Record-setting Kane hits hat-trick as Bayern rout Bochum

Record-setting Kane hits hat-trick as Bayern rout Bochum
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring their second goal during their Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum at the Allianz Arena, Munich, on Sept. 23, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 September 2023
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Record-setting Kane hits hat-trick as Bayern rout Bochum

Record-setting Kane hits hat-trick as Bayern rout Bochum
  • Kane fired in Bayern’s second just 13 minutes in, before scoring a penalty in the second half
  • With six goals in five games, the England captain now has more goals in his first five league matches than any other player in Bayern’s history

BERLIN: Harry Kane on Saturday bettered a record first set by legendary German striker Gerd Mueller when he hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 7-0 rout of Bochum which took the champions back to the top of the Bundesliga.
Kane fired in Bayern’s second just 13 minutes in, before scoring a penalty in the second half. He added a third with two minutes remaining when he tapped in a low cross from Leroy Sane.
With six goals in five games, the England captain now has more goals in his first five league matches than any other player in Bayern’s history, beating the mark of Mueller (1965), Miroslav Klose (2007) and Mario Mandzukic (2012) who all scored five times in their first five games for the club.
“I’m happy to play my part and I hope there will be many more to come. So far so good,” said Kane.
Kane said he would toast the win with a first-ever visit to Munich’s Oktoberfest beer festival later on Saturday.
“When I came here I said I wanted to get to know the culture and the city — what better place than that?“
Bayern have now beaten Bochum 7-0 in three of their past five fixtures.
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel praised his side’s “very deserved win” saying it was “a fantastic day at the office.”
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Matthijs de Ligt, Leroy Sane and Mathys Tel — again from the bench — also got on the scoresheet.
Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern, who conceded two goals late in Wednesday’s 4-3 home win over Manchester United in the Champions League, kept a clean sheet for just the second time this season from seven matches.
Bochum remain winless.
Borussia Dortmund overcame dogged Wolfsburg at home, winning 1-0 thanks to a late goal from veteran forward Marco Reus.
Dortmund manager Edin Terzic rejigged his midfield as part of six changes after Tuesday’s poor performance in a 2-0 loss away at Paris Saint-Germain, with Reus celebrating victory on his first start of the season while captain Emre Can was pushed to the bench.
Reus continued his habit of being the first to score in a match, with 62 of his 116 Bundesliga goals for Dortmund being the opener.
Reus called the win “a step forward” but admitted “it was OK today, but of course not our benchmark.”
RB Leipzig continued their winning ways this season, a late Timo Werner goal giving them a 1-0 victory at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The win, Leipzig’s sixth from seven matches in all competitions, helped them climb back into the top four.
Union Berlin’s midweek exertions at Real Madrid, their debut Champions League fixture, took their toll as they went down 2-0 to Hoffenheim in the German capital.
Union fought hard in Madrid, the score 0-0 until an injury-time strike from former Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham saw Real snatch the three points in the Champions League clash.
Union fell behind early on Saturday, Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci giving away a penalty which Andrej Kramaric converted, before Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier added another in the first half.
Elsewhere, 10-man Augsburg picked up their first league victory the season, coming from behind to beat Mainz 2-1 at home.
In Saturday’s late game, Werder Bremen host winless Cologne.


Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt

Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt
Updated 07 December 2023
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Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt

Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt
  • There will be just three top-tier clubs among the eight in the quarterfinals and no team which has won the competition in the last 25 years
  • Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run continued with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt

SAARBRUECKEN, Germany: Borussia Dortmund are out of the German Cup after losing 2-0 to Stuttgart on Wednesday as third-tier Saarbruecken knocked out Eintracht Frankfurt.

The draw is wide open after the latest setback for Dortmund, who have been impressive in the Champions League this season but underwhelming in Germany, and Saarbruecken’s back-to-back upsets after ousting Bayern Munich in the previous round.

There will be just three top-tier clubs among the eight in the quarterfinals — Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Borussia Moenchengladbach — and no team which has won the competition in the last 25 years.

