Rob Smyth's Blog, page 112

May 26, 2020

Football quiz: when Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999

Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær saw off Bayern Munich in the last minute but can you remember the details?

Which airliner did United use to fly to Barcelona?

Boeing 747

Learjet 45

Concorde

Easyjet

What was special about the date of the final?

It was Sir Alex Ferguson’s birthday

It was the 31st anniversary of United’s last European Cup win

It would have been Sir Matt Busby’s 90th birthday

It was Erik Nevland’s birthday

Who captained United in the absence of Roy Keane?

Jaap Stam

Ryan Giggs

Denis Irwin

Peter Schmeichel

Who started on the right wing for United?

Ryan Giggs

Jesper Blomqvist

Dwight Yorke

David Beckham

Name the missing United substitute: Raimond van der Gouw, David May, Phil Neville, Wes Brown, Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and …

Jordi Cruyff

Phil Mulryne

Mark Wilson

Jonathan Greening

At half-time, with United 1-0 down, Alex Ferguson told his players that, if they lost, they would have to walk past the European Cup without being able to touch it. Which of Ferguson’s former players gave him the idea for that teamtalk?

Eric Cantona

Bryan Robson

Alex McLeish

Steve Archibald

Who won the corner that led to United’s equaliser?

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

David Beckham

Ryan Giggs

Gary Neville

Who was the last United player to touch the ball before the final whistle?

Nicky Butt

David Beckham

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Ronnie Johnsen

Which Bayern player was Jaap Stam talking about when he said to Ronnie Johnsen during the match: “I’m going to hit the arrogant wanker if he carries on”?

Lothar Matthäus

Stefan Effenberg

Oliver Kahn

Mario Basler

How many times during the Treble season did United come from behind to win or draw a match?

Three

Eight

Which United player had a punch-up with James Edwards, son of the chairman Martin, at the hotel party?

Roy Keane

Ryan Giggs

Peter Schmeichel

Nicky Butt

Before the final, what were the odds on Alex Ferguson being knighted?

10-1

50-1

200-1

1,000-1

1 and above.

Don't worry. It was 21 years ago

2 and above.

Don't worry. It was 21 years ago

3 and above.

Don't worry. It was 21 years ago

4 and above.

Don't worry. It was 21 years ago

5 and above.

You were in front, but lost in the last minute

6 and above.

You were in front, but lost in the last minute

7 and above.

And you have won it

8 and above.

And you have won it

9 and above.

And you have won it

10 and above.

And you have won it

11 and above.

And you have won it

0 and above.

Don't worry. It was 21 years ago

12 and above.

And you have won it

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Published on May 26, 2020 02:29

May 25, 2020

Football quiz: when Liverpool won the Champions League final in 2005

Who replaced Harry Kewell? Who hacked? Who hit the showers?

Take our quiz on the 2012 Champions League final

What was the half-time score?

Milan 2-0 Liverpool

Milan 3-0 Liverpool

Milan 3-1 Liverpool

Milan 3-2 Liverpool

Who was the official Man of the Match?

Steven Gerrard

Hernán Crespo

Kaká

Jerzy Dudek

Five days before the Champions League game, Milan drew 3-3 in their penultimate league game. Who were they playing?

Chievo

Siena

Fiorentina

Palermo

Whose cross led to Steven Gerrard’s goal just after half-time?

Djimi Traoré

John-Arne Riise

Luis García

Xabi Alonso

Who was the youngest member of Liverpool’s starting line-up?

Djimi Traoré

Milan Baros

Xabi Alonso

Harry Kewell

Who was the first Milan player to have a penalty saved by Jerzy Dudek in the shootout?

Andrea Pirlo

Serginho

Jon-Dahl Tomasson

Andriy Shevchenko

What was the combined age of Milan’s back four?

111

121

131

1,131

Who replaced Harry Kewell when he was injured in the first half?

Dietmar Hamann

Vladimir Smicer

Djibril Cissé

Luis García

Which player committed the most fouls during the match?

Jamie Carragher

Sami Hyypia

Steven Gerrard

Milan Baros

Which Liverpool player was in the showers at half-time, thinking he had been substituted, before being told to urgently put his kit back on?

Steve Finnan

John-Arne Riise

Djimi Traoré

Vladimir Smicer

1 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

2 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

3 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

4 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

5 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

6 and above.

You took the opposition to penalties but missed a key spot-kick

7 and above.

You took the opposition to penalties but missed a key spot-kick

8 and above.

You took the opposition to penalties but missed a key spot-kick

9 and above.

You took the opposition to penalties but missed a key spot-kick

0 and above.

You've played as well as Liverpool did ... in the first half

10 and above.

You are the champion of this quiz

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Published on May 25, 2020 02:30

May 24, 2020

Mainz 0-5 RB Leipzig: Bundesliga – as it happened

Timo Werner scored a hat-trick as Leipzig returned to form with a scintillating performance away to Mainz

6.29pm BST

4.21pm BST

Peep peep! Leipzig return to third in the table with a crushing victory. Timo Werner scored a hat-trick, his second of the season against Mainz, with Yussuf Poulsen and Marcel Sabitzer also troubling the scorers. Leipzig were awesome and should have won by more. Thanks for your company - bye!

4.19pm BST

90 min Klostermann makes a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Awoniyi a consolation goal.

4.16pm BST

87 min The lively Awoniyi, who is on loan from Liverpool, wins a corner for Mainz. Martin’s dipping inswinger is headed away on the six-yard line.

4.13pm BST

84 min Awoniyi’s cutback is stabbed just wide of his own goal by Orban. He has looked good since coming on, Awoniyi.

4.12pm BST

83 min The match is starting to peter out.

4.08pm BST

79 min St. Juste is booked for a foul on Halstenberg.

4.07pm BST

78 min Mateta almost gets a consolation goal for Mainz with an ingenious volleyed backheel that swerves just wide of the far post.

4.06pm BST

77 min Believe it or not, the scoreline flatters Mainz. Leipzig have been spectacularly good.

4.05pm BST

Timo Werner gets another hat-trick! Poulsen put him through by driving a quick free-kick over the top of the defence, and Werner lobbed the ball calmly past Muller. That’s his sixth goal of the season against Mainz.

4.04pm BST

74 min Mainz make their last two substitutions - Levin Oztunali and Danny Latza replace Edmilson Fernandes and Karim Osinowo.

4.03pm BST

74 min Werner shoots well wide from long range. He wants a hat-trick, doesn’t he.

4.00pm BST

70 min Leipzig make their final changes. Ademola Lookman and Hannes Wolf replace Christopher Nkuku and the marvellous Kevin Kampl.

3.59pm BST

70 min Werner misses another chance for the hat-trick, clipping a shot just wide from Nkunku’s excellent low cross. He should have scored.

3.58pm BST

68 min Werner, found by a good pass from Olmo, sweeps a first-time shot just wide from 15 yards. He’s one goal away from his second hat-trick of the season against Mainz.

3.54pm BST

65 min Barreiro heads over for Mainz after a nice run and cross from Awoniyi (I think).

