Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski said it felt like being in a “science fiction film” as he scored his 41st Bundesliga goal of the season on Saturday to break Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old German league record for a single campaign.

Lewandowski scored in the 90th minute of Bayern’s 5-2 home win over Augsburg having equalled Mueller’s record of 40, which was set in 1971/72, last weekend.

Lewandowski broke Mueller’s mark with a classic poacher’s effort, rounding the Augsburg goalkeeper to fire home having snapped up the rebound after Leroy Sane’s shot was parried just before the whistle.

“You wait for 90 minutes and then it comes in the last few seconds,” Lewandowski told Sky.

“It was like being in a science fiction film. I’ve lost my voice.

“I saw Leroy shoot for goal, I had to keep believing and luckily it came off.”

Lewandowski claimed the record having had his six previous shots all saved as Bayern were presented with the Bundesliga trophy after the final whistle for the ninth straight season

They finished the season 13 points clear in the table.

“I was a little bit disappointed to have not scored sooner, but sometimes such records have to be fought for,” added Lewandowski.

“I was patient and believed until the end. I thank my team, who share the record with me.”

It was the last game for Bayern head coach Hansi Flick, who will be replaced by Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann next season having won seven titles over the last 18 months.

At the other end of the table, Werder Bremen were relegated on the last day of the season after 40 years in Germany’s top flight.

Cologne’s 1-0 home win over bottom side Schalke meant automatic relegation for Bremen, who were thumped 4-2 at home to Moenchengladbach.

This is Bremen’s first relegation since 1979/80 before coming back up the following season.

Union Berlin qualified for the new Europa Conference League play-offs finishing seventh in the table with a shock 2-1 win over second-placed RB Leipzig.

Source: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo remains very much a Juventus player, coach Andrea Pirlo insisted Saturday with the Portuguese star’s future in doubt going into the final game of the season.

Juve’s Champions League hopes are no longer in their hands as they head for 11th-placed Bologna needing a win and hoping rivals Napoli and AC Milan slip up.

However, Pirlo does not believe that the game will be Ronaldo’s final one with the club if they fail to qualify for elite European football.

“No, I see him still in the ‘Bianconero’ jersey and focused,” Pirlo told a pre-match press conference.

“He proved it the other night, sacrificing himself because he wanted to win the Coppa Italia.

“I see him focused on tomorrow, then there’s time to discuss the rest.”

Juve’s nine-year title run was ended by Inter Milan and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a financial blow.

The competition is worth on average 80 million euros ($94 million) a season to teams.

Failure to qualify would make Ronaldo’s annual salary of 31 million euros a year difficult to sustain.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was recruited in 2018 from Real Madrid to help Juventus win the title after two lost finals in 2015 and 2017.

The 36-year-old is the top scorer in the competition with 134 goals.

In the meantime, Ronaldo is set to become the first player to finish the season top scorer in three major leagues — England, Spain, and Italy.

He has scored 28 goals so far, six more than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku and Atalanta’s Luis Muriel.

Meanwhile Pirlo also insisted the match would not decide his own future after an erratic first season, during which he won two trophies.

“I don’t think the club will decide my future based on what happens tomorrow,” said the 42-year-old.

“They have an idea of what has worked and what has not worked this season. You don’t make decisions just by looking at one last game.”

But he warned: “We really believe in it, we were dead after Milan (defeat) but the results, ours and those of others, allowed us to get back on their feet.”

Source: AFP

As this year’s pandemic-affected European football season wraps up in many countries across the continent this weekend, there is plenty still to play for. Several rebel Super League clubs are facing some harsh realities. Two of the five top leagues are still awaiting a champion. And some some clubs with rich histories are facing relegation.

Atlético Madrid is the surprise leader in Spain and Lille is an even bigger shock in France. Both can clinch their league titles with one final victory, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, at their heels.

Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have already won their league titles, but many of their rivals are still chasing Champions League qualification, which is crucial for both their image and their finances.

Some leagues will continue to play until May 29, ending only hours before Manchester City and Chelsea begin the Champions League final in Porto, Portugal.

Manchester United could win the first part of a European double for the English city on Wednesday when it faces Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk, Poland.

