Latest news with #PatrikSchick
Newsweek
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Croatia vs Czechia: Live Stream FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Group L qualifying for the 2026 World Cup continues Monday with a key clash between Croatia and Czechia. Czechia currently sits atop the group with a perfect record, three wins from three matches. Croatia, which joined qualifying later due to UEFA Nations League obligations, has played just once so far but made a strong statement with a dominant victory. With Montenegro (currently in second place) idle this matchday, a win on Monday would allow Croatia to jump into second and tighten the race at the top. Czech Republic's forward #10 Patrik Schick reacts during the friendly football match between Czech Republic and Armenia in Prague, Czech Republic, on March 26, 2024. Czech Republic's forward #10 Patrik Schick reacts during the friendly football match between Czech Republic and Armenia in Prague, Czech Republic, on March 26, 2024. Photo by MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images How to Watch Croatia vs. Czechia: Date: Monday, June 9, 2025 Time: 2:30 PM ET Channel: Fubo Sports (Overflow) Stream: Fubo (Try for free) Czechia has dominated so far. It opened play with a surprisingly close 2-1 win over the Faroe Islands, needing a late goal from Patrik Schick to secure the victory. Since then, they've found their rhythm, cruising past Gibraltar 4-0 and controlling the match in a 2-0 win over Montenegro on June 6. Croatia, which didn't play in the first window due to UEFA Nations League commitments, finally joined the qualifiers earlier this week and made an immediate impact with a dominant 7-0 win over Gibraltar. Five of those goals came in the second half, as Gibraltar simply couldn't hold off Croatia's relentless attack. For Croatia, it's about building momentum toward another deep World Cup run, after all, they finished second in 2018 and third in 2022. Czechia, on the other hand, is looking to return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 2006 and solidify its resurgence on the international scene. Live stream this match as well as many other FIFA World Cup qualifying matchups this week by starting a free trial of Fubo now. Live stream the Croatia vs. Czechia game on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cameroonian talent Christian Kofane passes Bayer Leverkusen medical
Sport Bild reports that 18-year-old Cameroonian striker Christian Kofane has passed his Bayer 04 Leverkusen medical. One of the Bundesliga outfit's summer transfer targets is thus set to be unveiled shortly. The teenage talent will sign five-year-contract, per the tabloid. Whereas previous reports suggested that Kofane will be immediately be loaned back out to his Spanish Segunda division club, new developments in newly appointed head coach Erik ten Hag's squad planning render it likelier that the player will remain in Germany. Advertisement The recent decision to retain the services of Czech striker Patrik Schick and shop Nigerian forward Victor Boniface for a sale leaves room for Kofane in the squad. A loan deal could nevertheless still be in the cards given that Kofane doesn't have a great deal of experience at a higher level. Germany's red company team appear set to acquire Kofane via a €5m release clause in his current contract. Leverkusen fended off several other suitors for the teenage prospect's services. GGFN | Peter Weis
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
World Cup predictions: Friday qualifiers tips and odds
Our expert has tips for all six of Friday's World Cup qualifiers involving European nations, which include Norway vs Italy and Wales vs Liechtenstein. Among them, we think a low-scoring win is on the cards for the beaten 2018 finalists Croatia when they visit Gibraltar. Czechia vs Montenegro: Patrik Schick to score @ 11/8 with Sky Bet Estonia vs Israel: Israel to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 @ 6/4 with Sky Bet Gibraltar vs Croatia: Croatia to win and under 4.5 goals @ 4/5 with Sky Bet North Macedonia vs Belgium: Isnik Alimi to be carded @ 11/4 with Sky Bet Norway vs Italy: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals @ 11/10 with Sky Bet Wales vs Liechtenstein: Wales to have 11+ shots on target @ 11/8 with Sky Bet Odds courtesy of Sky Bet Correct at the time of publication and subject to change. Already a Sky Bet member? Check out more free bets from the best betting sites, reviewed by our experts. Czechia vs Montenegro (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Something's got to give in this clash between Czechia and Montenegro, who both have six points from two games in Group L, and Patrik Schick's clinical eye for goal could be the difference. The Czechia centre-forward has netted three times in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and only Harry Kane (26) bettered his total of 21 goals in the Bundesliga this season. Estonia vs Israel (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Israel defeated Estonia 2-1 in Hungary back in March and a similar scoreline could be on the cards when the teams reconvene in Tallinn. Estonia do not offer a lot up front, so will be reliant on their defence to get something out of this contest, and each of their previous three matches has been settled by a single-goal margin. Gibraltar vs Croatia (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Croatia begin their World Cup qualifying campaign against Gibraltar at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal and the minnows have it in them to keep the score down, even if Croatia do win as expected. Gibraltar have lost their first two qualifiers 4-0 and 3-1 against Czechia and Montenegro, but before that they were unbeaten in seven games, six of which featured under 2.5 goals, and that run began with a 0-0 draw against Wales. North Macedonia vs Belgium (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Englishman Chris Kavanagh will referee Friday's match in Skopje and, given he has averaged 4.89 yellow cards in all competitions this season, the caution count could be on the high side. The home nation's midfielder Isnik Alimi could be worth a bet to go into the book, having committed three fouls in his country's last three matches and picked up yellow cards in games against the Faroe Islands in September and November last year. Norway vs Italy (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Norway have scored nine times across their first two World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Israel and they can contribute to another high-scoring affair against Italy in Oslo on Friday. There is plenty of attacking firepower in the Norway squad with Erling Haaland, Alexander Sorloth and Jorgen Strand Larsen all involved, and both teams to score and over 2.5 goals looks overpriced at 11/10, given it has clicked in seven of Italy's last eight games and nine of Norway's previous 10. Wales vs Liechtenstein (kick-off, 7.45pm BST) Liechtenstein's World Cup qualifying campaign has started with 3-0 and 2-0 defeats against North Macedonia and Kazakhstan respectively and they could be in for another tough night in Cardiff. Across those two defeats Liechtenstein allowed 33 shots, 11 of which were on target, and Wales look a decent bet to manage 11+ shots on target on their own at 11/8, with Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson in the starting line-up.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Bayern back on top as Schick shines brightest: the Bundesliga season review
It's Bayern Munich, despite Mainz and Freiburg, unexpected troublers of the European places, deserving praise for their stratospheric improvement from 2023-24. The Rekordmeister is rarely more provoked than when presented with serious opposition, and Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen had done just that with last term's domestically unbeaten double-winning exploits. Leverkusen were still excellent but could simply not match Bayern's pace in the end. They played with dazzle but Vincent Kompany also did the one thing that was beyond Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel in beginning to sort out Bayern's leaky defence, conceding their lowest total in the Bundesliga (32) since Hansi Flick's treble-winning season of 2019-20. He also made them competitive in the Champions League, in which they were unlucky to lose to Inter. There can be reasonable shouts for Bayern's Michael Olise in a stellar first Bundesliga season, his teammates Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala, Mainz's Jonathan Burkhardt (whose brilliant season propelled him into the Germany side), Serhou Guirassy in continuing to score consistently domestically and continentally for Borussia Dortmund as their season fell apart – all while acknowledging that it probably would have been Omar Marmoush had he not left Eintracht Frankfurt for Manchester City in January. The prize, though, goes to Patrik Schick, a player whose body has consistently rebelled against his elite talent but who was Leverkusen's motor through much of a season when few thought he would be a key player. Schick scored 21 Bundesliga goals despite starting only 19 matches (albeit with 12 substitute appearances tacked on) and they were, as per his varied palette, goals of all sorts, with left, right and head. As with last season, he had his share of clutch moments, notably the stoppage-time winner in the comeback victory at Stuttgart in March, as well as a brace in the win at Dortmund. It was a delight to see him at his best again. While Kompany's first season worked well and Bo Henriksen transformed Mainz, there can only be one choice: Freiburg's Julian Schuster began the campaign with an impossible job in succeeding Christian Streich – the Bundesliga's longest-serving coach, club legend after almost three decades of continuous service, perpetual overachiever and beloved philosopher – when stepping into his first head coaching role. He missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day but returned the Black Forest club to the Europa League with 13 points more won than in the previous season; a remarkable achievement. Schuster was modest about his efforts, handing Streich much of the credit after that final-day loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. 'What I was able to learn from Christian is still deeply embedded in me,' he said, 'and without him I wouldn't be sitting here.' The club's chief financial officer, Oliver Leki, spoke for many when he said Schuster 'was already a bit of a coach as a player' and while the club deserves credit for having plotted the succession plan so well, the rave reviews Schuster gets from his players says all that needs to be said. Get ready to catcall; the Leverkusen-Bayern goalless draw in February stands out. It was the game that the title race hinged on, with Florian Wirtz's incredible miss in stoppage time allowing Bayern to escape with a draw and to have the breathing space that defined the rest of the title race. It had been an exhilarating match (despite the lack of goals), run by Wirtz, dominated by Leverkusen from start to finish and a testament to their remarkably high standards when a significant drop-off from their historic double-winning season would have been understandable. If goals are more your thing (which is forgivable) then Holstein Kiel's 4-3 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach – their 4-2 win over Dortmund in January was in with a shout as well – in which they lost a two-goal lead and a 3-2 lead before the excellent Shuto Machino hit the winner in stoppage time, was thrilling. Kiel were one of the high points of the season, top-flight first-timers and heavy favourites to be relegated before a ball was kicked yet competitive for most of the campaign and the Michael Myers of the Bundesliga season who kept coming back even when it looked as if they were done, until the drop was confirmed in their penultimate game. Here comes our first bit of rule-bending. Olise's solo goal against Shakhtar is not a Bundesliga goal, having come in the Champions League, even if it was scored by a Bundesliga team on a ground (with the Ukrainian club playing this season's European games at Schalke) but it demands mention, with the France international gliding through a host of defenders before sitting the goalkeeper down and stroking the ball home. If we want to be more strict, let's go back to the first goal of the Bundesliga season because there is nothing quite like a Granit Xhaka piledriver from range, this one coming against his former club Mönchengladbach. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Arminia Bielefeld had a Rolodex of them. While winning the Michél Kniat's team knocked out four Bundesliga sides on their way to the DFB Pokal final in Berlin – most notably Leverkusen, who were unbelievably denied the season consolation prize of retaining the cup by Maximilian Grosser's back-post volley on an unbelievable April night in the semi-finals. Arminia couldn't quite get it done against Stuttgart in the final (though they did hit the woodwork at 0-0 before the Swabians took control) but it has still been a historic season for the club. Dortmund's rally from 10 points behind the top four with eight games left to snatching a Champions League place on the final day was special (Lars Ricken dizzily claimed Niko Kovac's work was 'one of the greatest coaching achievements in the history of BVB'), but the return of Friedhelm Funkel was even more out of leftfield. The 71-year-old stepped back into the FC Köln head coach's position with two games of the second-tier season left and Effzeh wobbling within sight of the finishing line, which led to the dramatic double sacking of coach Gerhard Struber and sporting director Christian Keller. They won the last two, clinched the title and with the party clear-up still ongoing Funkel was off again, seemingly piqued that the board were hesitating over offering him the permanent position for next season. It was fun anyway, totally in keeping with the mania of the club – and Funkel made €250,000 for his brief intervention of a third spell there. 'It did not reflect my personal wishes,' was the phrase that stood out from Thomas Müller's farewell statement to Bayern, with a frank parallel to Kevin De Bruyne's Manchester City exit, for example, but any awkwardness didn't last long, with Müller posing with the club management to smilingly announce his 'extension' for the Club World Cup. Bochum, sadly, didn't enjoy such a respectful send-off as they finished bottom, despite some mid-season hope. 'He gives us something and you simply believe everything he says,' Gerrit Holtmann said of their newly minted coach Dieter Hecking back in November. 'If he told me that I would play for Real Madrid, I would believe him.' David Raum saying he wanted Leipzig to play 'scumbag football' to get themselves back up the table was also a laudable sentiment, though in the end they weren't quite scummy enough, missing out on the European places for the first time since their 2016 promotion.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘It's surreal': Arminia Bielefeld's dream cup run reaches its finale
As the clock ticked down on one of Arminia Bielefeld's most famous victories, there was a moment when time seemed to stand still. Bayer Leverkusen, the DFB-Pokal holders, were 10 minutes from going out of the competition and, as if finally realising the urgency of the situation, shook themselves awake for one last big chance. Jeremie Frimpong peeled away on the right and scooped a cross into the box, where Patrik Schick was waiting. He rose highest, headed back across goal and, as the stadium held its breath, watched the ball glance an upright and spin wide. Jonas Kersken, the Arminia goalkeeper, had been one of the heroes of the night, but he knew their fate had been out of his hands. He did the only thing he could do: planted a grateful kiss on the post. Advertisement Related: Ten transfer targets for Premier League clubs from across Europe When the final whistle went, the SchücoArena erupted. Michél Kniat, the head coach, was mobbed by his staff, and the celebrations in the dugout were so chaotic that, as those on the bench charged on to the field, Leo Oppermann, the back-up goalkeeper, accidentally tackled his teammate Joel Grodowski and sent him tumbling to the turf in a delirious heap. Flares went off in the stands, fans invaded the pitch, players leaped into each other's arms or stood in a daze, tears welling in their eyes. 'It was just an unforgettable moment where, personally, I think we as the players on the field couldn't really believe it,' says Maël Corboz, the Arminia captain. 'Everything comes together in one moment and you're like: 'What the hell did we just do?'' It was remarkable enough that a third division side had overcome Leverkusen, double winners last season – when they went unbeaten in domestic competition – and Bundesliga runners-up this time. But Arminia had dispatched three top-tier teams to earn their meeting with Xabi Alonso's side. Having kicked off their cup run in August with a 2-0 win against Hannover, competing a league above in the 2. Bundesliga, Arminia beat Union Berlin, Freiburg and Werder Bremen to reach the semi-finals, each upset more spectacular than the last. 'The other games were incredible too,' says Corboz. 'Every cup round was one step higher in terms of the emotional situation, the moment where you realise: 'We just beat a Bundesliga team.' But the Leverkusen game was a completely different level. I don't know if we'll ever feel that again.' Arminia's achievement in reaching Saturday's final against Stuttgart in Berlin seems even more unbelievable given how turbulent the past few years have been. A Bundesliga side as recently as 2022, they went into freefall, enduring a double relegation and ending in a tight spot financially as a result. When Christoph Wortmann, their commercial managing director, arrived at the start of 2023, he found a club at a low ebb. 'Everything was difficult and destroyed,' he says. 'We had to build up, from day one, everything new.' Advertisement The club's new management had to scramble to raise funds just to secure their licence to compete in the 3. Liga, bringing forward sponsorship money from future seasons while drastically cutting costs. 'It was like a startup a little bit,' says Wortmann. 'The question from the league was: 'How will you do this?' In the end we had no coach, no scouting, nothing.' At one point, Arminia had one first-team player: Fabian Klos, a veteran forward who, over 13 years with the club, had seen them rise from the third division to the first and then tumble all the way back down again. Tottenham became the third Premier League club this season to end a long trophy drought after beating Manchester United in Wednesday night's Europa League final. It's been a bumper campaign for underdogs everywhere: Newcastle's 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool ended a 56-year wait for silverware that stretched back to the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The Magpies' League Cup triumph was their first domestic trophy in seven decades, since the 1955 FA Cup. Eberechi Eze's match-winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final secured Crystal Palace's first major trophy in their 120-year history. Palace had twice been runners-up in the Cup, losing the 1990 and 2016 finals to Manchester United. Spurs' midweek victory marked their first silverware for 17 years, since the 2008 League Cup under Juande Ramos, and Spurs' first European success since the Uefa Cup, predecessor of the Europa League, in 1984. In Italy, Bologna's 1-0 victory over Milan in the Coppa Italia final was the club's first major domestic trophy since 1974. The Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles claimed their first silverware since being crowned Dutch champions in 1933 by beating AZ Alkmaar to win their first KNVB Cup, coming from behind to score a last-gasp equaliser before going on to win 4-2 on penalties. In Austria, Wolfsberg finally broke their duck after 94 years of existence by claiming the Austrian Cup with a 1–0 victory against TSV Hartberg. Andy Martin Kniat arrived in the summer of 2023 and, from there, Arminia began to rebuild their bulldozed squad brick by brick. Behind the scenes, Wortmann and his colleagues tried to revitalise the culture of the club and rally their devastated supporters. 'There was no trust in us in the first place so we had to talk to the fans, go to fan club events, call actively the season card holders. I did, the coach did, the players did and, after a few months, the fans said: 'Yes, OK, these guys, what they said, they are doing it.' So we got trust back. This was the most important thing.' Advertisement Even so, the first season under Kniat was far from smooth sailing. A young and unfamiliar squad took time to find their feet, flirting with a third consecutive relegation before pulling together to finish 14th. That felt like a foundation to build on, but nobody could have predicted their success this season. Arminia were confirmed as third division champions on the final day and, having also reached the final of the Westphalian Cup, they are in with a chance of winning a highly unusual treble. 'To reach the [DFB-Pokal] final now, it's crazy, to be honest, as a third division club,' says Wortmann. 'You can't plan a promotion or a cup final … if all of us do a good job, then you can plan for the club being better than it was the season before. It goes step by step, but now it is like we are on a rocket.' Having seen that rocket almost crash and burn not so long ago, Arminia fans are revelling in the upturn. Even before they beat Bremen in the quarter-finals, the players began to notice the same chant following them everywhere they went: 'Berlin, Berlin, wir fahren nach Berlin' ('Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin'). Before the game against Leverkusen, Arminia's ultras sent the team a message urging them to write themselves into legend. Throughout the cup run, the atmosphere at the SchücoArena has been electric. The optimism in the stands has taken hold on the pitch. 'Those fans believed before the team even really believed,' says Corboz. 'It's almost like they manifested it … you hear the same song over and over and over again: 'We're going to Berlin.' Then you realise after Leverkusen: 'We're really going to Berlin. What the hell is going on here?'' To make their fans' wildest dreams a reality, Arminia need to spring one last surprise at the Olympiastadion. The last time a third division side reached the DFB-Pokal final was 2001, when Union Berlin lost 2-0 to Schalke. The last time a team outside the Bundesliga won the cup was 1992, when Hannover, as second-tier overachievers, beat Borussia Mönchengladbach on penalties. Arminia would be the first team from the third tier to lift the trophy but, given what they have achieved this season, they are well placed to do the unthinkable. Corboz and his teammates have already done something unprecedented: while Stuttgart have been to six finals, winning three, this is the first in Arminia's 120-year history. About 50,000 fans are expected to travel to Berlin, with and without tickets, hoping for a miracle. As for the players, they may have to pinch themselves at kick-off. 'I can't even imagine holding the trophy,' Corboz says with a laugh. 'It seems really too surreal.'
