Page 2 - Bundesliga

Leverkusen keeps Bundesliga title chase alive with 3-1 win over Hoffenheim

Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 when Victor Boniface made his long-awaited comeback. Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury. He needs game time. He's focused and we need him for the second half of the season. We need the whole squad, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said of Boniface, who played the first half before making way for Patrik Schick before the second. Leverkusen finished with 10 players after lex Grimaldo's sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buenda and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Alonso's team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen. Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday. Boniface scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim 'keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have

Leading goal scorers in Europe's top 5 football leagues this season

Premier League star Mohamed Salah is top goal scorer among all leagues with his 19-goal spell for Liverpool in the 2024-25 season

Proposal for breakaway competition rejected by European soccer leagues

The organization that represents European soccer leagues rejected latest proposals for a breakaway super league. Detailed plans for a new rival to the Champions League the Unify League were released this week by Madrid-based A22 Sports Management. It was not clear what support there was for the proposed competition, but A22 said it had held discussions with clubs, leagues and other parties." The European Leagues, which represents 39 leagues and associations, said in a statement that it rejects any suggestion that a consultation took place with our organization. It reaffirmed leagues' commitment to the current system by which teams qualify for UEFA competitions like the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. The A22's competition model, which is not requested and unsubstantiated, would increase the number of international matches in an already congested calendar, it said. Supporters and stakeholders across the game have consistently made it clear that any attempt

Harry Kane scores his 15th goal of the season as Bayern Munich wins big

Harry Kane scored his 15th goal of the season as Bayern Munich eased to a 5-0 win over Bochum in the Bundesliga to lift some of the gloom from its heavy midweek loss at Barcelona. Jamal Musiala scored a header and set up Kane's goal in Musiala's first start since Oct. 2 following a hip injury in a win that looked like a return to business as usual for Bayern following one win from its previous five games in all competitions. We just want to take a step forward in every game and we enjoy scoring goals, Musiala told broadcaster DAZN. Of the 4-1 loss to Barcelona on Wednesday, he added: It was really bitter and it hurt us, but we're looking ahead." Michael Olise got Bayern started when he lofted a free kick over the wall and into the net in the 16th minute, before Musiala headed in for 2-0 soon after. Musiala dribbled past a defender and passed for Kane to score in the 57th. The England captain has nine Bundesliga goals this season, making him the league's joint-top scorer with Eintra

Bayern beat Stuttgart 4-0, as Harry Kane's goal drought ends with hat-trick

Harry Kane ended his brief goal drought with a hat trick to help Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday. As a striker, sometimes there's a lot of talk when you go a little spell without scoring, Kane said. That's just part and parcel of being a striker. You can't get too high or too low. I believe in myself and my ability. I believe in my teammates who create chances. Kane, who hadn't scored in four games three for Bayern and one for England missed good chances before finally ending his barren spell with a shot from distance in the 57th minute. Kane grabbed his second just four minutes later after seeing another shot saved by Alexander Nbel then missed another good chance before sealing his hat trick in the 80th with the rebound from a Joo Palhinha effort. Palhinha had gone on early after Aleksandar Pavlovic went off with an apparent shoulder injury. It was the Portuguese midfielder's fifth Bundesliga appearance, all but one as a substitute. Kane's thre

Bayern Munich rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga

Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents. Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team's 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday. Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel's second point in its debut top-flight season. Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club's 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before. Leverkusen fans didn't have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout. But the home team failed to make more of its dominance Boniface had another goal ruled out for offs

Bundesliga 2024: Leverkusen, Dortmund drop points as Bayern top the table

Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents. Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team's 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday. Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel's second point in its debut top-flight season. Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club's 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before. Leverkusen fans didn't have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout. But the home team failed to make more of its dominance Boniface had another goal ruled out for offs

Huge blow for Bayern Munich as Harry Kane gets injured against Leverkusen

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane went off with an apparent left ankle injury in the 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. The England captain clutched the ankle and appeared to be in pain after a tussle for the ball against Leverkusen's Amine Adli on Saturday. He was substituted for Thomas Mller in the 86th minute and limped off the field. "When Harry has to leave the field, then there's something. It doesn't look good," Bayern director of sport Max Eberl told Sky. Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen sounded more upbeat shortly afterward. "He got a knock, but from what I've heard from the doctors, it's nothing too serious," Dreesen said. Kane was to have a check on the ankle on Sunday. Bayern plays Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday. Kane failed to have a shot at goal against Leverkusen but has been instrumental in Bayern's attack again this season. The 31-year-old forward scored five goals and set up six more in the first four league games, while he scored fo

Bundesliga 2024-25 points table, standings, top 5 highest goal-scorers

Bayern's Harry Kane has continued where he left off last season, already netting 5 goals and providing 4 assists in the league. Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is following him with 4 goals.

Serhou Guirassy scores twice in Dortmund's 4-2 comeback win over Bochum

Serhou Guirassy scored twice and won a penalty as Borussia Dortmund overturned a two-goal deficit to beat local rival Bochum 4-2 in the Bundesliga ahead of facing Celtic in the Champions League next week. Dortmund had been demolished 5-1 by Stuttgart last week and the pressure on new coach Nuri Sahin seemed to be mounting when his team conceded two early goals against Bochum. In the space of five minutes, Matus Bero scored off a smartly executed one-two through the center, then Dani de Wit made it 2-0 after teammate Myron Boadu had snatched the ball off Dortmund's goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. On the sideline, Sahin spread his arms wide in a gesture of indignation. Dortmund clawed its way back into the game, first with a Guirassy header just before halftime to cut the deficit to 2-1, then a penalty from Emre Can leveled the score after a clumsy foul on Guirassy. It was Dortmund's turn to slice through Bochum on the counter after that, Karim Adeyemi playing a perfect through-ball for ...

Bayern Munich win 5-0 against Werder Bremen to go top of the table

Michael Olise scored twice and Harry Kane scored his 10th club goal of the season as Bayern Munich brushed aside Werder Bremen 5-0 for its latest big win on Saturday. Bayern has 20 goals in only its last three games after beating Holstein Kiel 6-1 last week and demolishing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday. It was Bayern's sixth win in six games in all competitions under new coach Vincent Kompany, and comes ahead of playing Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen next week. Bayern has 16 goals and three conceded from its four Bundesliga games. Also on Saturday, Vincenzo Grifo scored twice as Freiburg beat Heidenheim 3-0 for its third win in four league games. Union Berlin won 2-1 against Hoffenheim, which has lost three in a row. Promoted Holstein Kiel earned its first top-division point when Shuto Machino's 89th-minute goal salvaged a 2-2 draw at Bochum. Eintracht Frankfurt hosted Borussia Moenchengladbach later Saturday.

Table toppers across top five European leagues after international break

Teams from the top five European leagues will return to action later this week after a short seven-day international break.

How the champions of Europe's top 5 leagues started their 2024-25 season

Manchester City and PSG have both started their campaign with straight wins

Top 5 players to look out for across European leagues in the 2024-25 season

Real Madrid was able to finally secure Kylian Mbappe's signature earlier this season after three years of push and pull with PSG

Bayer Leverkusen wins first Bundesliga title, ending Munich's 11-year reign

It's Neverkusen no more. Coached by Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title for the first time Sunday to end Bayern Munich's 11-year reign as champion. In the end, it wasn't even close Leverkusen leads second-place Bayern by 16 points after stretching its German record unbeaten run to 43 games across all competitions this season. Florian Wirtz scored a hat trick as Leverkusen routed Werder Bremen 5-0 and the game ended with a pitch invasion Sunday to secure the club's first-ever German league title with five games remaining. It's indescribable ... I don't think it's possible, or I personally can't even realize it yet, Wirtz told broadcaster DAZN. I need a little more time in the locker room to really get my head around what we've achieved. But yeah, so far it's just been nice to party outside with the fans and also have a bit of a party in the locker room. Fans had already stormed onto the field when Leverkusen scored its fourth goal with seven minutes to go, and

