Serie A: Napoli extend their lead in the table
Napoli benefited from Lazio's 1-0 defeat by Turin. The leader won the top game at Juventus Turin 1:0. The winning goal came in the 93rd minute from the Italian international Giacomo Raspadori. Thanks to the win, Napoli have a 17-point lead over Lazio with seven rounds to go in the season.
The two Milan clubs celebrated important victories in the race for a place in the European Cup. Milan defeated Lecce 2-0 and Inter beat Empoli 3-0.(bind)
Bundesliga: Fischer returns to winning ways with Union
1. FC Union Berlin has managed another important victory in the race to qualify for the Champions League. The capitals won 1-0 (0-0) at Borussia Mönchengladbach with Jonas Omlin in goal and are third after the end of the 29th matchday. Sheraldo Becker scored the decisive goal with a direct acceptance in the 60th minute. Union has 55 points, four points more than RB Leipzig, which is fifth outside the Champions League ranks.
FC Schalke 04 has lost ground again in the fight against relegation from the Bundesliga. Coach Thomas Reis' team lost 4-0 (2-0) at SC Freiburg. With the home win in front of 34,700 spectators, the people of Breisgau took another step towards the Champions League. After a brace from Michael Gregoritsch in the 7th and 35th minute, Lucas Höler (52nd) and Matthias Ginter (82nd) scored the goals after the break. Just over a week ago, Schalke lost last place to Berlin thanks to a 5-2 win over Hertha BSC. The Royal Blues missed the jump to 15th place, they remain penultimate.
Bayer Leverkusen has continued its race to catch up in the European Cup ranks and has reduced the gap to RB Leipzig. The Rhinelanders won the duel with their direct competitor 2-0 (1-0) and are sixth in the table, only four points behind Leipzig. Coach Marco Rose's team fell out of the Champions League ranks due to the defeat and is only fifth. The Czech Adam Hlozek scored the lead (40th minute) for hosts Leverkusen, Nadiem Amiri (86th) ensured the final score with a penalty kick. Leipzig's Dominik Szoboszlai saw the yellow-red card for the foul before the penalty kick. Coach Xabi Alonso's Bayer team has been undefeated in the league since mid-February.(DPA)
FA-Cup: Manchester United im Final
Manchester United are in the final of the FA Cup. Coach Erik ten Hag's team beat Premier League eighth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion 7-6 in a shoot-out in a tight semi-final. Solomon March, the 13th shooter overall, was the first to miss. Victor Lindelöf shot United into the final. Opponent on June 3 at London's Wembley Stadium is Manchester City, who won 3-0 (1-0) against Sheffield United. Outsiders Brighton had held up well against United for a long time and held the goalless draw for over 120 minutes.(DPA)
LaLiga: Barcelona beat Atlético
FC Barcelona followed up in the long-distance duel with Real Madrid and restored the eleven-point lead. On the day of celebration in honor of the Catalan patron saint Sant Jordi, the leaders of the Primera División managed a 1-0 (1-0) against Atlético Madrid.
In the packed Camp Nou, Ferran Torres (44') scored the only goal of the game just before the break after former Barça pro Antoine Griezmann hit the bar after just a few seconds. Barcelona's goalie Marc-André ter Stegen would otherwise have been beaten. Lamine Yamal, 15, did not feature in his first call-up to Barcelona's senior squad.
In the table of the Spanish championship, coach Xavi Hernández's Catalans, previously without a win twice, finally defended their lead on the 30th of 38 matchdays. On Saturday, arch-rivals Real came within eight points after beating Celta Vigo 2-0. Atlético is third, 16 points fewer than Barça and conceded their first defeat in the league after 13 games.(DPA)
Super League: Lucerne jumps to second place
After the much-celebrated 2-1 win after extra time in the Conference League against Nice on Thursday and the first European Cup semi-final in ten years, FCB were brought back down to earth in everyday league life with a 0-2 home defeat against FC Luzern . This means that Basel have been without a win in the Super League for three games.