Enzo Millot assisted Serhou Guirassy for Stuttgart’s opening goal in the 54th minute as the Guinea striker slipped between two defenders to score his 18th goal of the season. Maximilian Mittelstadt set up the second for substitute Silas in the 77th.

The result widens the gulf between Dortmund’s domestic and European form. Edin Terzic’s team leads a Champions League group also containing Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle. Its form in German league and cup games in recent weeks has been a concern, with five points from its last five games — including a 2-1 loss to Stuttgart last month — and now the cup exit.

For Stuttgart, the win is the latest success of an impressive season, with the club also third in the Bundesliga.

Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run continued with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt.

Saarbruecken had an opening goal ruled out in the 20th minute when Kai Brünker headed in at a corner but video review spotted a push by one of his teammates.

Even after that reprieve, Frankfurt struggled to get into the game and Brünker finally scored a goal that counted in the 64th when the defense left him in space.

More poor Frankfurt defending in the 78th allowed Luca Kerber to score Saarbruecken’s second goal, and things got even worse soon after for the visiting team with a straight red card for Noel Futkeu. The striker had only come off the Frankfurt bench six minutes earlier in his first-team debut but aimed a kick at an opponent with the ball nowhere near.

It was Frankfurt’s fourth consecutive loss in all competitions after having lost just twice all season before that.

It’s far from the first cup surprise for Saarbruecken, who knocked out German champion Bayern in the second round in October. Saarbruecken also stunned Germany by reaching the semifinals in 2019-20 despite being in the fourth tier at the time. It didn’t qualify for the German Cup again until this season.

League leader Bayer Leverkusen eased to a 3-1 win over second-division Paderborn to extend its unbeaten season to 21 games in all competitions. Xabi Alonso’s team was left with concerns over an injury to key attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios and Patrik Schick all scored, while two more Leverkusen goals were ruled out for offside on video review. Sebastian Klaas scored for Paderborn.

Wirtz limped off shortly before halftime after what the team described as a “painful blow to his ankle.”


Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup

Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup
Updated 07 December 2023
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Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup

Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup
  • In a written submission to the committee, Hewitt was quoted saying she watched as Rubiales “cupped and stroked” the face of the England player Laura Coombs
  • Rubiales responded in the report by accusing Hewitt of “hypocrisy” because she had also embraced players

ZURICH: Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales “seemingly forcefully kissed” an England player on her face before kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup, according to English Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt.

A FIFA disciplinary committee report released Wednesday said Rubiales, who was given a three-year ban in October, acted with “a sense of complete impunity” at the trophy ceremony after Spain’s 1-0 win over England in Sydney on Aug. 20.

In a written submission to the committee, Hewitt was quoted saying she watched as Rubiales “cupped and stroked” the face of the England player Laura Coombs.

Hewitt, who was standing next to Rubiales, found the gesture to be “slightly odd and then he seemingly forcefully kissed the English player Lucy Bronze on her face,” the report said.

Rubiales responded in the report by accusing Hewitt of “hypocrisy” because she had also embraced players. He added that Hewitt’s portrayal of him as “some sort of creep is absolutely disgusting.”

The committee said it had considered a more severe sanction after his behavior following the championship final.

Rubiales’ actions after Spain had been crowned world champions prompted a player rebellion and accusations of sexual assault.

“All incidents assessed collectively, appear to reveal a sense of complete impunity on the part of the respondent within the football environment,” the committee said in its written grounds of its decision. “It was absolutely and categorically expected of him to maintain and embody the highest levels of professionalism, beyond the usual standards, especially at a moment where his country was at the apex level of women’s football.

“In this regard, the committee could not stress enough that — regardless of the emotional state he was in during and after the match — (Rubiales’) behavior was inexcusable and unacceptable, especially considering his high rank within the football ecosystem at the time.”

Rubiales resigned as the president of Spanish football on Sept. 10, having initially vowed not to stand down.

The committee said it had considered factors such as the reputation of football and “more importantly, on (Hermoso’s) mental state.”

“The committee wished to stress that it was tempted to impose more severe sanctions in view of the seriousness and gravity of the incidents at stake as well as of the profound negative impact that (Rubiales’) actions had on the image of FIFA, women’s football and women’s sport in general,” it said.


