Harry Kane equalled Robert Lewandowski’s half-season Bundesliga goalscoring record with a late strike but it was Jamal Musiala who provided the real cutting edge in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over 10-man Hoffenheim.
The England striker clipped home left-footed from 12 yards in added time for his 22nd goal in 16 games to match the man whose number nine shirt he inherited following his summer move from Tottenham. Kane now has next week’s home match against Werder Bremen to surpass Lewandowski’s tally by the halfway stage of the campaign.
But on a night when the death of Bayern great Franz Beckenbauer was marked with a number of tributes – the outside of the stadium emblazoned with the words ‘Danke Franz’ – it was the mercurial talents of the 20-year-old Germany international Musiala which lit up the Allianz Arena and moved his side within a point of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
The first of his two goals secured a new record for the German champions, who have now scored in 65 successive home league fixtures to beat their own Bundesliga record set between 1970 and 1974.
Musiala opened the scoring in the first half with a shot from a narrow angle which goalkeeper Oliver Baumann could have dealt with better before converting a simpler 70th-minute effort to secure the result on a night of half-chances and missed opportunities.
Grischa Promel’s 74th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card ended the visitors’ hopes of staging a late comeback, although that appeared unlikely after failing to capitalise on their only good spell of the game midway through the second half when Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer marked his 500th club appearance with two good saves.
Bayern’s players all wore Beckenbauer’s number five during the warm-up, their match shirts also carried the words ‘Danke Franz’ and there was a period of silence before kick-off.
Once the game began, the hosts failed to create anything before they took the lead with their first shot in the 18th minute.
Hoffenheim were guilty of switching off as Bayern took a quick corner and that allowed Leroy Sane to picked out Musiala in space and he beat Baumann from the narrowest of angles via the far post.
It was Bayern’s 50th league goal in their 16th game and Hoffenheim’s 12th fixture without a clean sheet.
The only surprise was the home side’s failure to press home their dominance, the winter break appearing to have dulled their invention as all they could muster was a Raphael Guerreiro effort, teed up by Kane, which was comfortably turned around the post.
Hoffenheim’s best of limited opportunities saw Andrej Kramaric’s shot easily caught by Neuer.
Kane thought he had teed up Sane for Bayern’s second 10 minutes after half-time but it was ruled out for offside against the England captain, who continued to look one of Bayern’s biggest threats with a shot narrowly deflected wide.
Musiala then hit the post from distance with Thomas Muller unable to turn home the rebound and Konrad Laimer and Alphonso Davies were both denied by Baumann as Bayern began to ramp up the pressure.
But they were almost made to pay for not taking their chances as Neuer was forced into two great saves, first from Maximilian Beier’s close-range header and then Kramaric as he raced through on goal.
Even when Neuer was beaten by Beier’s volley, the ball crashed against the crossbar and that was to prove even more costly.
Musiala doubled his tally by converting Sane’s return pass and Kane grabbed his customary goal late on.
A solid all-round performance from Andile Phehlukwayo propelled the Paarl Royals to a comfortable 27-run win over the Pretoria Capitals in Betway SA T20 action at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday.
The Royals, after being put in to bat by the Capitals, made 160-7 from their 20 overs thanks to 41 from Captain David Miller and 28 each from Phehlukwayo and Mitchell Van Buuren.
West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen could only manage five against 2-29 off four overs from Daryn Dupavillon and 2-35 from four overs for Corbin Bosch.
The Capitals were then restricted to 133-7 from their 20 overs.
Phil Salt, who tormented the West Indies during their five-match T20I series with England in December, top-scored with 39 while Rilee Rossouw had 29 and Captain James Neesham 21.
Phehlukwayo picked up 2-29 from his four overs while West Indian Obed McCoy ended his four overs with 1-26.
The New England Patriots have named inside linebackers coach and former player Jerod Mayo as their new head coach following the departure of long-serving Bill Belichick.
The Patriots on Thursday announced they and Belichick, 71, had mutually agreed to part ways following a 24-year tenure featuring six Super Bowl titles.
Belichick’s successor Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 before returning when he joined Belichick’s coaching staff in 2019. At 37, Mayo becomes the youngest current head coach in the NFL.
Captain for seven seasons and a Super Bowl champion in 2014, Mayo is the first former Patriots player to become head coach of the team.
He is to be formally introduced in his new role at a press conference next Wednesday.
