.png)
4 hours ago
9
Bayern Munich crushed hosts St Pauli 5-0 in the Bundesliga to set an all-time season scoring record while also extending their lead at the top to 12 points with five games left to play.
The Bavarian club, who host Real Madrid next week in their Champions League quarter-final second leg after their 2-1 win in Spain, are within touching distance of the league title on 76 points, with second-placed Borussia Dortmund stuck on 64 after their 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
A ninth-minute header from Jamal Musiala put the visitors equal with the record of 101 goals in one season, set by Bayern in the 1971-72 campaign. But they added two more in quick succession, with Leon Goretzka in the 53rd and Michael Olise a minute later, to beat the previous best mark and make sure of the three points.
Nicolas Jackson added a fourth in the 65th before Raphaël Guerreiro slotted in to make it 5-0, with coach Vincent Kompany having rested several players, including Harry Kane. Bayern are still in the running for three titles and face Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on 22 April.
Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, thanks to a first-half winner from their captain, Robert Andrich, keeps them in the mix for a top-four finish with five matches left to play. The 2024 Bundesliga champions are now fifth on 52 points, one behind fourth-placed Stuttgart, who host Hamburg on Sunday. The top four teams are sure to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with the Bundesliga vying with La Liga for a fifth place.
In Spain, Barcelona took a major step towards the La Liga title with a 4-1 victory over their city rivals Espanyol, moving nine points clear of Real Madrid. Ferran Torres struck twice, assisted by Lamine Yamal both times, in the first half as the hosts dominated possession.
He first scored with a header from a corner in the 10th minute and doubled the lead in the 25th, racing clear from another Lamine Yamal pass. Espanyol pulled one back in the 56th minute when Pol Lozano fired in a rebound from just inside the box, but Lamine Yamal restored control in the 87th minute in a quick counter, with Marcus Rashford adding a fourth from Frenkie de Jong’s cross as Barça moved to 79 points with seven games left. Second-placed Real lost ground after a 1-1 draw with Girona on Friday.
“It’s not over until we’ve won the league, but it’s only up to us and that’s a great feeling,” Torres told Dazn. “It was a tough, hard-fought match, the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. It was close, some little mistakes almost cost us dearly. But we’re proud of our performance.”
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone rotated heavily for his team’s visit to face Sevilla to keep players fresh for the second leg against Barcelona and Atlético, fourth, fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Akor Adams sent the hosts ahead from the penalty spot and after 20-year-old Atlético reserve defender Javier Bonar levelled, Nemanja Gudelj struck again for Sevilla before the interval.
Atlético have a wide 12-point cushion on Real Betis, fifth, who visit Osasuna on Sunday.
The victory was important for Sevilla, with the Andalusians climbing out of the relegation zone and up to 15th.
In Italy, after falling out of the Serie A title race, Milan are looking nervously at the teams behind them after a shock 3-0 loss at home to Udinese. The team was loudly jeered off the field after its third defeat in four matches.
The Rossoneri are not only nine points below the league leaders, Inter, but just six points above Roma, in sixth, in the fight for the four Champions League qualifying places. Juventus, in fifth, are taking on Atalanta in the day’s late kick-off.
An own goal from Davide Bartesaghi set the tone before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s header made it two on 37 minutes. Arthur Atta scored Udinese’s third with 20 minutes to go, feinting to shoot into the far corner before slotting into the bottom left.
Juventus moved into fourth place with a 1-0 in at Atalanta. Jeremie Boga bundled home the only goal in an uneventful match in Bergamo the day after coach Luciano Spalletti – hired with the aim of getting Juve into the Champions League – signed a new deal with the Turin club until 2028.
Elsewhere, Cagliari took a crucial step toward avoiding relegation by beating their fellow strugglers Cremonese 1-0. Cagliari’s first win since January lifted the Sardinian team six points above Cremonese and the relegation zone. Sebastiano Esposito scored his third goal in four matches in the 63rd minute, heading in a cross from Zé Pedro, who had only just come off the bench.
Hellas Verona remained nine points from safety after losing at mid-table Torino 2-1.
The Swiss Super League match between Thun and Basel scheduled for Saturday was postponed after a fire destroyed the first-team dressing room area at St Jakob-Park, damaging kit and other equipment, Basel said. The fire late on Friday damaged the players’ boots and kit, as well as medical and technical equipment. No one was injured and the reason for the fire was not yet known, the club said.
A statement said: “Due to the damage incurred … and the lack of usable match and medical equipment, FC Basel is unable to play the away match against FC Thun on Saturday.” The league had approved the postponement and a new date would be found, Basel said.
Basel, the defending champions, are fourth in the standings, 18 points behind Thun, the surprise leaders, who have 71 points from 32 games. This weekend’s games are the final ones before the 12-team division splits into two groups of six. Thun, promoted last year, were 12 points ahead at the start of the weekend and are in line for the first title in their history.
