Werder Bremen blew a golden opportunity to go top of the Bundesliga on Sunday as they crashed to a shock 3-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Arminia Bielefeld.
With three games left to go and league-leaders Schalke 04 losing 2-1 to VfL Bochum on Friday night, third-placed Bremen passed up the chance to leap-frog their rivals and re-take the top spot they last held in January.
Although Bremen equalized twice, Bielefeld were worthy winners in an electric game with both sides creating plenty of chances.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Bielefeld went 1-0 up when defender Heiko Westermann scored after 30 minutes until German striker Miroslav Klose -- who has been linked with a move away to rivals Bayern Munich or even Juventus in Italy -- equalized in the 58th minute.
Danish midfielder Jonas Kamper fired his side into the lead just a minute later, only to see Bremen's Hugo Almeida draw Bremen level on 74 minutes.
But Bielefeld striker Christian Eigler struck with just more than 10 minutes left to seal the win and take his side up three places to 13th.
But with Bremen and Schalke both losing, Stuttgart have come back into the title race after their 1-0 win over bottom-side Borussia Monchengladbach -- who are now sure to be relegated -- on Saturday pushed them into second place.
Midfielder Roberto Hilbert's 53rd minute goal was enough to give Stuttgart the three points.
Stuttgart's win means Bayern Munich are now virtually sure to miss out on a Champions League place next season after they lost 2-1 at home to Hamburg.
The defeat leaves Bayern in fourth, seven points behind third-placed Bremen with three games left.
Mid-table Energie Cottbus had Karim Haggui to thank for their 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen after his 84th minute winner on Sunday.
Hertha Berlin, meanwhile, trounced Alemannia Aachen 4-0 to go seventh in the league.
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
BRING THE NOISE: Brazil’s Fonseca attracted a boisterous crowd that brought such dominant soccer-style energy the referee switched to Portuguese to ask for quiet Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and soccer-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with blistering forehands and a partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet. However, De