Schalke 04 were the big winners on a high scoring Bundesliga Saturday as they moved to the top of the table with a 4-2 victory at Energie Cottbus.
VfB Stuttgart, who went into their match at Bayern Munich leading the table, slumped to a 2-1 defeat, while Werder Bremen, who were second, were held to a 2-2 draw at Alemannia Aachen.
In Cottbus, Schalke were two up after just 15 minutes through goals by Hamit Altintop and Kevin Kuranyi, but allowed the home side back into the game with two goals within the space of three minutes.
PHOTO: AP
Schalke's 20-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer -- whose promotion into the team at the expense of experienced Frank Rost a few weeks ago caused a minor crisis at the club -- gifted Sergiu Radu a goal in the 28th minute, but he could do nothing as Radu scored his second just three minutes later.
Christian Pander scored a third for Schalke early in the second half with a direct freekick before Levan Kobiashvili put the game beyond the home side six minutes from the end to take Schalke to the top of the table.
Schalke coach Mirko Slomka, who has been under pressure even though his side is well positioned, said that he criticized his side during the break.
PHOTO: AP
"We were in control early in the game and then allowed Cottbus back into the match. That was not necessary and I told them that we needed to take control again. I am pleased that we did that," he said.
In Munich current Bundesliga top scorer Mario Gomez gave Stuttgart an early lead, but Roy Makaay and Claudio Pizarro turned the deficit around to take Bayern to 23 points -- one behind Stuttgart and three behind Schalke.
Munich coach Felix Magath, said that he had predicted before the game that his side would win. "Stuttgart is a very good side and I am happy to have won the game. I think our fans will forgive us winning by just a goal against a good side like Stuttgart."
Stuttgart's coach Armin Veh, who had promised not to cut his hair until his side lost again, said that he could at least gain some comfort from the defeat as he could now go to the hairdresser.
"That is the only good thing. I am disappointed, but Bayern is a good side and to lose to them is not an embarrassment," he said.
Werder Bremen, who drew 2-2 at Alemannia Aachen are second on 24 points. Sascha Roesler opened the scoring for Aachen in the 34th minute, but their lead lasted just three minutes into the second half as Per Mertesacker equalized for the Champions League participants.
German international Jan Schlaudraff put Aachen ahead again with a delicate chip after dribbling past three defenders in the 68th minute. World Cup top scorer Miroslav Klose found another equalizing goal for Bremen 11 minutes from the end.
Hertha Berlin won 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund, with goals by Andreas Schmidt and Gilberto, while Alexander Frei scored for the home side.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
RSS