The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayern Munich

  • Bayern fire six past hapless Mainz for second win in a row

     Bayern Munich scored six times in a span of 45 minutes to come from a goal down and crush visitors Mainz 05 6-1 on Saturday.

    The result saw Bayern climb to seven points from three games, two off the top.

    Benjamin Pavard’s fine volley in the 36th minute cancelled out Mainz’s lead through a Jean-Paul Boetius header and launched Bayern’s sustained attack.

    Read Also: Bayern Munich wins Bundesliga title for 7th successive season

    A sensational David Alaba free kick on the stroke of halftime turned the game around before Ivan Perisic gave Bayern a two-goal cushion with a header at the far post in the 54th minute.

    Kingsley Coman stabbed in their fourth 10 minutes later and league top scorer Robert Lewandowski also got onto the scoresheet, firing in his sixth goal in three league matches in the 78th.

    Substitute Alphonso Davies completed the rout two minutes later.

    RB Leipzig are top on nine points after their 3-1 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.

    Borussia Dortmund on six points, are in action at Union Berlin later on Saturday.

    NAN

  • Awoniyi watches as Mainz 05 suffer 6-1 demolition

     

    Liverpool ace Taiwo Awoniyi watched from the bench as Mainz05 were taken to the cleaners by Bayern Munich in the Germany Bundesliga on Saturday.

    Awoniyi who was listed but not fielded in the match it will be recalled enjoyed about 25 minutes action in the home tie against Borussia Mgladbach which ended 3-1 in favour of the visitors last week but was not in action against rampaging Bayern Munich on Saturday.

    Mainz had shot into the lead in the 6th minute thanks to Jean-Paul Boëtius to the surprise of the home fans at the Allianz arena but it took Bayern 30 minutes to equalize through Benjamin Pavard and from then on it was goals galore for the Niko Kovač tutored side.

    Nigeria born Austria international David Alaba and Robert Lewandowski were all on target. Mainz05 have thus conceded 9 goals in two matches scoring two. Mainz will next host Hertha BSC next week and will be hoping to return to winning ways and offer their fans opportunity to smile again.

     Ndidi and teammates celebrate

    Awoniyi who was left out in Gernot Rohr’s squad to the last Nations cup is among the players lined up for September 10 international friendly against Ukraine in Kyiv.

    In the English Premier League it was all smiles for super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi as Leicester City beat visiting Bournemouth 3-1 at the King Power Stadium. The Nigerian international as usual was in action for the entire duration of the match with compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho not listed.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Bayern Munich fail to seal title after Leipzig stumble

    Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich stumbled to a goalless draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, thereby missing their chance to seal the title.

    Borussia Dortmund kept their hopes alive and closed to within two points with one game left.

    Bayern Munich, who needed a win to make sure of a record-extending seventh consecutive league title, are on 75 points.

    They take on Eintracht Frankfurt in next week’s season finale.

    Read Also: Bayern Munich stars in towel celebration

    Borussia Dortmund, who beat Fortuna Duesseldorf 3-2, are on 73 and face Borussia Moenchengladbach next week.

    RB Leipzig are third on 66 and have secured their UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

    Hanover 96 and Nuremberg were relegated while VfB Stuttgart held on to 16th place and will go into a relegation/promotion playoff with third-placed team of the second division. (Reuters/NAN)

     

  • Barcelona reach first ever Women’s Champions League final

    If any of the Barcelona players who debuted in the Champions League on September 26, 2012, had been told that seven years later the side would be in a final then they would have surely thought it a crazy notion.

    But it has come to pass, and the Catalan club’s women’s team will compete in the Champions League final on May 18 in Budapest, becoming the first Spanish side to appear in European club football’s biggest match.

    They made it to the final by beating Bayern Munich in a tie that will be remembered for some time to come, especially as there was a record attendance of 12,764 at the Mini Estadi for Sunday’s second leg.

    Read Also: Breaking: Barcelona retain La Liga title

    This total is made all the more impressive given the hangovers likely being suffered by many fans who spent Saturday evening celebrating the men’s LaLiga Santander title, matched with it being election day in Spain.

    It was a solitary goal that ensured their place in the final, and that strike came courtesy of a Mariona Caldentey penalty at the end of the first half, with the Azulgrana having won the first leg 1-0 as well.

    Kheira Hamraoui was sent off in the final 20 minutes, but they were able to hold on with 10.

    Either Lyon or Chelsea will meet them in the final.

    That second leg will be played in London on Sunday afternoon and the French side have a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.

  • Dortmund massacre Freiburg to mount pressure on Bayern

    Borussia Dortmund eased past Freiburg 4-0 on Sunday with goals from Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Paco Alcacer, to stay a point behind leaders Bayern Munich with four games left in the Bundesliga season.

    England international Sancho tapped in from close range for the visitors in the 12th minute and Reus completed another fine move in the 54th to score his 16th goal of the season.

    Read Also: Bolt looking forward to Borussia Dortmund trial

    The pair then combined to set up Gotze for their third in the 79th and Dortmund’s top scorer Alcacer made it 4-0 with an 87th minute penalty, his 17th league goal.