What crisis? Man United get morale-boosting 2-1 win over Chelsea. City lose 1-0 at Aston Villa

What crisis? Man United get morale-boosting 2-1 win over Chelsea. City lose 1-0 at Aston Villa
Updated 07 December 2023
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What crisis? Man United get morale-boosting 2-1 win over Chelsea. City lose 1-0 at Aston Villa

What crisis? Man United get morale-boosting 2-1 win over Chelsea. City lose 1-0 at Aston Villa
  • Two goals from Scott McTominay secured the win and moved United up to sixth — three points off fourth-placed City
  • Guardiola is facing tough questions as he was left to assess a winless run that saw City overtaken by Villa after Leon Bailey’s 74th-minute winner

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spent the majority of the season in apparent crisis.

Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, spoke this week of his confidence that Manchester City would win an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row.

How quickly fortunes can change in soccer. Just three points now separate the rivals after United beat Chelsea 2-1 and the defending champions lost 1-0 at Aston Villa on Wednesday to extend their winless run in the league to four games.

“We are on a journey. We keep calm... We are going in the right direction,” Ten Hag said after he put a difficult few days behind him with a morale-boosting win.

The Dutch coach had gone into the game on the back of a 10th defeat of the season at Newcastle over the weekend and reports of player unrest in the locker room.

“(We) Don’t get distracted from criticism around us, but we are very critical of ourselves,” he said. “We know we are not satisfied and happy. We always want to do things better.”

Two goals from Scott McTominay secured the win and moved United up to sixth — three points off fourth-placed City.

Ten Hag will likely face much greater tests than a Chelsea team that are still struggling from the hangover of a chaotic first season under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Not least against Bayern Munich next week, with a place in the Champions League knockout stage hanging by a thread.

But United’s manager would still welcome the change of mood around the club after such a troubled campaign, saying “we wanted to send this message to crowd.”

Now it is Guardiola who is facing tough questions as he was left to assess a winless run that saw City overtaken by Villa after Leon Bailey’s 74th-minute winner.

City’s previous three games in the league ended in draws, allowing leaders Arsenal to extend a six-point lead over them in the standings after a 4-3 win against Luton on Tuesday.

“In these years we have found a way to win games, but we struggled a bit and we have to find a way,” Guardiola said. “It is my job to find a solution. The dynamic changes by winning games.”

Villa’s win saw them move up to third, two points ahead of last season’s treble winners. Second-placed Liverpool trail Arsenal by two points after a 2-0 victory at Sheffield United.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool spoiled Chris Wilder’s homecoming party at Sheffield United.

Wilder returned to the relegation-threatened club on Tuesday, having taken the team up to English soccer’s top division in 2019 and to a ninth-place finish in the 2019-20.

But he has a fight on his hands to avoid the drop. Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai consigned last-place Sheffield United to a 12th defeat of the season that leaves it four points from safety.

COOPER PRESSURE

Nottingham Forest may be six points above the drop zone, but a 5-0 rout by Fulham has heaped the pressure on manager Steve Cooper.

Forest have lost five of their last six games in the league and only won one in its last 11.

Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez scored two each at Craven Cottage and Tom Cairney completed the rout that has increased speculation about Cooper’s future.

BOURNEMOUTH RUN

Andoni Iraola is getting things right at Bournemouth. Having had to wait until October for a first win in the league, his team beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to make it three wins out of four in England’s top flight.

Bournemouth are now up to 15th in the standings and nine points above the relegation zone.

Eighth-placed Brighton beat Brentford 2-1 to leave them five points off the top four.


E-visas available for 2023 FIFA Club World Cup ticket holders

E-visas available for 2023 FIFA Club World Cup ticket holders
Updated 06 December 2023
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E-visas available for 2023 FIFA Club World Cup ticket holders

E-visas available for 2023 FIFA Club World Cup ticket holders

Riyadh: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on Wednesday that electronic visas would be available to ticket holders for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Jeddah.

The move has been made in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport.

