Midfielder Johannes Geis scored on his comeback after a five-game suspension as Schalke 04 beat Hannover 96 3-1 on Friday to go fourth with their first win in six Bundesliga matches.
Geis fired in a 51st minute penalty, with the 22-year-old making his return after being banned following a violent tackle on Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Andre Hahn on Oct. 25.
Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar doubled their lead in the 73rd and Franco Di Santo scored their third, a minute after Hannover had pulled a goal back with French teenager Allan Saint-Maximin.
Photo: EPA
Schalke now have 24 points, one behind third-placed VfL Wolfsburg, who yesterday were to play second-placed Borussia Dortmund, with Hannover in 14th.
The hosts, who had failed to win any of their league games during Geis’ absence, were in command, but struggled to get past Hannover’s defense, relying mainly on rare solo efforts from Huntelaar and teenager Leroy Sane.
Sane, whose sensational season earned him his first senior Germany cap last month, had their biggest chance on the stroke of halftime with goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler, in his club record 157th consecutive league game, keeping his cool in their one-on-one to deny the 19-year-old.
Schalke’s pressure eventually paid off early in the second half when Huntelaar was brought down in the box and Geis confidently converted the spot-kick.
Huntelaar was rewarded with his fifth goal of the season when found a gap in the defense and volleyed in from 8m.
Hannover showed some sign of life with substitute Saint-Maximin’s 20m missile, but Argentine Di Santo took the wind out of their sails with a quick counterpunch and his first goal for Schalke.
Undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, top on 40 points, having won 13 of their 14 league games, were yesterday to travel to in-form Gladbach, unbeaten in nine games under coach Andre Schubert.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS