twice as defending champions Bayern Munich slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat at Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga on Saturday.

Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti paid the price for rotating his squad, having started with both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on the bench, ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match at home to Anderlecht.

Thomas Mueller started on the right wing but played poorly despite creating two goals in Germany's 6-0 mauling of Norway in World Cup qualifying on Monday.

Bayern stumbled to defeat despite 72 percent possession and 23 shots on goal, while Hoffenheim scored twice from just six efforts.

"We didn't behave well after going 1-0 down," fumed Bayern captain Manuel Neuer.

"We had Hoffenheim completely under control, but we didn't take the lead, that is the problem."

After three games, Bayern are in the unusual position of fifth in the table -- for the first time since August 2014.

Hoffenheim are second behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who were held to a 0-0 draw at Freiburg.

Hoffenheim took the lead in Sinsheim after catching out the Bayern defence.

Bayern centre-back Mats Hummels cleared the ball, which had bounced out of play, but Andrej Kramaric took a quick throw-in and the defence was slow to react as Uth fired home past Neuer on 27 minutes.

Bayern were furious as two balls were on the pitch for Uth's goal, but the referee dismissed their protests as the ball Hummels had cleared was in the other half of the pitch -- nowhere near play.

Hoffenheim doubled the lead when Swiss defender Steven Zuber fired in a cross and Uth was unmarked to drill home on 51 minutes.

Ancelotti threw on Ribery and James Rodriguez, the Colombian making his Bayern debut following his move from Real Madrid, for the final quarter of an hour but to no avail.

Having failed to beat Bayern in their first 17 attempts, Hoffenheim now have back-to-back wins after April's 1-0 home victory.

- Dortmund's double blow -

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund could be without injury victims Marcel Schmelzer and Marc Bartra for Wednesday's opening Champions League group match at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur.

The pair picked up ankle and groin injuries respectively in Dortmund's frustrating stalemate at 10-man Freiburg.

Freiburg's Yoric Ravet was sent off on 30 minutes for his tackle on Schmelzer after the video assistant referee spotted the midfielder had gone in studs up.

Schmelzer was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

"It looks worse for Marcel, we will have to wait to see how it looks on Sunday," said Dortmund coach Peter Bosz.

It was the first time Dortmund dropped league points under Bosz.

"I'm disappointed, we had the numerical advantage for an hour, so a draw isn't enough," said Bosz.

It was the first time the VAR, which is being trialled in the Bundesliga this season, prompted a red card in Germany's top flight.

Dortmund's new signing Andriy Yarmolenko made his debut for the final 11 minutes after joining from Dynamo Kiev.

- Historic Steinhaus -

Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng scored his first goal in Germany's top flight for three years as Eintracht Frankfurt won 1-0 at Borussia Moenchengladbach before going off concussed.

Iceland striker Alfred Finnbogason hit a hat-trick in Augsburg's 3-0 win at home to struggling Cologne, who are are bottom after three defeats.

New signing Abdou Diallo and midfielder Suat Serdar scored second-half goals as Mainz earned a 3-1 comeback win at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Hanover 96 after Daniel Didavi's first-half free-kick gave the hosts the lead before Martin Harnik levelled for Hanover.

History will be made on Sunday when Bibiana Steinhaus becomes the first female to referee in Germany's top flight when Hertha Berlin host Werder Bremen.

The 38-year-old will become the first female referee in one of Europe's top leagues and Hertha are offering half-price tickets to women to see the historic moment at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LOOK: Bayern Munich celebrates PH independence

Top Bundesliga club Bayern Munich on Monday took time to celebrate Philippine independence.

In a post on its official Facebook account, Bayern Munich posted a picture of its club with the Philippine flag in the background, and the caption "Happy Independence Day" along with the Philippine flag emoji.

One of Bayern Munich's top players, left back David Alaba, traces his roots to the Philippines. Alaba's mother, Gina, is a Filipina, while his father is Nigerian. Alaba plays international football for Austria.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Last gasp Lewandowski saves Bayern in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany -- Robert Lewandowski hit a 96th-minute equaliser to salvage Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin on Saturday and extended their lead in the Bundesliga table to eight points.

