Dortmund Ease Past 10-man Heidenheim to Go Top of the Bundesligahttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5185848-dortmund-ease-past-10-man-heidenheim-go-top-bundesliga
Dortmund Ease Past 10-man Heidenheim to Go Top of the Bundesliga
13 September 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Borussia Dortmund's Maximilian Beier celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. Photo: Harry Langer/dpa
Dortmund Ease Past 10-man Heidenheim to Go Top of the Bundesliga
13 September 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Borussia Dortmund's Maximilian Beier celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. Photo: Harry Langer/dpa
Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 2-0 win over 10-man hosts Heidenheim on Saturday to move into the top spot in the Bundesliga after three matches.
Heidenheim, whose coach Frank Schmidt will celebrate 18 years on their bench next week, were looking to end a losing start in the Bundesliga but it quickly turned sour with Leart Paqarada taken off with a knee injury after just seven minutes.
To make matters worse they were left with 10 men in the 21st when Budu Zivzivadze was dismissed with a straight red card for a late tackle on Felix Nmecha.
It was only a matter of time until Dortmund scored and Serhou Guirassy put them in the lead, heading in at the far post in the 33rd to score in his eighth consecutive league game.
The Guinea international is only the third foreign player in Bundesliga history to reach that mark, Reuters reported.
Dortmund made sure they went into the break with a two-goal cushion after Maximilian Beier tapped in a Karim Adeyemi cutback in first-half stoppage time.
The hosts tried to come back in the second half with the visitors easing off a bit, but Dortmund, who travel to Italy on Tuesday to face Juventus in their Champions League opener, held on to their win to go top of the table on seven points.
Lucky Loser Potapova Makes History with Madrid Open Semi-final Runhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5267900-lucky-loser-potapova-makes-history-madrid-open-semi-final-run
Austria's Anastasia Potapova returns the ball to Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova during their 2026 WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 29, 2026. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Lucky Loser Potapova Makes History with Madrid Open Semi-final Run
Austria's Anastasia Potapova returns the ball to Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova during their 2026 WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 29, 2026. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Anastasia Potapova has turned tennis heartbreak into history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final after her thrilling 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
The Russian-born Austrian, who lost in qualifying last week, has capitalized on her unexpected main draw entry, stunning former world number one Pliskova in a roller-coaster clash despite squandering three match points.
Potapova's run has included impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world number two Elena Rybakina.
When asked if she thought she would be in the final four after that qualifying loss, the unseeded Potapova said: "No, I wouldn't, for any money and anything.
"That's what makes our sport beautiful. I was given a second chance and now I'm here.
"I’m super happy. There’s nothing better that could happen to me in my life at the moment."
After cruising through the opening set, Potapova appeared destined for a straightforward victory when she earned three match points in the second.
But Pliskova clawed back to force a tiebreak and level the match.
Potapova trailed 3-1 in the decider, only to reel off five consecutive games and seal victory with her 10th ace before collapsing to her knees.
"I was given a few match points in the second set on serve. I couldn't manage my nerves at the time, I know that," Reuters quoted Potapova as saying.
"But it seems like this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them."
Potapova will face Marta Kostyuk or Linda Noskova in the semi-finals.
PSG and Bayern's 5-4 Thriller Points to New Era of High-scoring Soccerhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5267890-psg-and-bayerns-5-4-thriller-points-new-era-high-scoring-soccer
PSG's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG and Bayern's 5-4 Thriller Points to New Era of High-scoring Soccer
PSG's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
It was possibly the wildest match in Champions League history and may just change some long-held perceptions about soccer.
Paris Saint-Germain's 5-4 win against Bayern Munich on Tuesday felt more like an NBA game than a traditional soccer match and set new goalscoring records for the sport's biggest club tournament.
And it might not be just a one-off. The thrilling first leg of the semifinals in Paris points toward a growing trend as some coaches embrace a high-risk, high-reward strategy that is leaving fans breathless.
PSG coach Luis Enrique summed it up perfectly, telling French broadcaster Canal+ that "we deserved to win, but we also deserved a draw, and we would have even deserved to lose, because this game was that incredible.”
Soccer's new age of entertainers Despite being the world's most popular sport, soccer has been criticized, in the United States in particular, because of the low-scoring nature of games, which can result in single-goal victories or even goalless ties over 90 minutes of play.
Compare that to the high octane, high-scoring NBA or NFL and it is understandable why soccer has taken time to fully grab the attention of US fans.
But Champions League holder PSG is at the vanguard of soccer's new entertainers, with Luis Enrique an uncompromising coach, determined to reach new levels of excitement in his pursuit of dominance.
PSG became champion of Europe for the first time last year by beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in one of the most spectacular performances in the tournament's history. It completed a trophy treble for the French club, which also won its national league title and cup last season.
Luis Enrique also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and on Tuesday became the fastest coach to record 50 victories in the competitions — proving his all-action approach is working.