Belichick took charge at the Patriots in 2000 and oversaw an unprecedented run of success, including three Super Bowl titles in the space of four seasons, as well as 17 AFC East division titles and 18 play-off appearances.
The Patriots ended the 2023 season with a 4-13 record, the worst of Belichick’s coaching career.
Manchester United left-back Alvaro Fernandez is set to return from a loan spell at Granada and join Benfica, the PA news agency understands.
Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho have already left Erik ten Hag’s side this month to join Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund respectively on loan for the rest of the season.
Hannibal Mejbri is set to join Sevilla on loan with a view to buy having also attracted interest from Everton and Joe Hugill has joined Burton for the rest of the season fresh from extending his United contract.
Facundo Pellistri and Dan Gore are others attracting interest, while left-back Fernandez looks set to head to Portuguese giants Benfica.
The 20-year-old Spaniard joined from Real Madrid in 2020 but has yet to make a first-team appearance for United, spending last season on loan at Preston before joining Granada this term.
The process has now begun to recall Fernandez from the LaLiga outfit ahead of an expected move to Benfica, with the breakdown of the deal yet to be nailed down.
A potential 10 million euros (£8.6m) permanent move has been mentioned in the Portuguese media and a loan with clauses has also been under discussion.
Qatar began their defence of the Asian Cup with a 3-0 win over Lebanon at Lusail Stadium on Friday.
Two goals from Akram Afif and another from Almoez Ali saw the host nation make a perfect start as the tournament kicked off in front of a crowd of 82,490.
The only concern for Qatar coach Bartolome Marquez Lopez was an injury to star forward Ali in the second half.
But Afif proved how important he will be to his team's hopes of retaining their crown with clinical finishes at the end of each half.
Afif opened the scoring in the 45th minute when he latched onto Ali's lay off, and the forward rounded off the win in stoppage time when he charged into the box and lifted a shot over Lebanon's goalkeeper.
Ali, who was the leading scorer when Qatar won the trophy for the first time in 2019 with nine goals, struck in the 56th. He also had a goal ruled out for offside.
But he looked in discomfort as he limped off the field in the 77th minute, holding the back of his leg.
Qatar is staging the tournament for the third time after original host China withdrew as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was supposed to be held in 2023, but was delayed to this month due to the extreme heat in the height of the summer in the Middle East.
A debate will be held to discuss the implementation of affordability checks on February 26, the Petitions Committee has announced.
Participants and fans of racing signed a petition, which needed 100,000 signatures to reach this stage, after it was launched under the name of Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale.
British Horseracing Authority chief executive Julie Harrington said in a statement: “We are pleased that the important issue of affordability checks will now be subjected to proper levels of parliamentary scrutiny.
“The fact that our survey reached the required 100,000 signatures threshold in just 27 days is powerful testament to the strength of feeling shared by bettors over the proposed checks. This has today been recognised by the Petitions Committee.
“No other form of leisure activity is subjected to the kinds of restrictions being proposed by the Government and so it is right that MPs have the chance to forensically debate this issue.
“The BHA and other racing stakeholders will work with MPs on both sides of the House to ensure that the views of British racing and those who bet on the sport are properly represented within the debate.
“While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting on horseracing without suffering any ill effects.
“The BHA will therefore continue to push for changes to the Gambling Commission’s proposals on affordability checks to protect the sport’s financial future and limit the impact on racing bettors.”
Ivory Coast boss Jean-Louis Gasset is wary of the underdog as his side kick off the Africa Cup of Nations against minnows Guinea-Bissau.
The host nation raise the curtain in the Group A clash on Saturday knowing their opponents have yet to win a match in three previous appearances at the tournament.
“We cannot underestimate Guinea-Bissau,” said Gasset on the tournament’s official website. “In these type of opening games, there is always a risk the underdog is fired up to cause an upset.”
Former West Ham striker Sebastian Haller is unavailable for the match with an ankle injury but Gasset hopes he will be back in time for the second match against Nigeria.
The Ivory Coast will be aiming for a first AFCON title since 2015 in their first home tournament in 39 years and are one of the favourites, with five English-based players, including Nottingham Forest trio Willy Boly, Serge Aurier and Ibrahim Sangare.
Guinea-Bissau are certainly not tipped to do well, with three draws and six defeats in their previous appearances, but coach Baciro Cande is targeting a shock.
“We know we can create a sensation against the hosts,” he said.
