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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.

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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.

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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.

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PSG win Ligue 1 title with six games to go, remain unbeaten

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Paris Saint-Germain of France has secured the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with 1-0 win at home to Angers enough to gave them an unassailable lead over nearest challengers Monaco with six games of the season still to play.

This is PSG’s 13th title overall, a French record, and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, this highlighting the extent to which the Parisian have dominated the league since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011

PSG still have the chance of repeating last season’s domestic treble and, with a Champions League quarter-final coming up against Aston Villa next week, a first European title is in a serious possibility.

Winning titles is nothing new to the French champions but PSG team under Luis Enrique has helped turn them from a team long associated with egos and big-money into a vibrant, youthful and thrilling team to watch.

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Osimhen’s double sends Mourinho’s Fenerbahce out of Turkish Cup

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Victor Osimhen delivered a stunning performance on Wednesday as his brace secured Galatasaray a 2-1 victory over Fenerbahce in the final stage of the Turkish Cup, eliminating José Mourinho’s side from the competition.

Osimhen opened the scoring in the 10th minute, putting Galatasaray ahead with a well-taken shot from the edge of the box.

The Nigerian striker then doubled his tally in the 27th minute from the penalty spot, giving his team a comfortable 2-0 lead before halftime.

Fenerbahce managed to pull one back just before the break, with Sebastian Szymański finding the net in first-half stoppage time (45+1’), but it was not enough to turn the tide.

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Despite late attempts to equalize, including substitutions involving Mert Yandaş and Kerem Demirbay in the 90+2 minute, Mourinho’s side fell short as Galatasaray held on for the win.

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Super Eagles Must Defeat South Africa to qualify for 2026 World – Eric Chelle

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Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has underscored the pivotal significance of securing a victory against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa to keep Nigeria’s hopes alive for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The much-anticipated World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and South Africa is set to take place in September, marking the eighth matchday of the qualification series. With only four rounds of matches remaining, the stakes are incredibly high for the Super Eagles as they aim to close the gap in Group C standings.

Currently, Bafana Bafana, under the guidance of coach Hugo Broos, lead the group with 13 points from six matches, holding a commanding six-point advantage over the Super Eagles. This scenario makes the upcoming fixtures even more crucial for Nigeria’s qualification ambitions.

Coach Eric Chelle acknowledged the pressing need for his team to secure maximum points from their remaining matches to stay in contention for a World Cup berth. Speaking to SCORENigeria, he emphasized the importance of an away victory against South Africa but also cautioned against looking too far ahead.

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“We must triumph in South Africa; however, our immediate focus must be on the match against Rwanda in Uyo,” Chelle stated, reinforcing the necessity of taking each game step by step.

Recognizing the strengths of the South African team, Chelle admitted that the Super Eagles must be tactically disciplined to prevent their opponents from gaining control of the game. “While they are a formidable side, we cannot afford to let them dictate the pace of the game,” he noted.

However, before shifting full focus to the challenge posed by Bafana Bafana, Chelle stressed the importance of first securing victory against Rwanda at home. A win in Uyo would boost the team’s morale and position them strongly ahead of their crucial away encounter in South Africa.

As the qualification race intensifies, the Super Eagles will need to demonstrate resilience, strategic discipline, and attacking efficiency to keep their World Cup dreams alive. Nigerian football fans eagerly await how the team will rise to the challenge in these decisive fixtures.

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