English
EspañolBVB’s Gregor Kobel praises Bayern Munich’s ‘quality’ in 3-2 loss to league leaders
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel did all he could to stop Bayern Munich during his squad’s 3-2 loss to the Bundesliga league leaders.
Kobel gave up an incredible effort by Harry Kane for a goal and was victimized by a world class volley from Joshua Kimmich for another of Bayern Munich’s goals. In a penalty kick against Kane, Kobel even guessed the right way and got a piece of the attempt before having to watch it deflect off of him into the net.
Afterward, Kobel had to tip his cap to Bayern Munich
“I think you have to say that Bayern showed extreme quality in front of goal today and converted their chances brilliantly. We put up a fantastic fight. We gave it our all, tried to get the fans behind us, to be physical and make it extremely difficult for them. For a long time, we succeeded in doing that. But in the end, they’re just very, very good in front of goal. That’s incredibly frustrating and hurts terribly. In terms of performance, it was a reaction to Bergamo. Nevertheless, you end up on the pitch as the loser. That wasn’t our goal,” Kobel said (as captured by FCBayern.com).
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
Tennessee State basketball wins share of first OVC regular-season title in 32 years
For the first time in 32 years and only the third time ever, Tennessee State basketball finished at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season standings.
The Tigers, under first-year coach Nolan Smith, beat host UT-Martin 67-42 on Feb. 28 to finish tied for first with Morehead State in the final conference standings.
TSU (21-9, 15-5 in OVC) and Morehead State split during the regular season, and TSU won the tie-breaker to earn the No. 1 seed in the OVC tournament (March 4-7) in Evansville, Indiana.
TSU will receive a double bye into the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Tigers' first game will be on March 5 at 7 p.m. (ESPNU).
Aaron Nkrumah led TSU with 20 points, and Travis Harper added 16, helping the Tigers jump to a 35-21 lead late in the first half and never look back.
Matas Deniusas led UT Martin with 13 points.
TSU, one of the top defensive teams in the OVC, caused fits for UT-Martin's offense. The Tigers recorded 13 steals and forced the Skyhawks to commit 19 turnovers.
UT Martin (21-10, 13-7) was tied with TSU for first in the OVC standings earlier this month but lost five of its last seven games.
It was TSU's second win over UT-Martin this season, but the earlier game was much closer with the Tigers claiming a 78-71 victory at Gentry Center in the OVC opener on Dec. 18. Nkrhmah also led TSU in that game with 23 points.
Tennessee State posts most wins in its NCAA history
The 21 victories are the most for Tennessee State since transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division I in 1977-78.
The Tigers won 20 games in 2015-16 under coach Dana Ford and in 2011-12 under John Cooper.
TSU also set a school record for OVC wins in a single season with 15.
The Tigers finished the regular season on a four-game win streak and won seven of their last eight.
Tennessee State eyes first NCAA tournament berth since 1994
TSU needs to win two games in the OVC tournament to earn its second berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers' first time in the NCAA tournament came in 1993 after winning the OVC tournament under former coach Frankie Allen. TSU lost to Seton Hall 81-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament that season.
Allen led TSU back to the NCAA tournament in 1994, and the Tigers lost to Kentucky, 80-73.
TSU has advanced to the OVC tournament championship five times, its last coming in 2012 when the Tigers lost to Murray State 54-52.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSU basketball wins first OVC regular-season title in 32 years
Hansi 100: The German machine surpasses Guardiola
100 Games of Dominance
Hansi 100: The German machine surpasses Guardiola
Barcelona coach Hans Flick explained his heated exchange with Villarreal boss Marcelino during 4-1 La Liga win at Camp Nou.
What sparked the sideline clash?
Hans Flick involved in rare touchline argument during Barcelona’s 4-1 victory over Villarreal in La Liga round 26 played on Saturday at Spotify Camp Nou.
The incident began after challenge on Lamine Yamal went unpunished. With the winger down on the pitch, the referee’s decision angered Barcelona’s bench while Villarreal’s staff also reacted.
Tensions quickly rose leading to verbal clash between Flick and Marcelino.
Cards shown, tempers cool after full time
The situation escalated further as several players from both teams gathered on the pitch, with Raphinha, Barcelona’s captain, among the most vocal.
The referee Diaz de Mera stepped in and showed yellow cards to Raphinha, Flick and Marcelino to restore order.
Once the final whistle was blown, calm returned. Flick and Marcelino shook hands and shared a brief embrace leaving the tension behind after intense moment in the match.
Flick: “It was about respect”
After the game, Flick explained his reaction. He said the issue was simple:
"Yamal was on the ground and Barcelona had earlier kicked the ball out when a Villarreal player was down"
Flick added that emotions were high but his team acted fairly. He felt the same respect should have been shown when one of his players needed treatment.
According to the German coach, the clash was driven by emotion, not bad intent.
A milestone match for Flick
The match also marked Flick’s 100th game in charge of Barcelona. His record after that milestone stands at 75 win, 9 draw and 16 defeat with 281 goal scored and 119 conceded.
Those numbers make Flick the third-most successful Barcelona coach by wins in his first 100 match ahead of Pep Guardiola who recorded 71 victory in the same span.
Flick has already won four trophy with the club including domestic treble last season and back to back Spanish Super Cups.
Blue Jays Spring Training (Feb. 28)
Richard Hughes willing to pay for massive £250k per week contract
The Hungarian - who signed for the Reds back in 2023 - is currently contracted at Anfield until 2028. That means there is little over two years left to run on his deal - worth a reported £120k per week.
Szoboszlai, 25, has grown in stature an importance under Arne Slot - featuring across a whole host of positions this season. He has been the best Liverpool player throughout a difficult title defence and would naturally like that status reflected in his new deal.
If Richard Hughes cannot come to terms over a new deal with Szoboszlai’s entourage then it could open the door to Real Madrid.
The 15-time European champions have got a plan to sign the Hungary captain - with it being a long-standing wish on the part of the midfielder to play for Madrid.
Szoboszlai wants £250k per week
However Liverpool currently hold the cards over Szoboszlai with talks continuing over a contract extension.
Szoboszlai spoke out over negotiations a few weeks ago - stating that there had been no breakthrough amid reports he was looking for up to £300k per week.
That sum would have taken him towards the top of Liverpool’s wage bill - behind only Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
It’s now been claimed in TEAMtalk that Szoboszlai’s contract demands are some way short of the £300k initially quoted - and that a breakthrough in talks has been reached.
Liverpool willing to pay Szoboszlai what he wants
Sporting director Hughes is willing to pay Szoboszlai’s contract demands of around £250k per week according to the report - a double-your-money deal for the free-kick master craftsman.
The report states: “[the club] are confident of keeping Szoboszlai and are willing to meet his wage demands of close to £250,000 per week.”
Liverpool will be relieved to have reached a compromise with Szoboszlai - who lags behind other top midfielders around Europe in terms of his pay packet.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva for example all comfortably out-earn the former RB Leipzig star - even though he is a much better player.