Bayer Leverkusen got a second-half goal by defender Manuel Friedrich to earn a 1-1 draw with visitors Borussia Dortmund on Friday and move a point clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Second-placed Hamburg, on 21 points, visit Schalke 04, who are third with 19 points, today.
Leverkusen, who are unbeaten this season, threatened twice in the opening minutes through Lars Bender and Toni Kroos, but it was Dortmund who struck first in the eighth minute.
Paraguay international Nelson Valdez combined well with Nuri Shahin and floated a cross into the area for Argentine Lucas Barrios to head the visitors into the lead.
It was the first goal Leverkusen had conceded in the league since mid-September.
Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund team quickly retreated into their own half after going ahead as the hosts dominated possession, but failed to carve out any clear scoring opportunities.
In a scrappy second half, Leverkusen finally broke through the visitors’ double defensive line when Friedrich headed the equalizer from a Tranquillo Barnetta corner in the 65th minute as the home side preserved their unbeaten run this season.
“We put on a lot of pressure in the second half. The players fought hard, but overall we did not play well,” said 64-year-old Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes, who had been due to retire before surprisingly taking over the team this season. “I am happy with the 1-1, though, because Dortmund showed courage. They deserved to get a point here.”
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
RSS