Sports
Bayern Suffer Nine-Year Low In Shock Loss, Slip Eight Points Off Title Pace
Bayern Munich slumped to a shock 3-2 loss at lowly Bochum on Sunday, suffering a third successive defeat for the first time since 2015 and leaving them eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race.
The result followed a 3-0 league defeat to Leverkusen last weekend and a 1-0 loss against Lazio in the Champions League as coach Thomas Tuchel came under renewed pressure.
Tuchel was bullish after the match, saying “the loss today wasn’t justified. We were extremely unlucky.”
Bayern were also reduced to 10 men with 13 minutes remaining when Dayot Upamecano elbowed Kevin Stoeger in the box, picking up a second yellow, giving away a penalty and seeing red for the second match in a row.
Stoeger blasted the penalty past Manuel Neuer to give Bochum a 3-1 lead.
Harry Kane scored with three minutes remaining to get Bayern back into the match and even had a chance to equalise late, but directed a tame header straight at Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
Bayern had beaten Bochum 7-0 in three of their past five meetings and the visitors scored early, Jamal Musiala blasting in after 14 minutes.
It was the German champions’ first goal in over three hours of football.
Kane had a chance shortly after when one-on-one with Riemann but skied his shot into the stands.
Tuchel lamented his side’s wastefulness in attack, telling DAZN “we had more than enough high-quality chances which those guys would normally put away.”
The home side absorbed waves of Bayern pressure before Takuma Asano levelled after 38 minutes, shooting a low shot past Neuer on a counter attack.
Bayern fell behind just six minutes later, Keven Schlotterbeck heading in a corner.
The visitors turned the screws early in the second-half but the match was delayed for 12 minutes by fan protests against the Bundesliga’s investment plan, after which Bochum held their own against the German giants.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Upamecano clashed with Stoeger contesting a corner and was sent off.
In teeming rain, Stoeger hit his penalty low and hard to the right, past Neuer’s outstretched hand.
Bayern’s teenage forward Mathys Tel set up Kane after 87 minutes, getting Bayern back into the match but then Kane wasted a golden chance to seize a last-gasp point.
Stoeger said: “It’s an enormous relief. We thought we could get a point and we got three.”
“I think all of Bochum is proud of the performance we delivered.”
Bochum coach Thomas Letsch added: “To win against Bayern is especially nice, given they’re a team stacked with talent.”
– Freiburg, Frankfurt draw –
Earlier on Sunday, Freiburg forward Michael Gregoritsch scored in the last minute to snatch his side a 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Two goals from Ansgar Knauff, both set up by the impressive Omar Marmoush, who also got on the scoresheet, had Frankfurt on course for three points.
The visitors however failed to clear a corner and the 1.93-metre-tall Gregoritsch headed past Kevin Trapp to level the scores for Freiburg for the third and final time.
A frustrated Trapp told DAZN “we’re shooting ourselves in the foot”.
“It went back and forth, which is a shame for us. We could have taken more out of it.”
Frankfurt’s Marmoush scored first, but Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan hit back just three minutes later on the half-hour mark.
Marmoush’s superb pass allowed Knauff to score on the counter but the match was level again by half-time thanks to a penalty from Italy midfielder Vincenzo Grifo.
Knauff again put Frankfurt in front after 72 minutes before Gregoritsch came to the rescue.
In another match interrupted as fans threw objects on the pitch, Knauff then saved Frankfurt in the ninth minute of added time when he cleared a bouncing ball off the line.
The point moves Frankfurt four clear of Werder Bremen in sixth-place, the last European spot.
Sports
Borussia Dortmund sack struggling coach Nuri Sahin
By Francesca Hangeior
Borussia Dortmund have fired struggling head coach Nuri Sahin after Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss at Bologna, saying on Wednesday they had “lost faith” in the young manager.
Finalists in the competition last season, Tuesday’s Champions League loss was the fourth in a row for Dortmund in all competitions.
Sports
Mikel Obi arrives in Galatasaray to hold talks with Osimhen amid Nicolas Jackson’s goal drought
Former Chelsea defensive midfielder Mikel Obi arrived in Istanbul on Monday, January 20, for showdown talks with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, but the striker has disclosed that he would love to end his season-long loan deal with Galatasaray.
An exit clause exists in his deal with the Turkish club, but the striker recently rejected a move to English Premier League club Manchester United.
Turkish journalist Kagan Dursun has disclosed that the Red Devils recently offered £59 million to bring the Nigerian striker to Old Trafford.
According to him, Napoli officials travelled to Istanbul recently to secure Osimhen’s commitment to the club, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Mikel wants Osimhen at Chelsea
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi has not hidden his love for Victor Osimhen to move to join Stamford Bridge outfit Chelsea.
The club legend has been a vocal critic of striker Nicolas Jackson, who has not been convincing in front of goal.
Last summer, Osimhen was on the verge of joining Chelsea, but negotiations collapsed in the final hours of the transfer window.
According to Football Italia, Mikel stated that he would try to convince the 26-year-old, adding that disclosing that Didier Drogba is also doing his best to ensure the deal is sorted.
He said: “I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority.
“Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club. If it happens, it happens. It’s a huge transfer fee, but if we can match it and get him to the club that would be fantastic.”
Mikel arrives in Galatasaray training
Mikel was spotted at Galatasaray’s Florya Metin Oktay training facility, where he met with his compatriot, Victor Osimhen.
The Chelsea legend, who played for the Turkish club Trabzonspor, met the former vice president of Giresunspot Muzaffer Aygun and the owner of Titanic Hotels.
Reports suggest that he would use the opportunity to speak with Osimhen over a possible transfer to Chelsea.
Source: www.legit.ng
Sports
Victor Boniface ends relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke
Nigerian international Victor Boniface has reportedly ended relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke Hermine Jensen.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker ended his four-year relationship with the Norwegian influencer as reports indicate that the pair has unfollowed each other on social media.
Their last public appearance was in May last year during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title celebrations, where they were seen together.
A source told Tribuna that the relationship has not been working for some time now, and Jensen has stopped attending Bayer Leverkusen games this season.
Yes, they were apart for Christmas, and he seemed to have a lot of fun without her. She also stopped attending his games this season. Now, they are officially done,” the source confirmed.
Boniface came down to Nigeria for Christmas and his birthday celebration last month without his partner.
Boniface and Jensen reportedly met in Norway four years ago and started dating after that.
The Bayer Leverkusen star kept their relationship private, as he barely shared details of his love life with the public.
Source: www.mynigeria.com
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