Leverkusen held at St Pauli to put Bayern on brink of league title
Leverkusen held at St Pauli to put Bayern on brink of league title
St. Pauli's Carlo Boukhalfa (C) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at the Millerntor Stadium. Christian Charisius/dpa
Bayern Munich are on the brink of reclaiming the Bundesliga title after rivals Bayer Leverkusen were held 1-1 at lowly St Pauli.
Patrik Schick put title holders Leverkusen ahead in the 36th minute in Hamburg but Carlo Boukhalfa poked a 78th-minute equalizer.
Advertisement
The draw saw Leverkusen slip eight points behind Bayern who won 4-0 at Heidenheim on Saturday.
Bayern can now clinch a 34th national title and 33rd in the Bundesliga era with three games to spare on Saturday, if they win against Mainz and Leverkusen fail to beat Augsburg.
St Pauli are meanwhile all but safe eight points above the danger zone.
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (C) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at the Millerntor Stadium. Christian Charisius/dpa
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick (C) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen at the Millerntor Stadium. Christian Charisius/dpa
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool told to switch focus to 'perfect' transfer once Florian Wirtz deal completed
Liverpool saw transfer "deadline day" come and go without any agreement on Florian Wirtz. Fortunately, the next window was only a week away — and not only do the Reds expect to wrap up a deal for the Bayer Leverkusen star in due course, they could also be busy with further business. Advertisement Things certainly seem to be moving in the right direction with Wirtz. One of Arne Slot's camp has broken the collective silence for the first time, with Andy Robertson acknowledging that the playmaker is a "top player". And all reports indicate that Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen are ironing out the finest details now. In an unrelated deal, but one which no doubt provides an incentive to work together toward a mutually beneficial outcome, the Bundesliga side is also taking an interest in Jarell Quansah. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez latest, Alexander-Arnold presentation READ MORE: Barcelona chief makes fresh transfer admission after Liverpool rebuffed Luis Diaz approach Advertisement He's one of numerous players who could end up leaving Anfield this summer. Harvey Elliott faces an uncertain future after a tough first campaign under Slot, while the same could be said of Darwin Nunez, Joe Gomez, and a couple of others. The departure of Nunez, in particular, could yet push Liverpool into the market for another marquee deal after Wirtz is wrapped up. While the German has played as a number nine, it's anticipated that he will arrive in order to add creativity a little further back, potentially still leaving Slot in need of a new forward. Nunez has been persistently linked with the Saudi league, which may yet give Liverpool an unlikely chance to recoup a significant chunk of its initial outlay. That would give the club some handy headroom for a second swing at finding the long-term solution at number nine, this time with Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards leading the process. Solid links have been reasonably thin on the ground. Hugo Ekitike's name has been mentioned more than once, while Julian Alvarez did the rounds about a month ago, but nothing concrete has emerged. Advertisement And now Ally McCoist has urged Liverpool to go in a different direction altogether. He has hailed Victor Osimhen as "absolutely perfect" for Slot's side. Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray gestures during the Turkish Super League match between Galatasaray and Kayserispor on May 18, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. -Credit:'I think Osimhen would be absolutely perfect at somewhere like Liverpool," McCoist eulogized on talkSPORT. "I think he'd be unbelievable at Liverpool." The Nigerian striker is fresh off the back of an unlikely loan spell at Galatasaray. Relations broke down with Napoli to such an extent that Osimhen seized one of the few remaining options late in the window last summer, but he still looks every inch the elite forward. Advertisement Unsurprisingly, he is widely expected to move on a permanent basis this summer. Saudi sides have taken an interest in him, too, but he is thought to prefer the Premier League. And GiveMeSport claims that Osimhen has been mentioned in a "high-level meeting" at Liverpool. However, the likeliest current outcome is that the 26-year-old elects to remain with Galatasaray. Meanwhile, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal are all also looking to strengthen in the center-forward position. They may be contemplating giving Osimhen a route to the Premier League as well. So a deal that looks opportunistic (and apparently even "perfect") on its face may yet prove to be a little more complicated, especially once Osimhen's potential wage demands are factored in. But a striker of his caliber in front of Wirtz is certainly an appealing prospect — and with plenty of twists and turns expected once the second transfer window opens, it is sure to be an exciting summer at Liverpool.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jack Grealish could have big role to play in Liverpool finalizing Florian Wirtz transfer
Jack Grealish is apparently a contender to replace Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen is set to lose its best player in the coming days, with talks between Liverpool and the German club at an advanced stage over Wirtz's prospective move to Merseyside. Advertisement Wirtz has emerged as one of the best young attackers in world soccer during his time at Leverkusen, and his impending transfer to Liverpool is set to see him become one of the most expensive players of all time. Leverkusen, meanwhile, must look to fill the huge void in the team that Wirtz's departure will leave, and one player who is being linked with a move to the Bundesliga club is Manchester City outcast Grealish. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez latest, Alexander-Arnold presentation READ MORE: Andy Robertson becomes first Liverpool player to address Florian Wirtz transfer Advertisement Grealish has been at City since 2021 but he is expected to leave the club this summer, after being left out of Pep Guardiola's squad for this summer's revamped Club World Cup in the United States. The 29-year-old is said to be open to return to former club Aston Villa, but the prospect of a move to the Bundesliga is on the table as new Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag is said to be a big fan of Grealish. Meanwhile, Liverpool is continuing to work on a deal to sign Wirtz after it emerged last month that the 22-year-old had decided that he wants to join the Reds instead of Bayern Munich. Liverpool has agreed personal terms with Wirtz, but talks are ongoing between the two clubs over the structure of the deal. Advertisement Meanwhile, Andy Robertson became the first Liverpool player to speak publicly about his club's interest in signing Wirtz, highly praising the 22-year-old. Florian Wirtz looks set to join Liverpool -Credit:Photo by Markus Gilliar -"He was excellent against us (Scotland, at Euro 2024) I do remember that," Robertson told Sky Sports. "Obviously that game was extremely tough for us, but he was excellent, he was the one causing us problems in the half-space, running in behind, he can mix it up. "I haven't seen too much of him but I have played against him and that was enough to see he was going to be a top player. We played Leverkusen in the Champions League this year as well and we dominated that game a bit more as well, so it was probably a bit more difficult for him, but certainly in the German team against us he was excellent. Advertisement "We're certainly linked with him, that's for sure! You can't miss it, you can't not see it. But if we get him through then an exciting talent is through the door. "We've already got a lot of exciting talent in there. He's a right good player. He'll only help us, and if he does get through the door then we'll be excited to play with him."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Deloitte report: European football revenue grows to €38 billion
Liverpool players celebrate on the open-top bus during the Premier League winners parade in Liverpool. Danny Lawson/PA Wire/dpa The European football market has grown by another 8% to a record €38 billion (€43.5 billion) in the 2023-24 season, according to the Annual Review of Football Finance published on Thursday by professional services company Deloitte. England's Premier League leads the way again as the top five leagues in Europe contributed €20.4 billion, a rise by 4%, the other being Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, La Liga in Spain and Ligue 1 in France. Advertisement The 96 clubs achieved an operating profit the second straight season, of €600 million, according to the report which does not include transfer income. Deloitte said that additional commercial revue was the main driver, which in England reached €2 billion for the first time and €8 billion across the five leagues. Broadcast rights revenue remained the biggest source with €9.4 billion. England led the way again with €7.354 billion in total revenue, a rise of 8%, far ahead of Germany (€3.797 billion) and Spain (3.764 billion). The Bundesliga figure was a 1% decline from 2022-23, as matchday and commercial revenue went down 2% each while broadcast rights income rose 1%. Advertisement Deloitte named as the main reason for the drop the relegation of Schalke and Hertha Berlin, clubs with big stadiums and fan bases. Stefan Ludwig, head of Deloitte's Sport Business Group in Germany, said he expects the big five leagues to top €21 billion in 2024-25, but then stagnation because done broadcast deals show that none of the leagues managed a significant increase. In general, he added: "The pressure on clubs is increasing. They have to generate additional income and at the same time cope with rising costs in order to remain competitive."