RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen scored a stoppage-time goal to snatch a 3-3 draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday and delay the Bavarians’ title celebrations by at least a day. Poulsen struck seconds before the end to leave Bayern on 76 points, nine ahead of Leverkusen, who travel to Freiburg on Sunday. Bayern, with two games left to play, will secure their 34th league crown should Leverkusen fail to win.
It was supposed to be triumphant afternoon for Bayern, but they found themselves on the back foot from the start with the hosts piling on early pressure. Leipzig had two big chances before Benjamin Sesko completed a quick break with a superbly curled shot past Jonas Urbig in the 11th minute.
With the Bundesliga’s leading scorer Harry Kane, desperate to clinch the first major title of his career, suspended and watching from the stands, the visitors were toothless in attack. It got even worse for them six minute before the break when Lukas Klostermann easily beat his marker to head in a David Raum free-kick and double Leipzig’s lead.
Bayern turned things around after the break with Eric Dier heading in Michael Olise’s corner at the near post and Olise rifling in the equaliser a minute later. They thought they had done enough to secure the title when Leroy Sané struck seven minutes from time but Poulsen spoiled the party.
Elsewhere, the Heidenheim goalkeeper, Kevin Müller, and the Bochum forward Philipp Hofmann are recovering in hospital after being seriously injured on Friday.
Müller has a concussion after being knocked unconscious in a collision with Bochum’s Ibrahima Sissoko. The goalkeeper received lengthy treatment on the field while shielded from view before he was taken off on a stretcher.
Hofmann broke a rib causing a collapsed lung after a collision with Heidenheim’s Marvin Pieringer. Bochum described the injury as “life-threatening”. The game finished in a 0-0 draw.
In Spain, Atlético Madrid’s fading hopes of winning the La Liga title suffered a potentially grievous blow on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Alavés at the Mendizorrotza Stadium.
Atleti, who last won La Liga in 2021, dominated possession but lacked the invention and urgency to pierce an organised Alavés rearguard. They remained third in the standings with 67 points, nine behind the leaders, Barcelona, who travel to Real Valladolid later on Saturday.
A second-string Paris Saint-Germain side fell to a 2-1 defeat at fourth-placed Strasbourg, another loss for the Ligue 1 champions who face Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
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Manager Luis Enrique retained only Joao Neves from the starting lineup that featured in the 1-0 win at the Emirates in the semi-final first leg in midweek, resting key players for the return game.
PSG fell behind after 20 minutes when Lucas Hernandez clumsily connected with a flicked header by Strasbourg’s Mamadou Sarr from a corner, steering it into his own net to give the hosts the lead. Strasbourg doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Felix Lemarechal collected the ball outside the box and curled a beautiful effort into the far corner.
Bradley Barcola pulled one back for PSG less than a minute into the second half after a swift run from midfield before he calmly slotted home. Despite their strong start to the second half and late pressure, PSG were unable to find another goal and suffered their second consecutive league defeat.
In Croatia, police have detained more than 140 people after a brawl between hooligan groups that left several people injured. Croatian media reported that the fight in the coastal town of Split had been pre-arranged before Dinamo Zagreb met Hajduk Split. Police say they reacted swiftly and prevented further clashes while 146 people are facing potential criminal charges. Four fans were injured, including two seriously, and one policeman was hurt.
Croatia’s prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic, said the fight was “setting a bad example to the youth and has nothing to do with either Hajduk or Dinamo”. The two clubs are biggest rivals in Croatia and clashes between their fans are routinely reported before their matches.
This story will be updated later on Saturday
Source: theguardian.com
