Oranje trembles about the World Cup ticket – Kuntz leads Turkey in the playoffs +++ World Cup qualification: Switzerland catches Italy +++ Corona outbreak: St. Pauli vs. Sandhausen canceled +++ Sports news at a glance.
From “A” for American football to “F” for football to “Z” for decathlon. Our compact news from the world of sport:
November 18: semifinals at ATP finals perfect – Zverev calls for tennis star Djokovic
Olympic champion Alexander Zverev made the semi-final showdown perfect with the exception of Novak Djokovic at the season finale. Germany’s best tennis player won 6: 2, 6: 4 against the Polish Wimbledon semi-finalist Hubert Hurkacz and secured second place in his preliminary group in Turin. With an initially relaxed and remarkably dominant appearance, the world number three won his group final – and extended his season by at least one game. “I’m of course very happy to be here in Turin for the first time in the semifinals. It’s a great atmosphere,” said Zverev after the game. “I’m sure that the atmosphere will be more sparkling and even better on Saturday. It wasn’t easy mentally today because I knew that I had to win to get to the semi-finals.”
November 17: Holland gets a World Cup ticket – Kuntz leads Turkey in the playoffs
With the bond coach Louis van Gaal, injured in the hip, in the stands, the Netherlands has secured the ticket for the World Cup in Qatar – and Stefan Kuntz can still hope to participate in the finals with the Turkish selection. Oranje scored 2-0 (0-0) against Norway in the empty De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam after late goals in the decisive group match and secured first place in Group G with 23 points. 1: 1) and ended up with 21 points ahead of Norway (18). The team of the long-time German U21 coach Kuntz is now fighting in the playoffs for one of three other World Cup starting places.
This also applies to Ukraine, which overtook Finland in Group D with a 2-0 (1-0) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Northern Europeans were defeated at home by the already qualified world champions France 0: 2 (0: 0). In Group E, Wales claimed second place with a 1-1 (1: 1) against the sovereign group winners Belgium, ahead of the Czech Republic (2-0 against Estonia), which is one of the best Nations League group winners but also in the overall playoffs Twelve teams take part.
November 16: World Cup qualification: Switzerland intercepts Italy, also England in Qatar
Horror in Italy, jubilation in Switzerland: European soccer champions Italy have given away the ticket for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which they believed to be safe. Instead, Switzerland qualified directly for the tournament on Monday evening thanks to a 4-0 (0-0) win against Bulgaria.
The Squadra Azzurra did not get more than 0-0 in the parallel game in Northern Ireland and had to let Switzerland pass. As second in Group C, Italy could still make it through the playoffs to the finals. “We should have made it clear much earlier in this group. Now we have to fix it in March,” said coach Roberto Mancini, who was completely dismayed.
England is also at the World Cup in Qatar. At the 10-0 (6-0) in San Marino, Harry Kane was the outstanding goalscorer with four goals. He scored all goals within just 15 minutes, including two from penalties. Poland has to go to the playoffs. In the 1: 2 (0: 1) against Hungary Robert Lewandowski from FC Bayern Munich was missing at every nook and cranny.
November 5: Second division game St. Pauli against Sandhausen canceled after the corona outbreak
In response to a corona outbreak at SV Sandhausen, the game of the second division soccer team at FC St. Pauli has been canceled. The German Football League (DFL) informed about this after Sandhausen had submitted an application for a relocation. “The game is canceled because SV Sandhausen does not have the minimum number of players required according to the DFL game rules, among other things due to a corresponding quarantine order from the responsible health department,” said the DFL. The game should actually take place on Sunday. Twelve players and six people from the supervisory staff had tested positive for the corona virus, according to the club on Thursday. The league association wants to decide “as soon as possible” about a new appointment.
November 5: Flick calls newcomer Lukas Nmecha and brings Draxler, Brandt and Günter back
With newcomer Lukas Nmecha and the returnees Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler and Christian Günter, the German national soccer team should achieve the perfect end of the year. National coach Hansi Flick called a total of 27 professionals for the World Cup qualifiers next week in Wolfsburg against Liechtenstein (November 11) and three days later in Yerevan against Armenia, including four goalkeepers for captain Manuel Neuer. The DFB selection already bought the ticket for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the beginning of October.
“Our idea was to take one or the other to see him again this year,” said Flick. “We saw our chance. We won’t have a game for four months.” The DFB selection wanted to “say goodbye to the year with two wins”. Dortmund’s Brandt, 25, and Paris professional Draxler, 28, are part of the DFB squad for the first time since autumn 2020. BVB star Mats Hummels was not taken into account, for whom a break would initially be better. The entire roster looks like this:
November 4: Corona alarm at SV Sandhausen – 18 positive cases
Corona alarm at SV Sandhausen: The second division soccer team is affected by 18 positive cases in the team and their environment. After consulting the responsible health department, all persons have gone into quarantine at home. The club announced this on Thursday evening. It is unclear whether the game at leaders FC St. Pauli can take place next Sunday.
According to the information in Table 15. had reported some professionals with cold symptoms on Wednesday. An extensive PCR test was then carried out. The evaluation produced positive results in twelve players and six coaches. Thanks to the vaccination protection, there are mostly mild courses. Some people showed slight signs of a cold. “This high number of findings came as a surprise to all of us. The large number of symptom-free patients can, however, be traced back to the very high vaccination status within the team as well as the coaching and support staff,” said Sandhausen’s team doctor and hygiene officer Nikolaus Streich. It was only last week that the SVS decided to use the 2G model for future home games, i.e. access only for those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated.
November 3: Atlanta Braves win World Series against Houston Astros
The Atlanta Braves won the World Series in Major League Baseball against the Houston Astros. The 7-0 win on Tuesday evening (local time) in Houston was the decisive fourth victory in the final series for the championship and the fourth title in the history of the Braves. They last won the World Series in 1995.
Jorge Soler put the Braves 3-0 ahead with a home run in the third inning and hit the road to victory. Three more points in the fifth inning were the preliminary decision. The Astros were in the World Series for the third time in the past five years, but could only win in 2017. This title is also controversial because of the proven fraud.
November 1: Kerber again among the top ten for the first time since 2019
The German number one, Angelique Kerber, is back in the top ten of the tennis world rankings after more than two years. The 33-year-old from Kiel climbed from twelfth to ninth in the ranking published by the WTA. In July 2019, the three-time Grand Slam winner slipped out of the top ten. In her career, Kerber led the world rankings for a total of 34 weeks.