The season finales in the top leagues will be spread out through the weekend, with Spain playing its matches on Saturday at 4pm GMT. Sunday is more packed, starting with all 10 English Premier League matches at 3pm GMT, Italy’s keys games kicking off at 6.45pm GMT, and France starting 15 minutes later at 7pm GMT.

Title races

Atlético leads the Spanish standings by two points, but Real Madrid would win the title on a better head-to-head record if they finish level on points.

The matches in France come a day later.

Lille, which leads the league by one point, plays at Angers, a team with little to play for, being in the middle of the standings. Defending champion PSG, for its part, after winning a record 14th French Cup on Wednesday against Monaco, will face a Brest team that could still be dragged into a relegation playoff.

Even third-place Monaco, which plays at Lens, could win the French title. However, the team from the principality could also drop to fourth behind Lyon and fail to even enter the Champions League qualifying rounds.

In other title races, the Danish league will be won by either Brondby or Midtjylland on Monday. Maccabi Haifa has the edge over Maccabi Tel Aviv for its first Israeli title in 10 years.

Champions League

For a European club from a major market, the drop in expected revenue between playing in the Champions League or the Europa League would be €50-70 million.

All three of those clubs were founding members of the doomed Super League project that flared up quickly and died just as fast last month, adding spice to the jeopardy they now face.

Failure for Juventus would be further humiliation for club president Andrea Agnelli after the Super League fiasco. UEFA could yet ban Juventus — and Real Madrid and Barcelona — if they continue refusing to renounce the Super League.

Fifth place would also likely cost former midfield great Andrea Pirlo his job after only one season as Juventus coach.

Liverpool’s late surge after a slumping start to 2021 has put it in fourth place ahead of hosting Crystal Palace — a team coached by former Reds manager Roy Hodgson, who will be overseeing his final match before retirement from the sport.

Leicester beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup on Saturday, then lost on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in a match that included a mass brawl. That result lifted Chelsea, which can also qualify for next season’s Champions League by beating Manchester City in the final, to third.

Chelsea travels to Aston Villa for its final match while Leicester hosts Tottenham, which is in seventh place and holds the spot that earns a place in the new third-tier Europa Conference League.

European qualification

Tottenham could fall out of European qualification altogether, and even be overtaken by neighbour Arsenal, which hosts Brighton. Everton is also in contention but visits champions Man City.

Union Berlin could qualify for the Europa Conference League in only its second season in the Bundesliga. The seventh-place club hosts Leipzig on Saturday.

Relegation battles

Werder Bremen’s successful past includes winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2009, but the German club is currently in the relegation playoff place before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

In France, Nantes hosts Montpellier knowing a win could lift it clear of the relegation playoff spot. A Champions League semifinalist 25 years ago, Nantes looked doomed until winning four straight matches starting last month.

Unbeaten champions

Glasgow Rangers and Red Star Belgrade completed unbeaten seasons to win their leagues in Scotland and Serbia, respectively.

Slavia Prague can join them with two games left in the Czech league, which ends on May 29.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been included in France’s squad for the European Championship in a surprise move by coach Didier Deschamps on Tuesday.

Benzema, who has scored 29 goals in all competitions for Real this season, has not played for Les Bleus since 2015 after a blackmailing scandal over which he faces a trial in October.

He also said in 2016 that Deschamps had “bowed to the pressure of a racist part of France” when leaving the forward out of the Euro squad that year.

The 33-year-old Benzema, who has 27 goals in 81 games for France, features in the 26-man squad alongside fellow forwards Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Wissam Ben Yedder and Marcus Thuram.

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was not called up because of injury problems, Deschamps said.

While Deschamps had not picked Benzema since October 2015 and said he would “never forget” his comments, the France coach had never stated that he would not call him up again.

“I don’t have the ability, no one does, to go back and change anything. The most important thing is today and tomorrow. There have been important steps, one of them very important,” said Deschamps when asked about Benzema.

The striker was named best French player in a foreign league by the French professional footballers’ union on Sunday.

“We have seen each other. We had a long discussion. After that I had a long reflection to come to this decision. I’m not going to reveal a word of the discussion, it’s only our business. I needed it, he needed it.

