Ten-man Bayer Leverkusen failed to capitalise on Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund dropping Bundesliga points when they visited Wolfsburg.
Leverkusen had the chance to return to the top of the league on Sunday with a win after Bayern were held to a goalless draw by Hamburg and Jurgen Klopp s Dortmund were defeated by his former club Mainz on Saturday.
But Giulio Donati s sending off after just seven minutes forced Roger Schmidt s side to play at a man disadvantage for much of the match.
That clumsy challenge also afforded Ricardo Rodriguez the opportunity to put the hosts in front from the spot, which he duly accepted, adding to the goal he scored in Thursday s 4-1 UEFA Europa League loss to Everton, when he also netted at the wrong end.
Josip Drmic pul…
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas insists Jermain Defoe is just as good as Atletico Madrid superstar Ramadel Falcao.
And Villas-Boas added that the 30-year-old forward s moments of brilliance can turn games.
The English striker scored two goals as Spurs beat West Ham 3-1 in their London derby on Sunday, and the striker now has 10 goals in 19 total appearances this season.
And despite the attention surrounding Chelsea s possible move for Falcao in January, the 35-year-old manager praised Defoe s finishing instincts and believes his own striker is on top form.
Jermain knows how to score goals. (His) hunger for goal is extreme, he told reporters.
He has been doing it for all of his life. I certainly put him alongside Falcao.
I don t hav…
Middlesbrough have rejected a three million pounds bid from an unnamed United Arab Emirates club for Brazilian striker Afonso Alves.
The 28-year-old has struggled to make an impact at the Riverside Stadium since his club record 12 million pounds transfer from Dutch team Heerenveen in January 2008.
His lack of goals contributed to Middlesbrough s relegation from the Premier League last season, but boss Gareth Southgate has no intention of selling Alves on the cheap.
Southgate told the Northern Echo: We have had a bid for Afonso, but it wasn t something we deemed to be acceptable. To be honest, it wasn t anywhere near what we would accept.
Meanwhile, Southgate confirmed that stay-away striker Mido will continue to be fined as long as he fails to report fo…
Paris Saint-Germain defender Nordi Mukiele will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing an operation on his damaged hamstring.
The one-cap France international has featured in 25 of PSG s 42 games in all competitions since arriving from RB Leipzig last August, starting 14 of those.
However, the 25-year-old has not played since sustaining the injury in the second leg of PSG s Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich last month.
The Ligue 1 leaders confirmed on their official website on Tuesday that Mukiele will not figure in the eight league games they have left this season.
Medical update
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
Nordi Mukiele is suffering from a serious hamstring injury. To minimise the risk of…
Camerooon club Cotonsport Garoua reached the group phase of the African Champions League for the first time despite losing 2-1 to Jeunesse Sportive Kayblie in Algeria this weekend.
Cotonsport took a three-goal advantage into the second leg of the third round qualifier and advance 4-2 on aggregate to the draw next Saturday in Cameroon which will split the eight survivors into two mini-leagues.
Success was especially sweet for the team from the north-west Cameroon town of Garoua as they were eliminated by Kabylie at the same stage of the 3.5-million-dollar competition last year.
A target of at least a three-goal victory appeared to be just within reach of Kabylie at their stadium in the eastern town of Tizi Ouzou and they made a dream start with Adlene Bensaid …
German newspaper that West Ham have agreed to sign Wolfsburg defender Emanuel Pogatetz.
The Austrian defender has flown to London earlier today to undergo a medical at Boleyn Ground, and if all goes well he will sign a contract with the Hammers.
According to the terms of the deal, West Ham will pay €500,000 for a five-month loan, while they will have the option to purchase the player outright for another €2 million.
Pogatetz, 30, is expected to provide competition for Joey O’Brien at the left-back position after both George McCartney and Daniel Potts have picked up injuries.
The experienced player already has plenty of Premier League experience, having played for Middlesbrough between 2005 and 2010.
Pogatetz only joined Wolfsburg last summ…
Emile Heskey thinks Leicester City are fearing relegation from the Premier League after a poor start to the defence of their title.
Sunday s 2-1 home loss against West Brom left Claudio Ranieri s men only two points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place.
A slow start has seen Leicester win only three of their 11 top-flight matches despite their fine form in the Champions League, which has seen the Foxes pick up 10 points from four games without conceding a goal.
But Heskey, who won the League Cup twice with Leicester in his playing career, thinks avoiding a drop to the Championship is now a priority.
Asked about the possibility of relegation, Heskey told Sky Sports: It s always a fear, especially when you are in the bottom half of the table.
…
Cristiano Ronaldo equalled Ferenc Puskas record for most international goals by a European man with his standout display for Portugal against Spain at the World Cup.
The Real Madrid star s hat-trick helped his team to a thrilling 3-3 draw against Spain in Sochi on Friday.
Ronaldo s treble took him onto 84 international goals, drawing him level with Puskas, who netted the same number for Hungary.
The duo sit second on the all-time list, but remain a long way behind Iran great Ali Daei.
We take a look at the top five.
ALI DAEI (IRAN) 109
Daei was prolific throughout his international career, scoring 109 times in 149 games for Iran. The former Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin forward s international career spanned 13 years, Daei ope…
In Bloodline: Heroes of Lithas, players establish a legacy in a fantasy world where your progeny inherit the abilities that came before them. The player’s goal in the game is to become the leader of the City of Light, the High Guardian, in the world of Lithas. This is done by expanding your influence over various parts of the city with the help of your children and your champions’ children. Come from Sports betting site VPbet
Lithas is filled with unique creatures and races all of whom you can influence to be your champions and allies as they marry and grow through the generations. Developer and publisher Goat Games has revealed there will be Dragonborn, Dark Elves, and Lycans, but it seems there will be other race…
Brighton and Hove Albion s Alexis Mac Allister believes Graham Potter sits among the world s elite, saying he would rather not think about his manager s potential move to Chelsea.
Potter has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge following the German s shock dismissal.
He is reportedly set to meet Chelsea owner Todd Boehly on Wednesday.
Since taking charge at Brighton, Potter has overseen a steady period of growth, culminating in last year s best-ever Premier League finish (ninth).
The start of the new campaign has seen Brighton win four of their opening six league matches, taking 13 points in total.
But Mac Allister hopes Potter will stay put, while hailing him as one of finest managerial minds in the sport.
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