3.53pm BST

64 min “SKY SPORTS GERMANY gives their subscribers the option to watch ‘as it is’ or with crowd noise piped in,” says Wolfgang. “That’s why there are two different versions. Don’t ask me how to do this, though, as I am watching on my laptop (‘as it is’) from Portimao on the lovely Algarve of Portugal.”

3.52pm BST

62 min: Kampl has a goal disallowed for offside. It was a lovely finish from 20 yards, but the flag went up about Poulsen even though he didn’t touch the ball. He was probably in Muller’s eyeline, though I suspect Kampl would have scored anyway.

3.50pm BST

61 min Two more substitutions for Mainz as well. Taiwo Awoniyi and Leandro Barreiro replace Kunde Malong and Jean-Paul Boetius.

3.49pm BST

60 min A double change for Leipzig: Dayot Upamecano and the excellent Marcel Sabitzer are replaced by Willi Orban and Tyler Adams.

3.48pm BST

59 min Halstenberg’s fierce long-range shot is pawed away by the diving Muller. This is painfully one-sided.

3.46pm BST

56 min Leipzig’s next game should be a cracker: they’re at home to in-form Hertha on Wednesday.

3.45pm BST

54 min Yet another chance for Leipzig. Werner touches the ball past the outrushing keeper Muller to find Nkunku, whose shot is blocked on the line by the stretching Baku.

3.43pm BST

53 min Quaison’s long-range shot is comfortably saved by Gulacsi.

3.41pm BST

51 min Kampl’s outside-of-the-boot cross is headed over by the stretching Sabitzer. Kampl is a delightful footballer.

3.38pm BST

This is a glorious goal! Kampl twists away from St. Juste, surges forward and plays the ball to Nkunku on the edge of the area. He returns the favour with an insouciant, defence-splitting backheel. Kampl draws the keeper Muller and slips the ball square to give Werner an open goal. That was devastating one-touch football.

3.34pm BST

46 min Leipzig begin the second half. Mainz have made a change: Jean-Philippe Mateta has replaced Jeffrey Bruma.

3.33pm BST

“Morning from the parallel universe that is the USA,” says Alan Kirkup. “Do all the other Bundesliga games have crowd noise piped in? Or is Fox here in the US doing it?”

None of them do, as far as I’m aware, so it must be a TV thing. How peculiar.

3.19pm BST

Peep peep! Leipzig’s frustrating run of draws is coming to an end. They were pretty awesome in that first half – too dynamic, too skilful, too much for Mainz. In fact, the 3-0 scoreline flatters the home side.

3.17pm BST

45 min Nkunku misses a sitter, sliding the ball wide from eight yards after a lovely through pass from Kampl. Leipzig should be at least five goals up.

3.15pm BST

44 min Does anyone know the Bundesliga record for the highest aggregate score in one season? With 45 minutes still to play, Leipzig lead Mainz 11-0 in the 2019-20 season.

3.14pm BST

42 min A substitution for Leipzig. The injured Konrad Laimer, who was excellent at right-back, has been replaced by Nordi Mukiele.

3.11pm BST

39 min A good attack from Mainz. Boetius, on the right, curls a beautiful cross that just evades the stretching Quaison at the far post.

3.09pm BST

Marcel Sabitzer seals victory for Leipzig - already. He won the ball in midfield and led a four-on-three break, with Mainz backpedalling desperately. Nkunku’s close-range shot was brilliantly blocked by Muller, with the ball rebounding to Poulsen on the left of the area. He teed up Sabitzer, who sliced a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

3.08pm BST

35 min Werner is booked for a slightly petultant but essentially harmless foul on Baku. This referee seems a bit fussy.

3.06pm BST

33 min: What a miss from Poulsen! Leipzig should be out of sight. A stunning long pass from Klostermann found Werner in space on the right. He looked up and slid an inviting first-time ball across the face of goal, only for Poulsen to spank it wide from eight yards. He was under pressure from Bruma, but it was still a straightforward chance.

3.03pm BST

33 min Mainz came back from 2-0 down to draw at Cologne last weekend, but it’s hard to see a repeat today. Leipzig are on a different level.

3.03pm BST

32 min Halstenberg curls the free-kick over the bar. That wasn’t a great effort.

3.02pm BST

31 min Bruma is booked for a foul on Poulsen just outside the area.

3.00pm BST

28 min Another opening for Leipzig. Nkunku flicks the ball across the six-yard line towards the unmarked Poulsen, but St. Juste nips in front to boot the ball behind.

2.57pm BST

25 min: Good save from Muller! Leipzig are far too good for Mainz at the moment. Another Sabitzer cross from the right is headed towards the bottom corner by Werner, forcing Muller to scramble across his line and push the ball behind.

2.56pm BST

Yussuf Poulsen scores on his 250th appearance for Leipzig! Sabitzer, on the right, chipped a lovely cross towards Poulsen, who thumped a header through the hands of Muller from six yards.

2.52pm BST

20 min Kunde is booked for tripping Kampl, the third yellow card of the match.

2.51pm BST

20 min Poulsen seems to be okay. He’s still limping a bit but he’s going to continue.

2.50pm BST

18 min Poulsen is down and in a fair bit of pain. His leg got stuck under the body of Niakhate, and he may have damaged ankle ligaments.

2.48pm BST

17 min Another yellow card, this time for Upamecano. He lost the ball in a dangerous area and then tripped Fernandes.

2.47pm BST

16 min A caption on BT Sport confirms that Leipzig have had precisely 70 per cent of the possession so far. They’ve been excellent.

2.45pm BST

13 min Saltzer is booked for a tactical foul on Quaison.

2.44pm BST

12 min It’s been a smooth, dominant start from Leipzig, who must have had at least 65 per cent of the possession.

2.43pm BST

Timo Werner ends his mini-drought by scoring his 22nd of the season. It was made by Laimer, who beat Martin and Quaison on the right before crossing low towards the near post. Werner, who was unmarked as he ran onto the ball, dragged a first-time shot across Muller and into the far corner.

2.41pm BST

8 min Sabitzer drives angled pass towards Halstenberg on the left of the area. He heads it back across towards Poulsen, who is just beaten to the ball by Bruma. A corner to Leipzig, which eventually leads to a 20-yard snapshot from Sabitzer that is blocked.

2.39pm BST

7 min Boetius slides a through ball towards Quaison, who is flagged offside. It was pretty tight, though it didn’t really matter as he overran the ball anyway.

2.36pm BST

4 min Mainz threaten briefly through Onisiwo, who bursts into the area on the right before being crowded out by Upamecano and Klostermann.

2.35pm BST

3 min Halstenberg’s cross flashes across the penalty area, just in front of Poulsen. It’s been a good start from Leipzig, who look very confident in possession.

2.34pm BST

2 min Leipzig are playing a back four, with Marcel Halstenberg at left-back, rather than the 3-1-4-2 formation we expected.

2.32pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Mainz, in red, kick off from left to right. Leipzig are wearing their navy away strip.

2.21pm BST

Schalke 0-3 Augsburg is the final score in Gelsenkirchen. That’s a cracking result for Augsburg, who move up to 12th in the table. The less said about Schalke the better.

2.18pm BST

Leipzig could do with a goal or three from Timo Werner today. He’s scored 21 league goals this season - but 18 of them came before Christmas.

2.08pm BST

In the early game, Augsburg are on course for a terrific win at Schalke: they lead 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

1.45pm BST

Some pre-match reading

1.41pm BST

Mainz (3-4-2-1) Muller; St. Juste, Bruma, Niakhate; Baku, Kunde, Fernandes, Martin; Boetius, Quaison; Onisiwo.
Substitutes Dahmen, Latza, Oztunali, Mateta, Ji, Brosinski, Awoniyi, Barreiro, Hack.

Leipzig (3-1-4-2) Gulacsi; Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg; Laimer; Sabitzer, Kampl, Nkunku, Olmo; Werner, Poulsen.
Substitutes Mvogo, Angelino, Orban, Haidara, Adams, Lookman, Wolf, Schick, Mukiele.

1.22pm BST

Hello. At the end of January, RB Leipzig were top of the table, dreaming of winning the Bundesliga for the first time in their short history. They are unbeaten since then, yet they’ve dropped down to fifth in the table. Leipzig are a case study in the dangers of the draw, with five in their last seven games.

It looks like a typical example of an outsider title challenge fading away, but that’s not necessarily the case. All five draws were against teams in the top seven, including an excellent away point at Bayern Munich, so Leipzig’s form is not as bad as it seems. It also means they have a really favourable run-in.

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Published on May 24, 2020 08:22

May 23, 2020

Bayern Munich 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt: Bundesliga – as it happened

The leaders Bayern strolled to victory over Frankfurt, whose defender Martin Hinteregger scored twice at the right end and once in his own net

7.26pm BST

7.23pm BST

Peep peep! Bayern restore their four-point lead with an ultimately comfortable victory. Apart from a weird 10-minute spell in which Frankfurt threatened to come back from 3-0 down, Bayern were much the better side. They go into Tuesday’s big match at Dortmund in spectacular form, having won 16 of their last 17 games in all competitions. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

7.20pm BST

88 min Glyn Atwal points out that Frankfurt still lead 7-6 on aggregate against Bayern this season. And they have two away goals, so Bayern need to score twice in the last few minutes if they want the full revenge experience.

7.16pm BST

85 min Two changes for Bayern: Joshua Zirkzee and Mickael Cuisance replaces the subdued Coman and the excellent Kimmich.

7.15pm BST

84 min Toure, in all sorts of space, brings a smart save from Neuer with a crisp low shot from the edge of the area. Bayern’s defending since half-time has been very half-arsed, though that might be because they relaxed when Lewandowski made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half.

7.14pm BST

84 min This win restores Bayern’s four-point lead over Dortmund with seven games remaining. The two teams meet in a humdinger on Tuesday evening.

7.14pm BST

83 min: Kostic hits the post! What a brilliant effort. He surged forward from the halfway line, swerved away from a defender and drove a fine low shot from 25 yards that beat Neuer and clattered off the inside of the post.

7.12pm BST

83 min It feels like Bayern haven’t been at their best tonight, yet they could have scored eight or nine. I’m not sure what this means.

7.11pm BST

81 min “Hi Rob,” says Peter Oh. “Stick a fork in the Frankfurters, they’re done. Man of the match performance by Hinteregger though. Imperfect hat trick and a booking.”

If he’s truly serious about being the answer to a popular quiz question for decades to come, he needs to add a second own-goal or a second yellow card in the last 10 minutes.

7.08pm BST

78 min The relentless Davies touches the ball past the keeper Trapp and towards Lewandowski, only for Ilsanker to charge back and wallop the ball behind for a corner.

7.07pm BST

77 min “The Kaiser, as he is known in Germany, was asked by the press here if he was looking forward to being one of only 10 guests at the stadium,” says Tony. “He replied, yes, because at a normal game he’s constantly asked questions about the game & football in general. Hmm, he doesn’t like answering questions about football...”

7.06pm BST

76 min More Frankfurt changes: Erik Durm and Bas Dost replace da Costa and Andre Silva.

7.05pm BST

Hinteregger gets his third goal of the game, but this one is in the wrong net. Gnabry, put through by Alaba’s long pass, touched the ball past the outrushing Trapp in the direction of Muller. It was intercepted by Hinteregger, who unwittingly knocked the ball off his standing foot and into the net.

7.03pm BST

73 min And now a Bayern substitution. Jerome Boateng is replaced by Lucas Hernandez.

7.02pm BST

71 min A double change for Frankfurt. Djibril Sow and Daichi Kamada replace Rode and Gacinovic.

7.01pm BST

70 min Dortmund will be encouraged by Bayern’s scruffy defending in the second half. As you’re doubtless aware, the two teams meet on Tuesday.

6.59pm BST

68 min: Vital save by Neuer! Frankfurt are still attacking with puppy-dog enthusiasm. Andre Silva’s clever backheel sets up Gacinovic, whose fierce close-range shot is superbly blocked to his right by Neuer. Gacinovic should have scored.

6.57pm BST

67 min “PHONSIE!!!” says Liz in Canada, before adding some emojis that I don’t understand.

6.57pm BST

66 min Bayern are hungry for a few more goals. The substitute Gnabry plays a nice through pass to Coman, whose close-range shot brings a fine reaction save from Trapp.

6.55pm BST

65 min Bayern make their first change: Perisic off, Serge Gnabry on.

6.53pm BST

It was fun while it lasted. Alphonso Davies has ended Frankfurt’s stirring fightback by scoring Bayern’s fourth. He surged infield from the left but then gave the ball to Gelson Fernandes on the edge of the area. Happily for Davies, Fernandes then played a loose square pass between two Frankfurt defenders. Davies, who had kept going, ran round the ball and clipped it past Trapp with his right foot.

6.51pm BST

60 min It’s all Frankfurt at the moment! Kostic scarpers down the left and clips a dangerous cross that is headed away by Davies.

6.50pm BST

59 min “Bayern are allowed 10 guests,” says Tony. “Why Beckenbauer is fit enough to watch football but not fit enough to stand trial is anyone’s guess.”

Because they are two different things?

6.48pm BST

58 min That’s Hinteregger’s eighth league goal of the season. Not quite Derek Mountfield territory, but still extremely good going for a centre-back.

6.46pm BST

He’s done it again! Rode swiung the corner towards the near post, where Hinteregger rose majestically to flick a header off the far post and into the net.

6.45pm BST

55 min Andre Silva wins a corner for Frankfurt, who have a spring in their step all of a sudden.

6.43pm BST

Well, nobody saw that coming. A Frankfurt corner was headed up in the air by the backpedalling Hinteregger, who had time to run after his own touch and bobble a volley past Neuer. That was very sloppy from Bayern.

6.41pm BST

50 min Another chance for Bayern. Muller’s very deep cross from the right picks out Perisic, whose flying header hits the side netting at the near post.

6.39pm BST

48 min “Rob,” says Paul. “Please explain to me why Franz Beckenbauer, recovering from a heart operation (and main witness, excused by his illness, in the World Cup scandal of 2006) has been allowed to sit and watch the match. Can Bayern just invite a limited amount of guests or is something incorrect going on?”

