Sports
Holders Leverkusen stunned by third division Arminia Bielefeld in German Cup semis
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Third-tier Arminia Bielefeld stunned holders Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Tuesday, coming from a goal down to reach the German Cup final for the first time in the club’s history.
Bielefeld, who have eliminated four Bundesliga teams in consecutive rounds in the competition, became the fourth third-tier side to reach the German Cup final.
“I am so proud of the team,” Bielefeld coach Michel Kniat said. “The whole region is feeling this. No one will be sleeping tonight.
“We defended with a lot of passion and that was the key. We worked extremely hard. It was great to go into the break with the lead and in the second half we kept up the pressure for what was a deserved win,” he added.
Leverkusen, who had never lost a German Cup match under coach Xabi Alonso, were made to work hard before taking the lead in the 17th minute with Jonathan Tah’s tap-in at the far post from a corner.
Their joy only lasted three minutes with Marius Woerl beating keeper Lukas Hradecky with a low drive to draw the hosts level.
Hradecky pulled off a spectacular save in the 26th when he blocked Sarenren Bazee’s point-blank effort but Bielefeld’s comeback was complete on the stroke of halftime with a close-range volley from Maximilian Grosser.
The hosts were relentless, keeping up the pressure and carving out several chances after the break before Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick hit the post with an 81st-minute header.
Leverkusen, who won the league and Cup double without defeat last season, are in second place in the Bundesliga, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, with seven league games remaining.
“It is hard to say what went wrong so shortly after the game but when we say that Bielefeld deserved to reach the final then that means we did a lot of things wrong,” said Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich.
“We were missing all our usual strengths,” he added. “We could not have an impact up front and we made far too many mistakes at the back. It was clearly our worst game this season. We have to accept that we messed it up.”
VfB Stuttgart face RB Leipzig on Wednesday in the other semi-final.
England booked their place in the World Cup round of 32 as Group L winners after a dominant second-half display earned a 2-0 victory over Panama, with Harry Kane setting a new national scoring record at the tournament.
After a subdued first-half performance that echoed their goalless draw against Ghana earlier in the group stage, England finally found their rhythm after the interval to secure maximum points and top the group standings.
Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock midway through the second half, reacting quickest to convert from a corner and hand England a deserved breakthrough, according to Reuters.
The midfielder turned provider five minutes later, delivering a pinpoint cross for captain Harry Kane, who powered home a header to double England’s advantage.
The goal saw Kane become England’s highest-ever scorer at the FIFA World Cup with 11 goals, surpassing the previous record of 10 held by legendary striker Gary Lineker.
The victory confirmed England’s progress to the round of 32 as Group L champions, where they will face one of the tournament’s third-placed qualifiers in the knockout stage. – June 28, 2026
Cape Verde inscribed their name into FIFA World Cup history on Friday, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the tournament’s knockout stage after holding Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw in their final Group H clash in Houston.
The island nation, with a population of just over 600,000, secured qualification from Group H after finishing unbeaten, collecting three points from three draws against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.
We are small,” said Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper who embodied the grit of his nation. “But we have big hearts and we are fighters.”
The tournament debutants pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest surprises by playing pre-tournament favorites Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener.
They followed that up by scoring their first goals of the World Cup in a 2-2 tie against Uruguay.
With Friday’s draw, they finish undefeated on three points and take second place in Group H behind 2010 winners Spain and a point ahead of two-time World Cup champions Uruguay.
Cape Verde will face defending champions Argentina next up in a round-of-32 matchup in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 3.
France maintained their perfect start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway on Friday, thanks to a first-half hat-trick from Ousmane Dembélé that sealed top spot in Group I.
The French winger struck in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes, with two of his goals set up by captain Kylian Mbappé and the third assisted by Aurélien Tchouaméni. Désiré Doué added a fourth deep into stoppage time to complete another dominant display by Didier Deschamps’ side.
Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back in the 21st minute after being set up by Andreas Schjelderup. However, the Scandinavians struggled to break down the French defence for the remainder of the contest despite enjoying more possession after the interval.
France, who had already secured qualification before kick-off, completed the group stage with three wins from three, underlining their credentials as one of the favourites for the World Cup title. Mbappé once again played a key role, providing two assists before being substituted late in the game.
The result ensured Norway also progressed to the Round of 32 despite the defeat, having already booked qualification with victories in their opening two matches.
France will now head into the knockout stage with maximum points and growing momentum, while Norway will look to regroup before their Round of 32 clash after suffering their first defeat of the tournament.
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