Harry Kane and Thomas Müller score as Bayern beats Freiburg in the Bundesliga

Harry Kane and Thomas Müller score as Bayern beats Freiburg in the Bundesliga
Bayern Munich's German forward #25 Thomas Mueller celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg in Munich, southern Germany, on September 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 02 September 2024
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Harry Kane and Thomas Müller score as Bayern beats Freiburg in the Bundesliga

Harry Kane and Thomas Müller score as Bayern beats Freiburg in the Bundesliga
  • The goal was Müller’s 150th in his Bundesliga career and he has now scored in 16 consecutive German top-tier seasons going back to the 2009-10 campaign

MUNICH: Harry Kane converted a penalty and Thomas Müller scored in his club-record 710th game as Bayern Munich beat Freiburg 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Müller replaced new signing Michael Olize in the 59th minute to break a tie with goalkeeping great Sepp Maier on 709 career games in all competitions for Bayern.
Müller scored in the 78th when he controlled a cross from Serge Gnabry with one touch to take the ball away from Freiburg’s Maximilian Eggestein, then used his second touch to slam it past goalkeeper Florian Müller.
“Records aren’t so important for me, to be honest, instead it’s that I scored a really beautiful goal,” Müller told broadcaster DAZN. “Outstanding technique and then it goes in too, that’s what’s fun for me.”
The goal was Müller’s 150th in his Bundesliga career and he has now scored in 16 consecutive German top-tier seasons going back to the 2009-10 campaign.
The 34-year-old forward was setting a club record for the second time in as many games after marking his 474th Bundesliga game for Bayern last week. That also broke a tie with Maier.
Earlier, Kane’s first Bundesliga goal of the season gave Bayern the lead from the penalty spot after Kane won a spot kick when he headed the ball onto Freiburg defender Max Rosenfelder’s outstretched arm.
Rosenfelder had seemed to raise the arm to steady himself as Kane jumped while holding his other shoulder. The referee didn’t give the penalty on the field but acted after viewing a video replay.
Deep into added time, new Bayern signing João Palhinha gave away a penalty for handball but Freiburg’s Lucas Höler fired over the bar. That ensured Bayern didn’t concede in Vincent Kompany’s first home game as coach.
Bayern is one of three Bundesliga teams to win both of their opening games this season, along with Heidenheim and Leipzig, which ended champion Bayer Leverkusen’s 15-month unbeaten league run Saturday.
HEIDENHEIM ROUTS AUGSBURG
Another Bayern player scored Sunday as on-loan Paul Wanner converted a penalty for Heidenheim on his team’s way to a 4-0 win. The 18-year-old Wanner scored the spot kick in the ninth minute after a handball by an Augsburg defender. Léo Scienza made it 2-0 in the 30th before second-half goals from Adrian Beck and Maximilian Breunig secured the win.
Heidenheim has won all five of its games in all competitions this season. It’s only the team’s second Bundesliga season and its first in continental competition after qualifying for the Europa Conference League, where it will play Chelsea.
Heidenheim’s United States national team forward Lennard Maloney went off injured shortly before half ime after a collision with Augsburg’s Fredrik Jensen, whose knee struck Maloney in the back as they challenged for the ball at a corner.


Gabriel strikes as Arsenal hit wasteful Spurs with sucker punch in north London derby

Gabriel strikes as Arsenal hit wasteful Spurs with sucker punch in north London derby
Updated 31 sec ago
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Gabriel strikes as Arsenal hit wasteful Spurs with sucker punch in north London derby