Erm, I have no idea. You’re welcome!

6.38pm BST

Robert Lewandowski scores in the first minute of the second half. It was a relatively simple finish for him, a stooping header from Coman’s lobbed cross. That’s his 41st goal of the season!

6.36pm BST

46 min Frankfurt begin the second half. They’ve made a half-time substitution: Timothy Chandler on, Evan N’Dicka off.

6.30pm BST

“We’re a modest people,” says Liz White of her cautious praise for Alphonso Davies. “I hope I get to cheer him on in a World Cup.”

6.20pm BST

Peep peep! As expected, Bayern have been far too good for Eintracht Frankfurt. They lead through two accomplished finishes from Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller. It could easily be three or four: Robert Lewandowski hit the bar and Kevin Trapp made a handful of saves. I’ll be back in 10 minutes to find out whether Bayern can fully avenge their 5-1 defeat in the return match.

6.17pm BST

45 min “That Canadian kid’s doing all right,” says Liz in Canada of the Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies.

All right? He is magnificent.

6.14pm BST

GOAL GIVEN! Bayern 2-0 Frankurt.

6.14pm BST

42 min There’s a VAR check for offside against Muller. It’s tight but I think he’s okay.

6.13pm BST

Game over. Alphonso Davies curls a cross from the left that bounces awkwardly in front of Muller at the near post. He controls it beautifully and then cracks a close-range volley past Trapp.

6.10pm BST

38 min The resulting corner, swung out towards the penalty spot by Kimmich, is headed just wide of the far post by Lewandowski. Bayern could easily be 3-0 up.

6.09pm BST

37 min Alaba’s wobbling long-range shot is pushed behind by Trapp.

6.07pm BST

35 min A lovely dummy from Lewandowski allows the ball to run through to Coman, whose shot deflects behind off N’Dicka. Hinteregger was booked for taking Lewandowski out off the ball with a hand to the face.

6.05pm BST

33 min Hinteregger, the centre-back, lumbers forward and has a pop from 30 yards. Goalkick to Bayern.

6.01pm BST

30 min Frankfurt have not played badly, for the most part, but they look bereft in the final third.

5.58pm BST

26 min Bayern’s front three, especially Lewandowski and Perisic, look a little bit rusty. Their midfielders have been terrific, though, particularly Kimmich.

5.57pm BST

24 min A quiet spell in the game.

5.53pm BST

21 min Perisic’s 20-yard shot is comfortably saved by Trapp. He should have played it to Lewandowski.

5.52pm BST

20 min Frankfurt have responded pretty well to the goal. Gacinovic breaks into space on the right and crosses towards Andre Silva at the far post. It’s slightly overhit, though, and Silva volleys wide on the stretch.

5.51pm BST

19 min Kimmich shoots high over the bar from distance.

5.50pm BST

18 min At the other end, Rode shoots well wide from 20 yards.

5.49pm BST

It’s been coming. Perisic plays the ball down the left to Muller, who scoots into the box and cuts the ball back towards the edge of the area. Lewandowski lets it run past him and into the path of Goretzka, who opens his body and slams the bouncing ball into the roof of the net. Lovely goal.

5.47pm BST

14 min: Another chance for Bayern! Kimmich plays a give-and-go with Muller on the right, looks up and floats a cross into the area. Pavard rises above the Frankfurt defence on the six-yard line but thumps his header straight at Trapp. He should have scored.

5.45pm BST

12 min: Chance for Perisic! Bayern are starting to threaten. Kimmich, 40 yards from goal, kissed a delightful pass over the defence to pick out Perisic, who made a fine angled run from the left. Perisic stretched to volley first time - but it was straight at Trapp.

5.44pm BST

11 min: Lewandowski hits the bar! The corner ran all the way across the area to Lewandowski, 15 yards from goal. He swept a ferocious first-time shot with his left foot that beat Trapp and clattered off the crossbar.

5.43pm BST

11 min Perisic finds the maraduing Davies down the left. He moves into the area, cuts back on his right foot and tries to slide the ball into Lewandowski. A Frankfurt defender - NO I DON’T KNOW WHICH ONE - gets back and puts the ball behind for a corner. From which...

5.41pm BST

8 min Bayern appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Kimmich’s corner is flicked on by Muller and hits a Frankfurt defender on the chest or arm. Even if it did hit the arm, it was in a natural position and he was only a couple of yards away from Muller.

5.38pm BST

6 min Frankfurt have made a decent start and are pressing high up the pitch when they can. It’s a brave approach, I’ll give them that.

5.36pm BST

4 min Kimmich loses the ball just outside the Bayern area, but makes up for his error by blocking Gacinovic’s shot. At the other end, Coman scoots away from N’Dicka and falls over, but no free-kick is given. I think there was contact from N’Dicka, albeit unintentional.

5.35pm BST

3 min Nothing to report so far. Bayern, as you’d expect, have started omn the front foot.

5.32pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Bayern, in red, kick off from right to left. Frankfurt are in white.

5.26pm BST

Wolfsburg 0-2 Dortmund

Here’s more on this afternoon’s win for Dortmund, which puts them one point behind the leaders Bayern, at least for a couple of hours.

4.42pm BST

Bayern Munich (4-3-3) Neuer; Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Muller, Kimmich, Goretzka; Coman, Lewandowski, Perisic.
Substitutes: Ulreich, Odriozola, Martinez, Cuisance, Hernandez, Gnabry, Mai, Batista, Meier, Zirkzee.

Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2-3-1) Trapp; Toure, Ilsanker, Hinteregger, N’Dicka; Gelson Fernandes, Rode; da Costa, Gacinovic, Kostic; Andre Silva.
Substitutes: Ronnow, Hasebe, Durm, de Guzman, Sow, Kamada, Torro, Chandler, Dost.

4.32pm BST

These are the final scores in the early games, including excellent away wins for Dortmund, Bremen and Leverkusen:

11.30am BST

Bayern Munich want more than just three points today. They would like a bit of the old revenge for their humiliation at the Commerzbank-Arena in November, when they were plugged 5-1 by today’s opponents Eintracht Frankfurt. It was Bayern’s biggest league defeat for a decade and led, inevitably, to the sacking of Niko Kovac. Great teams don’t forget days like that.

Frankfurt were a point behind Bayern after that match. Sixteen games later, there are 30 points between the sides. While Bayern have been relentless under their new manager Hansi Flick, Frankfurt are in danger of sleepwalking towards a relegation battle.

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Published on May 23, 2020 11:26

May 22, 2020

Hertha Berlin 4-0 Union Berlin: Bundesliga – as it happened

The 35-year-old Vedad Ibisevic inspired a thumping win for Hertha in the Berlin derby, with all four goals coming in the second half

9.53pm BST

9.22pm BST

Peep peep! The Berlin derby ends in a thumping win for Hertha, with all four goals coming in the second half. Union could not handle the rugged Vedad Ibisevic, who scored the first goal and set up classy finishes from Dodi Lukebakio and Matheus Cunha. A late header from Dedryck Boyata turned a comfortable win into a rout.

