06/10/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | OCT 6, 2025

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L UIS DIAZ scored a double, his first com ing after just 15 seconds, and Harry Kane added another as Bayern Munich won 3 0 at Eintracht Frankfurt yesterday. England captain Kane’s 18th goal in 10 games in all competitions this season helped Bayern move four points clear atop the German Bundesliga table heading into the international break. “It was a great performance. We’ve got momentum on our side and we’ll have to hold onto that,” Kane told Sky Germany . Bayern got off to a lightning start, Serge Gnabry grabbing an errant Frankfurt pass to set up Diaz for the third-fastest goal in Bundesliga history. Frankfurt’s Jean-Matteo Bahoya looked to have drawn the hosts level with 15 minutes played after an excellent long-range effort, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for a handball Vinicius double helps Real beat Yellow Submarine VINICIUS JUNIOR fired Real Madrid to the top of La Liga with a brace in a 3-1 win over Villarreal yesterday, while Kylian Mbappe was also on tar get. Having returned from their long midweek trip to Kazakhstan, where they beat Kairat in the Champions League, Madrid turned their focus back to domestic matters. Thrashed 5-2 by city rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend, Xabi Alonso’s side had plenty to prove against a strong Villarreal team, who are third. “I played very well and I want to continue like this, keeping this confidence and doing even more,”Vinicius told Real Madrid TV . “We have good feelings … when we come back (from the international break) we have big games and we need confidence,” added Vinicius. The winger did not start the season well but has found form in recent outings. “Vini had a very good game and he was deci sive, I’m very happy for him,” Alonso told report ers. Alonso brought Fede Valverde back into the team, playing him at rightback in the absence of injured duo Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander Arnold. Mbappe was taken off grimacing in the final stages, in the only negative note for a Madrid side who were good value for their three points. “Kylian already had a little discomfort in his ankle, we will see how it goes,” said Alonso, add ing that the forward would still travel to join up with the French national team. Villarreal midfielder Santiago Comesana com plained about some of the refereeing decisions that went against his side. “It’s a shame about the first goal which hit me, and then came the penalty, which wasn’t enough (of a foul) to give it,” Comesana told DAZN . “That hurt us a lot, you only have to look how he threw himself down … and the red card (was soft) … if it’s already hard to win at the Bernabeu, with these things it’s even harder.” – AFP

Diaz dazzles early Kane strikes again as Bayern beat Frankfurt

“We wanted to win today and we had the chances to do so, but we lacked a bit of luck in the end,” Dortmund captain Nico Schlotterbeck told DAZN . “We wasted a lot of possession up front. A point is OK.” The draw leaves second-placed Dortmund two points behind league leaders Bayern. Leipzig are a point behind Dortmund in third. Summer arrivals Ernest Poku and Christian Kofane scored as Bayer Leverkusen beat Union Berlin 2-0 at home to collect their third win of the season. Samuel Mbangula’s second-minute goal was enough for Werder Bremen in a 1-0 home win over St Pauli, the hosts’ second victory of the season. Augsburg bounced back after a run of four defeats with a dominant 3-1 home win over Wolfsburg. – AFP

against Ritsu Doan in the lead-up. With 27 minutes gone, Kane thumped a low shot from outside the box past Frankfurt goal keeper Kaua Santos and into the bottom left cor ner, his 11th league goal in six matches this sea son. Kane collided with Santos late in the second half and needed assistance leaving the pitch with a limp, but was able to jog down the touch line before being subbed off. Despite the injury he said he would be fit for

England duty next week. “I’m OK. It was a contact to the bone. I had it a few weeks ago, and it was in the same spot today. A few days and it’ll be fine.” he said. Diaz scored with six minutes remaining, rais ing his total to six goals in 10 games since mov ing from Liverpool in the summer. Bayern’s next opponents after the interna tional break are second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who were held to a 1-1 draw by visi tors RB Leipzig earlier on Saturday.

