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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
RSS