Hertha are going places; Union will be looking over their shoulder for the next few weeks. Thanks for your company - goodnight!

9.20pm BST

90 min Two minutes of added time.

9.14pm BST

86 min Union Berlin haven’t had a shot on target all night. If they lose their next game, at home to struggling Mainz, they could go into freefall.

9.12pm BST

84 min Hertha have a tough run-in, with four of the last seven games against teams in the top five. But they will go into the first of those matches, away to Leipzig on Wednesday, with a bit of a strut.

9.09pm BST

81 min Dilrosun curls the free-kick over the bar.

9.09pm BST

80 min Two more Hertha substitutions before the free-kick is taken. Arne Maier and Lazar Samardzic replace Darida and Skjelbred.

9.08pm BST

80 min The substitute Dilrosun is fouled 25 yards from goal. Union are desperate to hear the final whistle.

9.07pm BST

It’s a rout. The excellent Plattenhardt curls a fine, dipping corner towards the far post, where Boyata eases Friedrich aside and thumps a header past Gikiewicz.

9.04pm BST

75 min More Hertha changes. The big signing Kyzysztof Piatek replaces old man Ibisevic, who scored one and made two, and Javairo Dilrosun replaces Lukebakio.

9.02pm BST

74 min Trimmel’s shot is blocked by Plattenhardt.

9.02pm BST

73 min This win moves Hertha up to 10th in the table, and on current form - two 3-0s since the Bundesliga restart - they will be eyeing a Europa League place. They are five points behind sixth-placed Wolfsburg, who play Dortmund tomorrow.

9.00pm BST

72 min Union make their final changes: Felix Kroos and Sebastian Polter replace Andersson and Andrich.

8.59pm BST

70 min Based on this performance it could be a long few weeks for Union Berlin. They should have enough credit in the bank to avoid a relegation battle, though that’s not guaranteed. At the moment they are seven points ahead of Dusseldorf in 16th.

8.58pm BST

69 min “Hey Rob,” says J.R. in Illinois. “Just wanted to let you know that after Lukebakio’s goal our co-announcer here on Fox in the U.S., Lutz Pfannenstiel, said, ‘He’s calm like a cucumber.’ That livened up my day.”

I don’t like criticising other journalists for things like that, it can create a little dysentery among the ranks.

8.56pm BST

67 min Grujic is booked for a tactical foul on Promel (I think).

8.56pm BST

66 min “I’m here as well as Colin! And Liz!” says Simon in Dorset. “Attempting to make a pizza and see Hertha updates. Hertha my adopted team after visiting amazing stadium on last Berlin trip. Much to dismay of German friends who are Bayern fans. I’d have a pint with Ibisevic.”

8.55pm BST

66 min The impressive Cunha is replaced by Maximilian Mittelstadt.

8.55pm BST

65 min Cunha dances into the area and picks out Plattenhardt, whose shot is blocked. Union Berlin, who defended excellently in the first half, look shattered.

8.53pm BST

63 min More changes for Union: Julian Ryerson and Yunus Malli replace Reichel and Bulter.

8.52pm BST

62 min Cunha started that move with some playground skills on the left side of the penalty area. He flicked the ball up for Lukebakio, who missed an attempted overhead kick. But the ball ran to Ibisevic, who laid it off for Cunha to run round the ball and guide it past Gikiewicz.

8.50pm BST

Make that 3-0! Cunha, teed up on the edge of the box by Ibisevic, drills a fine low shot into the far corner. He became a father for the first time last week, and the team celebrate with a Bebeto baby.

8.49pm BST

60 min Union look like a team who came for a 0-0, maybe a 1-0 win, and don’t know what the hell to do now they’re 2-0 down.

8.48pm BST

60 min “You do have readers but many of us don’t believe we have anything particularly interesting to say,” says Bill Ireland. “I am curious to see how this plays out. Is it going to be easier or harder for Union to claw back in a stadium that doesn’t have fans to provide energy? I am also curious to see how players keep fitness and avoid injury after their long layoff.”

The games I’ve seen so far have faded towards the end, even with five substitutes, although that might be because one team was so far ahead.

8.47pm BST

58 min Cunha drives well wide from long range.

8.45pm BST

57 min Union make their first change, with Anthony Ujah replacing Ingvartsen.

8.44pm BST

55 min Ibisevic, who turns 36 in August, has had a whale of a time since spring break: two games, two goals and one assist.

8.42pm BST

53 min “Finally, a little music during half time!” says Liz White. “I was getting ready to set off a flare in my living room for atmosphere.”

Ach, I missed that while getting a coffee. Was it Seven Nation Army, the exciting new release from emerging rock band the White Stripes?

8.42pm BST

Two in a minute for Hertha! What a nightmare for Union. One moment they kicked off, the next they were 2-0 down. Ibisevic turned smartly on the halfway line and played a straight pass to put Lukebakio through on goal. Gikiewicz charged from his line but Lukebakio moved smoothly round him to score. That’s a really good finish.

8.40pm BST

That’s a terrific goal! Plattenhardt, on the left, shaped a beautiful cross to the near post, where Ibisevic got across Hubner and thumped a header past the wrong-footed Gikiewicz.

8.38pm BST

49 min “I am here, Rob,” says Colin Flint, “but I’m only keeping a quarter of an eye on the game and MBM. I’m in the closing stages of Ted Lewis’s GBH. I’m just not sure about it. Any help from the readership?”

Colin, you are the readership.

8.37pm BST

48 min Union surge down the other end and almost nick the lead. Andrich gets to the byline in the area and cuts tbe ball back to Bulmer, whose shot is blocked by the stretching Boyata.

8.36pm BST

47 min: Another excellent save from Gikiewicz! Jeez he is good in one-on-one situations. Cunha put Lukebakio through with a nice pass, and he clipped a shot that was superbly blocked by the left hand of Gikiewicz. It wouldn’t have counted as Lukebakio was offside, though Gikiewicz didn’t know that at the time. He comes off his line so quickly.

8.34pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Union begin the second half, kicking from left to right.

8.32pm BST

Anyone out there? Well?

8.18pm BST

Half-time joy

8.17pm BST

Peep peep! Even the referee is bored: he allows one second of added time before blowing the whistle. Not quite Wolf-Dieter Ahlenfelder levels of timekeeping, but a fair comment on a forgettable start to this Berlin derby. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

8.15pm BST

44 min The free-kick is 25 yards out, a fair way to the left of centre. Andrich strolls up to the ball and curls a lovely effort that brushes the roof of the net as Jarstein flies desperately across goal.

8.14pm BST

43 min Lukebakio is booked for a high tackle on Reichel. That looked a bit harsh.

8.12pm BST

41 min The match has picked up in the last few minutes, just in time for the half-time break.

8.11pm BST

39 min At the other end Trimmel crosses from the right towards Andersson, whose volley deflects behind. Trimmel drives the corner low away from goal, the old Sheringham/Anderton routine, but it’s intercepted by a Hertha defender. No, I don’t know which one.