Tuchel to leave Bayern Munich after threee straight losses this season

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season after a run of three straight losses raised the prospect of the club's first season without a trophy in 12 years. Bayern said the decision was made after Tuchel spoke with chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen. Tuchel's contract was due to run through the end of the 2024-25 season. In a good, open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer," Dreesen said in a club statement. Our goal is to pursue a new footballing direction with a new head coach for the 2024-25 season. Dreesen also pledged to hold the team accountable for performances through to the end of the season. There was no word from the club on a possible successor. Tuchel said in the statement that I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success until he leaves the club. Bayern's next game is Saturday at home to Leipzig with a squad hea

England forward Sancho on verge of Borussia Dortmund return: Reports

England forward Jadon Sancho is reportedly on the verge of returning to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United. German tabloid Bild reported on Thursday that the clubs agreed on a loan deal for the 23-year-old Sancho to the end of the season, with just minor outstanding details to be finalized. Bild reported Dortmund was to pay around 3 million euros ($3.3 million) for the loan. Sancho fell out of favor with United coach Erik ten Haag and has made only three league appearances as a substitute this season. He hasn't played since August. Sancho joined United from Dortmund for 85 million euros (the $100 million) in 2021. He has nine goals in 59 English Premier League appearances. Sancho previously starred in a four-year spell at Dortmund, scoring 50 goals in 137 competitive games. He joined the German club from Manchester City in 2017. Dortmund is inconsistent this season, arguably overachieving in the Champions League by finishing top in a group with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan

German soccer league plans to sell share of TV rights despite fan protests

German soccer clubs voted Monday to approve a plan to sell a share of its broadcast revenues to an outside investor, a plan which is bitterly opposed by many fans. The so-called "strategic marketing partnership" would involve selling a share of revenues German media reports have estimated around 8 per cent over 20 years to an investment firm. German fans are strongly opposed to any outside commercial influence on the league and have been protesting with banners at games for months. The league's co-chief executive Marc Lenz said that 24 of the 36 teams in the men's first and second divisions voted for the plan, with 10 against and two abstaining. That meant it only just reached the needed two-thirds majority of clubs. Even so, Lenz said it was "a very good basis for us to be able to act." Lenz said the league will now start detailed talks with possible partners and would aim for a decision by the end of March. League officials argued the deal would allow it to modernize how the ..

Arsenal hosts Man United, Bonucci available for Union Berlin debut

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Sunday: ENGLAND Arsenal hosts Manchester United in a major test for teams looking to challenge Manchester City for the title. Both sides are hoping their first-choice striker will be fit to make a first start to the season, with Gabriel Jesus and United newcomer Rasmus Hojlund having recovered from injuries. Liverpool hosts Aston Villa in another marquee matchup after rebuffing late interest from Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah. Crystal Palace welcomes Wolverhampton. SPAIN Portugal players Joo Cancelo and Joo Flix are on Barcelona's squad for its visit to Osasuna after they joined the club just before the close of the summer transfer window on Friday. Iigo Martnez could also make his debut after the former Athletic Bilbao defender recovered from an injury that has kept him from playing since signing for Barcelona this summer. Atletico Madrid hosts a Sevilla side in a nosedive after losing its first four of games in all competitions

EPL: Arsenal visits Palace, AC Milan opens season at Bologna in Serie A

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Monday: ENGLAND Arsenal heads to London rival Crystal Palace for a game between two teams looking for a second straight Premier League victory to start the season. Arsenal has to do without Jurrien Timber, who sustained a long-term knee injury in the season opener, while goalkeeper David Raya is expected to be on the bench after his move from Brentford. Palace manager Roy Hodgson is pleased to still have Michael Olise in his squad after the winger turned down the chance to join Chelsea and signed a new four-year deal at Selhurst Park. SPAIN Sevilla looks to rebound from its loss to Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup final when it visits Alaves in the Spanish league. Both Sevilla and Alaves opened with defeats last weekend Sevilla at home against Valencia and Alaves at Cadiz. Alaves, back in the first division after a year in the second tier, is winless against Sevilla in its last nine league matches against the rival. Sevilla has