Bayern were seconds away from what would have been their second league defeat this season when Lewandowski fired home his 24th goal in all competitions to cancel out Vedad Ibisevic's first-half strike.

"Robert Lewandowski is a fantastic player and very important for us," enthused Bayern's relieved coach Carlo Ancelotti.

"We're happy, because it was a hard game.

"Hertha put in a good first half, but it was different after the break and we managed to create more pressure."

It was a Champions League hangover for Bayern following Wednesday's 5-1 hammering of Arsenal in the last 16 first leg as Ancelotti made four changes to the side that beat the Gunners.

Hertha went ahead on 21 minutes when Ibisevic ghosted in behind Bayern's defence and deflected Marvin Plattenhardt's free-kick past Manuel Neuer.

Despite enjoying more than 70 percent possession, Bayern struggled and Lewandowski's equaliser only came deep into added time.

Thiago Alcantara's free-kick found Ajren Robben on the edge of the area, his shot was blocked, but Lewandowski drilled home the rebound to deny Hertha a first win over Bayern in 12 attempts.

Berlin coach Pal Dardai was angry about the six minutes of added time.


"I think that was a bonus for Bayern," he fumed.

Second-placed RB Leipzig can close the gap behind Bayern away to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Lukasz Piszczek had a hand in all three goals as Borussia Dortmund bounced back from Tuesday's Champions League last 16 first-leg defeat at Benfica with a 3-0 trouncing of Wolfsburg at home.

Dortmund's iconic south stand, nicknamed the 'Gelbe Wand' (Yellow Wall), which holds 25,000 fans, stood empty.

It was a German FA punishment after hooligans attacked visiting RB Leipzig fans, including families, earlier this month.

Dortmund went ahead when Wolfsburg defender Jeffrey Bruma headed Piszczek's close-range cross into his own net on 20 minutes.

Poland international Piszczek added the second, heading home Ousmane Dembele's cross on 48 minutes, and then set up Dembele for the third on 59 minutes.

Hoffenheim climbed to fourth with a 2-0 win at home to bottom side Darmstadt as ex-Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric scored both their goals.

Ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt dropped to fifth after their shock 2-0 defeat to strugglers Ingolstadt, who had Australia striker Mathew Leckie sent off and remain second from bottom.

Ingolstadt took an early lead through French defender Romain Bregerie while Frankfurt finished the first half with 10 men.

Defender David Abraham was shown a red card when his clearance kick connected with Dario Lezcano's chest on 35 minutes.

Frankfurt's Japan midfielder Makoto Hasebe had a second-half penalty saved, then hit the crossbar from the follow-up, and Pascal Gross scored Ingolstadt's second goal from a penalty at the other end 13 minutes later.

Ingolstadt also played with a man less for the last 10 minutes after Leckie was shown a straight red for a similar foul to Abraham -- accidentally kicking an opponent.

Relegation-threatened Werder Bremen escaped the bottom three with a 2-0 win at Mainz.

Ex-Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry gave Bremen the lead with a towering header on 16 minutes.

Denmark international Thomas Delaney slammed home a free-kick to double the lead seven minutes later, but was later hospitalised with concussion.

Goal-scorer Aaron Hunt missed a late penalty for Hamburg, who extended their unbeaten run to four games with a 2-2 draw at home to Freiburg to remain clear of the bottom three.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bayern hammer 10-man Leipzig to open up lead

BERLIN, Germany -- Robert Lewandowski led Bayern Munich to a 3-0 triumph in their Bundesliga showdown against ten-man RB Leipzig that opened up a three-point lead over their rivals.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed a "perfect" first half in which Bayern's Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso scored early goals before Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle. That left the visitors to play an hour at Munich's Allianz Arena a man down.

Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi then conceded the penalty which Lewandowski converted on 45 minutes to put Bayern 3-0 up at the break.

The result put Munich three points clear of their battered opponents at the top of the German league table heading into the winter break.

Leipzig briefly knocked Bayern off top spot early this month and the two have been in a neck-and-neck battle since.

Ancelotti highlighted his side's first half display.