8.09pm BST

39 min Cunha cuts infield from the right, then zips back outside his man and and drives a low shot that is well held by the tumbling Gikiewicz. I don’t think it would have counted, as Cunha looked offside in the build up, but Hertha will be encouraged with his increasing involvement in the game.

8.07pm BST

35 min Yet another free-kick. It’s been a horrible, stop-start game so far, a great advert for Elna Sewing Machine New Launch on the Create & Craft channel.

8.04pm BST

34 min Plattenhardt’s excellent free-kick is headed away with impressive authority by Freidrich. For all their attacking limitations, Union are a very accomplished defensive team.

8.03pm BST

32 min Ingvartsen is off the field, receiving treatment for a burst mooth after an accidental karate chop from Darida. They both went for a high ball, and Darida’s arm swung round to hit Ingvartsen in the face.

8.01pm BST

31 min I’m starting to get the impression Union might be happy with a 0-0 draw.

8.00pm BST

30 min See 25 min.

7.59pm BST

29 min Ibisevic, who has been putting himself about, is penalised for a late tackle on Hubner.

7.58pm BST

28 min The resulting corner is headed well wide by Grujic, leaping near the penalty spot. He couldn’t get over the ball.

7.58pm BST

27 min Another good save from Gikiewicz. Ibisevic slid a low cross towards the near post, where Cunha flicked the ball daintily behind his standing leg. Gikiewicz was well positioned and pushed the shot behind.

7.56pm BST

25 min It’s not a classic so far.

7.52pm BST

21 min Grujic whistles a shot over the bar from 30 yards. Hertha are starting to look more dangerous though.

7.51pm BST

18 min Fine save by Gikiewicz! A Hertha goalkick was headed on by Ibisevic into the path of Lukebakio, whose pace took him away from the defence and through on goal. He charged into the area and hit a low right-footed shot that was superbly blocked by the outrushing Gikiewicz.

7.48pm BST

16 min Trimmel wins a corner for Union, which he’ll obviously take himself. Eventually. Before it is taken, Torunarigha goes down holding his face after a hand-off from Andersson. Eventually Trimmel curls a dangerous, dipping outswinger that is cleared by Boyata just in front of Friedrich.

7.46pm BST

15 min The young Brazilian Matheus Cunha, playing from the left tonight, has struggled to get in the game in the first 15 minutes.

7.45pm BST

14 min Trimmel’s free-kick from the right loops off the head of a Hertha defender and is headed onto the roof of the net by Bulter. It wasn’t really a chance.

7.43pm BST

12 min Still no chances for either side. Hertha have been the more confident team in possession, though there isn’t much in the game.

7.40pm BST

9 min Parensen is booked for a tactical foul on Darida, who was leading a Hertha counter-attack.

7.38pm BST

6 min It’s been a lively start from Hertha. Even in an empty stadium, this does feel like a derby. I might be imagining it, or it might be the acoustics of this huge stadium, but it feels like there is much more noise from the players than there was last weekend.

7.35pm BST

5 min “Er,” begins Colin Flint, “they just changed ends before the game... in an empty stadium!”

Is that weird? I have no idea what’s what any more.

7.35pm BST

4 min A dangerous break down the right from Lukebakio. He stabs the ball across the area to Darida, but he lets the ball run across is body and is dispossessed.

7.34pm BST

3 min Grujic is penalised for a high foot on Promel, prompting some loud complaints from the Union players and bench.

7.31pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Hertha, in the usual blue-and-white stripes, kick off from left to right. Union are in red.

7.30pm BST

The players are out on the field. All are wearing black armbands, and there will be a minute’s silence to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of people who have died from Covid-19.

6.58pm BST

Pre-match entertainment

6.38pm BST

Union’s leading scorer Sebastian Andersson, who was on the bench against Bayern, returns to the starting line-up. Hertha make one change from the team that trounced Hoffenheim: Vladimir Darida replaces Maximilian Mittelstadt.

Hertha Berlin (4-2-3-1) Jarstein; Pekarik, Boyata, Torunarigha, Plattenhardt; Grujic, Skjelbred; Lukebakio, Darida, Cunha; Ibisevic.
Substitutes: Smarsch, Klunter, Mittelstadt, Dardai, Dilrosun, Maier, Samardzic, Piatek, Ngankam.

6.07pm BST

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin from the Olympiastadion. This is both a football match and a social experiment: in the next few hours we should find out whether the lack of a crowd affects the traditional intensity of a derby game.

The return fixture in November, which Union won 1-0, was played in a spectacular and occasionally malevolent atmosphere. Flares won’t stop play tonight, and we won’t see Union’s keeper Rafal Gikiewicz dissuading the Union ultras from coming onto the field. But this is still a huge occasion, the first time Hertha have ever hosted Union in the Bundesliga.

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Published on May 22, 2020 13:22

The Fiver | Doing unto football as Justin Timberlake did unto sexy

Week two, and they’re still playing football in Germany. A big part of The Fiver, the part that doesn’t answer the door to anyone selling positive news, assumed there would be a load of positive tests after last weekend’s matches. We thought we’d be spending Friday night watching a repeat of a rewatch of a replay from the 1990s. Instead we’ll have our peepers fixed firmly on the Berlin derby, Hertha v Union, which kicks off another weekend of Bundesliga action.

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Published on May 22, 2020 07:56

May 19, 2020

Manchester United v Galatasaray, 1993 – podcast

A new series from The Guardian, featuring the best stories from the beautiful game that you may never have heard before, written by some of the world’s leading sports journalists, and spanning more than 100 years of sporting history from across the footballing planet. In this episode: few had expected much from Galatasaray in the European Cup, but United were out of their depth on the pitch amid terrifying hostility and harassment off it

Episode one: farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics Continue reading...

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Published on May 19, 2020 21:00

Forgotten stories of football: Manchester United v Galatasaray, 1993 – podcast

Episode one: farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics Continue reading...

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Published on May 19, 2020 21:00

May 18, 2020

Werder Bremen 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen: Bundesliga – as it happened

The superb Kai Havertz scored twice in the first half as Leverkusen’s exciting young side strolled to victory in Bremen

9.25pm BST

Well, that’s all for tonight’s blog. It was enjoyable enough, and with each passing game it feels a little less strange. See you at the weekend, all being well, for another round of matches. Thanks for your company - goodnight!

9.24pm BST

“I note the cameras cut away from the last celebration,” says Liz White. “Playing football probably isn’t, strictly speaking, safe. In Germany where there’s less community transmission, it’s possibly safe-ish. I guess since football is one of the most visible re-openings, it’s good for them to model not hugging and jumping all over each other.”

Aren’t they all being tested every day? I know what you mean about the celebrations but they have generally been very restrained. Every now and then, players are going to forget themselves in the excitement of the moment. I’m not sure you can eradicate that.

9.21pm BST

Leverkusen pick up where they left off before spring break with a crushing victory. Kai Havertz scored two first-half headers, Mitchell Weiser added another and Kerem Demirbay finished things off with a lovely goal. Bremen were not dreadful; they were just outclassed.

9.19pm BST

90 min Two minutes.

