Dortmund Slumps to Another Loss at Augsburg as Leipzig Tops the Bundesliga

26 October 2024, Bavaria, Augsburg: Augsburg's Alexis Claude-Maurice (R) and Dortmund's Felix Nmecha battle for the ball during German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at the WWK Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
26 October 2024, Bavaria, Augsburg: Augsburg's Alexis Claude-Maurice (R) and Dortmund's Felix Nmecha battle for the ball during German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at the WWK Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
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Dortmund Slumps to Another Loss at Augsburg as Leipzig Tops the Bundesliga

26 October 2024, Bavaria, Augsburg: Augsburg's Alexis Claude-Maurice (R) and Dortmund's Felix Nmecha battle for the ball during German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at the WWK Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
26 October 2024, Bavaria, Augsburg: Augsburg's Alexis Claude-Maurice (R) and Dortmund's Felix Nmecha battle for the ball during German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at the WWK Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa

Borussia Dortmund's awful away from continued in a 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday that increases the pressure on coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund's fourth loss in a row in away games in all competitions — including 5-2 at Real Madrid on Tuesday — left the team seven points off new Bundesliga leader Leipzig, The Associated Press reported.
Alexis Claude-Maurice made his first start since joining Augsburg in August and rewarded his new team with two goals from distance to turn the game around. Dortmund led with an early Donyell Malen goal.
The game ended with 18-year-old Dortmund defender Almugera Kabar sent off for two yellow cards on his Bundesliga debut.
Sahin, who took over after Edin Terzic left following Dortmund's Champions League final loss last season, has seven wins, one draw and four losses in 12 games.
Leipzig on top Leipzig looks like two different teams, depending on which competition its playing in.
In the Champions League, it has lost all three of its games. In the Bundesliga, Marco Rose's team leads the standings — at least until Bayern Munich plays Sunday — and is unbeaten in its eight games.
Leipzig briefly looked like bringing its Champions League form to the Bundesliga before a second-half comeback to beat Freiburg 3-1.
Poor marking allowed Ritsu Doan to head Freiburg in front in the 15th — the first goal Leipzig conceded in the Bundesliga since Aug. 31. Goals from defenders Willi Orban and Lutsharel Geertruida got Leipzig back into the game before Loïs Openda scored from a tight angle to secure the win.
With attacking midfielder Xavi Simons set to be out for weeks with an ankle ligament injury sustained in Leipzig’s 1-0 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday, teammates Castello Lukeba and Amadou Haidara raised his shirt in tribute.
Stuttgart wins again El Bilal Touré scored a vital goal in Stuttgart's 1-0 win over Juventus on Tuesday in the Champions League, and the Mali forward did it again on Saturday with a goal and assist to beat Holstein Kiel 2-1.
Touré surged for most of the length of the field on a counterattack to set up Deniz Undav for Stuttgart's first goal and scored the second with an audacious long-range shot.
That gave Stuttgart a much-needed first Bundesliga win in over a month, but only after surviving the last half-hour with 10 men after Jeff Chabot earned two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.
Also, Wolfsburg drew at St. Pauli 0-0.
Champion Bayer Leverkusen played Werder Bremen later Saturday.



Meloni Condemns 'Enemies of Italy' after Clashes in Olympics Host City Milan

Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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Meloni Condemns 'Enemies of Italy' after Clashes in Olympics Host City Milan

Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
Demonstrators hold smoke flares during a protest against the environmental, economic and social impact of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned anti-Olympics protesters as "enemies of Italy" after violence on the fringes of a demonstration in Milan on Saturday night and sabotage attacks on the national rail network.

The incidents happened on the first full day of competition in the Winter Games that Milan, Italy's financial capital, is hosting with the Alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Meloni praised the thousands of Italians who she said were working to make the Games run smoothly and present a positive face of Italy.

"Then ⁠there are those who are enemies of Italy and Italians, demonstrating 'against the Olympics' and ensuring that these images are broadcast on television screens around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent trains from departing," she wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

A group of around 100 protesters ⁠threw firecrackers, smoke bombs and bottles at police after breaking away from the main body of a demonstration in Milan.

An estimated 10,000 people had taken to the city's streets in a protest over housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Games.

Police used water cannon to restore order and detained six people.

Also on Saturday, authorities said saboteurs had damaged rail infrastructure near the northern Italian city of Bologna, disrupting train journeys.

Police reported three separate ⁠incidents at different locations, which caused delays of up to 2-1/2 hours for high-speed, Intercity and regional services.

No one has claimed responsibility for the damage.

"Once again, solidarity with the police, the city of Milan, and all those who will see their work undermined by these gangs of criminals," added Meloni, who heads a right-wing coalition.

The Italian police have been given new arrest powers after violence last weekend at a protest by the hard-left in the city of Turin, in which more than 100 police officers were injured.