The Baslers were tired and weak against the FCL after an intense 120 minutes in Nice. This Basel harmlessness was finally punished in the 71st minute: Sorgic played a one-two with Frydek and then shot low and powerfully into the right corner. In the midst of a period of pressure from Basel, the Lucerne team took advantage of the space created: Luuk Breedijk made the decision in the 89th minute. Due to the victory, Lucerne passed Servette in second place.
The match between Lugano and FC Sion featured three red cards, two goals and a late home win. Valenzuela (90') and Amoura (90'+4') scored for the Ticino just before the end.(dsc/tzi)
Premier League: Newcastle dismantle Tottenham
Newcastle won the direct duel against Tottenham in the fight for a place in the Champions League. The team with defender Fabian Schär, who set up two goals and was substituted fifteen minutes before the end, won 6:1. Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak excelled as double goalscorers. Newcastle led 3-0 after just nine minutes.(bind)
Women's Champions League: Arsenal draw at Wolfsburg
Lia Wälti and Noelle Maritz have a good chance of reaching the Champions League final with Arsenal. The two Swiss women drew 2-2 with their club in the first leg of the semifinals at Wolfsburg. The English, for whom Wälti and Maritz played through, were 2-0 down after 24 minutes. They scored the goal just before the break and equalized after 70 minutes. The second leg will take place in London on May 1st.(bind)
England: Hollywood Club celebrates rise
Amidst the cheers of thousands of euphoric AFC Wrexham fans, Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds snatched the silver trophy for a kiss. "Everything I (wear) smells like champagne, beer and weed," wrote the 46-year-old about the little Welsh football fairy tale and felt "still somewhere between giggling and sobbing". A good two years after the takeover of the traditional club by Reynolds and his acting buddy Rob McElhenney, Wrexham rose to the fourth English division on Saturday.
Founded in 1864, the north-east Wales club has come through tough times, and the entry of world-renowned investors came at the right time. Reynolds and McElhenney ("It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia") had declared the project a matter close to their hearts - contrary to the rather anonymous donor habit in big English football. There was even royal praise for this on Saturday.
"Congratulations," wrote Prince William and Princess Kate on Twitter to the club "with such an amazing story looking forward to an exciting future in the Football League." The heir to the throne concluded: "You have made Wales proud."(DPA)
Challenge League: Saibene goes to Xamax
Jeff Saibene is no longer the coach of Challenge League club Neuchâtel Xamax. After the 5-2 defeat against Aarau on Saturday evening, the Luxembourger offered the club management his resignation. This accepted. Saibene took over from Neuchâtel last September. In 25 games he could only celebrate three wins. In the table, Xamax is lagging behind in last place - more than 10 points behind ninth Vaduz.(abb)
La Liga: Real do the duty
The gap in the Primera Division table to leader Barcelona is still eight points. However, the Real Madrid players did their duty on Saturday night and beat Celta Vigo at home. Asensio and Militao scored the goals for the home team in the 2-0 win. Barca face Atlético Madrid tomorrow Sunday.(tmu)
Serie A: Lazio drops points
Of course, the championship in Serie A has long since been decided and Napoli will secure the title. Still, the latest defeat will irk Lazio players and fans alike: the runners-up in Italy's top division lost 1-0 at home to midfield club Torino. So tomorrow Sunday Juventus Turin can take second place with a win against leader Napoli.(tmu)
Super League: GC wins - and is looking for a new coach
The Grasshoppers' 2-1 win in Winterthur became a side note after the end of the game. A few minutes after the final whistle, GC coach Giorgio Contini announced that sports director Bernt Hass had informed him on Friday that the club was planning a new coach starting in the summer. Contini had terminated his contract with six months' notice in February because some things in the club weren't going to his liking – or aren't going. But he also said at the time that he could imagine staying with the record champions under certain circumstances. The club has now made this decision for him.(tsi)
Bundesliga: Bayern dives in Mainz, BVB passes
AfterOut in the Champions League against Manchester Cityduring the week, the next low point for Bayern follows on Saturday in the Bundesliga. Despite being in the lead at half-time, they deservedly lose 3-1 at Mainz. What a success for the team around the Swiss internationals Silvan Widmer and Edimilson Fernandes!