SHORTS De Zerbi living his best life MARSEILLE climbed to the top of Ligue 1 yesterday with a 3-0 win at Metz which left coach Roberto De Zerbi purring over his side’s form after four straight wins. Abdallah Sima scored with virtually the last kick of the match to hand 10 man Lens a 2-1 victory at Auxerre and move the northerners up to fourth. Rock bottom Metz parked the bus in the first half but Marseille poured forwards after the break with Brazilian dynamo Igor Paixao breaking the deadlock on 51 minutes, while Matt O’Riley on 69 minutes and Amine Gouiri two minutes after that secured the three points. “These are the kind of matches we were losing last year, we’ve matured and the team is much stronger now,” said De Zerbi. “I’m very happy. This is my best period since I took over Marseille,” the Italian coach, who joined from Brighton in June 2024 and led OM to the runners up spot last season, added. In the day’s other match Brest and Nantes played out a goalless draw. Coventry lead Championship FRANK LAMPARD’S Coventry stormed to the top of the Championship with a 5-0 rout of financially stricken Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday as Middlesbrough lost 1-0 at Portsmouth. The match at Hillsborough was briefly interrupted by a pitch invasion by the home fans to protest against Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri. The Wednesday players were not paid on time this week for the fifth time in seven months. “It’s a period where we’re playing well. All the work that we do is coming together. It won’t always be that way, but at this point, we’re very clinical in front of goal,” said former England mid fielder Lampard. “We’re creating a lot of chances and four clean sheets is obviously great for us because the early games, we were conceding a lot.” Middlesbrough relinquished top spot after losing for the first time in the league under Rob Edwards. Leicester climbed up to third with a 3-1 win at Swansea thanks to goals from Jordan James, Abdul Fatawu and Jannik Vestergaard. Preston beat Charlton 2-0 to move up to fourth, while fifth-placed Stoke were held 1-1 at Blackburn. Southampton’s struggles to readjust to life in the Championship continued in a 1-1 draw at Derby to sit 16th in the table. Sheffield United remain rooted to the bottom of the table after losing 1-0 at Hull.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior (centre) in action with Villarreal’s Santiago Mourino (left) and Alberto Moleiro during their Spanish La Liga match yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Inter sweep past Cremonese to join Serie A leaders INTER MILAN joined a clutch of teams level at the top of Serie A yesterday by giving sorry Cremonese a 4-1 thumping at the San Siro thanks in large part to a superb display from Ange-Yoan Bonny. moment and if I can help the team, then that’s great too,” said Bonny, who followed coach Cristian Chivu to Inter from Parma in the summer.

Dimarco’s cross. Bonny laid up Dimarco to lash home Inter’s third 10 minutes after halftime and shortly afterwards he slipped in a neat ball from which Barella netted his first goal since December. “We dominated, we created a lot and we had some fun. We were aggressive but also well organ ised,” said Chivu. “I’m pleased Bonny scored but I’m also happy about how he worked for the team. Up front we’ve got two top drawer players and two youngsters and the whole squad is happy with how they’re doing.” Earlier, Lazio scraped a 3-3 home draw with Torino thanks to a penalty from Danilo Cataldi in the 13th minute of stoppage time. – AFP

“He (Chivu) gives me confidence every day. I know that if I work hard in training that I’ll get my chance. Whether we’re at Parma or Inter that’s how it is.” Bonny was key to Inter taking the lead in the sixth minute as he slipped down the left side of the penalty area before pulling back a perfect pass for Martinez, who tapped home his sixth goal of the season. And the 21-year-old was on hand to double his team’s lead seven minutes before the break when he nipped in at the near post to nod home

Lautaro Martinez, Bonny, Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella were all on target for Inter, who movd onto 12 points alongside local rivals AC Milan, Napoli and Roma, who all play on Sunday. Inter were missing France forward Marcus Thuram to a hamstring injury but that did not stop the hosts from bulldozing promoted Cremonese, as his countryman Bonny impressed with three assists to go along with a goal in his first start for his new club. “It was great to win, we’re very consistent at the