"We were very aggressive and quickly established control, which gives us self-confidence, but we must still improve," said the Italian.

There was a minute's silence for the victims of Monday's truck attack in Berlin at Munich, Cologne, Ingolstadt and Hoffenheim, but it was most poignant at the capital's Olympic stadium.

Hertha Berlin hosted Darmstadt seven kilometres (four miles) from Breitscheidplatz where a lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market on Monday, leaving 12 dead and at least 48 injured.

Fans in Berlin held up thousands of lights during a poignant minute's silence before kick off. The Hertha squad had earlier laid a wreath at the site.

A second-half free-kick by Marvin Plattenhardt and a Salomon Kalou header sealed Hertha's 2-0 win to stay fourth.

In Munich, Ancelotti pulled a surprise by leaving Germany forward Thomas Mueller and French winger Franck Ribery on the bench.

- Thiago on target -

Thiago Alcantara and Douglas Costa started and the selection paid off with 17 minutes gone.

Captain Philipp Lahm fired in a cross, Lewandowski hit the post, but Thiago was waiting in the middle to convert the rebound.

A mistake by Leipzig's Naby Keita, who had recovered from a thigh injury, saw Bayern grab their second on 25 minutes.

Arturo Vidal robbed the Guinea midfielder of possession, Lewandowski sprinted clear and Thiago slipped the ball to Alonso, who fired home.

A header by Leipzig captain Willi Orban forced Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into a diving save just before disaster struck for the visitors on 30 minutes.

Left winger Forsberg was sent off when his tackle caught Philipp Lahm on the Achilles tendon and referee Felix Zwayer pulled out a red card.

"He knew straight away that he had made a mistake, he's already apologised and we all can make mistakes," said Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Gulacsi then conceded the penalty as it finished 3-0 at the break.

Bayern were then to let their opponent chase the ball as they enjoyed 75 percent possession, but the hosts battered the Leipzig goal in the closing minutes.

"I am proud of what the team has achieved this season, but this was a lesson for us and compliment to Bayern on the way they played," added Hasenhuettl.

Hoffenheim, the only unbeaten team in Germany's top flight, stay third after their tenth draw in 16 games as it finished 1-1 at home to Werder Bremen.

Hoffenheim's striker Sandro Wagner claimed his ninth league goal this season before Bremen's ex-Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry rescued a point.

Cologne striker Anthony Modeste gave his side a first-half lead before Bayer Leverkusen's Brazil defender Wendell equalised in a 1-1 draw.

Ingolstadt remain second from bottom after their 2-1 home defeat to mid-table Freiburg, for whom Florian Niederlechner netted twice.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Dortmund stumble against Augsburg, Eintracht win again

BERLIN - Borussia Dortmund missed a bagful of chances to draw 1-1 at home with Augsburg on Tuesday, as they squandered the opportunity to make up ground in the Bundesliga title race heading into the winter break.

South Korean Ji Dong-won beat keeper Roman Weidenfeller at the second attempt in the 33rd minute to put the visitors ahead.

Dortmund, who had hit the post through Mario Goetze in the ninth minute, dominated late in the first half but could not make their pressure count until Ousmane Dembele levelled two minutes after the restart.

The hosts had numerous chances in a one-sided second half with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Bundesliga's top scorer, going close half a dozen times.

Dortmund are fourth on 27 points, nine points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, who face each other on Wednesday.

"I think the game tonight reflects our first half of the season," said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel after Dortmund's third consecutive league draw.

"We are being punished too often. We should be able at some point to keep a clean sheet and win 1-0," Tuchel said. "We will obviously not stop working at it. We need to be consistent in our competitions."

Eintracht Frankfurt moved up to third on 29 after beating 10-man Mainz 05 3-0 with Branimir Hrgota scoring twice as they secured a fourth victory in their last seven league games.

Mario Gomez's winner gave VfL Wolfsburg a 2-1 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach that left both teams on 16 points and heaped further pressure on Gladbach coach Andre Schubert following their fifth loss in the last seven games.