9.18pm BST

89 min Baumgartlinger’s cross is shanked towards his own goal by Maximilian Eggestein, forcing Pavlenka to change direction and tip it over the bar. That was a fine reaction save.

9.15pm BST

87 min Tapsoba sets Leverkusen on the counter with a smooth interception and pass out of defence. He looks a fine prospect, although tonight hasn’t been the stiffest test.

9.14pm BST

85 min More substitutions.

9.10pm BST

81 min After a slow start, Leverkusen have been really impressive. They’ve now won 13 of their last 15 games in all competitions and are only a point behind RB Leipzig in fourth.

9.07pm BST

Lovely goal. The substitute Bellarabi moves infield from the right and flicks a no-look through pass with the outside of the right foot to find Demirbay in the area. He waits for Pavlenka to go down and dinks the ball gently over him.

9.05pm BST

77 min “Looks like compliance with the ‘non-contact’ celebration rule didn’t last very long,” says Ron Stack. “Hard to tell the difference between pre- and post-lockdown versions after Leverkusen’s last goal. Doubt it will be much different when PL restarts. Not being prudish here, but it makes the football organizations look unserious, and their plans unrealistic.”

I’m probably missing something, but I don’t understand the fuss over celebrations. Either the game is safe, in which case they can celebrate goals with a game of Twister if they like, or it isn’t. That said, it does still feel like a big problem is lurking in plain sight, presumably to reveal itself the moment the Premier League resumes.

9.04pm BST

76 min Friedl is booked for a foul on Bellarabi.

9.03pm BST

75 min Johannes Eggestein moves into the area, chops back onto his left foot and has a shot blocked. Bremen have had their moments, despite being outclassed by a fine Leverkusen side, and based on tonight I wouldn’t write them off as relegation certainties.

9.00pm BST

72 min “Your 53rd minute reference to that German player ‘breaking dangerous’ gives me an idea for a Netflix series,” says Ian Copestake.

Is it like The A-Team?

9.00pm BST

71 min Two more changes for Bremen: Joshua Sargent and Nick Woltemade replace Bittencourt and Selke. And another for Leverkusen: Julian Baumgartlinger replaces Amiri. Hit the music.

8.58pm BST

70 min The resulting corner, curled in from the right by Demirbay, skims off the head of a Bremen defender at the near post and flies just wide of the far post.

8.58pm BST

69 min Havertz, who is on a hat-trick, clips a shot that deflects just wide off Gebre Selassie.

8.56pm BST

66 min Sinkgraven’s sharp low cross finds Bailey, who whips a shot into the side netting at the near post. This could get ugly for Bremen.

8.54pm BST

64 min Bellarabi’s stinging low shot is palmed away by Pavlenka, but only to Havertz, whose follow-up shot is blocked.

8.53pm BST

63 min A couple of changes for Leverkusen: Leon Nailey and Karim Bellarabi replace Moussa Diaby and the 17-year-old debutant Florian Wirtz. Diaby was terrific, making two goals; Wirtz, though understandably peripheral, produced a few touches of class.

8.52pm BST

62 min Just before the goal, the impressive Gebre Selassie’s cross fell just behind the flat-footed Selke. And moments after the goal, Maximilian Eggestein shot wide from the edge of the area after an inviting cutback from Selke. He should have done better there, though he might have slipped as he made contact.

8.51pm BST

Moments after Bremen almost equalise, Leverkusen double their lead. It was again created by Diaby, who teased a lofted cross towards the six-yard line from the left side of the area. The right-back Mitchell Weiser, arriving late, slammed a downward header past Pavlenka.

8.47pm BST

59 min There has been a difference in class throughout this game, and it feels like a matter of time before Leverkusen get a third.

8.45pm BST

57 min “Another good idea from hockey: an organ player!” says Liz White. “Every arena has an organ player to lead the crowd between plays. One organist used to play Three Blind Mice as the ref and linesmen took the ice. I await your comment.”

I’ve heard worse. (NB: clip contains adult language.)

8.45pm BST

56 min Vogt waves an elbow in the direction of Amiri - it didn’t really connect - and then has words with the Leverkusen bench. He’s not exactly high on life right now.

8.43pm BST

54 min The first substitution: Johannes Eggestein, whose brother Maximilian is already on the pitch, replaces Bargfrede for Bremen.

8.42pm BST

53 min Moisander is booked for a foul on Havertz, who was breaking dangerous down the right. Havertz is still only 20. Germany have found another one, haven’t they.

8.39pm BST

49 min A poor touch from Demirbay ends a promising attack from Leverkusen, who have made a fast start to the second half.

8.37pm BST

48 min “We should spare a thought,” says Ian Copestake, “for those frontline workers in the commentary box having to decide whether to go full redbull and fill the silence with inanities or just do a snooker commentary. Oh and that’s a bad miss.”

It must be even harder when they’re commentating from home, forever living in fear that the doorbell will ring and the dog will go off on one.

8.37pm BST

47 min Leverkusen almost grab a third. Diaby’s through ball finds Havertz on the left of the box; his attempted cutback is blocked by the keeper Pavlenka, and then Demirbay’s follow-up cross is headed clear.

8.35pm BST

46 min Good play from Eggestein, who slaloms past a defender on the edge of the Leverkusen box and hits a shot that is blocked by Sven Bender.

8.34pm BST

46 min “Clubs using this crisis as an opportunity to introduce music during the match is worrying,” says Colin Flint. “You can see it happening for substitutions with each player getting to choose their theme tune. I think baseball players had/have this when they come up to bat. Music already destroys the atmosphere. I can’t stand the blaring of ‘Blaydon Races just before kick-off at St James’ Park as you can’t hear the crowd.”

What’s the harm in a bit of music to announce every change, in association with our official substitution partner?

8.34pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Bremen begin the second half.

8.19pm BST

Half-time reading

8.19pm BST

Peep peep! Leverkusen lead through two headers from the prolific Kai Havertz, who is playing up front tonight. They have dominated possession throughout, though Bremen have had their moments on the counter-attack and Leonardo Bittencourt should have equalised shortly before half-time.

8.17pm BST

45 min Or perhaps not. Gebre Selassie flashes a dangerous ball across the face of goal, just in front of Rashica; and then Selke’s hopeful long-range header loops over the bar.

8.16pm BST

45 min Bremen look like they need the half-time break. They’ve spent most of the half shuffling left and right, trying to keep their defensive shape.

8.15pm BST

44 min “I haven’t been this enthused about German Football since I found out about the phrase ‘Die Mannschaft’,” says Matt Dony. “Actually, that’s a lie. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bundesliga, but I try not to sound like a hipster. (That ship might have sailed.)

“I still can’t think of Leverkusen without seeing Ballack on the edge of the area, dummying a shot on his right, and Gerrard buying the dummy with such ferocious commitment he’d almost left the stadium by the time Ballack scored with his left. A sad memory, but it led indirectly to THAT Zidane volley. So I guess it all worked out in the end.”

8.14pm BST

43 min Sven Bender is booked for a hapless lunge at Bittencourt.

8.11pm BST

39 min: Bittencourt misses a great chance! Bremen should be level. Veljkovic played a fine pass, straight down the middle, to put Bittencourt through on goal. He took the ball nicely in his stride on the edge of the area but then smashed his shot into orbit.

