Inter’s Gosens returns, Gnabry dropped from Germany squad for upcoming friendlies

Inter’s Gosens returns, Gnabry dropped from Germany squad for upcoming friendlies
Germany’s coach Hansi Flick is seen before their international friendly match against Belgium in Cologne on Mar. 28, 2023. (AP/File)
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Updated 02 June 2023
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Inter’s Gosens returns, Gnabry dropped from Germany squad for upcoming friendlies

Inter’s Gosens returns, Gnabry dropped from Germany squad for upcoming friendlies
  • Flick returns to a more conventional squad after experimenting with new players for Germany's last round of friendlies in March
  • The 26-man squad named Friday contain no new call-ups, though AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw is uncapped despite having been in the March squad

FRANKFURT, Germany: Inter Milan midfielder Robin Gosens is set to return to the Germany team for the first time in nearly a year, while Bayern Munich forward Serge Gnabry was left out as coach Hansi Flick announced his squad for upcoming friendly games Friday.
Flick returns to a more conventional squad after experimenting with new players for Germany’s last round of friendlies in March following a group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup. Those experiments brought mixed results with a 2-0 win over Peru and a 3-2 loss to Belgium.
The 26-man squad named Friday contain no new call-ups, though AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw is uncapped despite having been in the March squad. Eight players return after not being selected in March, including Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, who missed Germany’s last friendlies after becoming a father, Bayern forward Leroy Sané and Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger.
Gosens is back for the first time in nine months after his role in helping Inter to the Champions League final, albeit mostly as a substitute. He was listed as a defender in Friday’s announcement, reflecting his usual role for Germany as a left-back, not the midfield role he typically plays for Inter.
Gosens has 14 appearances for Germany and started all four games at the European Championship in 2021, making waves with a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over Portugal, but has played only once since September of that year.
Gnabry misses out despite a late-season burst of form which saw him score five goals and assist one more in Bayern’s final five games, helping his team to overtake Borussia Dortmund for the Bundesliga title. Others from the March squad who have been dropped include Eintracht Frankfurt’s attacking midfielder Mario Götze and Wolfsburg forward Felix Nmecha. Bayern’s Thomas Müller remains out of the squad and hasn’t been selected since the World Cup.
As the host nation for next year’s European Championship, Germany do not have to play qualifying games. They host Ukraine on June 12 in what the German soccer confederation considers to be the team’s 1,000th game. That will be followed by matches at Poland on June 16 and home against Colombia on June 20.

Germany:
Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Fulham), Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt).
Defenders: Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Robin Gosens (Inter Milan), Benjamin Henrichs (Leipzig), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham), Lukas Klostermann (Leipzig), David Raum (Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Malick Thiaw (AC Milan), Marius Wolf (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).
Forwards: Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Kevin Schade (Brentford), Timo Werner (Leipzig).


Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
Updated 30 September 2023
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Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
  • Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement less than an hour after the final whistle conceding Diaz’s first-half goal should have stood
  • Klopp was incensed by the decisions, with Jones dismissed after his crunching challenge into Yves Bissouma’s ankle

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp blasted the “crazy decisions” that led to nine-man Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham as referees’ chiefs admitted the Reds were denied a legitimate goal in Saturday’s dramatic clash.
Klopp’s side had Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota sent off in north London, while Liverpool forward Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed by VAR.
Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement less than an hour after the final whistle conceding Diaz’s first-half goal should have stood.
“PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” the statement read.
“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”
Liverpool paid the price for the controversial calls as Joel Matip’s last-gasp own-goal condemned them to a first Premier League loss this term.
Klopp was incensed by the decisions, with Jones dismissed after his crunching challenge into Yves Bissouma’s ankle.
It was initially ruled a booking by referee Simon Hooper, only for the official to upgrade it to a red card when he reviewed the foul on the pitchside monitor.
Liverpool thought they had taken the lead despite that blow when Diaz fired home from Mohamed Salah’s pass, but VAR ruled it out after a surprisingly quick check.
Son Heung-min put Tottenham ahead before Cody Gakpo’s equalizer for the visitors, then Jota was sent off for two fouls in quick succession on Destiny Udogie after the break.
“I was never more proud of the team than today. I never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions,” Klopp said.
“The first red card, Curtis steps on the ball and goes over. Not a bad tackle.
“It looks different in slow motion. He steps full throttle on the ball and goes over the ball. That is unlucky.
“For Jota, first yellow was not a yellow. Then he gets a second and to defend with eight outfield players is tricky.”
On Diaz’s disallowed goal, Klopp raged at VAR, saying: “The offside goal. That is not offside when you see it, they drew their lines wrong.
“The ball is between Mo’s legs, they drew the line wrong and didn’t judge the moment when Mo passed the ball right. It is so tough to deal with it.”
Liverpool missed the chance to go top of the table after their defeat, but Klopp saluted the way his nine men kept in-form Tottenham at bay until the last moments of stoppage time.
“You want to build something you need players with mentality and I saw them today, they fought. Pretty special tonight,” he said.
“We scored an own goal, that is really tough to take but I am really proud.”


Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
Updated 30 September 2023
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Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
  • Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time
  • Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz

BERLIN: Harry Kane and Leroy Sané scored for Bayern Munich to fight back and draw at Leipzig 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, preserving the 11-time defending champion’s unbeaten start.
But Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time.
Ulreich was the central figure as Bayern rode their luck at times.
The goalkeeper almost gifted Leipzig the opener when he had emerged from goal to stop Xavi Simons, then passed the ball straight to Emil Forsberg. The Leipzig midfielder’s shot drifted to the right and wide.
Loïs Openda scored with the next real chance for Leipzig in the 20th, and Castello Lukeba made it 2-0 six minutes later after Ulreich failed to gather a corner that Openda laid back for his teammate.
Ulreich had a let-off before the break after bringing down Openda who was through on goal in the penalty area – the Leipzig forward was flagged offside and VAR confirmed the call. The Bayern goalkeeper might have been shown a red card otherwise.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel sent on Mathys Tel and Raphaël Guerreiro for the second half and his team was given a way back when Benjamin Henrichs was penalized for handball through VAR after a free kick struck the back of his arm.
Kane duly scored from the spot in the 57th. Jamal Musiala set up Leroy Sané to equalize on a counterattack in the 70th.
Bayern were fortunate again when defender Dayot Upamecano did not see a second yellow card for a foul on Xavi in the 73rd.

THREE GOALS, FEW CHANCES
Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz that lifted Xabi Alonso’s team back to the top earlier Saturday.
An own-goal from Sepp van den Berg gave Leverkusen an 18th-minute lead. The Mainz defender was trying to cut out Jeremie Frimpong’s cross but only deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Alejandro Grimaldo made it 2-0 with a free kick in the 59th, six minutes before Jonas Hofmann sealed the win with what was just the visitors’ second effort on target. There had been another attempt off target before that.
Leverkusen are one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

UNION BERLIN WORRIES GROW
Jan-Niklas Beste scored with a brilliant free kick just before the hour-mark for promoted Heidenheim to beat Union Berlin 1-0 and stretch the visitors’ losing streak to five games across all competitions.
It was Heidenheim’s second-ever Bundesliga win.
Deniz Undav scored twice for Stuttgart to win in Cologne 2-0, and Jonas Wind did likewise for Wolfsburg to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at home. Frankfurt’s Mario Götze was sent off with yellow cards either side of the break.
Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Bochum 3-1 away. The game started late because emergency exits in the visitors’ end were covered by banners and flags before kickoff.


Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
Updated 30 September 2023
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Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
  • Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener
  • Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings

BARCELONA, Spain: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid dealt Girona their first defeat of the season to move ahead of the hosts at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener. He then rounded off the scoring with his league-leading sixth goal in eight games after Aurélien Tchouaméni doubled the advantage.
Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid now lead Barcelona by one point and Girona by two.
Girona, which are partly owned Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, had entered the round leading the league after winning six straight games for the first time in club history.
Madrid lost defender Nacho Fernández in injury time when he saw a direct red for a studs-first tackle on Girona’s Cristian “Portu” Portugués. Portu had to be carried off on a stretcher. The foul led to a brief confrontation between players.


Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
Updated 30 September 2023
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Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
  • New Joelinton blow adds to treatment-room headaches for head coach Eddie Howe

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe admits Newcastle United are in a “difficult moment” after three key players were seemingly ruled out of next week’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies recorded yet another win, this time over newly promoted Burnley at St. James’ Park thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak. However, the shine was taken off the victory somewhat, as Joelinton’s return from a knee injury lasted just two minutes.

Head coach Howe confirmed after the game that the Brazilian had suffered a hamstring injury and will almost certainly be out until after the international break. That news comes fresh off the back of injuries suffered by Sven Botman and Callum Wilson, both of whom missed the victory over the Clarets.

“It’s a difficult moment for us injury wise. It’s that kind of season for us, with the physical demands we’re going to face," said Howe, whose side take on PSG under the St. James’ Park floodlights on Wednesday.

“You don’t want any injury, and any injury really hurts us, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. We have to be resilient and deal with the challenges that will come. We just hope we can get those players back really quickly.”

While Wilson has an outside chance of playing against the Qatar-owned French giants, the prognosis on Botman is less positive.