Gabriel strikes as Arsenal hit wasteful Spurs with sucker punch in north London derby
LONDON: Gabriel Magalhaes headed Arsenal to a 1-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday as the Gunners overcame the absence of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to extend their north London derby dominance.
Mikel Arteta’s side were without skipper Odegaard due to an ankle injury suffered on Norway duty, while Rice served a suspension for his red card against Brighton.
Losing two such influential players appeared to make Arsenal vulnerable on their trip up the Seven Sisters Road to face their bitter rivals.
But the Premier League title contenders dug deep with a combative display, benefitting from Tottenham’s latest display of wasteful finishing before Gabriel bagged the winner in the second half.
The Brazilian defender’s first goal since February made it three wins from four league games for unbeaten Arsenal as they chase a first title since 2004 after two successive runners-up finishes.
Arsenal have now won on their last three visits to Tottenham, losing just once, in May 2022, in their last eight meetings with their hated neighbors.
The second placed Gunners are two points behind Manchester City as they turn their attention to their Champions League opener at Atalanta on Thursday before traveling to face Pep Guardiola’s champions next weekend.
The 196th north London derby showed Arsenal have steel and spirit aplenty, but they also needed a dose of good fortune as Tottenham let them off the hook in the first half.
Failing to turn dominant spells into goals has been a familiar story for Tottenham this season and once again Ange Postecoglou’s men were let down by their lack of cutting edge.
Tottenham’s second successive defeat leaves them with only one win from four games in a worrying start to the season for Postecoglou after their late swoon last term cost them a top four place.
Turning to Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli to replace Rice and Odegaard, Arteta had urged his team to show the “resilience, depth and hunger” needed to overcome their selection issues.
Arsenal had to call on all those qualities during a vibrant start from Tottenham, with David Raya making a fine save at his near post after Son Heung-min’s pass picked out Dejan Kulusevski for an instinctive strike.
Raya had to make an even more agile stop when Kulusevski’s cross flashed through a crowd of players toward the far corner until the Spaniard clawed it away at full stretch.
William Saliba had to make a crucial, last-ditch tackle to deny the unmarked Dominic Solanke, who took too long to shoot inside the area after Son pressured Arsenal into conceding possession.
Tottenham’s profligacy gave Arsenal encouragement and Kai Havertz rose highest for a close-range header that forced a superb save from Guglielmo Vicario, who was also equal to Martinelli’s curler moments late.
Picked out by James Maddison’s cross, Solanke did well to hold off Gabriel but his looping header dropped narrowly wide.
Amid a flurry of aggressive challenges, the simmering derby tension boiled over after Jurrien Timber’s tackle on Pedro Porro left the Tottenham right-back writhing on the turf.
Vicario confronted the Arsenal defender, with both players booked after a melee featuring a plastic bottle thrown from the stands.
By the time Kulusevski crudely up-ended Jorginho on the stroke of half-time, seven players had been booked in a fractious clash, including five from Tottenham.
Micky van de Ven’s glancing tested Raya soon after the interval, but toothless Tottenham were hit with a brutal sucker punch in the 64th minute.
With 23 goals from set-pieces since the start of last season, Arsenal have become dead-ball specialists this was another expertly worked routine.
Saka’s in-swinging corner arrowed toward Gabriel, who got away with a push on Cristian Romero before powering his header past Vicario from five yards.
Tottenham penned Arsenal back in the closing stages, but couldn’t find a way through as Kulusevski blasted just over.

Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo diagnosed with viral infection, misses Iraq trip

Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo diagnosed with viral infection, misses Iraq trip
Updated 15 September 2024
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Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo diagnosed with viral infection, misses Iraq trip

Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo diagnosed with viral infection, misses Iraq trip
  • After a medical evaluation by the team's doctor, it was determined that Ronaldo requires rest

RIYADH: Al-Nassr’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo is unwell due to a viral infection, according to an official statement released by his club.

The team’s doctor said that Ronaldo requires rest and will not accompany the side on their trip to Iraq today for their Asian Champions League clash.

He will now miss the AFC Champions League match against Al-Shorta in Baghdad on Monday night.
The club’s statement confirmed that Ronaldo’s condition is being closely monitored and that Al-Nassr extended their wishes for a speedy recovery.

Ronaldo’s absence is a significant one for the team as they prepare for their upcoming match with Iraq’s Al-Shorta.


Kuwait football board quits after match chaos

Kuwait football board quits after match chaos
Updated 15 September 2024
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Kuwait football board quits after match chaos

Kuwait football board quits after match chaos
  • Board members quit after an inquiry into ticketing and logistical problems that marred Tuesday’s match

Kuwait City: The entire board of Kuwait’s football governing body has resigned after fans were left in sweltering temperatures for hours during a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
Board members quit after an inquiry into ticketing and logistical problems that marred Tuesday’s match at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, the Kuwait Football Association said in a statement late Saturday.
“The board members of the Kuwait Football Association tendered resignations en masse,” Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency reported, citing the statement.
According to the association website, the board had seven members.
The association also accepted the resignation of its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas, it said.
They had been suspended since Wednesday over what the association called “unacceptable events.”
Fans fainted in temperatures of above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as they pleaded with staff for water.
Some fans without tickets were meanwhile allowed in, while others who had purchased tickets were refused entry.


