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Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup

Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
Arminia Bielefeld's German defender #19 Maximilian Grosser (C) celebrates scoring the 2-1 goal with his teammates during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) semi-final football match between Arminia Bielefeld and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Bielefeld, western Germany on April 1, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 02 April 2025

Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup

Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
  • Bielefeld, who have never made a German Cup final, became just the fourth third-division team to reach the showpiece event

BIELEFELD, Germany: German Cup holders Bayer Leverkusen suffered a shock 2-1 elimination at Arminia Bielefeld in the semifinals of the competition on Tuesday.
Xabi Alonso’s side were heavily favored to reach their second successive final but were outclassed from start to finish by their underdog opponents.
Jonathan Tah’s 17th-minute goal was canceled out by a Marius Woerl strike for the hosts three minutes later.
Maximilian Grosser’s goal in first-half stoppage time would prove the difference for Bielefeld, who have now beaten four top-division opponents on their way to the final.
Bielefeld, who have never made a German Cup final, became just the fourth third-division team to reach the showpiece event.
Should Bielefeld win in Berlin in May — they will face either RB Leipzig or Stuttgart — the club will be rewarded with a Europa League spot next season.
Home coach Michel Kniat said: “We didn’t need luck at all because we were on the front foot the whole time.”
The coach said he “normally wouldn’t have a drink with the players, but tonight I’ll make an exception,” adding that “nobody will go to sleep in this city tonight.”
Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich said it was “by far our worst game of the season” and added that “Bielefeld deserved the win tonight, which means we did plenty of things wrong.”
Leverkusen coach Alonso came into the game having never lost in 10 matches in the competition and needed just one more victory to beat Louis van Gaal’s all-time record set as Bayern Munich manager.
Everything seemed to go according to plan when Leverkusen took the lead after 17 minutes, Tah tapping in unmarked at the far post.
The hosts hit back almost immediately however, Woerl taking advantage of a sloppy clearance attempt by Piero Hincapie to curl the ball home.
As the half wore on, Leverkusen were unable to make their possession count, with Bielefeld fast and threatening on the counter.
The hosts once again caught Leverkusen napping to take the lead moments before halftime, Grosser hammering in a Louis Oppie free kick from close range.
Bielefeld continued to out-energise their opponents, fighting in the duels and giving Leverkusen few chances to drag themselves back into the game.
Patrick Schick, so often Leverkusen’s late hero over the past two seasons, had a chance to level the scores while unmarked after 81 minutes but hit a header against the post.
This year’s German Cup is one of the more open in recent memory, with recent champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt all suffering early eliminations from the competition.
On Wednesday, RB Leipzig play away at Stuttgart in the other semifinal.
Leipzig, who have won two of the past three German Cups, will be managed by interim coach Zsolt Low, who took over after Marco Rose was sacked on Sunday.


Germany rallies to beat Doncic’s Slovenia 99-91 and set up EuroBasket semifinal with Finland

Germany rallies to beat Doncic’s Slovenia 99-91 and set up EuroBasket semifinal with Finland
Updated 8 sec ago

Germany rallies to beat Doncic’s Slovenia 99-91 and set up EuroBasket semifinal with Finland

Germany rallies to beat Doncic’s Slovenia 99-91 and set up EuroBasket semifinal with Finland
  • Germany guard Andreas Obst’s 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run to put the World Cup champions ahead 77-74 early in the fourth quarter

RIGA, Latvia: Luka Dončić’s 39 points were not enough for Slovenia as it lost 99-91 to Germany in a thrilling EuroBasket quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Orlando Magic guard Franz Wagner scored 23 points and captain Dennis Schröder added 20 points and 7 assists for Germany, which will face Finland in the semifinals on Friday.
Germany guard Andreas Obst’s 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run to put the World Cup champions ahead 77-74 early in the fourth quarter.
Slovenia took the lead 86-85 on a Dončić 3-pointer with 4:12 to go before Schröder sank his only 3-pointer — he missed eight other attempts — to make it 88-86, and Germany closed it out from there.
Dončić was assessed a technical foul early on and had 22 points as Slovenia led 51-45 at halftime. He picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter yet kept on scoring, although he appeared inhibited at times by the prospect of fouling out with a fifth foul.
The Los Angeles Lakers star — five of 16 from 3-point range — had his fifth game of the tournament with at least 30 points scored. Dončić also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Wagner was 13 of 14 from the free-throw line for Germany, seeking its second European Championship title after winning as host in 1993.
Slovenia looked in control until Tristan Da Silva sank a 3-pointer with a halfcourt shot at the third-quarter buzzer, slashing Slovenia’s lead to four points.
The final is on Sunday in Riga, Latvia, which has hosted all the knockout matches.
Finland holds off Georgia
Earlier, the Finns held off a Georgia fightback to win 93-79 and reach the semifinals for the first time.
Mikael Jantunen led Finland with 19 points and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen contributed 17 points and six rebounds.
“It’s been the same group for a long time. It’s a very tight group, like coming back and playing with your friends,” Jantunen said. “That’s the kind of basketball culture in Finland.”
The Finns also showcased their depth by scoring 44 points from the bench to Georgia’s four.
Finland led by 20 points in the third quarter before Georgia cut the deficit to six with just under eight minutes left in the fourth.
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 22 points.
Coming off an upset of Nikola Jokic and Serbia, Finland surged into an early lead on strong three-point shooting and doubled up Georgia 30-15 early in the second quarter.
Highly-rated 18-year-old forward Miikka Muurinen, who is projected to be a potential NBA first-round pick in 2027, scored 7 points off the bench.
It was the first time in the quarterfinals as an independent nation for Georgia, which knocked out Olympic silver medalist France in the round of 16 and beat defending EuroBasket champion Spain in the group stage.
Greece faces Turkiye in the other semifinal
In Friday’s other semifinal, it’s Greece against Turkiye. Both teams had advanced on Tuesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points in Greece’s 87-76 win over Lithuania. Alperen Sengun’s triple-double helped unbeaten Turkiye to a 91-77 win over Poland.


