Football

Borussia Dortmund move to brink of Bundesliga title after Augsburg victory

Published

2 weeks ago

May 23, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Borussia Dortmund are one win away from their first Bundesliga title in a decade, after two second-half goals from Sebastien Haller delivered a 3-0 win at Augsburg on Sunday.

Dortmund are now two points clear of Bayern Munich, who lost 3-1 at home to RB Leipzig on Saturday, with one match remaining.

They now need to better Bayern’s result this week at home against Mainz to lift the Bundesliga shield for the first time since 2011-12.

Despite Augsburg being reduced to 10 men late in the first half, the game was scoreless until the 58th minute, when Haller pounced on a rebound to score the opener.

Haller, who missed the first half of the season as he overcame testicular cancer, scored another with six remaining to send the visiting fans into raptures.

Julian Brandt added a goal in injury time.

Dortmund, who came into the game knowing victory would put them in control of the title race, were winless on the road since February.

The visitors made the trip south without star midfielder Jude Bellingham, who failed to recover from a knee complaint.

Stuttgart’s earlier win at Mainz meant Augsburg were only two points clear of the relegation zone.

Dortmund, who scored 11 goals in their past two games, were dominant in the first half but could not find a breakthrough, Haller forcing a fingertip save from Tomas Koubek.

With 33 minutes gone, Julian Brandt latched onto a 40-metre defence-splitting pass from Emre Can but blasted directly into Koubek when one on one with the Augsburg ‘keeper.

Shortly before half-time last-man Felix Uduokhai earned a red card, tackling Donyell Malen on the edge of the penalty box.

Augsburg dug deep despite losing a man in the hope of snatching a point.

Haller finally broke through for the visitors, collecting a rebound off Koubek before turning and threading the ball into the far corner.

With just over five minutes remaining, Haller repeated the trick, pouncing on a rebounded Marco Reus shot to tap Dortmund 2-0 up, sending the visiting fans into a chant of “German champions, only Dortmund”.

With the clock winding down, Dortmund captain Mats Hummels was helped off the field after copping a boot to the face.

The centre-back’s replacement, Nico Schlotterbeck, put the ball through for Brandt to score a third

Related Topics:#featured Bundesliga Borrusia Dortmund

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Football

Messi Won’t Find Life Easy In MLS –Rooney

Published

3 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has warned Lionel Messi that he should braze up for tough time in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Recall that Messi confirmed this week that he is joining Inter Miami as a free agent.

Rooney, who is currently in charge of DC United, is hoping that the 35-year-old’s MLS debut could come against his side.

Inter Miami are due to face DC United in Washington on July 8.

Rooney told reporters: “It’d be nice if we were his first opponents for D.C. fans to see him up close and for us to challenge ourselves against him.

“One thing I will say is that it’s not going to be easy for him. The league’s a difficult league, and I don’t think he’s going to come over here and absolutely tear it up immediately.

“He’ll have to adapt because it’s a bit different; it won’t be an easy ride for him.”

Football

UCL final: Guardiola afraid of Italian teams – Di Matteo

Published

4 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Former Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo has claimed that Pep Guardiola fears Italian clubs.

Guardiola’s Manchester City will take on Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final.

The Premier League champions are favourites heading into the game in Istanbul, as they close in on a treble after they also lifted the FA Cup.

But Di Matteo believes Guardiola is a little bit scared of taking on Italian sides, knowing what a challenge they can pose.

He told Football-Italia: “You go to church with the whole team and pray; jokes aside, motivation makes the difference, and we had it. We were not fully fit, but convinced we could make it. Inter have the same spirit; they don’t look like a scared team.

“Guardiola is more than a coach; he is a visionary, but he knows how competitive Italians are and fears us.”

Football

Transfer: Real reason I didn’t join Saudi Arabian club – Messi

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has explained why he didn’t move to Saudi Arabia.

Messi, who played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain last Sunday against Clermont Foot, had been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

The Argentina World Cup winner was also linked with a return to Barcelona, but he is now set to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.

However, according to Messi, he opted not to move to Saudi Arabia because he had made his final decision to go elsewhere [Inter Miami] and not because of money.

“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me”, Messi told Mundo Deportivo.

“The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money.”