Freiburg mainz

BERLIN: Jonas Hofmann hit the first hat-trick of his career on Sunday (Oct 21) as Borussia Moenchengladbach went second in the Bundesliga with a 4-0 thrashing of his former club Mainz. After their stunning 3-0 win at defending champions Bayern Munich three weeks ago, this was another big statement from Dieter Hecking and his side, who moved up into second place behind Borussia Dortmund. Gladbach's victory leaves Bayern fourth in the table despite Munich's 3-1 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday with ten men after Arjen Robben was sent off for a second yellow card. "It's a bit unrealistic for us at the moment, but the fans are allowed to dream," said Hofmann when asked if Gladbach are realistic title challengers - 31 years after last winning the Bundesliga. "If things keep going this well, then we'll all be pretty happy here." Hofmann, 26, spent the 2014/15 season on loan at Mainz before joining Gladbach from Dortmund in January 2016 and the box-to-box midfielder shone at Borussia … [Read more...] about Football: Hofmann hits hat-trick against ex-club Mainz as Gladbach go second

DÜSSELDORF, Germany - It’s been a year since Bayern Munich fans last saw their team play at home. In that time the team has become German, European and world champion. The anniversary will be marked Saturday by another empty-stadium edition of “der Klassiker” against Borussia Dortmund. When Bayern fans were last allowed into the Allianz Arena on March 8, 2020, there was celebration in the air. Bayern was marking its 120th anniversary in throwback white jerseys with wine-colored sleeves and faded-out sponsor logos. Bayern was unbeaten in 14 games ahead of what turned out to be a nervy 2-0 win over Augsburg eventually sealed by Leon Goretzka’s goal in stoppage time. That unbeaten run eventually hit 33 games, including the 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in August, just one of many TV-only triumphs for Bayern fans in 2020. “The curious thing is that since last spring, our team has actually been delivering the best football it’s played for a long … [Read more...] about Bayern Munich gears up for improved Dortmund in ‘Klassiker’

SINGAPORE: South Africa, Australia, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Thailand, Mongolia, Iceland, New Zealand, Italy, Cameroon, Portugal and the Netherlands. The list of countries which 34-year-old David Low has visited reads like a traveller's dream. His usual itinerary, however, is a straightforward one: Eat, sleep, football, repeat. Here is a footballer who never played professionally in Singapore, but since 2007 has turned out in foreign leagues that no Singaporean had ventured to. The midfielder's career had taken him to five continents: Africa, Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. He has had to brave racist remarks and Malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, all because he had one goal in mind: To test himself as a footballer at the highest level possible. " Football is my passion, I just fell in love with the game," said Low. "I wanted to challenge myself to be the best I could." OUT OF AFRICA Low's love for the game blossomed on South Africa's streets, … [Read more...] about ‘I can never say no to football’: The Singaporean who played on 5 different continents

Generally billed as title-race defining clashes between Germany's two preeminent sides, games between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have fallen short of expectations in recent years. The recent record between the two is as one-sided as the clubs' respective trophy hauls, Bayern Munich winning 11 of the last 17 league meetings between the two since Dortmund last won the Bundesliga in 2012. Games in Munich have been particularly one-sided with the home side winning the last six by score lines of 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, 4-1, 5-1 and 2-1 en route to racking up eight consecutive Bundesliga titles. The cynic might say that the "Der Klassiker" moniker is being shown up for baseless marketing slogan it is. On Saturday evening however, there's no danger of Bayern knocking Dortmund out of the title race; they're already out of it, 13 points adrift and chasing a very different aim: top four and Champions League qualification. Bayern Munich and the title race And yet it's still a … [Read more...] about Bundesliga: Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund chasing different goals