Harry Kane of Bayern celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League semifinal match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, France 28 April 2026. EPA/YOAN VALAT
The attacking trend is catching on It is no surprise then that his methods are being echoed elsewhere. Not least by Bayern, which has blazed a trail through the Champions League this term under Vincent Kompany and already clinched the German title.
PSG, with 43 goals, is the highest-scoring team in the Champions League this season. Bayern is second with 42.
Tuesday's nine-goal thriller was the highest-scoring semifinal in the history of the competition and neither club is talking about changing its approach for the second leg in Munich next week.
“I asked my staff how many goals we think we’ll have to score, and we agreed on three,” The Associated Press quoted Luis Enrique as saying. "We’ll show the same mentality. We’ll be going to win the match.”
PSG's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele is also ready for another high-scoring affair.
“We won’t change our philosophy. We want to attack and so do they, so I think a great game is in the offing,” Dembele told Canal+.
Kompany, who was a serial title-winning defender for Manchester City in his playing days, is showing his offensive flair as a coach.
“It’s one thing to look at the goals conceded – normally, five goals away from home in a Champions League semi-final, you’re out,” he told Amazon Prime. "But if you look at the chances we created, we could have scored more. And that has to give us belief.”
A clash of styles Soccer has always involved contrasting styles of attack and defense. Brazil has traditionally been a team that embraces the individual flair of its players. Italy has been more defensive and has nullified opponents' attacking strengths.
Two-time Champions League-winning coach Jose Mourinho has taken a more pragmatic approach to winning the competition — shutting opponents down with well-organized and powerful teams. Pep Guardiola, by contrast, has tried to dominate games with the ball and has won Europe's top prize on three occasions. That approach has sometimes been used to criticize him when, despite having some of the best players in the world at Man City, he has often fallen short in the Champions League.
It is refreshing to hear both Luis Enrique and Kompany accept the dangers associated with their all-out attacking soccer.
“It’s my job to accept nothing but perfection," said Kompany. "There was a part of the match that was inevitable, and that was the risks that we were both willing to take.”
More goals, more thrills Higher scoring games are the trend in the Champions League. This season there is an average of well over three goals a game (3.51).
That is above last season's 3.27, which was the previous highest average.
Each of the last five seasons feature in the top seven high-scoring campaigns in the Champions Leagues, pointing to a clear trend toward more attacking soccer since the turn of the decade. In only one of those years did the average drop below three goals a game — in 2022-23 when it dipped to 2.98.
The European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992. During the 1990s the average goals per game was 2.69 and that figure dropped to 2.59 from 2000-10.
It rose to just under three goals a game (2.95) from 2010-20 and so far this decade the average is three goals a game, with teams loading their lineups with attacking talent.
PSG is led by Dembele, who is flanked by brilliant wingers like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
Bayern has England captain Harry Kane, who took his season's tally to 59 goals in 51 appearances for club and country this season when opening the scoring on Tuesday. The German giant has also paid big money for France star Michael Olise and Uruguay forward Luis Diaz. Both also scored at the Parc des Princes.
Barcelona is another leading proponent of thrill-first soccer, and features the spectacular Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal, Brazil winger Raphinha and goal-scoring icon Robert Lewandowski. But its German coach Hansi Flick has been criticized for being too open in Europe - most notably when losing 7-6 on aggregate to Inter Milan in last year's semifinals.
The good news for fans next week is that PSG and Bayern seem determined to stick to their attacking principles, which should serve up another thrilling clash.
“The game there will be the same game – a crazy game between two teams that want to win and score. We need to go there with the same mentality, the same personality, so we can do an amazing job there like we did here,” PSG captain Marquinhos said.
White House: None More Deserving of FIFA Peace Prize Than Trumphttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5267657-white-house-none-more-deserving-fifa-peace-prize-trump
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks during the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/File Photo
White House: None More Deserving of FIFA Peace Prize Than Trump
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks during the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/File Photo
The White House has hit back at critics of Donald Trump being awarded the FIFA Peace Prize, saying there is none more deserving than the US president.
Global soccer governing body FIFA gave Trump the inaugural award at the World Cup draw in December for "promoting peace and unity around the world", triggering condemnation from human rights groups and activists in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Australian soccer player Jackson Irvine said this week that giving the award to Trump made a mockery of FIFA's Human Rights Policy, while Norway's soccer federation said FIFA should abolish the award.
The White House responded by saying Trump's "Peace through Strength foreign policy" had ended eight wars in less than a year.
"There is no one else in the world more deserving of FIFA’s first ever Peace Prize than President Trump. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly suffers from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
The US, which is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, launched a military strike on Venezuela a month after the draw for the tournament was made and began joint airstrikes with Israel on Iran on February 28.
Trump frequently invokes his success at resolving international conflicts and has said on numerous occasions that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