Liverpool New Signing Jacquet Suffers 'Serious' Injury

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - RC Lens v Stade Rennes - Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France - February 7, 2026  Stade Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet in action REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - RC Lens v Stade Rennes - Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France - February 7, 2026 Stade Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet in action REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
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Liverpool New Signing Jacquet Suffers 'Serious' Injury

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - RC Lens v Stade Rennes - Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France - February 7, 2026  Stade Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet in action REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - RC Lens v Stade Rennes - Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens, France - February 7, 2026 Stade Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet in action REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Liverpool's new signing Jeremy Jacquet suffered a "serious" shoulder injury while playing for Rennes in their 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat at RC Lens on Saturday, casting doubt over the defender’s availability ahead of his summer move to Anfield.

Jacquet fell awkwardly in the second half of the ⁠French league match and appeared in agony as he left the pitch.

"For Jeremy, it's his shoulder, and for Abdelhamid (Ait Boudlal, another Rennes player injured in the ⁠same match) it's muscular," Rennes head coach Habib Beye told reporters after the match.

"We'll have time to see, but it's definitely quite serious for both of them."
Liverpool agreed a 60-million-pound ($80-million) deal for Jacquet on Monday, but the 20-year-old defender will stay with ⁠the French club until the end of the season.

Liverpool, provisionally sixth in the Premier League table, will face Manchester City on Sunday with four defenders - Giovanni Leoni, Joe Gomez, Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley - sidelined due to injuries.


Højlund Rescues Napoli with Dramatic 3-2 win Over Genoa in Serie A

Napoli's Rasmus Winther Hojlund celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal  during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Ssc Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 February 2026.  EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
Napoli's Rasmus Winther Hojlund celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Ssc Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 February 2026. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
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Højlund Rescues Napoli with Dramatic 3-2 win Over Genoa in Serie A

Napoli's Rasmus Winther Hojlund celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal  during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Ssc Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 February 2026.  EPA/LUCA ZENNARO
Napoli's Rasmus Winther Hojlund celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Genoa Cfc and Ssc Napoli at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 February 2026. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO

Rasmus Højlund scored a last-gasp penalty as 10-man Napoli won 3-2 at Genoa in Serie A on Saturday, keeping pressure on the top two clubs from Milan.

Højlund was fortunate Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bijlow was unable to keep out his low shot, despite getting his arm to the ball in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

The spot kick was awarded after Maxwel Cornet – who had just gone on as a substitute – was adjudged after a VAR check to have kicked Antonio Vergara’s foot after the Napoli midfielder dropped dramatically to the floor.

Højlund’s second goal of the game moved Napoli one point behind AC Milan and six behind Inter Milan. They both have a game in hand.

“We showed that we’re a team that never gives up, even in difficult situations, in emergencies, and despite being outnumbered, we had the determination to win. I’m proud of my players’ attitude, and I thank them and congratulate them because the victory was deserved,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said, according to The Associated Press.

His team got off to a bad start with goalkeeper Alex Meret bringing down Vitinha after a botched back pass from Alessandro Buongiorno just seconds into the game. A VAR check confirmed the penalty and Ruslan Malinovskyi duly scored from the spot in the second minute.

Scott McTominay was involved in both goals as Napoli replied with a quickfire double. Bijlow saved his first effort in the 20th but Højlund tucked away the rebound, and McTominay let fly from around 20 meters to make it 2-1 a minute later.

However, McTominay had to go off at the break with what looked like a muscular injury, and another mistake from Buongiorno allowed Lorenzo Colombo to score in the 57th for Genoa.

“Scott has a gluteal problem that he’s had since the season started. It gets inflamed sometimes," Conte said of McTominay. "He would have liked to continue, but I preferred not for him to take any risks because he’s a key player for us.”

Napoli center back Juan Jesus was sent off in the 76th after receiving a second yellow card for pulling back Genoa substitute Caleb Ekuban.

Genoa pushed for a winner but it was the visitors who celebrated after a dramatic finale.

"The penalty wasn’t perfect. I was also lucky, but what matters is that we won,” Højlund said.

Fiorentina rues missed opportunity Fiorentina was on course to escape the relegation zone until Torino defender Guillermo Maripán scored deep in stoppage time for a 2-2 draw in the late game.

Fiorentina had come from behind after Cesare Casadei’s early goal for the visitors, with Manor Solomon and Moise Kean both scoring early in the second half.

A 2-1 win would have lifted Fiorentina out of the relegation zone, but Maripán equalized in the 94th minute with a header inside the far post after a free kick for what seemed like a defeat for the home team.

Fiorentina had lost its previous three games, including to Como in the Italian Cup.

Earlier, Juventus announced star player Kenan Yildiz's contract extension through June 2030.