Paul Nicholls’ Kabral Du Mathan looks to have a very bright future after he cruised to victory on his British debut in the Weatherbys Chatteris Fen Juvenile Hurdle.
A winner in France on his only previous start, he had to carry 8lb more than all his rivals but it mattered not a jot.
There were four other previous winners in the race and one of those, Dan Skelton’s Kartoon And Co, led them until halfway down the back straight when he suddenly came under pressure and dropped to last.
Alan King’s Whispering Royal was the next to crack but by the second last, Harry Cobden had loomed up on Kabral Du Mathan (100-30) and breezed by Latin Verse to win by a length and a half.
Charlie Davies, assistant trainer, said: “It was a very pleasing performance. He has done everything nicely in Ditcheat. When they come over from France, you don’t know what to expect and we were very nervous about having to give all of them 8lb.
“He has jumped brilliantly, done it all very professionally and I think he has done it quite cosily. Hopefully he might be one for the Fred Winter (Boodles) in March.
“I think he is more a Fred Winter horse as to be a Triumph Hurdle horse you have got to be a really good horse, and you would have to take on Burdett Road, while Sir Gino looked very smart the other day.
“I think we will go the Fred Winter route for the time being. He has got to have one more run and maybe we will run him in a decent race and see how good he is.
“You couldn’t be more pleased with how it went as he travelled and jumped brilliantly. It was a very taking debut, giving them all 8lb.”
Ben Pauling was delighted to get Tellherthename’s career back on track with a straightforward success in the Arkle Finance EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
Pauling has made no secret of the regard in which he holds the £200,000 purchase but the wheels came off when upped to Grade One company at Aintree last time out.
Back down in class and following extensive tests, the five-year-old landed odds of 1-4 with the minimum of fuss under Kielan Woods.
“We are back on track. We turned a lot of stones to try to find out what happened at Aintree. We found a few little bits and bobs, but nothing that put us out for that long as you could see,” said Pauling.
“I was just keen to get his season back on track before we dwelt on it for too long. The ground there was soft enough and it is not the good to soft that they have advertised, but he has handled it very well. He is an unbelievably class horse.
“That now gives him his fourth run so he has got the option of the Betfair Hurdle, but the ground would have to be spot on for that otherwise we will go straight to the Supreme with him.
“I think he is a class horse with gears galore and I sometimes think they are best fresh. They go such a gallop in that race (Supreme) and if you are anything but absolutely ready for the day, then you might get caught flat-footed.”
Henrietta Knight enjoyed her first day back on a racecourse as a trainer, despite being out of luck with two runners at Wincanton.
Neither Zettabyte or Ballywalter troubled the judge, but Knight, who during her first spell with a licence reached the summit of her profession, was welcomed back into the racing fold with open arms.
Knight enjoyed tremendous success during her first spell with a licence, winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham three times with Best Mate.
She was also responsible for Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu, the Stayers’ Hurdle with Karshi and Victor Chandler Chase (now Clarence House) with Somersby.
Having competed at the highest level of equestrianism before beginning her training career, Knight was always credited with being a great horsewoman and until recently several trainers have sent their horses to her for extensive schooling.
“It was a very good experience to be back on the racecourse,” she said.
“I got a good welcome and I was among people I like being with.
“I saw plenty of people that I hadn’t see for a fair few years, but like myself they have all got a bit older!
“It was a great atmosphere and I’ve enjoyed it.”
She went on: “The first horse (Zettabyte) showed enough to suggest that he will win races in time, but I don’t know when I might have more runners due to the weather – judging by what they are saying there might not be much racing after Wednesday.
“Hopefully we can keep it all running smoothly at home anyway.
“I had such a lovely welcome today, I really enjoyed it.”
Zettabyte, formerly with Gordon Elliott, finished ninth of 15 having travelled well for a long way, while Ballywalter was pulled up at the third-last.
England prop Mako Vunipola has announced his retirement from international rugby.
Vunipola amassed 79 caps in a career that began in 2012 and also made nine Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions.
The 32-year-old Saracens forward missed last year’s World Cup because of back surgery but was expected to be involved in the upcoming Six Nations.
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“It’s been an honour to have represented my country but all good things must come to an end,” he said on Instagram.
“The time has come to step away now. There have been lots of highs and lows. Would love to thank everyone who have helped me along the way.