“I have already been confronted with difficult situations, I have always put my personal case aside. The French team does not belong to me, even if I am well aware that the responsibility I have is important because of the choices I have to make.”

With Giroud lacking playing time at Chelsea, he is likely to make way for Benzema in the starting lineup.

Both players have been at odds, with Benzema saying on Instagram last year: “You can’t compare karting and Formula One, and I’m being kind.”

Deschamps sprung another surprise by picking Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

Euro 2020, which has been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starts on June 11.

France are in Group F with Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

Under Deschamps, who took over as coach in 2012, France have won 14 games, drawn three and lost two in major competitions, reaching the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, the Euro 2016 final and winning the 2018 World Cup.

The French Squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur); Mike Maignan (Lille); Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Everton); Leo Dubois (Olympique Lyonnais); Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich); Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain); Jules Kounde (Sevilla); Clement Lenglet (Barcelona); Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich); Raphael Varane (Real Madrid); Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Ngolo Kante (Chelsea); Thomas Lemar (Atletico Madrid); Paul Pogba (Manchester United); Adrien Rabiot (Juventus); Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur); Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco); Karim Benzema (Real Madrid); Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich); Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona); Olivier Giroud (Chelsea); Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona); Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain); Marcus Thuram (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Source: REUTERS

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he will speak to Sadio Mane after the Senegal forward snubbed him following Thursday’s 4-2 win at Manchester United.

Klopp left Mane on the bench for the first 74 minutes of the crucial Premier League clash, deciding to start Diogo Jota instead.

Following Mane’s brief substitute appearance, Klopp approached him at the final whistle to celebrate a crucial victory in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

But Mane refused to respond to the German and was caught on television walking towards the tunnel while shaking his head.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, Klopp said he was not angry with Mane but would speak to the 29-year-old about the show of dissent.

“If somebody shows me five million times respect and one time not, what is then more important?” Klopp said on Friday.

“The world is in a situation when you make this one time bigger than necessary. That’s unfortunately the case.

“If you had seen me as a player what I did out of emotion it was insane — and I’m a completely normal guy, but it happened to me.

“We will talk about it, then it will be sorted. That’s all.”

Klopp suggested immediately after the match that his late decision to start Jota may have prompted Mane’s reaction.

The move paid off as Jota scored Liverpool’s equaliser, sparking their first win over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford since 2014.

The Liverpool boss does not expect any lingering fall-out from the incident as Liverpool try to secure a top four-finish in the Premier League.

“Do you want these things to happen? No,” he said. “But it’s not the first time in my life and I’m afraid to say it won’t be the last time.”

After failing to defend the Premier League title, Liverpool are trying to salvage a troubled season with Champions League qualification.

Fourth-placed Chelsea’s loss to Arsenal on Wednesday has opened the door for the Reds, who are four points behind with a game in hand.

With Chelsea playing third-placed Leicester next week, Liverpool will be almost certain of a top-four finish if they win their last three games against West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

“Most of the time I’ve been in a chasing role so if I’m enjoying it, I don’t know,” said Klopp. “Sometimes yes, but I’m used to it.

“Usually, when I’m involved, seasons go to the wire. Playing Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday is a tough one, but let’s give it a try.”

Source: AFP

UEFA announced on Thursday that the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea had been moved from Istanbul to Porto.

The match on May 29 has been switched to the Estadio do Dragao to allow English spectators to attend as travel between the UK and Turkey is suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, European football’s governing body announced up to 6,000 supporters from each club will be able to attend.

“We accept that the decision of the British Government to place Turkey on the red list for travel was taken in good faith and in the best interests of protecting its citizens from the spread of the virus but it also presented us with a major challenge in staging a final featuring two English teams,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.

“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season,” he added.

UK citizens returning from red list countries are required to quarantine at a government-approved hotel for 10 days.

Earlier this week, newspaper reports claimed the match would be played at Wembley Stadium.

Supporters groups from the Blues and City had requested the game be moved to England.

The UK’s Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he would have welcomed the fixture being played in London.

“The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen,” Ceferin said.

