A second-half wonder goal by Hamburg’s Croatian striker Ivica Olic sealed a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Olic’s goal — his fifth of the season — on 74 minutes from outside the penalty area was superb as he drove his shot into the top left-hand corner giving Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese no chance.
“It was great to see the goal go in, but it was more important for us to pick up the three points,” Olic said.
PHOTO: AFP
“I knew it was going on as soon as it left my boot, it was a nice feeling.”
Bremen have now won just two of their last seven league games and the defeat is hardly ideal preparation for tomorrow’s Champions League trip to Anorthosis Famagusta — a game Bremen must win if they are to progress.
Hamburg took the lead on Sunday when Peru striker Jose Paolo Guerrero fired home after Wiese parried a shot from Croatia striker Mladen Petric, but the south American smashed home the rebound on six minutes.
Diego scored his seventh goal in 10 games when he curled his shot around the Hamburg defense and although home goalkeeper Frank Rost got a glove to the shot, Werder equalized on 24 minutes.
The result leaves erratic Hamburg — they have both won and lost three of their last six league games — fifth in the league while Bremen are ninth.
On Saturday, another five-star performance from France midfielder Franck Ribery helped third-placed Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win over Energie Cottbus on to keep the pressure on leaders Hoffenheim.
The league leaders are now three points clear of rivals Bayer Leverkusen after their 3-1 win at Cologne after Leverkusen slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld.
And Hertha Berlin kept up their pressure on the league leaders with an impressive 3-2 win at snowy Bochum to go fourth in the table.
Schalke 04 moved up to seventh thanks to their 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
There was a rough afternoon for goalkeeper Jens Lehmann as he leaked four goals in Wolfsburg’s 4-1 win over Stuttgart.
Eintracht Frankfurt did their flagging league position the power of good with a rampant 4-0 win over Hanover.
German Bundesliga
Team P GD PTS
1 TSG Hoffenheim 14 17 31
2 Bayer Leverkusen 14 15 28
3 Bayern Munich 14 12 28
4 Hertha Berlin 14 3 27
5 Hamburg 14 0 26
6 Borussia Dortmund 14 7 24
7 Schalke 04 13 9 23
8 Wolfsburg 14 10 22
9 Werder Bremen 14 6 20
10 Cologne 14 -5 19
11 Vfb Stuttgart 14 -2 18
12 Eintrach Frankfurt 14 -4 16
13 Hannover 96 14 -12 13
14 Arminia Bielefeld 14 -9 12
15 Borussia M’gladbach 14 -12 11
16 Vfl Bochum 14 -6 10
17 Karlsruhe 14 -13 10
18 Cottbus 14 -16 9
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11