“To my wife @alex_vunipola thank you for taking care of our family and all your support. Words don’t do it justice.
“To my parents I’m eternally grateful for all you have sacrificed for me to be here. Malo aupito and Ofa atu. God is good.”
West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite says he’s pleased with the team’s preparation ahead of the first Test against Australia set to begin on Tuesday in Adelaide.
The tourists played to a draw in their lone three-day warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI on Friday.
“We as a team are very pleased. The facilities here are outstanding and the boys made good use of it,” the skipper said in an interview after Friday’s final day.
The team had some excellent individual performances throughout the three days including Brathwaite himself getting 52 in the first innings.
He didn’t bat in the second, however, giving the opportunity to wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva to get some time out in the middle at the top of the order. Da Silva grabbed it with both hands, producing a well-composed 105.
“Felt good. It was important for Joshua to get some batting in the second innings so it was a very good game for us,” Brathwaite said.
Brathwaite also singled out the performances of Justin Greaves and Kavem Hodge in the game. Greaves had scores of 65 and 41* and took two wickets in the match while Hodge had scores of 52 and 99.
“He’s a quality cricketer. I’m not surprised by what he did and I look forward to his future in West Indies cricket,” he said of Greaves.
“Very pleased with the hunger he showed to come again in the second innings and do it. That’s what we want in this team,” Brathwaite said about Hodge.
The team has been in Australia since late December, something Brathwaite believes has helped them to better acclimatize to the conditions.
“I think it’s very good. We would have flown a number of hours to get here so I think initially getting here and getting accustomed to the time zone and getting over jet lag was quite important,” he said.
“Having the time, as well, to practice here in Adelaide and get accustomed to the pitches and stuff was great for us,” he added.
“Quite clear,” was Brathwaite’s response to questions about the XI for the first Test.
“Very happy with how all the guys went about this camp and this game and, obviously, it’s time next week to make the West Indies proud,” he said.
Mauricio Pochettino confirmed Ben Chilwell’s return to the Chelsea squad for Saturday’s meeting with Fulham at Stamford Bridge after missing nearly four months with a hamstring injury.
The England defender last featured during the 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in late September but is set to be named in the matchday party alongside Benoit Badiashile, who has recovered from a muscle issue.
However, Christopher Nkunku remains on the absentee list with the manager revealing that the forward’s recovery from a hip problem has become “complicated”.
Carney Chukwuemeka, who has not played since the second weekend of the Premier League season, will be assessed ahead of the clash against Fulham, while Trevoh Chalobah is training with the first team having missing the entire campaign to date.
“It’s good news about Chilwell and Badiashile,” said Pochettino. “For sure they’ll be in the squad (on Saturday). We need to assess Carney Chukwuemeka.
“Trevoh Chalobah is working with the group, we’ll assess day by day. He’s doing well. They’re so close to being involved again.
“I am worried about the situation of Nkunku. (It has been) now 10 days that he can’t train. We’re assessing him.
“He suffered a small issue and it became complicated. After six months that we were waiting for him, he was so close to feeling comfortable, he started against Crystal Palace (on December 27). We’re disappointed. We want him (back) as soon as possible.”
The France international was made to wait until December for his first start for the club following his summer move from RB Leipzig, after a knee injury sustained in pre-season ruled him out.
His absence places further pressure on Pochettino’s limited attacking options, with Nicolas Jackson away representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations and Armando Broja searching for form after returning from an ACL injury in September.
The PA news agency understands that striker David Fofana will join Burnley on loan for the rest of the season after his stay at Bundesliga side Union Berlin was cut short.
Meanwhile the club confirmed on Friday that Netherlands Under-21 international Ian Maatsen, who has made only three starts this season, has moved to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
“It’s good for the club, it’s good for him,” said Pochettino. “We hope he’ll have the possibility to play more than here. For both sides it’s a good decision.”
The manager called on his players to re-find the momentum saw them win four out five games in all competitions prior to Tuesday’s defeat to Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Victory against Marco Silva’s side in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off would see them at least temporarily move above eighth-placed Manchester United, while a win of sufficient margin could see them climb as high as seventh, their highest league position since November 2022.
“We didn’t perform badly against Middlesbrough,” said Pochettino. “We came from a few victories. We need to keep the momentum.
“It’s true that after the first 90 minutes we are 1-0 down. We need to keep the belief, the team is preparing well, confident for (Fulham). I’m so sure we’ll do a good job.
