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Bayer Leverkusen Completes Unprecedented Unbeaten Bundesliga Season, Cologne Relegated

Bayer Leverkusen's Spanish head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with the Bundesliga trophy after the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Augsburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on May 18, 2024. (AFP)
Bayer Leverkusen's Spanish head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with the Bundesliga trophy after the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Augsburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on May 18, 2024. (AFP)
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Bayer Leverkusen Completes Unprecedented Unbeaten Bundesliga Season, Cologne Relegated

Bayer Leverkusen's Spanish head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with the Bundesliga trophy after the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Augsburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on May 18, 2024. (AFP)
Bayer Leverkusen's Spanish head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with the Bundesliga trophy after the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Augsburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on May 18, 2024. (AFP)

League champion Bayer Leverkusen became the first team to complete a Bundesliga season undefeated on Saturday.

Early goals from Victor Boniface and Robert Andrich gave Leverkusen a 2-1 win over Augsburg in their last game of the season.

The win was their 28th in 34 Bundesliga games.

Leverkusen, which won the title in April to end Bayern Munich’s 11-year run, is the first team to complete an unbeaten season in any of Europe’s top five leagues since Juventus in the Italian Serie A in 2011-12.

Leverkusen hasn’t lost a game in any competition all season, a 51-game unbeaten run.

It had a firm grip on Augsburg but Mert Kömür pulled one back in the 62nd minute, prompting Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso to send on Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka, the star players he’d been trying to rest before the Europa League and German Cup finals next week.

Local rival Cologne was relegated. Cologne's hopes of avoiding the drop evaporated in a 4-1 loss at Heidenheim.

Janik Haberer scored in stoppage time for Union Berlin to clinch survival with a 2-1 win over Freiburg. Union’s win meant Bochum dropped into the relegation playoff place after losing at Werder Bremen 4-1.

Stuttgart finished second at Bayern Munich’s expense with a 4-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Bayern slumped to a 4-2 loss at Hoffenheim in Thomas Tuchel’s last game as coach.

Mainz ensured its survival with a 3-1 win at Wolfsburg.

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Man City’s Rodri Says He Will Discuss His Future After World Cup

Spanish National soccer team player Rodri attends the media day at the Soccer City of Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 01 June 2026. (EPA)
Spanish National soccer team player Rodri attends the media day at the Soccer City of Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 01 June 2026. (EPA)
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Man City’s Rodri Says He Will Discuss His Future After World Cup

Spanish National soccer team player Rodri attends the media day at the Soccer City of Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 01 June 2026. (EPA)
Spanish National soccer team player Rodri attends the media day at the Soccer City of Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 01 June 2026. (EPA)

Spain midfielder Rodri said ‌he is focused on the World Cup and will only address his future at Manchester City after the tournament.

The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner is entering the final year of his contract with the Premier League club and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

"Well, I’m trying not to make too much of it, but it is part of my job, especially when a player has been ‌nearing the ‌end of his contract for some ‌time – ⁠it’s only natural ⁠that names come up," the 29-year-old told reporters on Monday.

"But anyway, I’m very calm, I know exactly where I stand, and yes probably if there hadn’t been a World Cup, I might be in a different situation now but with a World ⁠Cup on the horizon, my responsibility is ‌to stay focused.

"We're here ‌to talk about the World Cup and everything that concerns ‌my future, I'll wait until the end of ‌the World Cup."

European champions Spain will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H at the June 11 to July 19 tournament in North America.

Rodri said ‌he had urged his Spain teammates to follow tennis great Rafa Nadal's example ⁠after ⁠watching a documentary about the 22-times Grand Slam champion.

"What I told them is that we need to try to play without the ball like a small team. With that mindset of not thinking you’re the best," he added.

"I was just watching the documentary on Nadal and he was always talking about that – always one more ball, one more effort. And that’s what the great champions do and, above all, bringing out all the talent this team has, which is very big."

Sports

'Messi, Maradona, Tim': NZ Footballer's Viral Fan Club Hits 4 Million

Tim Payne has gone from 4,000 to 4,000,000 followers in a week. DAVID ROWLAND / AFP/File
Tim Payne has gone from 4,000 to 4,000,000 followers in a week. DAVID ROWLAND / AFP/File
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'Messi, Maradona, Tim': NZ Footballer's Viral Fan Club Hits 4 Million

Tim Payne has gone from 4,000 to 4,000,000 followers in a week. DAVID ROWLAND / AFP/File
Tim Payne has gone from 4,000 to 4,000,000 followers in a week. DAVID ROWLAND / AFP/File

New Zealand footballer Tim Payne's online fan club soared past four million on Tuesday, more than the All Blacks, after an influencer picked him out as the "least known" player at the World Cup.