“The step aims to facilitate travel procedures to the Kingdom for football fans to attend the 2023 Club World Cup matches, and also aims to provide the best possible experience for fans to visit the Kingdom and support their clubs during the tournament in an enthusiastic atmosphere,” a ministry statement said.

Ticket holders can apply online for an e-visa to attend the tournament’s games.

The Kingdom will host the competition from Dec. 12 to 22, with the participation of Al-Ittihad, the Roshn Saudi League champions for the 2022 to 2023 season.


Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr draw as Al-Fayha win on perfect AFC Champions League night for Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr draw as Al-Fayha win on perfect AFC Champions League night for Saudi Arabia
Updated 06 December 2023
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Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr draw as Al-Fayha win on perfect AFC Champions League night for Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr draw as Al-Fayha win on perfect AFC Champions League night for Saudi Arabia
  • With Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad already qualified, the Kingdom will have 4 clubs in the round of 16

Al-Nassr rested their overseas stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, but still ended top of Group E in the AFC Champions League, and unbeaten, after a 1-1 draw at Istiklol of Tajikistan on Tuesday night.

The real story however was Al-Fayha which pulled off a stunning 4-1 win at Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan to progress to the round of 16, where Saudi Arabia will have four teams out of four, after Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad progressed on Monday.

Al-Nassr, coming off a 3-0 loss in the Riyadh derby against bitter rivals Al-Hilal on Friday, had already secured top spot before the clash against the already-eliminated team from Dushanbe. It meant that coach Luis Castro fielded an all-Saudi Arabian starting 11 with Sadio Mane, Anderson Talisca, Aymeric Laporte and Seko Fofana on the bench, and Ronaldo rested and back in Riyadh.

With the hosts already out and the visitors through, there was a lack of intensity and cohesion from Al-Nassr in the first half, unsurprising perhaps given the changes made. It was not a surprise when Alisher Dzhalilov opened the scoring just after the half hour to delight a large home crowd, some of whom could be seen wearing the Riyadh team’s yellow shirt.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb, who was to later make amends, gave the ball away in a dangerous position and Dzhalilov took possession, advanced toward the area and then fired a low shot that rolled past the diving Raghed Najjar who perhaps should have done a little better.

It was a poor first half from Al-Nassr but there was an immediate improvement after the break. Four minutes into the second half, the team from Riyadh were level thanks to Ghareeb.

Goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov palmed out a cross from the right into the crowded box and there was the forward, whose first shot came back off a defender and he then fired home the rebound. Soon after, Ghareeb, visibly growing in confidence, shot from the edge of the area to draw a fine save from Yatimov. Just after the hour, the goalkeeper was beaten but Sami Al-Najei’s shot from the left side of the area rolled just past the post.

Ghareeb and Talisca, who came off the bench, went close before the final whistle. All in all, it ended a fine group stage for Al-Nassr.

It was even better for Saudi Arabia as a whole as earlier Al-Fayha recorded the shock result of the day, coming from behind in Uzbekistan to defeat Pakhtakor 4-1.

The Central Asian powerhouse needed a win to progress to the second round and took a 16th minute lead through Khojimat Erkinov.

The goal fired Al-Fayha into action. Fashion Sakala has been in fine form this season since arriving from Scotland and equalized five minutes before the break. Immediately after, Sultan Mandash put the visitors in the lead and Henry Onyekuru sealed the win near the end. There was still time for Sakala to grab his second and Al-Fayha’s fourth.

The win put coach Vuk Rasovic and his men into second in Group A but they had to wait to find out if they were to advance as one of three of five best runners-up in the western zone.

They needed Persepolis of Iran to fail to defeat Qatar’s Al-Duhail.

It started badly as Persepolis took a seventh minute lead through Shahab Zahedi though the visitors soon levelled thanks to Mohammed Muntari.

With nine minutes remaining, the Tehran titans were awarded a penalty but Giorgi Gvelesiani missed and the Georgian and the home fans were left to rue that spurned opportunity just two minutes later as Michael Olunga gave the Qataris the lead.

Persepolis could not get the two goals needed, meaning that Al-Fahya, which lost three of the first four games of the group, will go through to make it four out of four for Saudi Arabia in the knockout stages.