31/03/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 31, 2025

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Mbappe at the double for Real

Bayern survive St. Pauli scare LEROY SANE spared Bayern Munich’s blushes with two second half goals yesterday, as the Bundesliga leaders beat relegation threatened St. Pauli 3-2 to stay six points clear at the top of the table. Sane settled Bayern’s nerves after an uneasy first half, as Vincent Kompany’s side struggled once again against weaker opposition. “It was a bit tight at the end, but we are really happy to have got the three points,“ Sane told Sky . Having dropped unexpected points against Bochum and Union Berlin in recent weeks, Bayern were under pressure to avoid a third slip after reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen narrowed the gap to three points with a 3-1 win over Bochum on Saturday. Sane insisted that pressure was a good thing for Bayern, “because it helps us keep our rhythm when we know we have to win every game”. Yet they looked sluggish against a fearless St. Pauli side who almost took the lead early on when a Jackson Irvine header hit the bar. The visitors handed Bayern the opener on a silver platter just two minutes later, when Siebe Van der Heyden was caught napping at left back. Van der Heyden was robbed of possession by Jamal Musiala and Bayern swarmed into the box, allowing Harry Kane to sweep the ball in from close range. It was Kane’s first goal against St. Pauli, meaning he has now scored against every team he has faced in the Bundesliga. Unbowed, the visitors snatched a deserved equaliser just before the half-hour mark through Elias Saad. The Tunisian forward slipped under the radar in the Bayern box and tapped in a Manolis Saliakas cross to score his first goal since September. Sane restored the lead after halftime, smashing the ball in unchallenged after a clever switch of play left him with acres of space on the left. He sealed the win 20 minutes from time, turning in a Kane cross from close range after a ruthless Bayern transition. Yet Bayern still had to survive a nervy final few minutes after Lars Ritzka pulled one back for St. Pauli in added time. And there was more bad news for the Bavarians as defender Hiroki Ito was forced off in the final minutes, adding to a growing list of injury concerns. – AFP

SHORTS PSG move to verge of Ligue 1 crown

Frenchman fires Madrid level with Barca as Atletico bid crumbles

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN moved to within touching distance of an 11th French title in 13 seasons as they came from behind to thrash Saint Etienne 6-1 away yesterday. After second-placed Marseille crashed 3-1 to Reims earlier, PSG could have won the Ligue 1 crown with seven games to go if Monaco had been held to a draw by Nice in the day’s final match. But Breel Embolo’s goal in the 73rd minute gave Monaco a hard-fought 2-1 victory to leave them 21 points behind PSG, prolonging the reigning champions’ wait for another title for at least another weekend. After seeing his team overrun Saint Etienne after coming back from a goal down, PSG coach Luis Enrique said before Monaco’s victory that he would rather his team win the league in front of their home fans – they return to the Parc des Princes to face Angers on Saturday. The Spaniard, who has moulded a formidable young team since Kylian Mbappe left for Real Madrid last summer, said winning the title due to other results yesterday would have “no importance” because mathematically “we have been champions for several weeks”. “I would like that Nice and Monaco don’t draw so that we can celebrate the title at the Parc REAL MADRID striker Kylian Mbappe said it was special to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season tally of 33 goals for Los Blancos after netting a brace yesterday against Leganes in La Liga. Mbappe’s double took him to 33 strikes in 44 appearances across all competitions, the same number of des Princes,” he said. ‘Special to equal CR7’s record’ Ronaldo, who joined from Manchester United, went on to become Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals. “It’s very special… to have the same number of goals as Cristiano is always good,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV . “We know what he means for Real Madrid and me, we speak, he gives me a lot of advice, he scored many goals – but we have to win trophies here.” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had suggested Mbappe could live up to Ronaldo’s legacy at Madrid, but only with a lot of hard work. “He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano’s level,” said Ancelotti in February, after Mbappe netted a hattrick against Manchester City. goals as his idol managed in the 2009-10 campaign.

