The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Unbeaten Bayern Munich close in on Bundesliga record Posted: 19 Oct 2013 08:59 AM PDT Having last lost in the German league back in October 2012, Bayern are now just two matches short of Hamburg's 30-year-old, 36-match streak. Bayern were punished for a poor first-half in Munich when Mainz striker Shawn Parker fired home after capitalising on a mistake by centre-back Jerome Boateng. But Bayern roared back when Germany midfielder Mario Goetze came off the bench for the second-half and played a key part in the hosts' first three second-half goals. His dream pass through to Arjen Robben allowed the winger to equalise on 50 minutes and two minutes later, Goetze combined with the Dutchman for Germany's Thomas Mueller to fire home to make it 2-0. With Bayern finally making their 80 percent possession pay off, Goetze fired in a cross for Mario Mandzukic to score their third on 69 minutes. And when Bayern vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger was fouled in the area, Mueller stepped up to drill home the penalty for his second of the game eight minutes from time to make it 4-1. Bayern's win put them back on top of the Bundesliga after Bayer Leverkusen had briefly gone top on Friday thanks to a controversial 'phantom' goal in their 2-1 win at Hoffenheim. The German Football Federation (DFB) are set to investigate while Hoffenheim have called for a replay after Stefan Kiessling's 70th-minute winner came in bizarre circumstances. Replays showed his header only ended in the back of the net after flying through a hole in the side netting and a DFB sports court is set to meet on Monday. Schalke, who host Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, needed a 91st-minute winner from Roman Neustaedter to seal a 3-2 win at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig. Having only picked up their first win of the season a fortnight ago against Wolfsburg, Braunschweig gave Schalke an almighty scare before Germany's Neustaedter hit the winner. Borussia Dortmund, who are at Arsenal on Tuesday in the Champions League, stayed second with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Hanover 96. Germany winger Marco Reus hit the winning penalty after just four minutes when Hanover's Japan defender Hiroki Sakai fouled left-back Erik Durm in the area. Sakai was shown a yellow card for the foul and Reus blasted home the spot kick as Dortmund picked up the three points. Borussia stay second and level on 22 points with third-placed Leverkusen, just a point behind Bayern. Second-from-bottom Freiburg picked up a point with a goalless draw at Werder Bremen, while Eintracht Frankfurt drew 1-1 at home to Nuremberg. Later Saturday, Hertha Berlin can go fourth if they beat Borussia Moenchengladbach at home, while on Sunday Hamburg host VfB Stuttgart and Augsburg are home to Wolfsburg. - AFP, October 19, 2013. |
| Sturridge helps Liverpool foil Newcastle United smash-and-grab Posted: 19 Oct 2013 07:31 AM PDT Yohan Cabaye put the home side ahead with a fine long-range strike, but Steven Gerrard claimed his 100th league goal from the penalty spot to equalise after Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa had been sent off for holding back Luis Suarez. Young defender Paul Dummett, sent on to shore up the home defence following Yanga-Mbiwa's dismissal, crowned his home league debut with a 57th-minute goal to restore Newcastle's lead. But Suarez crossed for Daniel Sturridge to head in an equaliser 18 minutes from time, taking the England striker's tally of league goals to seven and provisionally lifting Brendan Rodgers's side above Arsenal at the top of the table. Newcastle, beaten 6-0 in the corresponding fixture last season, climbed one place to ninth. Prior to kick-off, hundreds of Newcastle fans marched through the city centre protesting about owner Mike Ashley's management of the club. The supporters are disgruntled about the appointment of the unpopular Joe Kinnear as sporting director and the club's failure to significantly improve the squad during the close season. Kinnear defended himself in the match-day programme, writing that Newcastle "cannot compete commercially with the very biggest global brands in football because the hugely lucrative deals will go their way". As if to illustrate his point, Liverpool enjoyed the early running at St James' Park, with Suarez and Martin Skrtel both threatening from corners, only for the hosts to take the lead in the 23rd minute. Cabaye was given space to advance down the inside-right channel and from 30 yards he dispatched a vicious, dipping shot that flew past Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet into the bottom-left corner. An exchange of chances saw Mamadou Sakho and Suarez go close for Liverpool, with Cabaye shooting over and Mignolet saving from Moussa Sissoko in reply, before the visitors equalised three minutes before half-time. Yanga-Mbiwa was adjudged to have held back Suarez as he raced in on goal and from the resulting penalty, Gerrard steered a shot into the bottom-left corner. The goal saw Gerrard become the 24th player to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League era, following in the footsteps of his former Liverpool team-mates Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Robbie Keane, Nicolas Anelka and Emile Heskey. Yanga-Mbiwa's dismissal appeared to hand Liverpool the initiative and Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul had to claw away a low strike from fit-again visiting right-back Glen Johnson early in the second period. However, it was Newcastle who struck next, with substitute Dummett ghosting in behind the Liverpool defence to volley a lofted free-kick from Cabaye past the exposed Mignolet. Dummett, 22, had never previously scored for Newcastle, where he has been since the age of nine. Krul saved from Suarez as Liverpool pushed for an equaliser, but the Uruguayan would not be discouraged and in the 72nd minute he crossed from the left for Sturridge to head in a close-range equaliser. Sturridge appeared to have squandered a glorious opportunity to put his side ahead moments later when he slid the ball wide of an open goal, only for an offside flag to spare his blushes. Still Liverpool came, Suarez clipping the bar with a powerful half-volley and Sturridge miscuing from 12 yards before volleying wide from a deep Gerrard cross. A foul on Suarez by Mathieu Debuchy gave the Liverpool number seven an opportunity to claim a dramatic winning goal deep into stoppage time, but his curling effort was palmed away by Krul. - AFP, October 19, 2013. |
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