“But when you lose a game to a Championship team, you need to accept the criticism. We have the chance (on Saturday) to put all these bad feelings out by performing in the right way.”
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi hopes his team can have “another ideal half” to their season as they prepare to face Monza on Saturday.
His side are two points clear at the top of Serie A going into Saturday’s game and got 2024 off to a winning start with a 2-1 win against Verona last weekend.
An impressive first half to the season sees Inter having lost only one league game, a 2-1 reverse against Sassuolo in September, and they have won five of their last six Serie A games.
Monza are currently 11th in the league having earned their first win in four games last Saturday with a 3-2 victory against Frosinone and Inzaghi warned that Monza are “an opponent of quality”.
He told Inter TV: “We know that we have had an ideal start (to the season); the squad is ambitious and we know it won’t be simple, but we want to double down with another ideal half to the season.
“It will be a difficult game against a good side that has a great coach and some players that were important with Inter: it will be nice to see (Danilo) D’Ambrosio, (Roberto) Gagliardini, and Valentin Carboni again.
“We need to put in a good performance – Monza is an opponent of quality.”
Federico Dimarco could be involved in the Monza clash after featuring from the bench against Verona, while January signing Tajon Buchanan could also make his Inter debut.
Buchanan joined the club from Club Brugge last Friday and Inzaghi praised his “great quality”, adding that the wing-back has been involved in training this week.
“Yes, we haven’t trained yet today but Federico is much better. He has recovered and we saw him at the end of the Verona match,” Inzaghi added.
“TJ has come in in the best way; he is a young player of great quality, with some experience already.
“It will take some time for him to integrate but he underwent three big training sessions this week”.
Banbridge takes aim at the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase when he makes his eagerly-awaited return in a high-class contest at Kempton on Saturday.
Joseph O’Brien’s eight-year-old is no stranger to making raiding trips to the UK and, having won at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022, registered a first Grade One in Aintree’s Manifesto Novices’ Chase at the back-end of last season.
That Liverpool victory was the last time the Ronnie Bartlett-owned chaser has been sighted, with the wet weather leading to him being kept under lock and key until now.
However, his handler is keen to get Banbridge’s campaign started ahead of key targets at the major festivals later in the season.
“He’s in good form and has prepared well for this race,” said O’Brien.
“He’s been ready to run for a little while now but just hasn’t had suitable conditions.
“We’re looking forward to getting him started and hopefully he runs a nice race in preparation for the spring festivals.”
Pic D’Orhy coasted to a 16-length success in this contest 12 months ago but faces a much sterner challenge this time around.
Paul Nicholls’ Melling Chase hero took advantage of Shishkin planting at the start on his reappearance at Ascot and the defending champion returns to the Grade Two event attempting to maintain a 100 per cent record at the Sunbury track.
“He won this by 16 lengths a year ago and has a solid chance of completing the double,” Nicholls told Betfair.
“I don’t think he was at his best when he was successful in his only race this season at Ascot, where he found the ground quicker than ideal. But he still won decisively and we fancied our chances against Shishkin before he refused to start.
“Pic D’Orhy is in good shape, working nicely and I’ve had this race in mind for him for a while.”
Alan King saddled Balder Success to victory in the 2015 running of this contest and now sends out Edwardstone looking to repeat the feat.
The Arkle winner took a step forward from his Shloer Chase return when a brave second in the Tingle Creek prior to Christmas, but with the Barbury Castle handler accepting defeat in the red-hot two-mile division, Edwardstone now has the Ryanair Chase firmly on the radar for March.
He will be partnered by his usual jockey Tom Cannon, who feels the better underfoot conditions at Kempton could inspire a return to form, as he races further than an extended two miles for the first time over fences.
He said: “I think the better the ground, the better it is for him, although he does handle any ground, with the exception of extremes.
“He hasn’t had decent ground in his two runs this season and hopefully he will appreciate that going up in trip.
“He has won well around Kempton before over fences in the Wayward Lad (Novices’ Chase) and it is a flat track, which should help him see out the trip.
“However, we won’t know if he does get the trip until he has run, and the horse will do all the talking.”
Laura Morgan is another handler with half an eye on the Ryanair Chase at the Festival, with her Notlongtillmay freshened up after finishing a gallant second to Stage Star in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, while Willie Mullins’ Janidil completes the field of five heading to post.
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