8.10pm BST

39 min “Watching in Canada,” says Eli Whi. “In hockey games, there’s music every time play stops until it resumes (new song each time, not a whole song in snippets. Rarely Seven Nation Army.) Of course there’s more stops because there’s a faceoff each time the goalie holds the puck. Maybe something like that. If they play music all the time, it’d be too much like a school fun day.”

We can’t be having music during the match, surely. Anyway, I think we’ll adjust to the lack of atmosphere pretty quickly.

8.08pm BST

38 min Rashica cuts infield from the left and shoots a few yards wide.

8.06pm BST

35 min “Another solution would be to pipe the crowd noise from a previous match,” says Colin Flint. “But would the crowd’s reaction to that game dictate the outcome of the current one? Would, say, using crowd noise from a certain Newcastle-Arsenal game force a tempo producing a 4-4 thriller. Would piping in a dreary 0-0 game produce another insipid match. One for the meta-physicians, perhaps?”

8.06pm BST

34 min Havertz’s second goal was another header, it says here, a simple finish from Demirbay’s free-kick.

8.05pm BST

Havertz has scored his second! At least the internet tells me he has!

8.04pm BST

32 min We’re having some technical problems. What can you do, eh? Miss a third goal, that’s what!

8.02pm BST

It was a fine finish from the right back Theodor Gebre Selassie. He got in front of his man at the near post to meet Battencourt’s low corner and flicked it deftly past Hradecky.

8.01pm BST

Bremen equalise straight away!

7.59pm BST

Kai Havertz gives Leverkusen the lead! He’d barely touched the ball in the first 27 minutes. It was made by Moussa Diaby, who beat his man with ease on the right and stood up a deep cross to the far post. Havertz, who had to backpedal to meet the ball, steered a good header past Pavlenka.

7.58pm BST

27 min Another corner for Leverkusen. This one is taken short and returned to Amiri, whose low shot from ther left edge of the box is palmed round the near post by the diving Pavlenka. It was a comfortable enough save.

7.56pm BST

26 min Leverkusen win their first corner (I think). It’s headed away.

7.55pm BST

24 min Demirbay tries to play a give-and-go on the edge of the Bremen area but the return pass is intercepted. Bremen’s defensive organisation has been excellent so far; they look like a Roy Hodgson team.

7.52pm BST

20 min Bremen are defending very deep, sometimes with all 10 outfield players behind the ball. For all Leverkusen’s possession, the Bremen keeper Jiri Pavlenka has had little to do.

7.49pm BST

18 min At the other end, Sinkgraven’s excellent curling cross from the left just evades the leaping Havertz at the near post.

7.48pm BST

17 min Rashica’s cross deflects behind for the first corner. It’s headed on at the near post by Gebre Selassie and headed wide by the under-pressure Moisander. It wasn’t much of a chance.

7.47pm BST

15 min “Commentators are rightly fixated on the lack of crowd noise,” says Walker Boyd. “Music is an obvious solution. Mogwai’s excellent soundtrack to Zidane: a 21st Century Portrait could be an inspiration.”

I was a bit disappointed that they decided against piping in a few bars of Seven Nation Army every time a team won a throw-in.

7.44pm BST

12 min Bremen’s main man Rashica has his first run, skedaddling down the left and hitting a cross that is blocked.

7.40pm BST

9 min Diaby’s driven cross is well held by the tumbling Pavlenka. This looks ominous for Bremen.

7.39pm BST

8 min Nice play from young Wirtz, who loses Friedl with a smart turn and finds Diaby on the left side of the area. His cross is headed away.

7.37pm BST

6 min Leverkusen make a rare and unsuccessful foray into the final third, with Demirbay’s cross drifting through to the keeper Pavlenka.

7.36pm BST

5 min Tapsoba finds Sven Bender, who picks out the unmarked Tapsoba. He looks up and plays a square pass back to Bender. I feel dizzy.

7.35pm BST

4 min So anyway, what’s surprised you the most about lockdown?

7.34pm BST

3 min The two Leverkusen centre-halves, Sven Bender and Tapsoba, have had about 80 per cent of the touches so far. It’s almost hypnotic watching them pass the ball from side to side.

7.33pm BST

2 min The 17-year-old debutant Wirtz gets in an early cross from the right that is punted clear.

7.32pm BST

2 min A quiet start to the game, with lots of Leverkusen possession in deeper areas.

7.31pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Leverkusen, in red, kick off from left to right. Bremen are in green.

7.21pm BST

Here’s an email from Peter Oh on the subject of Bremen’s pre-Covid form.

“It must be particularly galling for a club that features a prominent W in its badge to have a form guide that reads LLLLD.”

7.20pm BST

The first email of the night … comes from our old friend Ian ‘Jaunty’ McCourt, who made the Guardian sports desk a happier place until he escaped a few years ago.

“You know you’re hip,” he writes, “when you are MBMing Bremen v Leverkusen on a Monday night.”

7.15pm BST

17y, 15d - With 17 years and 15 days of age, Florian #Wirtz will become @bayer04_en's youngest player in their #Bundesliga history and the third youngest overall behind @nurisahin (16y, 11m, 1d) and Yann Aurel Bisseck (16y, 11m, 28d). Generations. #SVWB04 pic.twitter.com/PXUyAk8VxB

6.50pm BST

Pre-match reading

“Gedämpfte Freude” – muffled joy – was how the headline in Monday’s edition of Kicker put it, set across a photo of Borussia Dortmund’s players saluting a cavernous, empty Südtribune after their emphatic 4-0 Revierderby win over Schalke on Saturday afternoon.

6.43pm BST

Florian Wirtz, an attacking midfielder who only turned 17 earlier this month, makes his first-team debut for Leverkusen. He becomes the youngest player to appear for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, a record that was held by Kai Havertz, and the third youngest for any record.

Nuri Sahin, who holds the overall record, is on the Bremen bench tonight, wondering what happened.

5.52pm BST

Pop quiz, hotshot: which team has spent the most seasons in the Bundesliga? The Mensa-botherers among you may have deduced that, with this being a liveblog about a match between Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, the answer is likely to be either a) Werder Bremen or b) Bayer Leverkusen.

This is the 57th season since the Bundesliga was introduced in 1963-64. Bremen have been involved in 56 of them, one more than Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. They’ve won it four times, too, so it’s pretty shocking to see the mess they’re in. (You may not have been aware of this mess until two minutes ago, but it’s okay: we’re all Bundesliga experts now.)

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Published on May 18, 2020 13:28

The Fiver | A Bundesliga knowledge to match Tim Lovejoy's Ramones expertise

The belated success of the Fiver’s STOP FOOTBALL campaign came as a great shock, even to us. The campaign was launched during a seismic meeting in our local, The Failure & Acceptance, in the summer of 2009, and if we’re honest we forgot about it completely at some point during 2011. So imagine our surprise when it actually happened – two months away from football, from effin and jeffin at a television screen and having a dangerously high pulse rate. It was bliss.

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Published on May 18, 2020 09:09

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