UEFA said coronavirus rules in the UK made it difficult to hold the fixture in the English capital.

“UEFA discussed moving the match to England but, despite exhaustive efforts on the part of the Football Association and the authorities, it was not possible to achieve the necessary exemptions from UK quarantine arrangements,” it said.

The final capacity at the ground in northern Portugal is still to be set.

Last season’s final as well as a ‘Final 8’ tournament for the quarter-finals were also held in Portugal, but in the capital Lisbon.

“Once again we have turned to our friends in Portugal to help both UEFA and the Champions League and I am, as always, very grateful to the FPF (Portuguese Football Association) and the Portuguese Government for agreeing to stage the match at such short notice,” Ceferin said.

The last round of the country’s top-flight Primeira Liga will see spectators return to stadia on May 19, with a limited number of people permitted, the league said on Wednesday.

(AFP)

Manchester City were confirmed as Premier League champions with three games to spare after second-placed Manchester United lost 2-1 at home to Leicester City on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s City side, who missed the chance to seal the title when they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Saturday, are 10 points clear of United, who also have three games left.

It is City’s third Premier League title in five seasons under Guardiola and their fifth in the last 10.

Despite their home defeat by Chelsea at the weekend, City have enjoyed a magnificent turnaround this season after picking up 12 points from their first eight games — their worst start since 2008-09.

Since then they have been head and shoulders above their rivals and since hitting the top have looked unstoppable.

After losing at Tottenham Hotspur in November, they won 22 of their next 27 matches, including a 15-game winning run and a record-equalling 11 successive away league wins.

Guardiola’s side, who were second-best to Liverpool last season, also won a fourth-straight League Cup and can claim a treble by beating Chelsea in this month’s Champions League final.

Manchester United had delayed City’s title celebrations by beating Aston Villa away on Sunday but it was only putting off the inevitable and the party can now start in earnest.

On the other side of Manchester a huge “Champions” banner was draped outside City’s Etihad Stadium.

(REUTERS)

Manchester United put Manchester City’s Premier League title celebrations on hold after coming from behind to win 3-1 away to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Defeat for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side would have handed the title to City and their local rivals would have enjoyed seeing Villa’s Bertrand Traore opening the scoring midway through the first half.

But United hit back with two goals in four minutes after the break, Bruno Fernandes equalising from the penalty spot before Mason Greenwood put them ahead.

United wrapped up the win thanks to substitute Edinson Cavani’s goal three minutes from time.

Victory left second-placed United 10 points behind leaders City, with 12 still on offer to the Red Devils from their final four league games.

United, however, face Leicester and Liverpool in the coming week and defeat in either of those matches will see City, beaten 2-1 at home to Chelsea on Saturday, crowned champions before Pep Guardiola’s men are away to Newcastle on Friday.

United kicked off having not lost a Premier League match at Villa Park since 1995, a year before current manager Solskjaer joined the club as a striker.

Villa’s hopes of ending that run against United were not helped by England international Jack Grealish’s ongoing absence due to a shin injury, with Egypt forward Trezeguet a long-term absentee as well.

Grealish looked on from the stands on Sunday as did England manager Gareth Southgate, himself a former Villa defender.

Villa went ahead against the run of play in the 24th minute.

Fred’s poor pass to Scott McTominay allowed John McGinn to gain possession, with Douglas Luiz playing in Traore.

The Burkina Faso international turned neatly and held off the challenge of Victor Lindelof before beating United goalkeeper Dean Henderson with a powerful shot into the far corner.

United nearly equalised five minutes before half-time but Greenwood’s low shot was pushed away by Emi Martinez.

But United were level in th 52nd minute when Fernandes scored from the spot after Paul Pogba was brought down in the box by Luiz.

And they led in the 56th minute after Aaron Wan-Bissaka found Greenwood inside the box, with the teenage England forward beating Martinez with a low shot.

Worryingly for United, defender Harry Maguire limped off 12 minutes from time.

But Cavani made the game safe with an 87th-minute glancing header from Marcus Rashford’s cross.

And there was still time for Villa’s Ollie Watkins to be sent off after he was shown a second yellow card for diving.

Source: AFP