Champions League semi-finalists Schalke 04 had to come from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen on Saturday night when they returned to German league action.
Schalke booked a semi-final clash with Premier League giants Manchester United on Wednesday when they beat holders Inter 2-1 at home to win their quarter-final clash after shocking the Italians 5-2 at the San Siro.
The Royal Blues now face Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side on Tuesday, April 26 at the Veltins Arena in the semi-final first leg, but they had to fight back to share the points in the Bundesliga at mid-table Bremen.
Bremen went ahead when striker Sandro Wagner was fouled in the penalty area and the 23-year-old netted the rebound after his 59th-minute spot-kick was saved.
However, the Royal Blues produced the perfect response when Raul fired in a cross that Edu finished with a bullet header on 63 minutes.
Earlier, a late equalizer by VfL Wolfsburg secured a 2-2 draw at home to St Pauli to give the 2009 Bundesliga champions a fighting chance of escaping the drop zone.
Wolfsburg, coached by Felix Magath, who led them to the title only two years ago, are third from bottom and four points from safety with four games left before the season finishes on May 14.
After fellow relegation candidates St Pauli took a late 2-1 lead, a header from Czech midfielder Jan Polak with a minute left gave Wolves a crucial point.
The last two in the Bundesliga are relegated automatically, but the side third from bottom faces a play-off against the side third from top in the second division for the right to play in Germany’s top flight next season.
Third-placed Hannover 96 were held to a goalless draw by Hamburg.
Hannover are on course to go into the play-off for a Champions League place, but they cannot now catch second-placed Leverkusen, who are 13 points ahead.
Dortmund remain on course for their first league title since 2002 as they enjoy a five-point lead over Leverkusen.
Stuttgart pulled away from the drop zone with a 3-1 win at Cologne to put four points between themselves and the bottom three.
Roberto Firmino scored his first goal for Hoffenheim with a 78th-minute strike to earn a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two