Sports

Xhaka Scores As 10-Man Leverkusen Lift German Cup To Claim A First Double

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2 years ago

May 26, 2024

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Granit Xhaka scored the only goal as a 10-man Bayer Leverkusen beat Kaiserslautern 1-0 to lift the German Cup in Berlin on Saturday and give the club the league-cup double.

Crowned Bundesliga champions in mid-April, Leverkusen were made to fight hard against their second-division opponents, playing with a man down after Odilon Kossounou’s second yellow late in the first half.

Xhaka’s 16th-minute goal, a beautiful long-range strike with his left foot, made the difference as Leverkusen bounced back from Wednesday’s Europa League final loss to Atalanta — which ended both their season-long unbeaten run at 51 games and their hopes of a treble.

“To win like that at the end, we showed our team spirit. We fought hard, we did it for everyone, the fans, the club,” Xabi Alonso told Germany’s ARD.

“To achieve the double. It’s been a great season”.

Kaiserslautern, four-time German champions stranded in the lower leagues since 2012, were bidding to become just the second club from outside the top division to lift the Cup after Hannover in 1992.

Narrowly avoiding relegation to the third league this season, Kaiserslautern only faced one top-division club on the way to the final — the since-relegated Cologne.

Kossounou, who was left out of Wednesday’s loss in Dublin, returned to the starting line-up and picked up a yellow card after just two minutes for a robust challenge on Kenny Prince Redondo.

Leverkusen then took the lead after 16 minutes, long-range expert Xhaka blasting in from well outside the penalty area.

Kaiserslautern almost struck a blow moments after the red card when Tobias Raschl lashed a shot inches wide of the post.

Kossounou’s early yellow proved crucial when the Ivorian was sent from the pitch after a second booking in the 44th minute.

Alonso, who sat with his head in his hands after Kossounou’s dismissal, made two changes at half-time, hooking striker Patrik Schick and winger Jonas Hofmann in favour of defensive reinforcements.

Driven on by a passionate set of travelling fans who unveiled a giant Red Devil, the club’s mascot, just before kick-off, Kaiserslautern smelt blood but lacked the quality to break Leverkusen down.

Leverkusen’s incredible season was built on front-foot football but Alonso’s side were content to sit back and defend in the second half before attacking on the counter.

The experienced ex-player Alonso also tried to take the chaos out of the game, at one point stopping his own side’s counter attack by grabbing Florian Wirtz with both arms to halt a throw-in.

Leverkusen held on to win another piece of silverware this season, doubling the trophy tally in the club’s entire history, after winning the German Cup in 1993 and the 1988 UEFA Cup.

The final was the first not to feature one of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund or RB Leipzig since 2012 — who boast a combined 27 German Cups.

Sports

EPL: Fernandes Announced Premier League Player of the Season

Published

10 hours ago

May 23, 2026

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Bruno Fernandes has been announcd the Premier League Player of the Season following an outstanding campaign with Manchester United.Soccer

The Portuguese midfielder, who captains the club, added the latest honour to an already impressive season after previously winning the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Player of the Year award earlier this month.

Fernandes played a crucial role in United’s strong league campaign, helping the Red Devils finish third and secure qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The 31-year-old matched the Premier League record for assists in a single season after providing his 20th assist during United’s clash against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

In addition to his creativity, Fernandes also contributed eight league goals in 37 appearances for Manchester United this season.

No player in the Premier League created more chances than Fernandes, who recorded an impressive 132 chances — 43 more than the next closest player, Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool FC.

Fernandes becomes the first Manchester United player to win the prestigious award since former defender Nemanja Vidić claimed it in 2011.

The award was decided through a combination of public voting and selections made by a panel of football experts.

Other players shortlisted for the honour included David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Manchester United will round off their Premier League season with an away fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion FC on Sunday.

Sports

Europa League: UEFA names Team of the Season [Full list]

Published

2 days ago

May 22, 2026

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UEFA on Thursday named the Europa League Team of the Season following the conclusion of the competition on Wednesday.

Recall that Aston Villa won the Europa League after beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Turkey.

However, UEFA’s Technical Observer Group has now selected its 2025/26 Europa League Team of the Season.

Aston Villa have four players in the official Europa League Team of the Season.

Here is the team in full:

Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)

Defenders
Victor Gómez (Braga)
Matthias Ginter (Freiburg)
Morato (Nottingham Forest)
Oscar Mingueza (Celta)

Midfielders
Maximilian Eggestein (Freiburg)
John McGinn (Aston Villa)
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards
Antony (Real Betis)
Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest)
Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa)

Sports

EPL: Four Arsenal super stars to play their last league game against Crystal Palace

Published

3 days ago

May 21, 2026

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No fewer than four Arsenal stars could be playing their last Premier League match for the club this weekend.

The Gunners close out their title-winning campaign when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s men were confirmed champions on Tuesday night, following Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Arsenal will now receive their trophy against Palace.

However, some members of the current squad may be sold when the next transfer window arrives.

Christian Norgaard could be heading out of the door, despite only joining Arsenal last summer from Brentford.

Arteta has left Norgaard out of the last two matchday squads and the Danish midfielder might have to seek new pastures.

Ben White, who is currently injured, has also been linked with Everton.

Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz are now undoubtedly ahead of Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order and the Brazilian striker could depart in search of more playing time.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is less likely to leave than Jesus and Trossard, despite starting only four league fixtures, he has also been linked with a shock move to Manchester United.