Dortmund suffered a bitter setback in the Champions League. BVB only managed a draw against the Norwegian outsiders Bodö/Glimt. Leverkusen scored again against a Premier League team, and the crisis at Real Madrid is coming to a head.
Borussia Dortmund carelessly gave up a mandatory Champions League victory. A brace from Julian Brandt (18th minute/51st) was not enough for BVB to win 2-2 (1-1) against Norwegian runner-up FK Bodö/Glimt on Wednesday. The two equalizers from Haitam Aleesami (42nd) and Jens Petter Hauge (75th) spoiled the good mood.
“We took the lead twice, then conceded pretty stupid goals and made life a little difficult for ourselves,” analyzed double packer Brandt: “We were simply too inconsistent in front of the goal and that opened the door.”
“It’s a must-win today. Even if it’s not as easy as it looks,” Dortmund’s sports director Sebastian Kehl told DAZN before kick-off. The 45-year-old turned out to be right. Given the balance of power, Dortmund’s fourth victory should have come in the sixth preliminary round game. Carelessly missed chances and simple defensive errors ruined this. With a brilliant save in the final phase, Gregor Kobel even prevented an own goal and a possible defeat.
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With eleven points instead of the hoped for 13, coach Niko Kovac’s team has to worry about direct qualification for the round of 16. Dortmund are currently not in the top eight of 36 teams. In January, the Westphalians still have to play against Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan.
Coach Hjulmand was missing from Leverkusen
Without coach Kasper Hjulmand, Bayer Leverkusen missed out on their first home win of the season, but were saved from a draw thanks to a late goal from Alejandro Grimaldo. The Bundesliga club fought to a 2-2 (1-0) draw against Newcastle United, led by the two German national players Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, but missed out on their third win in a row in the premier class.
An own goal from Bruno Guimaraes (13th minute) gave the Werkself the lead in front of 30,210 spectators in the sold-out Leverkusen stadium. In the second half, a penalty from Anthony Gordon (51′) and a goal from Joker Lewis Miley (74′) turned the game in favor of the guests from the Premier League. In the 88th minute, Grimaldo scored the deserved equalizer.
Two game days before the end of the group phase, the Werkself now have nine points and can hope for the play-offs before the last two games at Olympiacos Piraeus and against Villarreal. 90 minutes before kick-off, Bayer 04 announced that head coach Hjulmand would be out “for personal reasons” and that assistant coach Rogier Meijer would take over.
Xabi Alonso at Real facing elimination
Erling Haaland has pushed Real Madrid even deeper into the crisis and further increased the worries of coach Xabi Alonso, who was already under criticism. The Norwegian superstar made it 1:2 (1:2) for the Royals against Manchester City with a penalty kick. With only two wins from the last six competitive games, the former master coach of Bayer Leverkusen is in danger of a quick exit after just under half a year at the top Spanish club.
Without Kylian Mbappé sitting on the bench, the Brazilian Rodrygo scored to give Real a deserved 1-0 lead (28th minute). Real pressed for the second goal, but City responded. Nico O’Reilly equalized (35′), Haaland finally turned the match around after converting a penalty (43′). The Norwegian was previously held in the penalty area by Antonio Rüdiger. Coach Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City climbed to fourth place in the table, while Real fell back to seventh place.
Arsenal defend their lead, PSG scoreless
League leaders Arsenal FC continue to rush from victory to victory. With the 3-0 (1-0) win at Belgian top club FC Bruges, coach Mikel Arteta’s team achieved their sixth success in their sixth match. Noni Madueke (25th/47th) and Gabriel Martinelli (56th) scored twice for Bayern Munich’s only defeat this season. The team from North London defeated the Bundesliga record champions 3-1 on the last matchday.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain couldn’t get past a 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao. Bradley Barcola had the best chance for Paris in the 65th minute: his shot hit the crossbar. The team from the French capital is third in the table and is on course for the round of 16.
While Juventus Turin scored important points in the fight for the knockout round with a 2-0 (0-0) win against the Cypriot club Pafos FC, SSC Napoli is still not getting going. Due to the 0:2 (0:1) with star coach José Mourinho and Benfica Lisbon, the Italian champions have to finish 23rd in the table. even worry about reaching the playoff positions.
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