Hamburg SV climbed into the relegation playoff spot after edging past Schalke 04 2-1.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

BUNDESLIGA: Dortmund sink Bayern to end champions' unbeaten run

DORTMUND - Borussia Dortmund ended Bayern Munich's unbeaten run, edging a 1-0 win on Saturday thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 12th goal of the season, cutting the gap between the champions and their biggest title rivals to three points.

Gabon international Aubameyang made the most of Dortmund's frenetic start, tapping in an 11th-minute assist from Mario Goetze, who was facing his former club for the first time since his move in the close season.

"It was a great feeling to score this goal," the forward told reporters. "It was great work from Lukasz Piszczek and Mario."

"I am very happy for our fans who supported us the entire game. They never stopped."

More than a quarter of the game had gone before Bayern, who drop to second in the Bundesliga, three points behind new leaders RB Leipzig, landed a shot on goal, but they were in command for the rest of the half, although they failed to beat keeper Roman Buerki.

They had the ball in the net 10 minutes after the restart but Franck Ribery's clever flick was ruled offside.

Xabi Alonso then hammered a shot against the crossbar as Bayern upped the pressure, virtually camped in the Dortmund half.

Aubameyang should have made it two for the hosts in the 71st minute when he pounced on an Alonso mistake and charged into the box, but Manuel Neuer stood his ground and palmed his shot wide.

Dortmund, whose win was only their second in the last nine Bundesliga encounters against Bayern, move up to third on 21 points, six behind Leipzig, who won 3-2 at Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night.

Marcel Risse scored a stoppage-time winner as Cologne came from a goal down to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 and climb into fourth, ahead of Hertha Berlin, who dropped to fifth following a goalless draw at Augsburg. Both have also 21 points.

Gladbach, Champions League competitors this season, made it six games without a win after Risse thundered in a shot from a free kick with seconds left to play.

Bundesliga top scorer Anthony Modeste's 59th-minute goal -- his 12th of the campaign -- had cancelled out Lars Stindl's 32nd-minute lead for Gladbach.

Hertha failed to gain more ground on the top spots in a lacklustre encounter against Augsburg.

Schalke 04 earned a deserved 1-0 victory at VfL Wolfsburg thanks to Leon Goretzka's winner eight minutes from the end to leave the Wolves hovering two points above the relegation zone.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann,; Editing by Neville Dalton)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

BUNDESLIGA: Bayern held at home as Ancelotti misses record

BERLIN, Germany -- Leaders Bayern Munich dropped their first Bundesliga points of the season on Saturday as their 1-1 draw at home to Cologne denied Carlo Ancelotti a record-equaling sixth straight win.

Joshua Kimmich's first-half header at Munich's Allianz Arena was cancelled out by Anthony Modeste's volley to break the Bavarian giants' 100 percent record in the league this season.

It meant Ancelotti missed out on equalling the Bundesliga record of six straight wins for a coach in his debut season in Germany's top flight.

"We were good in the first half and controlled the game, then we lost the cohesion and order in our game," admitted Ancelotti.

"We haven't played well in the last two matches, but it continues after the international break."

Cologne could easily have claimed a rare win in Munich.

Simon Zoller sprinted clear of the defence and his shot beat Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, but rolled agonisingly past the post two minutes into injury time.

Ancelotti made seven changes to the side which lost 1-0 at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Only Neuer, Javi Martinez, Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski kept their starting places.

Bayern took the lead on 40 minutes when left-back Juan Bernat skipped through a tackle to deliver a superb cross, which Kimmich launched himself at to head the ball home past Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn.

The visitors drew level on 63 minutes when Modeste volleyed Marcel Risse's cross over Neuer.

It was only the second goal Bayern had conceded at home this season in five games at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern could have gone back in front, but Germany star Thomas Mueller was left with his head in his hands when Horn deflected his close-range shot onto the far post with 76 minutes gone.

The result leaves Bayern three points clear while fourth-placed Cologne preserve their unbeaten record this season.

- 5th straight defeat -

Hertha Berlin took their chance to claim second place with a 2-0 win at home to Hamburg.

Vedad Ibisevic's scrambled shot gave Hertha a first-half lead at Berlin's Olympic Stadium before he also converted a second-half penalty.