In the sold-out Mainz Arena, Bayern took the lead through a goal by Sadio Mané (29th). But Ludovic Ajorque (65'), Leandro Barreiro (73') and Aarón Martín (79') turned the game around sensationally in the second half. Mainz set a new club record with their tenth game without defeat in a row.
Mainz's tactical concept of giving Bayern little room to develop and chances proved its worth over long stretches. After the end in the premier class, a lot of unrest and manyAllegations against the sporting leadership around CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzicthe Bayern players still lacked self-confidence and the will to win.
Mané headed in from a measured cross from João Cancelo. The 31-year-old was a driving force, already in the 14th minute he had served Thomas Müller, who had returned from the start, with a cross pass in front of the goal, but Widmer was able to block the shot at the last second. A minute later, Mané scored for the first time, but after video evidence was used, the goal was disallowed.
Sommer doesn't look good when conceding the first goal
The hosts, who had recently won twice against Bayern at home, did not allow many more chances. However, the Rheinhessen themselves had hardly any counterattack opportunities. After the restart, Mainz came up trumps. After a free kick by Aaron, Bayern couldn't get the ball away, so South Korea's Jae-sung Lee fired a shot from behind. Bayern goalie Yann Sommer couldn't hold the ball and Ajorque headed the ball in. For the French it was the sixth goal in the last eight games. Barreiro (73') and Aaron (79') made the Mainz party perfect.
This time Borussia Dortmund took advantage of FC Bayern's serious mistake. Coach Edin Terzic's team celebrated a 4-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening and took the lead in the table. Thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham (19th), Donyell Malen (24th/66th) and Mats Hummels (41st) in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Iduna Park, BVB are one point ahead five games before the end of the season the champion of the past ten years from Munich.
In the fight against relegation, the new, old Hertha coach Pal Dardai experienced a severely disappointing return to the Bundesliga sidelines. The Berliners lost 4-2 against Werder Bremen after three goals from Marvin Ducksch and remain bottom of the table. The outstanding Ducksch scored in Berlin in the 6th, 27th and 51st minute. Hertha had no chance in the first half in the sold-out Olympic Stadium for long stretches, next Sunday the Berliners are guests at FC Bayern. Mitchell Weiser (63rd) followed suit for Bremen. The hits from Jessic Ngankam (68th) and Dodi Lukébakio (79th / penalty kick) didn't help Hertha anymore either.
Setback for previously strong Hoffenheim
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim suffered a setback after the last four games without defeat in a 3-1 draw against 1. FC Köln. Cologne benefited from a hand penalty decision by referee Robin Braun. Florian Kainz (18th) scored from the point. Davie Selke (39th) scored the second Cologne goal, Jan Thielmann (90th + 2) the third. Kasper Dolberg (90+4) was successful later for TSG.
VfL Bochum also remains 15th in the table after beating VfL Wolfsburg 5-1. one place behind Hoffenheim in acute danger of relegation. Wolfsburg took the lead in the tenth minute through Mattias Svanberg's header, Jakub Kamiński followed up (21') before Patrick Wimmer (33') scored. Bochum had little to counter in the first half – the game was decided after Svanberg's second goal (56'). The interim 1: 4 through Moritz Broschinski (69th) did not change anything because Luca Waldschmidt also scored for Wolfsburg (77th).(DPA/tzi)
FA Cup: Manchester City thanks to a hat-trick by Mahrez in the final
Manchester City are through to the final of the English FA Cup after a comfortable win. The football champions and currently second in the Premier League table defeated second division side Sheffield United 3-0 in the semi-finals at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday thanks to a hat-trick by Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez, who was in the starting line-up alongside star striker Erling Haaland, gave the clearly superior Cityzens the lead with a penalty just before the half-time break (43rd minute). In the second half, he made everything clear with two goals within five minutes (61st/66th) for the clearly favored team of star coach Pep Guardiola, who had thrown FC Bayern out of the Champions League during the week.
For Sheffield, the clear defeat in the cup should be bearable to some extent. Second in the Championship, the Blades are poised for promotion to the Premier League.