Argentine social media giant Valen Scarsini, known as "El Scarso", last week called for his fans to boost unheralded Payne's following, kicking off an online explosion of interest, said AFP.

But New Zealand's coach said the unexpected fame -- Payne had just 4,000 Instagram followers a week ago -- won't go to the head of the Wellington Phoenix right-back.

"At the moment I do feel like he's dealing with it really well, probably better than maybe some others would have," Darren Bazeley told stuff.co.nz.

Payne, 32, who described the attention as "pretty crazy", could now be set to meet Scarsini.

The Argentine said he would travel to Florida to watch New Zealand's warm-up match against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.

"Guys tomorrow is the day," Scarsini posted.

"Let's go watch Tim's game v Haiti and then we're going to meet him! Thanks to all who made it possible."

Payne's new celebrity status means he now has a million more followers than the rugby-obsessed country's All Blacks.

It has been the talk of the New Zealand squad's World Cup training camp in Florida.

"The players talk about it. I can hear the banter they're having with Tim, and I think it's amazing," said Bazeley.

"Putting Tim up on a pedestal like that was really cool and probably not something that he, or anyone, expected," he added.

"I don't know where it ends or where it leads to -- or what that world really involves. I try to stay off that, as most coaches do."

Another million or so would see Payne have as many followers as the population of New Zealand, which is around 5.3 million.

New Zealand are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup, which begins in Mexico, the United States and Canada next week.

Tongue-in-cheek online comments have been comparing Payne to the greatest players from three-time World Cup champions Argentina.

"Messi, Maradona, Tim," said one of more than 66,000 comments on Payne's latest post, many of them in Spanish, which also received 2.1 million likes.

Sports

Serena Williams to Return to Tennis at Queen’s Club

Serena Williams motions a heart to fans during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP)
Serena Williams motions a heart to fans during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP)
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Serena Williams to Return to Tennis at Queen’s Club

Serena Williams motions a heart to fans during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP)
Serena Williams motions a heart to fans during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP)

Serena Williams confirmed her return to tennis after an absence of nearly four years on Monday, with the American great set to play women's doubles at Queen's club later this month.

The 44-year-old has not played competitively since a third-round loss at the 2022 US Open left her one short of the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, jointly held by Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic.

Williams shared a video on social media of herself on a tennis court containing the caption: "Guess everybody heard the news", with her phone buzzing rapidly in the background.

A post from the seven-time Wimbledon champion said: "Good news travels fast."

"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter," Williams said in a statement from tournament organisers.

"Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I'm excited to be back competing on one of the sport's most iconic stages."

The women's event at the London tournament starts on June 8.

- Rumors -

Williams' imminent return has been touted since it was revealed in December she had re-entered the anti-doping program -- a prerequisite to play on the tour again.

The American denied she was planning a competitive return but rumors have swirled over the past few months that she was on her way back.

She has now been given a wild card for the women's doubles at Queen's, reportedly alongside young Canadian Victoria Mboko.

Djokovic predicted a return for Williams in March and a number of players have spoken about the subject at the ongoing French Open.

"I think it's good for me. I'll be very entertained," said Naomi Osaka, who famously beat Williams in the 2018 US Open final, when asked if she would watch a comeback match from Serena.

Coco Gauff, who lost in the third round of the French Open on Saturday, said she would love to face Williams for the first time.

"Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and we're delighted that she will be making her return to tennis at the LTA's HSBC Championships," said WTA tournament director Laura Robson.

"Women's tennis made a historic return to the Queen's Club last year and now we have an icon of the game stepping back on to court."

The former world number one said in 2022 she did not want to use the word "retiring" but instead explained she was "evolving" away from tennis.

The American spent 319 weeks at the top of the world rankings and won 73 singles titles on the WTA Tour.

She also won 14 major Grand Slam doubles titles with older sister Venus Williams, who ended a 16-month hiatus from professional tennis last year.

Venus said the "only thing" that would have made her being back on court better would have been if Serena had also returned.