Fan detained after racially insulting Kylian Mbappé during Spanish league game

Fan detained after racially insulting Kylian Mbappé during Spanish league game
Updated 10 September 2025

Fan detained after racially insulting Kylian Mbappé during Spanish league game

Fan detained after racially insulting Kylian Mbappé during Spanish league game
  • Police said Wednesday that the fan was taken into custody after being identified
  • He was accused of making monkey gestures and sounds toward Real Madrid star

MADRID: Spanish police have detained a fan accused of racially insulting Kylian Mbappé during a Spanish league game last month.
Police said Wednesday that the fan was taken into custody after being identified during an investigation launched following an official complaint by the Spanish league.
Police said the fan, who was not publicly identified, was accused of making monkey gestures and sounds toward Real Madrid star.
The insults came late in the first half of Madrid’s 3-0 victory at Oviedo on Aug. 24, after Mbappé scored the first goal.
There have been a series of racist insults from fans against Black players in Spain in recent years.
Last week, an Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams during a Spanish league match five years ago accepted a deal to avoid prison time.
In May, five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in 2022 were found guilty in the first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a soccer stadium as a hate crime.
Last year, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Vinícius in what was the first conviction for racism-related cases — not based on a hate crime — in professional soccer in Spain.


West Ham re-sign free agent Fabianski on one-year deal

West Ham re-sign free agent Fabianski on one-year deal
Updated 10 September 2025

West Ham re-sign free agent Fabianski on one-year deal

West Ham re-sign free agent Fabianski on one-year deal
  • West Ham decided to offer a one-year deal when they had only two senior goalkeepers
  • “The main factor is that he is still a top goalkeeper and a top professional,” Potter said

LONDON: Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has rejoined West Ham United on a one-year contract after the 40-year-old left the London side as a free agent in the close season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Fabianski, who made 216 appearances in a seven-year spell with West Ham, was one of many senior players who were released by the club when their contracts expired at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
However, West Ham decided to offer a one-year deal when they had only two senior goalkeepers in the squad — Mads Hermansen and Alphonse Areola — after Wes Foderingham joined Cyprus side Aris Limassol on a permanent deal on Tuesday.


“Regardless of him being here previously, the main factor is that he is still a top goalkeeper and a top professional, and the perfect choice for the role we needed to fill,” West Ham coach Graham Potter said in a statement.
“It’s a signing that makes perfect sense for everyone. Lukasz knows the club extremely well, is very well respected and popular among everyone here. His personality and character will be a great example, especially to our younger players.
“He is someone who really cares about West Ham United and wants to help us in any way he can. We are very happy to have him back with us.”
West Ham have conceded a league-high eight goals this season with new recruit Hermansen in goal. They sit 16th in the standings ahead of Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.


India win first toss after 15 failures, fields against UAE at Asia Cup

India win first toss after 15 failures, fields against UAE at Asia Cup
Updated 10 September 2025

India win first toss after 15 failures, fields against UAE at Asia Cup

India win first toss after 15 failures, fields against UAE at Asia Cup
  • India’s losing streak with the coin started with Twenty20 series against England at Pune in January
  • Test captain Shubman Gill also lost all the tosses in a memorable five-match series against England

DUBAI: India has finally won its first toss in international cricket after 15 straight failures.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav marked the occasion by choosing to field against United Arab Emirates in the Group A game at the Asia Cup on Wednesday.
India’s losing streak with the coin had started with the Twenty20 series against England at Pune in January this year.
Test captain Shubman Gill also lost all the tosses in a memorable five-match series against England.
Lineups:
India: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
UAE: Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Waseem (captain), Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh.


Marmoush ruled out of Manchester derby with knee injury

Marmoush ruled out of Manchester derby with knee injury
Updated 10 September 2025

Marmoush ruled out of Manchester derby with knee injury

Marmoush ruled out of Manchester derby with knee injury
  • He sustained the injury following a tackle and tried to play on but eventually had to limp off
  • The Egyptian Football Association had said in an earlier statement that Marmoush had suffered “a bruised knee ligament“

CAIRO: Egypt forward Omar Marmoush will miss Sunday’s Manchester derby after the Manchester City player suffered a knee ligament injury while on international duty, his club confirmed on Wednesday.
Marmoush was substituted in the fourth minute of Egypt’s goalless draw with Burkina Faso in a World Cup qualifier in Ouagadougou on Tuesday.
He sustained the injury following a tackle and tried to play on but eventually had to limp off.


“Initial results on a scan performed in Egypt indicate he will not be available for the Manchester derby on Sunday, and he will now return to Manchester for more assessment and to begin his rehabilitation,” Manchester City said in a statement.
The Egyptian Football Association had said in an earlier statement that Marmoush had suffered “a bruised knee ligament.”


City host Manchester United on Sunday with both sides needing a win after unconvincing starts to the new Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have lost two of their opening three league matches.
Marmoush, 26, has scored eight goals in 28 games for City in all competitions since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £59 million ($79.8 million) transfer in January.