    The result kept Dortmund, on 69 points, within striking distance of Bayern, who are top on 70 after their 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Saturday.

    RB Leipzig are in third place on 61, nine points clear of fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.

  • Bayern crush Dortmund to take lead in Bundesliga title race

    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.

    Bayern 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 he became only the fifth player in Bundesliga history to reach the 200-goal mark and the first foreigner to do so.

    Robert Lewandowski celebrates his 200th Bundesliga goal during the win against Borussia Dortmund.

    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.

    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.

    Things got worse for Dortmund when Dan-Axel Zagadou’s back pass fell to Lewandowski in the 17th and the Bundesliga’s leading scorer chipped it over keeper Roman Burki 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 Muller 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.

  • Wasteful Bayern stumble in title race as Dortmund win late

    Champions Bayern Munich stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Freiburg to hand the Bundesliga top spot back to Borussia Dortmund, who beat Wolfsburg 2-0.

    Bayern, who had won 13 of their previous 14 league games, cancelled out Lucas Hoeler’s third minute goal with Robert Lewandowski’s 199th Bundesliga goal in the 22nd minute.

    Read also: Rashford, Martial give sloppy Manchester United win over Watford

    But the Poland striker’s sensational volley was not enough and he wasted a bagful of golden scoring chances in the second half, including a point blank header, and even hit the woodwork in stoppage time.

    Bayern are on 61 points, two behind Dortmund whom they will meet next week.

  • Bayern Munich complete record breaking Hernandez deal

     

    Bayern Munich have smashed their transfer record to sign Lucas Hernandez on a £68million deal from Atletico Madrid.

    The Bundesliga giants announced on Wednesday the Frenchman has penned a five-year contract and will join them from July 1 after completing his medical during the international break.

    The signing represents the highest-ever fee paid by Bayern – their previous transfer record stood at £37.35m when they splashed out to sign Corentin Tolisso from Lyon in 2017.

    Atletico had been keen to keep hold of the 23-year-old but Bayern showed interest in January and opted to activate his release clause.

    Hernandez only committed his long-term future to deal Atletico at the end of last season but Bayern managed to sway him to join them.

    Speaking of the transfer, Hernandez told Bayern’s website: ‘This is a really important day in my footballing career.

    ‘Bayern Munich is one of the best clubs in Europe and the world. I’m proud to be able to fight for all possible titles with Bayern.

    ‘I’d like to thank Atletico, the management, the coaches, my teammates and the fans for 12 wonderful years.

    ‘Atletico will always remain a part of me. Now I’m looking forward to taking the next step with Bayern.’

    The Frenchman, who can operate as a centre back or full back, will significantly bolster Bayern’s defensive options and has been brought in to boost their chances of European success.

    Bayern have been looking to bring down the average age of their squad and sign Hernandez with one eye on the future.

    The defender, who was part of the 2018 World Cup-winning French team, will join his compatriot Benjamin Pavard at the end of the season in Bavaria.

    Lucas has featured regularly this season, making 22 appearances in all competitions for Atletico and has been in and around the first team since the 2015-16 season.

    Lucas’ departure will leave a huge void in Diego Simeone’s side and Atleitco are now expected to begin their search for his replacement.

  • Bayern level points with Dortmund

    Bayern Munich maintained their recent revival with victory over Hertha Berlin to take them level on points with Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.

    Dortmund will have the chance to re-establish their three-point lead when they host Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

    Javi Martinez scored Bayern’s only goal, a header from James Rodriguez’s corner.

    Hertha had Karim Rekik sent off late on for hitting Robert Lewandowski.

    Bayern – who have won the past six German titles – have won 10 of their last 11 Bundesliga games. They were fifth, nine points behind Dortmund, before that run.

    Elsewhere, third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach lost 3-0 at home to Wolfsburg to stay eight points off top spot.

  • Anfield is my worst stadium – Robben

    Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has described Anfield as his “worst stadium” as he prepares for a return to face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League last 16 clash on Tuesday.

    Dutchman Robben has some unhappy memories at the home of Liverpool, having suffered elimination from the European competition twice with Chelsea in 2005 and 2007, and with Real Madrid in 2009.

    “I think, if you ask (about) the worst stadium for me, it’s probably Liverpool,” the 35-year-old said.

    “You always have your favourite opponent and there always has to be a negative one.”

    Robben, who is battling to overcome a thigh injury ahead of the fixture, said he remembers Liverpool as a “Cup fighter team”.

    But he also pointed out that during his time at Chelsea, Liverpool were never seen as one of the contenders for the English Premier League (EPL) title.

    That has changed this season as Jurgen Klopp’s side are level on points with league leaders and defending champions Manchester City with a game in hand.

    “In one or two games they could really live up to it and perform; just not the whole season, which was maybe too much,” Robben added.

    “Now I think it changed and they developed really well. The manager has done a great job.

    “Last year they were in the UEFA Champions League final and at the moment they are top (of the Premier League). It’s a long, long time ago that they won the league and that’s the one they’re dreaming of.”