Frankfurt beat Bochum to tighten grip on top four spot - World
Eintracht Frankfurt beat Bochum 3-1 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, boosting their chances of a first top-four finish in the Champions League era.
Kick-off was delayed by 50 minutes as the visiting fans refused to remove banners blocking an emergency exit.
Frankfurt took the lead 27 minutes in when Rasmus Kristensen thumped in his own rebound on the counter.
The visitors doubled their lead shortly afterwards, with Jean-Matteo Bahoya's 32nd-minute strike set up by a brilliant pass from striker Hugo Ekitike.
Gerrit Holtmann pulled one back with 73 minutes gone to give Bochum hope, but former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi sealed the result with a stoppage-time strike, his second goal in two games since joining the Eagles in winter.
The victory puts Frankfurt fourth, three points ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig.
Frankfurt have never qualified for the Champions League through league placing but played in the competition in 2022-23 after winning the Europa League.
Frankfurt, who face Tottenham in the Europa League quarter-finals in April, had lost their previous three league matches.
Bochum were impressive despite the defeat, giving hope that they may pull off a great escape and beat the drop under coach Dieter Hecking.
Hecking took over in November with Bochum having accumulated just one point all season. Since then, Bochum have won 19 points and have beaten giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Later on Sunday, defending champions Bayer Leverkusen can cut Bayern Munich's lead atop the table to six points with a win at Stuttgart.
Relegation-threatened Heidenheim host fellow strugglers Holstein Kiel in the other game.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Whatsapp
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Pochettino defends Pulisic omission: 'I'm not a mannequin' - World
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his decision to omit Christian Pulisic from recent friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland on Saturday, saying he alone was responsible for choosing his squad. AC Milan star Pulisic has been at the center of a simmering controversy over his request to be excused from US duty in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicked off on Saturday. Former US international players including Landon Donovan have criticised Pulisic's decision, questioning his commitment to representing the United States. Pulisic hit back at his critics on Thursday, revealing that while he had asked to skip the Gold Cup he had been willing to play in the warm-up games -- only to be denied by Pochettino. The winger said that he had accepted Pochettino's decision but did not "understand" it. Asked about his decision to leave out Pulisic on Saturday, Pochettino said it was not for players to pick and choose which games they wanted to play in. "He explained why he only wanted to be involved in two games," Pochettino said of Pulisic. "And I respect and I understand him. I understand him. But I don't need for him to understand our decision. Because my position is, I am 53 with a lot of experience in football." "If he performs well and he is the best, it's normal he's going to have a place in the national team. "It's not because a player [is saying]: 'I want to play.' 'I want this.' 'I want that.' I signed my contract with the federation and I am the head coach -- I am not a mannequin." The USA open their Gold Cup campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Today
a day ago
- Egypt Today
Messi falls just short in Club World Cup curtain-raiser stalemate
Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi takes a corner kick IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro (Reuters) - Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, will take on Palmeiras in New York, where more of their fans are expected to turn up. No incidents were reported at the game after around 1,000 protesters gathered in the morning near U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, about 70 miles (110 km) north of Miami, waving placards and chanting slogans as part of coordinated nationwide "No Kings" demonstrations. In Miami, 60,927 fans almost filled the 65,000-capacity stadium for Inter Miami's clash with Al-Ahly dismissing, at least on the night, concerns about the attractiveness of the tournament featuring 32 teams for the first time, a year before the World Cup in the U.S. Inter Miami, whose home attendances average 20,663 in their 21,550-seat Chase Stadium, have been a major road draw in 2025, regularly attracting record crowds across the country since Messi's arrival in 2023. Adan De La Rosa travelled from Mexico just to see Messi play. "There's a lot of excitement to see Messi, it's the same for everyone," he said. Al-Ahly, backed by dozens of thousands of fans, got off to a strong start but wasted two early chances and Oscar Ustari parried away Trezeguet's poorly taken penalty kick after Zizo was fouled in the box by Telasco Segovia. Messi threatened at times after spending some time on the ground after being hit on the knee, but Miami could feel lucky not to be behind at halftime. Miami, however, stepped up a gear after the break, and Messi came close when his nicely curled 25-metre free kick kissed the post and hit the side netting. With six minutes left, the World Cup winner scooped a perfect cross for Fafa Picault, whose header was tipped over the bar by Mohamed Elshenawy. He came an inch close in the dying second when his curled strike from outside the box was tipped onto the bar by Elshenawy. The Club World Cup continues on Sunday with Champions League winners Paris St Germain taking on Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich playing Auckland City.
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
2025 FIFA CWC Guide: All You Need to Know About Group A
Rana Atef On Sunday, the highly anticipated 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will kick off in the USA. This edition is the first one to include a 32-team. The opening game will be between Egypt's Al Ahly and USA's Inter Miami. SEE News will introduce you to readers with various articles and facts about the tournament, which is running between June 15 and July 13. This feature introduces all you need to know about the tournament's Group A. Group A consists of Porto from Portugal, Palmeiras from Brazil, Al-Ahly from Egypt and Inter Miami from the US. All eyes will be on Leo Messi and Luis Suarez, who earned a place in the competition thanks to their victory in the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield, the trophy awarded to the team with the most points in the MLS regular season. On paper, Inter Miami will battle it out for top spot in the group with Porto, who are looking to bounce back after a very difficult season both at home and in the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Roma. The Portuguese side qualified thanks to their position in the UEFA rankings. Starting in the third row are Palmeiras, one of the strongest teams in South America for years and Libertadores champions in 2021, and Al-Ahly, who qualified for the World Cup thanks to their triumphs in the African Champions League in 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24. Porto Porto are among of popular teams in Portugal, and they are the highest ranked team in the group. They are qualified for the tournament as they are Fifth-best-ranked eligible team in the UEFA four-year ranking. Hwever, the team's performance in the latest season was somehow disappinting as they only gained the Super Cup trophy. The Dragoes finished the league in third place, 11 points behind champions Sporting. They were eliminated from the Europa League in the play-offs at the hands of Roma. The team's coach is Argentine's Martin Anselmi. This is his first experience in Europe. Expected starting XI (3-4-2-1) formation: Diogo Costa; Perez, Ze Pedro, Marcano; Joao Mario, Varela, Eustaquio, Francisco Moura; Rodrigo Mora, Pepe; Aghehowa. Palmeiras Palmeiras are leading team in Brazilian football for years. Since 2020, they won the Copa Libertadores twice. In 2024, they finished second in the Brasileirao behind champions Botafogo. The club is known for their strong and productive youth academy which produces players who are playing in several European clubs. The squad includes two stars coming from from Serie A, Felipe Anderson and Gustavo Gomez, former players of Lazio and Milan. Their coach is the longest-serving coach in Brazil Abel Ferreira. Their expected starting XI (3-4-3): Weverton; Giay, Gomez, Bruno Fuchs; Allan, Rios, Moreno, Piquerez; Estevao, Lopez, Paulinho. Al-Ahly The most successful and decorated team in Egypt and Africa, as well as one of the most successful in the world. The Cairo giants are the second team with most continental titles in the world after Real Madrid. The Cairo club has dominated in recent years, winning three consecutive league titles and in the past four years, Al Ahly won three CAF Champions League titles. They are also the first Arabic team to win a FIFA club title. The team's coach is Jose Riveiro and he was appointed few weeks before the tournament. Al Ahly had an active transfer window before the tournament as they signed Egypt international and football icon Mahmoud Hassan Trézéguet, Zizo from Al Zamalek, ES Tunis icon and star Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan, Hamdy Fathy, and Ahmed Ramadan Beckham. The expected starting XI (4-3-3): El Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Al Aash, Koka; El Soleya, Ashour, Attia; Mohamed, Abou Ali, Bencharki. Inter Miami The most known team in MLS after signing one of the top two active football legends, Lionel Messi. The team are qualified for the tournament as the hosts' representatives. The team also include several icons such as Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The team's coach is Javier Mascherano. The expected starting XI (4-4-2): Ustari; Fray, Lujan, Allen, Jordi Alba; Segovia, Bright, Busquets, Allende; Messi, Suarez. Coach: Mascherano read more Japan Stun Spain 2-1 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16 World Cup 2022: Get to Know Confirmed Line-ups of Japan and Spain Group E Decider Saudi Arabia Bid Farewell to World Cup after 2-1 Loss to Mexico Tunisia Achieve Historic Win over France but Fail to Qualify Tunisia to Clash against France in World Cup Sports Get to Know Squad of Group D Teams in World Cup Sports Al Ahly Gift EGP 70,000 to Players After Claiming Egyptian Super Cup Title Sports Bencharki Hits First 2 Goals with Al Jazira Since Leaving Zamalek Sports Arsenal Possible Line-up for Nottingham Forest News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean News 3 Killed in Shooting Attack in Thailand
