Author: Agence France-Presse - AFP
Harry Kane opened the scoring as Bayern Munich wrapped up a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach, capping off a landmark night that saw him lift the first trophy of his career and club legend Thomas Muller bid farewell to the Allianz Arena faithful in his final home match. The Bundesliga crown was clinched earlier in the day when Bayer Leverkusen, last year’s champions, stumbled to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg. But the celebrations reached full swing at full-time as Bayern hoisted the league shield before their roaring home crowd. Soaked in beer after the traditional title celebration, Kane called the…
Manchester City were stunned by relegated Southampton in a goalless draw on Saturday, stalling their push for a Champions League spot while Brentford and Brighton kept their European hopes alive. Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to cruise to victory on the south coast, leveling with second-place Arsenal on 67 points. However, despite dominating possession and the return of Erling Haaland, they failed to break the deadlock. The point lifts Southampton to 12 for the season, ensuring they avoid the ignominious title of being the joint-worst team in Premier League history. They are now one point clear of Derby’s tally of…
Manchester City were stunned by relegated Southampton in a goalless draw on Saturday, stalling their push for a Champions League spot while Brentford and Brighton kept their European hopes alive. Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to cruise to victory on the south coast, leveling with second-place Arsenal on 67 points. However, despite dominating possession and the return of Erling Haaland, they failed to break the deadlock. The point lifts Southampton to 12 for the season, ensuring they avoid the ignominious title of being the joint-worst team in Premier League history. They are now one point clear of Derby’s tally of…
Manchester City were stunned by relegated Southampton in a goalless draw on Saturday, stalling their push for a Champions League spot while Brentford and Brighton kept their European hopes alive. Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to cruise to victory on the south coast, leveling with second-place Arsenal on 67 points. However, despite dominating possession and the return of Erling Haaland, they failed to break the deadlock. The point lifts Southampton to 12 for the season, ensuring they avoid the ignominious title of being the joint-worst team in Premier League history. They are now one point clear of Derby’s tally of…
World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz says he’s fully recovered from the thigh injury that disrupted his French Open title defense preparations as he gears up for a comeback at the Italian Open. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who owns four Grand Slam titles, missed the Madrid Open after hurting himself in the Barcelona Open final in April. “I’m in good shape – 100% ready to start the tournament. I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Alcaraz said ahead of his opening match in Rome against Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic. “I’m really happy to be here. It’s only my second time playing in Rome, so I’m…
Spanish prosecutors said Wednesday they are appealing to the Supreme Court over the “irrational” reversal of Dani Alves’ rape conviction, accusing a Barcelona appeals court of effectively putting the accuser on trial by casting doubt on her credibility. Alves, the former Brazil and Barcelona defender, was sentenced in February 2023 to 4½ years in prison after being found guilty of raping a young woman in a VIP bathroom at a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve 2022. The conviction was overturned on March 28 by a higher court, which cited contradictions in the accuser’s testimony and ruled there was insufficient…
Manchester United are preparing for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao knowing only a calamity will prevent a likely showdown with Tottenham later this month. Ruben Amorim’s men came away from the first leg in northern Spain last week with one foot firmly in the final, also in Bilbao, after an impressive 3-0 win. It was an extraordinary result in a season of ceaseless turmoil at United and the club reverted to type on Sunday, crashing to their 16th Premier League loss of a miserable season at Brentford. United have now suffered their highest number…
Jannik Sinner is the star of the show at the upcoming Rome Open as the world No. 1 and Italian tennis hero gears up for his return to the courts after a contested doping ban. Away from the game since agreeing on a suspension with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February, Sinner was welcomed back to action on Monday by thousands of fans who watched his first training session at the tournament on center court at the Foro Italico. Such is the interest in Sinner, who has become a national hero in Italy since rising to the top of…
Casper Ruud battled past Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the Madrid Open title and his first Masters 1000 crown, marking a career milestone for the Norwegian. The three-time Grand Slam finalist edged Draper in a grueling two-and-a-half-hour showdown at Manolo Santana Stadium, finally breaking his Masters final curse. Draper, the 22-year-old Briton poised to rise to world No. 5 above Novak Djokovic, was chasing a second Masters title after his Indian Wells triumph but fell just short as Ruud held firm under pressure. The match swung early when the 26-year-old Ruud, ranked No. 15, handed Draper…
Kylian Mbappe struck twice after Arda Güler’s opener as Real Madrid survived a late scare to beat Celta Vigo 3-2 on Sunday, keeping pace with La Liga leaders Barcelona ahead of next weekend’s Clasico. A day after Barcelona completed a narrow comeback win at Valladolid, Madrid nearly let a three-goal lead slip but held firm at the Santiago Bernabeu to maintain a four-point gap behind the league leaders. The defending champions, currently second, dominated early but were forced into a desperate late stand against a determined Celta side sitting seventh and aiming for European qualification. Despite recent setbacks – including…