Harry Kane Scores His 24th Bundesliga Goal as Bayern Munich Rallies to Beat Gladbach 3-1

Bayern Munich's English forward #09 Harry Kane celebrates scoring the 2-1 goal with his team-mates during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Munich on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
Bayern Munich's English forward #09 Harry Kane celebrates scoring the 2-1 goal with his team-mates during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Munich on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
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Harry Kane Scores His 24th Bundesliga Goal as Bayern Munich Rallies to Beat Gladbach 3-1

Bayern Munich's English forward #09 Harry Kane celebrates scoring the 2-1 goal with his team-mates during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Munich on February 3, 2024. (AFP)
Bayern Munich's English forward #09 Harry Kane celebrates scoring the 2-1 goal with his team-mates during the German first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Munich on February 3, 2024. (AFP)

Harry Kane scored one of the easier goals of his career as Bayern Munich rallied from a goal down to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Bayern stayed two points behind league leader Bayer Leverkusen, which beat Darmstadt 2-0. Bayern and Leverkusen play next week in a game which could play a crucial role in the title race.

Kane scored his 24th Bundesliga goal of the season to give Bayern the lead in the 70th minute. Thomas Müller challenged goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas for a high ball and it went loose, leaving Kane with plenty of space and time to nod it into the net.

Leroy Sané twice missed good chances for Bayern early on but Gladbach took full advantage when Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer played a poor pass, launching a quick attack which ended with Nico Elvedi scoring.

Nineteen-year-old Bayern midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic leveled the score just before halftime off a one-two with Müller. Pavlovic has started back-to-back Bundesliga games in place of the injured Joshua Kimmich and scored in both.

After Kane's goal, Matthijs de Ligt made sure of the win with a header in the 86th.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel expressed concerned about left back Alphonso Davies after the Canadian twisted his knee against Gladbach. Bayern later said Davies had “suffered a ligament strain in his left knee” and will “face a spell on the sidelines.”

Nathan Tella scored both of Leverkusen's goals against Darmstadt, the first with a header off Alejandro Grimaldo's cross and the second off Florian Wirtz's pass. Striker Borja Iglesias started his first game since signing on loan from Real Betis but had little impact.

Leverkusen and coach Xabi Alonso are heading into a busy week, with a German Cup quarterfinal game against Stuttgart on Tuesday before hosting Bayern four days later.

Third-place Stuttgart scored twice in the opening seven minutes on its way to a 3-1 win over 10-man Freiburg. With Stuttgart's top scorer Serhou Guirassy yet to return from the Africa Cup of Nations, on-loan Brighton forward Deniz Undav scored the opening goal to follow his hat trick last week against Leipzig.

New arrival Mahmoud Dahoud, also on loan from Brighton, came on for Stuttgart off the bench in the 76th.

Hugo Ekitike's first game for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Paris Saint-Germain saw nine-man Frankfurt lose 2-0 to struggling Cologne.

Faride Alidou and Jan Thielmann scored for Cologne, while Frankfurt had Niels Nkounkou and Tuta sent off, both for picking up two yellow cards. Frankfurt is sixth after a setback to its ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League and Cologne is 16th.

Werder Bremen held on for a 1-0 win against Mainz after Marvin Ducksch's second-minute goal, which came after a Mainz defender blasted a clearance into his own teammate.

Moritz Broschinski scored with a spectacular overhead kick but it wasn't enough for Bochum to take all three points in a 1-1 draw with Augsburg, which leveled with a stoppage-time penalty.



Italiano Appointed Besiktas Coach

Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
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Italiano Appointed Besiktas Coach

Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)
Italian Vincenzo Italiano named Besiktas coach. (Reuters)

Vincenzo Italiano has been appointed coach of Turkish side Besiktas, the Istanbul-based club announced on Saturday.

The 48-year-old Italian will coach the club until the end of the 2027-2028 season, Besiktas said in a statement, AFP reported.

The former coach of Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Bologna, becomes the 11th manager at Besiktas in the past five years, following Frenchman Valerien Ismael, Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Crowned Turkish champions for the 16th time in 2021, Besiktas have since struggled to compete with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, the two other big Istanbul clubs.


AlUla Designates Scenic Open-Air Venues for 2026 FIFA World Cup Screenings

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
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AlUla Designates Scenic Open-Air Venues for 2026 FIFA World Cup Screenings

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA
Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures - SPA

AlUla Governorate has prepared several open-air fan zones for residents and tourists to watch 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, blending international football excitement with the region’s renowned natural beauty and unique rock formations while catering to a growing influx of summer visitors.

Fans can watch all Saudi national team matches alongside prominent international, Arab, and Gulf fixtures.

The tournament’s timing in summer boosts AlUla’s appeal, allowing visitors to combine the global sporting event with exploring local heritage sites and participating in outdoor recreational activities during the cooler evening hours, SPA reported.

This viewing experience is fully supported by diverse hospitality options, ranging from luxury resorts and desert accommodations to heritage hotels situated in AlUla Old Town.

These integrated facilities reinforce the region's strategy to expand its tourism and entertainment portfolio, positioning AlUla as a preferred year-round destination.


Iran World Cup Squad Heads to Mexico as US Visa Row Erupts

Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Iran World Cup Squad Heads to Mexico as US Visa Row Erupts

Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran's Mehdi Torabi, right, poses for a photo with fans after a friendly soccer match between Iran and Mali, in Antalya, southern Türkiye, Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Iran lashed out at the United States on Saturday for refusing visas to some of its World Cup squad support staff as the players were to leave Türkiye for Mexico.

The row erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Iranian players, who have been at a training camp in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya since May 18, received their visas late on Friday, Washington's envoy to Türkiye Tom Barrack said on X, hailing the work of the US embassy in Ankara in "processing visas for Iran's national football team".

But Iran's embassy to Türkiye hit back Saturday with a furious response, saying a "large" number of managerial and executive staff and others had been denied visas.

"You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level," the embassy wrote on X.

"FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team."

Iran's Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, also hit out, describing the decision as "political interference in sport in its worst form".

"By extending its hostile behaviour towards the Iranian nation into the field of sport, the ... US government has deprived Iran's national team of.. the opportunity to compete without discrimination," it said, pledging to pursue the matter with FIFA.

Iranian state TV's correspondent in Antalya said the players and their technical staff had received visas, but 15 others on the administrative and management side had not.

It said the matter would be followed up in Mexico.

In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but "some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them", suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist.

Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have said.

Team Melli were scheduled to leave Antalya for Mexico on a 3:20 pm (1220 GMT) flight that Taj said earlier this week would include a stopover in Spain before arriving in Mexico early on Sunday.

But Iran's state TV gave a later departure time of 5:30 pm.

The team will be based in the northwestern border city of Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, but all three of their group stage matches are due to be held in the United States.

Iran, who are in Group G, will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Ahead of their departure on Saturday, Iran played a final friendly against Mali in Antalya on Thursday which they won 2-0. They played a first match on May 29, beating Gambia 3-1.