Ze Roberto scored a rare goal for Bayern Friday as the defending champions opened the Bundesliga's 41st season with an easy 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
On a sweltering night Bayern led 3-0 at the half against the overmatched squad up from the second division, then coasted after the break in front of 63,000 spectators.
"We started very good and you really never know after the training," said Bayern midfielder Michael Ballack. "We're the favorites and we have to play that way."
PHOTO: AFP
Bayern is the overwhelming choice to claim an 18th Bundesliga crown. The rest of the league plays Saturday and Sunday, with Borussia Dortmund facing Schalke as the featured matchup.
Bayern, whose real aim is winning the Champions League, had Ze Roberto score in the 16th minute, Hasim Salihamidzic four minutes later and Claudio Pizarro in the 44th minute.
Ervin Skala scored Frankfurt's only goal on a beautiful 68th minute free kick, just eight minutes after a similar attempt cracked off the crossbar.
"We acted a little scared out there, but what can you expect -- they have classy players," Skala said.
The game marked the return of Salihamidzic from two operations for tore ligaments, while fellow midfielder Sebastian Deisler -- often called Germany's biggest talent -- played his first complete match since three knee operations.
The goal by Roberto, criticized for scoring just once all last year, revealed the inexperience of the Frankfurt defense.
On a Bayern throw-in, defender Andre Wiedener headed the ball into the path of the Brazilian international, who rifled the ball inside the right post.
The second Bayern score was a combination between two key players expected to help its Champions League effort after injuries.
A precise free kick from Deisler found Salihamidzic in a pack of players and the Bosnian's powerful header flew into the center of the net.
Deisler is being pressured by Bayern management to perform up to his talent and form a powerful midfield combination with Ballack.
"That motivates me -- the grace period is over. I had fun today. The season could continue just like this," Deisler said.
Three of his crosses nearly turned into goals after he was the surprise starter over Mehmet Scholl.
"He was thrown into cold water, but I want him to catch up -- he played a very good match," Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said.
After Salihamidzic's goal, Frankfurt was rattled. Neither player was challenged when Pizarro headed in Tobias Rau's cross just before the half to complete the Bayern scoring.
Frankfurt was a Bundesliga power as late as the early nineties, but since has developed into an "elevator team" -- riding up and down from the first division.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS