BUNDESLIGA
Kane scores yet again
Harry Kane on Friday scored yet again to lead Bayern Munich to the top of the table with a 1-0 win against Cologne. No other player has ever scored 18 goals in the first 12 rounds of the Bundesliga, while Kane also became the first English player to reach 18 goals in a single Bundesliga season, overtaking the 17 scored by Jadon Sancho for Borussia Dortmund (2019-2020) and Kevin Keegan for Hamburger SV (1978-1979).
Photo: Reuters
LA LIGA
Alaves get rare win
Deportivo Alaves on Friday got just the second win in their past 10 league games, with forwards Samu Omorodion and Abde Rebbach playing starring roles in a 3-1 triumph at home against Granada. “We knew this was an important game and we’ve played brilliantly, both the 11 starters and the subs as well,” Omorodion told broadcaster Movistar. Granada scored a consolation goal in the 86th minute via a Myrto Uzuni penalty.
LIGUE 1
Dembele stunner lifts PSG
Ousmane Dembele on Friday scored his first Paris Saint-Germain goal in stunning fashion as the reigning champions crushed AS Monaco 5-2 to cement their lead at the top of the table. With 70 minutes gone and the score 3-1, Dembele showed great agility to control a quickly-taken free-kick sent over the top by Ruiz and then advanced into the box to finish emphatically past Philipp Koehn.
INTERNATIONAL
Hernandez backs revamp
A revamped calendar with a single international break could resolve travel time and injury issues faced by many players, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said on Friday. A high load of matches between clubs and national teams has caused many injuries, Xavi told reporters. “I think FIFA are already considering it ... one of the solutions would be nine months in the club and two months in the national team, and from there a month of vacation,” he said. “This way at least so many trips would be avoided.”
PREMIER LEAGUE
Pilots advise VAR officials
British Airways pilots have been enlisted to help improve the communication of league officials during Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviews, the Times reported on Friday. In a presentation to top-flight officials, pilots Chris Heaven and Pete Nataraj stressed the need for clarity and accuracy in communication, with minimal syllables and no informal language, the newspaper reported. The 45-minute presentation addressed the similarity of the roles of pilot and referee, and the importance of filtering out the white noise to focus with complete clarity. A full review of VAR procedures was ordered after Liverpool’s Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed in a 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in September after miscommunication between VAR officials and the on-field referee. The audio of the incident was met with severe criticism of the decisionmaking process and the language used, with the officials using phrases such as “well done boys” and “cheers, mate.”
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
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