“We’ve always believed we’ve got some really good players here. The problem for us, with the amount of games we have, is if we get injuries in one area,” Howe added.

“Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s all attackers, plus Sven, that are injured, which is a blow. It’s obviously going to stretch us, but hopefully with the international break coming, it will be a good time, fingers crossed, to get the majority of them back if we can, and then our squad will look really strong.

“The players that have come in, it’s great experience for them. I think they have done well, and that will lift us long term. It’s a great thing for us to see.

“Callum’s got a very minor hamstring problem. We hope he will be back soon. We hope we will see him before the international break, but there’s no guarantee. Sven has a hamstring problem, and I don’t think we’ll see him before the international break. Hopefully, we’ll see him very quickly afterwards.”

On Joelinton, Howe refused to close the door on his midfielder making a miraculous recovery, although given the nature of what the club fear with the injury, it seems unlikely.

He said: “It looks like a hamstring. That would be a huge blow if he lose him (Joelinton), but we’ll wait and see.”

While the story of the day may well be the Magpies’ mounting injury concerns, the overriding picture at Newcastle is a positive one.

Emerging from their sticky spell, which included defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton, Howe’s men have now gone on a five-game unbeaten run, not conceding a goal in that time.

“There’s no such thing as a regulation win. It was a tough game,” said Howe.

“We anticipated a tough game; I think Burnley are a really interesting team. I think Vincent (Kompany) has done a great job. We knew we had to be really good because they play a very open style, but it’s a dangerous style if you’re not perfect on your press or with whatever your game plan is.

“You have to deliver your game plan well, and I thought we did, probably after the first 10 minutes when we were a little bit slow out of the blocks. I thought we recovered really well, and I thought we deserved to win.”


Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace

Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace
Updated 30 September 2023
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Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace

Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace
  • Arsenal closed to within a point of the lead by cruising to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth
  • Wolves had taken just four points from their first six games but stunned the champions at Molineux

MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season came undone in a shock 2-1 loss to Wolves, as Manchester United slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Arsenal closed to within a point of the lead by cruising to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth, while Aston Villa thrashed Brighton 6-1 to move into the top four.
City had won the opening six games of their title defense as they aim to become the first side to ever claim four consecutive English top-flight titles.
By contrast, Wolves had taken just four points from their first six games but stunned the champions at Molineux.
Ruben Dias’ own goal put the home side in front, but City responded after the break through Julian Alvarez’s free-kick.
Wolves, though, were a constant threat on the counter-attack and got their reward when Hwang Hee-Chan swept home at the second attempt 25 minutes from time.
City’s defeat means Liverpool can go top should they end Tottenham’s unbeaten Premier League start under Ange Postecoglou in the 1615GMT kick off.
United have now lost four of their opening seven league games of the season to pile more pressure on Erik ten Hag.
Joachim Andersen’s stunning first-half volley separated the sides at Old Trafford.
United had won a League Cup meeting between the sides 3-0 in midweek.
But with Palace restored to full strength, the Red Devils suffered from a familiar lack of cutting edge up front as they labored to get back into the game.
Defeat sees United slip to 10th in the table.
Arsenal moved up to second as Mikel Arteta’s men eased to victory at Bournemouth.
Bukayo Saka had been an injury doubt, but headed into an empty net to open the scoring on his 87th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Saka could have had more had he not then handed over penalty duties.
Martin Odegaard has shared responsibility from the spot with Saka this season and the Norwegian slotted home Arsenal’s second before the break.
Both Saka and Odegaard then stood aside to give Kai Havertz the confidence boost of his first goal for the club when the Gunners were awarded a second spot-kick on 53 minutes.
Ben White rounded off the scoring in stoppage time.
Newcastle’s recovery from a slow start to the season continues as the Magpies overcame Burnley 2-0.
Miguel Almiron fired into the top corner to open the scoring and Alexander Isak’s penalty secured the points 14 minutes from time.
Ollie Watkins bagged a hat-trick in Villa’s stunning demolition of Brighton.
Two goals from the England striker and a Pervis Estupinan own goal put Villa 3-0 up inside 26 minutes.
Ansu Fati reduced the deficit with his first Brighton goal.
But the day belonged to Watkins and he became the first Villa player in 47 years to score two hat-tricks in one season.
Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz piled on the pain for Brighton in the closing stages and did enough to edge Villa ahead of the Seagulls on goal difference.
“We are feeling strong here with the supporters, we are connected with them,” said Villa boss Unai Emery after a 10th consecutive home Premier League win.
Sheffield United remain bottom after the Blades were beaten 2-0 at West Ham with Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio getting the goals for David Moyes’ men.