Jordan’s Al-Hayassat not fazed by partisan Al-Qahtani crowd in Riyadh

Jordan’s Al-Hayassat not fazed by partisan Al-Qahtani crowd in Riyadh
Updated 15 September 2024
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Jordan’s Al-Hayassat not fazed by partisan Al-Qahtani crowd in Riyadh

Jordan’s Al-Hayassat not fazed by partisan Al-Qahtani crowd in Riyadh
  • PFL MENA 3 will take place in Riyadh on Sept. 20

RIYADH: Jordan’s Abdelrahman Al-Hayassat won’t just be facing title favorite Abdullah Al-Qahtani from Saudi Arabia, but he’ll also be going against a partisan hometown crowd at the PFL MENA 3 in Riyadh on Sept. 20.

The two featherweight contenders will meet in next Friday’s semifinal main event with a chance at moving on to the PFL MENA 3 Championships on the line.

The Saudi fighter, nicknamed “The Reaper,” is undefeated in his PFL career and has been impressive in PFL MENA so far. Facing him in his hometown makes it an even bigger challenge for his opponent.

Al-Hayassat, however, says that he isn’t faced by the hostile crowd.

“Even though the fight is on my opponent’s turf and in front of his crowd, this won’t affect my morale,” he said. “The semifinal match is very important to me. Winning it will take me to the final and bring me closer to achieving the title.”

To prepare for the biggest fight of his life, Al-Hayassat took his training to another hotbed for combat sports: Thailand.

“I’ve prepared well for the fight with a 70-day training camp in Thailand, one of the best camps I’ve had. I focused on the strategy that will enable me to defeat Al-Qahtani,” he shared.

When Al-Hayassat and Al-Qahtani step inside the SmartCage, the former plans on shocking the world and silencing the Saudi fans in attendance.

“I’ve worked hard on the necessary techniques for the fight. My Saudi opponent will be surprised by my level,” Al-Hayassat said.

“He will face a different Abdulrahman than the one he knows. I’m confident that I’ll win and make it to my first final because I’ve prepared everything necessary to achieve victory,” he added.


Al-Mansoori grabs pole position as powerboat title race takes twist in Portugal

Al-Mansoori grabs pole position as powerboat title race takes twist in Portugal
Updated 15 September 2024
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Al-Mansoori grabs pole position as powerboat title race takes twist in Portugal

Al-Mansoori grabs pole position as powerboat title race takes twist in Portugal
  • Team Abu Dhabi star grabs the honors as world champion Al-Qemzi finds the going tougher

Peso da Regua, Portugal: Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al-Mansoori upstaged teammate and hot favorite Rashed Al-Qemzi to secure pole position in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portugal, the penultimate round of the UIM F2 World Championship.

After four-time champion Al-Qemzi surprisingly missed out on a place in the six-boat qualifying shootout, Al-Mansoori underlined his growing championship challenge with a superb performance to take the honors in Peso da Regua.

There was late qualifying drama when Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg, who trails Al-Qemzi by eight points in the F2 title race, crashed spectacularly, leaving her mechanics with a big repair job to carry out before she starts in fifth place tomorrow.

Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko, who qualified in third position, is just one point further away in what now promises to be an exhilarating climax to the season in Portugal over the next eight days.

This has been one of the most closely contested seasons in the championship’s 30-year history, and the intensity was evident even in today’s official practice session for the 16 starters.

Wiberg edged out Al-Qemzi by five-thousandths of a second, with Al-Mansoori another fraction away in third and less than a second separating the top seven.

That set the stage for a fascinating qualifying session that saw Q1 and Q2 being combined into a single 40-minute battle to qualify for the six-boat Q3 shootout.

While Al-Mansoori was fastest just past the halfway point, Al-Qemzi was down in eighth spot and went into the pits to allow the Team Abu Dhabi mechanics to fit a new propeller.

Almost immediately, Riabko squeezed his way to the top of the standings, only for Palfreyman to quickly take the initiative before Al-Mansoori set another fastest time as the drama continued.

It was not to be this time for Al-Qemzi, who was unable to improve and will start in eighth place tomorrow, with the world championship hanging in the balance.

Leading championship standings

1 1 Rashed Al-Qemzi UAE 52pts

2 7 Mathilda Wiberg SWE 44

3 41 Edgaras Riabko LTU 43

4 36 Mansoor Al-Mansoori UAE 31

5 14 Matthew Palfreyman GBR 29

6 33 Nelson Morin FRA 24

7 45 Duarte Benavente POR 16

8 74 Giacomo Sacchi MON 12

9 91 David del Pin ITA 12

10 9 Mette Bjerknæs GBR 11