Hamburg stumbled to their fifth straight defeat and their first under new coach Markus Gisdol after Bruno Labbadia was sacked last week.

Borussia Dortmund remain third despite crashing to a 2-0 defeat at fellow Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen, thanks to Admir Mehmedi's header and Javi Hernandez's second-half strike -- Chicharito's fifth goal in three games.

Borussia's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a late goal ruled offside, but this was a below-par display from Dortmund in the wake of Tuesday's 2-2 draw at home to holders Real Madrid in the Champions League.

"It's really annoying -- we could have done with the three points," Dortmund's Germany defender Matthias Ginter told Sky following Leverkusen's first home win against Borussia for nine years.

Along with Bayern, Cologne and RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim remain one of the four unbeaten teams after their 2-1 win at Ingolstadt, achieved thanks to first-half goals by Sandro Wagner and Kerem Demirbay.

Having drawn four of their six games this season, Hoffenheim are eighth.

Freiburg are in mid-table after Vincenzo Grifo's early effort gave them a 1-0 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Werder Bremen's 2-2 draw at Darmstadt left them just above the relegation places.

Bremen's Senegal defender Lamine Sane and Germany Under-21 winger Serge Gnabry, with his second since joining from Arsenal, netted their goals while Antonio-Mirko Colak scored twice for Darmstadt.

On Friday, Leipzig's 2-1 victory at home to Augsburg saw them go a sixth game unbeaten, giving them the best start to a season by a team making it's debut in Germany's top flight after promotion.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Wolfsburg shock Real Madrid 2-0 to crown big European night

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Real Madrid's hopes of an 11th European title were left hanging by a thread as they slumped to a shock 2-0 loss at Germany's Champions League novices VfL Wolfsburg in their quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

The Germans were celebrating a memorable last-eight debut after Ricardo Rodriguez's penalty in the 18th minute and Maximilian Arnold's strike in the 25th stunned the visitors only four days after their 'Clasico' win in Spain over Barcelona.

Despite making just one change to the lineup that started against Barca, Real coach Zinedine Zidane's team will now go into the return leg in Madrid next Tuesday with a clear disadvantage.

The Germans, last season's Bundesliga runners-up who had scored only one goal in their last three matches, were more aggressive than the Spaniards and used their chances extremely well.

"You have to bring that energy if you want to win," said Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking. "I was laughed at when I said yesterday that we may have a chance. Real had their opportunities early on and we were a bit lucky.

"We pulled together, we found the spaces and played very well. Now we will go to Madrid, knowing that we have a chance to advance."

The Spaniards, who saw Karim Benzema limp off with a foot injury in the 40th minute, enjoyed a strong start but never recovered from the quick two-goal punch and were lucky not to have conceded a third in the second half.

"I am very disappointed. We had imagined it completely differently," said Real midfielder Toni Kroos. ""We started well, had a big chance early on. We did not underestimate them but struggled after those two goals. We had too little movement."

The Spaniards needed only 90 seconds to put the ball in the net but Cristiano Ronaldo's effort was ruled offside.

They kept up the pressure and Frenchman Benzema came close minutes later when his shot was blocked by Wolfsburg's Diego Benaglio.

But it was the hosts who struck first after being awarded a penalty when Andre Schuerrle went down in the box in a challenge with Casemiro.

Swiss international Rodriguez sent Keylor Navas the wrong way before Wolfsburg struck again seven minutes later with Arnold sliding in to complete a superb passing move that left the Real backline dazed.

Things got even worse for the Spanish side as Benzema was taken off minutes before the break and Real struggled to develop any traction in their attacking game in the second half.

"I think it was the first half the caused us problems," said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. "We were not concentrated enough. We did it better in the second half but we did not score."

Champions League top scorer Ronaldo was rarely left without two players marking him and he was also denied by Benaglio in their one-on-one in the 70th as Real grew more desperate, pouring forward in search of a goal.

Wolfsburg kept threatening to extend their lead and although Schuerrle twice failed to score despite racing clear, it did not prevent the Germans from condemning Real to their first defeat this season in the competition.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com