Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng returned to haunt his former club with a last-gasp goal that secured a 1-0 win over English title holders Manchester City in their opening UEFA Champions League Group E clash on Wednesday.
Boateng, who joined Bayern from City in 2011, broke the deadlock in Munich with a powerful shot after the German side controlled the game, but could not find a way past visiting goalkeeper Joe Hart, who made several superb saves, until the 90th minute.
“I think we had a lot of chances, we wasted many, but we believed until the end,” Germany international Boateng told reporters. “The ball came perfectly and I just drilled it in. We deserved to win, although City made a good game, but it was us who had the chances and it is extremely important to start off with a win.”
Photo: AFP
City, who had come back from two goals down to beat Bayern 3-2 in Munich in the group stage last year, were mostly on the back foot, but successfully kept the German side at bay, with Hart doing his best to keep the scores level until the last minute.
AS Roma are top of the group on goal-difference after crushing CSKA Moscow 5-1.
“It was important for the team to win,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. “We played well and it was deserved, and I am happy to have got the three points. Don’t forget we were playing against Manchester City. We played better. We had problems initially to control the game, but then we improved. I am satisfied with our performance.”
Bayern, with winger Franck Ribery out injured and Arjen Robben on the bench, were slow out of the blocks as both teams cautiously tried to get a foothold in the game.
There were four changes for City from the team which drew 2-2 with Arsenal on Saturday, with suspended Pablo Zabaleta replaced by Bacary Sagna, and Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko earning starting spots.
The hosts gradually got on top and almost took the lead when Thomas Mueller sneaked into the penalty area, but Hart parried his powerful header over the bar in the 20th minute.
Seconds later, the England goalkeeper pulled off another sensational save to palm Mario Goetze’s deflected effort past the post, before City responded with a curling Edin Dzeko shot that sailed narrowly wide.
The English champions, with suspended coach Manuel Pellegrini in the stands and his assistant Ruben Cousillas alone on the bench, successfully closed down space to keep Bayern at bay outside the penalty area.
David Alaba tried his luck twice from long range, but again Hart was on hand to rescue his team.
The Bavarians increased the pressure in the second half, but had problems cracking open a tight City defense.
The introduction of Robben and forward Claudio Pizarro late in the game helped provide an added impetus and Bayern’s pressure finally told when Boateng fired home.
“We fought hard all night against a good team and we had chances all night,” City goalkeeper Hart said. “We knew we going to be in for a tough game. The goal has come from a deflection in the end and Jerome has come back to haunt us. I think a draw would have been good.”
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
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
RSS