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Tag: Hoffenheim

  • Europa: Son leads Tottenham to victory at Hoffenheim

    Europa: Son leads Tottenham to victory at Hoffenheim

    Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min scored in each half to earn his side a 3-2 victory at Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday.

    The win strengthened Tottenham’s chances of finishing in the top eight of the league, as they sit fourth with 14 points ahead of the final round of matches.

    Spurs midfielder James Maddison opened the scoring in the third minute with a deft finish from a long pass and Son doubled the lead after 22 minutes.

    Hoffenheim gradually worked their way back into the match, with Andrej Kramaric going close when his header struck the top of the crossbar.

    The German side were awarded a penalty just after the hour mark when Spurs keeper Brandon Austin received a yellow card for colliding with a Hoffenheim player. The referee checked VAR, however, and rescinded both the card and the penalty.

    The hosts’ efforts paid off in the 68th minute when Anton Stach connected with a cross from a counter-attack and slid the ball home.

    Son restored Spurs’ two-goal lead with a low shot from an acute angle in the 77th minute before Hoffenheim’s David Mokwa headed in a cross from Andrej Kramaric four minutes from time to give his side hope.

    In other games, a late goal from Troy Parrott gave AZ Alkmaar an important 1-0 home win over AS Roma and Olympiacos earned a 1-0 victory at Porto thanks to a late goal from Ayoub El Kaabi.

    Fenerbahce and Olympique Lyonnais played out an intense goalless draw in Istanbul, leaving the French side in a strong position before the final round in third place in the group with 14 points.

  • Bayern Munich cruise to victory over Union Berlin, but Hertha win

    Bayern Munich cruise to victory over Union Berlin, but Hertha win

    Tanguy Nianzou scored his first Bayern Munich goal on a rare start as the Bundesliga leaders recovered from two straight league draws on Saturday.

    They had an easy 4-0 home win over Union Berlin.

    The defending champions, seeking a 10th title in a row, increased their advantage back to seven points pending Borussia Dortmund’s trip to Cologne on Sunday.

    Kingsley Coman opened the scoring on 16 minutes with a fast, swerving effort which goalkeeper Andreas Luthe should still have done better with.

    “We played very well, we played together, we defended together. We were very efficient…and created lots of chances,” Coman said.

    Nianzou, 19, then headed in a corner-kick on 25 minutes with Luthe getting a hand to the ball and again slightly at fault.

    The French centre-back has struggled since arriving from Paris St-Germain (PSG) in 2020.

    But the absences of Benjamin Pavard (coronavirus) and Niklas Süle (thigh injury) opened the door against Union Berlin.

    He had a few worries defensively but eighth-placed Union Berlin could not find a final pass.

    This is as Bayern Munich upped the ante on Borussia Dortmund with seven games left for the leaders to play.

    Luthe’s terrible game continued when he crashed into Robert Lewandowski and the striker netted from the penalty kick spot just before the break.

    Soon after the interval, the world player of the year scored his 31st of the league season after good work by Jamal Musiala.

    Strugglers Hertha Berlin won 3-0 at home to Hoffenheim to move out of the automatic drop zone, in spite of new coach Felix Magath missing the game after contracting coronavirus.

    Magath’s new British assistant Mark Fotheringham, relegated with Magath at Fulham in their last job in Europe together in 2014, was in charge on the Hertha Berlin bench and was energetic in his support.

    “Mr Magath gave us some positive words and what Mark did on the sidelines was great,” midfielder Marco Richter said. “I don’t know if I should say but Mr Magath also talked to us at half-time (over the telephone).”

    VfB Stuttgart stormed back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at home to Augsburg to leave Hertha Berlin still in the relegation play-off spot.

    Mainz beat Arminia Bielefeld 4-0 with goal-line technology wrongly awarding them another goal, which was taken away on video review.

    Arminia Bielefeld slipped into the second automatic relegation spot.

    They are a point behind Hertha Berlin, who are level on points with Stuttgart and Augsburg.

    Rising COVID-19 figures in Germany also played minor havoc with other clubs.

    Freiburg missed Nicolas Höfler in their 0-0 draw at bottom side Greuther Fürth and temporarily moved fourth ahead of RB Leipzig welcoming Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

    The match between Bochum and Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday was abandoned after a linesman was hit by a plastic cup thrown from the Bochum fans as Gladbach led 2-0.

  • I can’t deny I like Liverpool rumours – Hoffenheim midfielder

    I can’t deny I like Liverpool rumours – Hoffenheim midfielder

    Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner is coy over interest from Liverpool while with Austria at the Euros.

    Baumgartner was tight lipped when asked about reports Liverpool were interested in the Austria international.

    “In this tournament there is not much time to think about rumors like that,” he said in the pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s clash with Ukraine on Monday.

    “In my career I have already learned that they always link you to other clubs.

    “I don’t want to deny that I like hearing some of that, but at the moment that’s not a topic at all for me and I focus on the tournament.

    “It’s part of the job to deal with those kind of rumours, I already have experience with that. It’s better to have those rumours than rumours in other areas.”

  • Bayern Munich suffer 4-1 loss to end long unbeaten run

    Bayern Munich suffer 4-1 loss to end long unbeaten run

    Quadruple winners Bayern Munich slumped to a shock 4-1 loss at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday to end their 32-match unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to last year.

    Bayern Munich, winners of the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla after extra time on Thursday, had not lost since Dec. 7, 2019.

    They had gone 21 consecutive Bundesliga matches without defeat, winning their last 15.

    The European champions conceded two goals in eight minutes as their usually solid defence collapsed under Hoffenheim pressure.

    Ermin Bicackcic put them ahead in the 16th minute and Manus Dabbur doubled the lead.

    Joshua Kimmich cut the deficit with a superbly curled shot into the top corner in the 36th minute and Bayern Munich missed several good chances to level early in the second half.

    But Andrej Kramaric, who had earlier hit the post, killed off their hopes in the 77th minute.

    He controlled a cross with his back to the goal and turned beautifully to beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

    A stoppage time penalty kick by Croatia forward Kramaric crowned a memorable win for Hoffenheim.