K YLIAN MBAPPE struck twice as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Leganes 3-2 yesterday, pulling level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti’s side won an entertaining game at the Santiago Bernabeu to put pressure on their bitter rivals, who host Girona in a Catalan derby overnight. Mbappe put Los Blancos ahead from the penalty spot but goals from Diego Garcia and Dani Raba sent the relegation-battling minnows ahead before the break. Jude Bellingham levelled for Madrid early in the second half before Mbappe whipped home a free-kick to claim three points for the champions. Barcelona and Real Madrid are six clear of third-placed Atletico Madrid, who drew at Espanyol earlier yesterday. “(Mbappe) is making the difference and that’s what we want from him,” said Madrid coach Ancelotti. “We didn’t play a bad game. We lacked balance, but we had control of the game. That lack of balance led to some dangerous counterattacks. “Did we suffer? I can’t remember a game where we didn’t struggle. I think we should have managed our lead better, and at 3-2 we shouldn’t have suffered so much,” he added. Looking ahead, Ancelotti said the title race remains a fierce battle involving multiple top teams. While many view Barcelona and Real Madrid as the primary contenders, he did not rule out Atletico Madrid’s determination to compete until the end. “Atletico will fight until the

tangled legs with midfielder Arda Guler. Mbappe executed a perfect Panenka to send Los Blancos ahead, although their lead only lasted a few seconds with Diego Garcia netting from close range. Diaz came close at the other end but then gave the ball away in the build-up to Leganes’ second. The visitors worked the ball out to Rodriguez on the left, who cut it back for Raba to finish. Madrid came out strongly at the start of the second half and Bellingham soon struck his eighth league goal. The England international followed up to score after Diaz’s shot was blocked on the line. Diaz struck the post and Ancelotti

league goal of the season with a free kick to put Real Madrid ahead after 76 minutes. “He practised that yesterday, it went very well and he wanted to try it today,” said Ancelotti. The French striker trails La Liga’s top scorer, Barcelona hitman Robert Lewandowski, by one. “It was a difficult game, after the international break it’s always difficult, and we know that what we have to do always is win,” added Mbappe. Atletico Madrid’s slim Spanish title hopes faded further with a disappointing draw at Espanyol. Javi Puado earned the Catalan side a point with a penalty after Cesar Azpilicueta put the visitors ahead in spectacular fashion. “Two points escaped, two important ones,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told Movistar . “If we don’t have consistency we can’t fight for the title. We don’t have it, we’re losing points and I think the t e a m s

sent on Vinicius and Rodrygo as Madrid pushed. Eventually Mbappe netted his 22nd

end because that’s what a professional team does, and they’re a very serious team. They’ll fight just like we and Barcelona will,” he said. Ancelotti named Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes on the bench after they were in action for Brazil on Tuesday, starting Mbappe with Brahim Diaz in attack. Madrid took the lead after they

behind us are

catching up.” S i m e o n e admitted his team did not deserve the three points. “It was a flat game in which the draw was fair,” the coach told reporters. – AFP/Agencies Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (right) shoots past Leganes’ Sergio Gonzalez during their La Liga match yesterday. – AFPPIC

w e r e awarded a d u b i o u s penalty, when Oscar

Rodriguez

Juve relaunch Champions League bid

JUVENTUS returned to winning ways under new coach Igor Tudor with yesterday’s 1-0 win over Genoa which kept them a point away from Serie A’s Champions League positions. Kenan Yildiz made sure fifth-placed Juve would stay on Bologna’s heels in the race for a spot in Europe’s top club competition with a fine individual strike in the 25th minute in Turin. Turkey attacker Yildiz lifted home his seventh goal of the season in all competitions for Juve after skipping into the box and around Genoa defender Koni De Winter. Tudor’s reign began with a limp display similar to those which cost his predecessor Thiago Motta his job, with Yildiz’s strike one of the few moments of quality in a largely lacklustre match. “I’m very satisfied because Genoa are a good team who are playing well and we came into this

game in a tricky period,” said Tudor to DAZN . “You can only get through those periods with hard work. I’m pleased because the boys gave everything. “We did things more or less as well as we would have liked in certain parts of the match but we completely deserved to win.” Former Croatia international Tudor was hired until the end of the season to get Juve, with whom he spent the bulk of his playing career, into the Champions League after Motta flopped. And the result yesterday was at least the right one after Juve conceded seven goals without reply in Motta’s final two matches in charge against Atalanta and Fiorentina. Patrick Vieira’s Genoa are 12th and 12 points above Empoli who sit just inside the relegation zone after drawing 1-1 at ambitious Como.

“I’m very pleased with the quality we showed today, we played with personality and were very organised… we are disappointed because we deserved to come away from here with a point,”said Vieira. Juve stayed outside the top four due to Bologna winning 1-0 at struggling Venezia earlier in the day, Riccardo Orsolini’s stunning volley securing a hard fought win on the Venetian Lagoon. Italy international Orsolini guided home a superb finish from Nicolo Cambiaghi’s cross three minutes after halftime to ensure Bologna of a fifth straight win and fourth place for at least another week. Venezia have failed to win in 13 league matches and are second from bottom, five points behind Parma who are just outside of the relegation zone and face Verona today. – AFP