Man City meet the winner of Sunday's match between Brighton and Manchester United in the Cup final at Wembley on June 3. By the FA Cup final, the Cityzens could win the English Championship and the Champions League. In the league, Guardiola's side are in a close race with Granit Xhaka's Arsenal London. In the premier class, defending champions Real Madrid are waiting in the semi-finals.(DPA)
WSL: FCZ, Servette and GC with victories in the final round
Servette goes into the Women's Super League playoff undefeated. In the last round of qualifying, Geneva defeated FC Aarau 6-1 at home and after 18 rounds with 16 wins and 2 draws they are left with a clean slate. The women of the FCZ and GC also clearly win on Saturday at the end of the qualification. Second placed FCZ defeats Yverdon 6:0, GC wins 8:2 against YB. In addition, Rapperswil-Jona and St. Gallen as well as Basel and Lucerne drew 1-1. Even before the last round it was clear that Yverdon and Rapperswil-Jona had to go into the relegation round. There they meet Sion and Thun-Berner Oberland, the two best teams in the NLB. Playoff and relegation round begin May 6th.(tsi)
Premier League: Liverpool tremble to victory
Liverpool FC have saved their chance to qualify for a European competition. Coach Jürgen Klopp's team, which has been playing an unsettled season, won 3-2 at home against relegation contenders Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Reds remain within striking distance of the European Cup places with seven games before the end of the season.
Portugal's Diogo Jota (47'/55') and Egyptian Mohamed Salah (70') scored at Anfield in what was an entertaining game for the hosts. After both Jota goals, Forest almost immediately equalized. Former Liverpool player Neco Williams (51) and Morgan Gibbs-White (67) both scored from throw-ins for the Nottingham visitors. Forest then missed several high-profile opportunities to equalize again. At Nottingham, Captain Remo Freuler was in the starting lineup. The Swiss was substituted after 67 minutes.
Liverpool improved to seventh place in the Premier League table thanks to the home win. The Reds are three points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and a place in the Europa League. Up to fourth place, which would be necessary to participate in the Champions League, it was six points on Saturday evening. Fourth-placed Newcastle United, who host Tottenham on Sunday, had played a game less.(DPA)
Women's Champions League: Barcelona submit in London
In the semi-final first leg of the women's Champions League, FC Barcelona won 1-0 at Chelsea. After just four minutes, Norwegian Barça striker Caroline Graham Hansen scored the only goal in the new edition of the 2021 final. The Swiss national player Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic came on after 85 minutes for the guests. The second leg in the Catalan metropolis will take place next Thursday.
The second semi-final duel is between VfL Wolfsburg and Arsenal London. Here is the first leg this Sunday.(tsi)
Bundesliga: Freiburg coach Christian Streich receives Order of Merit
Christian Streich, coach of the Bundesliga soccer club SC Freiburg, has been presented with the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann presented the stylized cross with the state coat of arms to a total of 23 honorees from the fields of politics, culture, science, sport and society in Mannheim Palace on Saturday.
Streich «advertises for respect, tolerance and democratic participation. He shows the flag against xenophobia and disenchantment with politics and gives face and voice to the values of a democratic and civil society," the country said in a statement. «It is not the origin of a person that is decisive for him, but how he is and what he does. This makes Christian Streich a great ambassador for football and at the same time a popular figure for the country and his southern Baden homeland. »(DPA)
Premier League: Arsenal save a point without Xhaka
In the fight for the first English championship since 2004, Arsenal FC avoided a home defeat against the bottom of the table in a spectacular final phase. With his goal in the first minute of added time, the English international Bukayo Saka saved the Premier League leaders at least a 3: 3 (1: 2) against FC Southampton.
Carlos Alcaraz (1st minute), Theo Walcott (14th) and Duje Caleta-Car (66th) gave the twentieth-placed team a 3-1 lead when Gabriel Martinelli (20th) conceded a goal on Friday. Norway's Martin Odegaard put the Gunners back in the 88th minute before Saka scored the equaliser. Arsenal leads the table with 75 points ahead of Manchester City (70th). However, the defending champion has two games less.
For once, Granit Xhaka was absent from Arsenal's squad. The captain of the Swiss national team was absent due to illness.(DPA/tmu)