Team from town of 13,000 shock 2024 championsJuventus 2-0 Parma; Sevilla 1-3 Atlético MadridThe Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg began their first top-flight campaign in style, stunning Bayer Leverkusen with an impressive 3-2 home victory on Saturday.Lukas Petkov and Cole Campbell scored within 60 seconds of each other to put Elversberg 2-0 up before the 10-minute mark. David Mokwa added another early in the second half in front of 9,307 delirious fans. Continue reading...
The Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg began their first top-flight campaign in style, stunning Bayer Leverkusen with an impressive 3-2 home victory on Saturday.
Lukas Petkov and Cole Campbell scored within 60 seconds of each other to put Elversberg 2-0 up before the 10-minute mark. David Mokwa added another early in the second half in front of 9,307 delirious fans.
At the end of a ‘crazy, crazy day’, Elche were safe. But opponents, Girona, were down with Mallorca and OviedoEder Sarabia wasn’t out there to see the tightest, tensest battle there has ever been end with liberation at last, but his mum and dad were and he wasn’t far away. Suspended for the final night of a season like no other, Elche’s coach was hidden down in the dressing room instead, watching the game that he knew was “us or them” on a TV set perched precariously upon a metal crate. There, a
At the end of a ‘crazy, crazy day’, Elche were safe. But opponents, Girona, were down with Mallorca and Oviedo
Eder Sarabia wasn’t out there to see the tightest, tensest battle there has ever been end with liberation at last, but his mum and dad were and he wasn’t far away. Suspended for the final night of a season like no other, Elche’s coach was hidden down in the dressing room instead, watching the game that he knew was “us or them” on a TV set perched precariously upon a metal crate. There, as staff ran in and out delivering messages until it was his turn to set off on a sprint, he saw the match that defined five teams’ fate finish 1-1. Mobile in hand, alerts beeping, most of all he saw suffering. “Terrible, terrible, terrible,” he called it later, but by then at least it was done. Elche were safe. Their opponents, Girona, were down. Real Mallorca, like Real Oviedo, were going with them.
“Crazy, crazy day, crazy match, a lot of emotions: this league was really crazy,” Sarabia said. He had spent much of it surrounded by clothes on hooks and flags taped to walls; like everyone else, he had also spent it, he said, “on the edge of the precipice”. From the visitors’ dressing room at Montilivi, he had seen Álvaro Rodríguez score the kind of goal that wins cups in cartoons, tearfully dedicating it to his late dad, and Arnau Martínez equalise. He had seen cameras zoom in on his parents in the stands and wondered how Manu, a former footballer who doesn’t so much watch games as broadcast them, looked so calm when they were a goal from losing it all. He had seen Thomas Lemar hit Elche’s bar, “+7” appear on the screen, and his goalkeeper catch a cross on 95.55, Matías Dituro triumphantly holding the ball like Rafiki on Pride Rock, but it still wasn’t over.
Unheralded coach has presided over a remarkable turnaround as club navigates La Liga’s epic relegation battleLuís Castro was 11 when he started vomiting blood. Taken to hospital and diagnosed with purpura, initially doctors told his parents there was no chance of him living and even when he was cured they said he couldn’t do any physical exercise ever again. But three lonely years later, driven by an inner strength he ascribed to a higher power, he was back on a football pitch, building a career
Unheralded coach has presided over a remarkable turnaround as club navigates La Liga’s epic relegation battle
Luís Castro was 11 when he started vomiting blood. Taken to hospital and diagnosed with purpura, initially doctors told his parents there was no chance of him living and even when he was cured they said he couldn’t do any physical exercise ever again. But three lonely years later, driven by an inner strength he ascribed to a higher power, he was back on a football pitch, building a career that took him through the lower leagues in Portugal as a player and around the world as coach, winning trophies in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Brazil, until one day in December his name landed on the president’s desk at Levante: just the kind of man the Spanish club needed in their impossible fight for survival.
Oh, wait. No, that’s not right. “I had heard of another Luís Castro but not this one,” Pablo Sánchez admitted on Sunday night, “and this one turned out to be the ideal coach for our club.”
Sevilla safe despite defeat against Real MadridTiny Elversberg seal first promotion to BundesligaRoma took a huge step towards returning to the Champions League by beating Lazio 2-0 in a feisty derby which finished with both teams down to 10 men, while Napoli won 3-0 at Pisa to secure a top-four spot.Gianluca Mancini smashed home two headers from corners, one in each half, at the Stadio Olimpico to move Roma up to fourth thanks also to Juventus’s shock 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina. Continue rea
Tiny Elversberg seal first promotion to Bundesliga
Roma took a huge step towards returning to the Champions League by beating Lazio 2-0 in a feisty derby which finished with both teams down to 10 men, while Napoli won 3-0 at Pisa to secure a top-four spot.
Gianluca Mancini smashed home two headers from corners, one in each half, at the Stadio Olimpico to move Roma up to fourth thanks also to Juventus’s shock 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina.
Barça will be champions if Real fail to win on SundayBayern draw with Heidenheim; PSG denied by LorientBarcelona could secure the La Liga title on Sunday after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres struck late in a 2-1 victory at Osasuna. With four games remaining, Barça top the table on 88 points, 14 clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and visit Espanyol on Sunday. Should Madrid fail to win, Barcelona will be confirmed champions for the second successive season.Barça brok
Barça will be champions if Real fail to win on Sunday
Bayern draw with Heidenheim; PSG denied by Lorient
Barcelona could secure the La Liga title on Sunday after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres struck late in a 2-1 victory at Osasuna. With four games remaining, Barça top the table on 88 points, 14 clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and visit Espanyol on Sunday. Should Madrid fail to win, Barcelona will be confirmed champions for the second successive season.
Barça broke through in the 81st minute when Marcus Rashford crossed from the right and Lewandowski rose to head in. Five minutes later Fermín López slipped Torres clear and he finished low past Sergio Herrera. Raúl García pulled back a goal from close range two minutes later, but it was too little to late for Osasuna, who remain 10th on 42 points.
Fermín López goal caps 3-0 win over LevanteMilan’s Loftus-Cheek hospitalised as Parma win 1-0Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Levante as Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and substitute Fermín López struck at Camp Nou.Last season’s champions moved to 61 points from 25 games, one ahead of Real Madrid after their rivals’ defeat by Osasuna on Saturday. Barça had slipped to second after last week’s 2-1 loss to Girona but rarely looked troubled by a Le
Milan’s Loftus-Cheek hospitalised as Parma win 1-0
Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Levante as Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong and substitute Fermín López struck at Camp Nou.
Last season’s champions moved to 61 points from 25 games, one ahead of Real Madrid after their rivals’ defeat by Osasuna on Saturday. Barça had slipped to second after last week’s 2-1 loss to Girona but rarely looked troubled by a Levante side second from bottom on 18 points.
Raúl Asencio also on target in 2-0 win over LevanteHarry Kane scores in Bayern’s 5-1 win at RB LeipzigReal Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win against Levante, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Raúl Asencio, after being booed by a restless Bernabéu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.Real looked flat in the first half, still carrying the scars of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de España, followed by the departure of Xabi A
Raúl Asencio also on target in 2-0 win over Levante
Harry Kane scores in Bayern’s 5-1 win at RB Leipzig
Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win against Levante, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Raúl Asencio, after being booed by a restless Bernabéu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.
Rodrygo keeps Real within four points of Barça at topInter win 2-1 at Genoa, as Milan draw and Napoli loseRodrygo secured a crucial 2-1 victory for Real Madrid at Alavés in La Liga, ending a dismal run of form and keeping them within four points of the leaders, Barcelona.Real, under pressure after two successive defeats in all competitions, broke the deadlock through Kylian Mbappé’s stunning first-half strike. However, a resilient Alavés levelled in the 68th minute through Carlos Vicente. The vi
Rodrygo keeps Real within four points of Barça at top
Inter win 2-1 at Genoa, as Milan draw and Napoli lose
Rodrygo secured a crucial 2-1 victory for Real Madrid at Alavés in La Liga, ending a dismal run of form and keeping them within four points of the leaders, Barcelona.
Real, under pressure after two successive defeats in all competitions, broke the deadlock through Kylian Mbappé’s stunning first-half strike. However, a resilient Alavés levelled in the 68th minute through Carlos Vicente. The visitors restored their lead eight minutes later, courtesy of a counterattack led by Vinícius Júnior, whose assist was converted by Rodrygo.
Danilho Doekhi puts Union Berlin ahead twice in 2-2 drawJuventus held goalless by Torino in Serie A derbyHarry Kane headed in a stoppage-time equaliser to prevent a first defeat of the season for Bayern Munich but their 2-2 draw at Union Berlin ended their record winning start across all competitions.Union thought they had won it with Danilho Doekhi’s second goal in the 83rd minute but Kane headed in the leveller. Bayern top the Bundesliga on 28 points and in fact extended their lead to six, as
Danilho Doekhi puts Union Berlin ahead twice in 2-2 draw
Juventus held goalless by Torino in Serie A derby
Harry Kane headed in a stoppage-time equaliser to prevent a first defeat of the season for Bayern Munich but their 2-2 draw at Union Berlin ended their record winning start across all competitions.
Union thought they had won it with Danilho Doekhi’s second goal in the 83rd minute but Kane headed in the leveller. Bayern top the Bundesliga on 28 points and in fact extended their lead to six, as RB Leipzig lost 3-1 at Hoffenheim.