Bayern leak late goal to lose 100 per cent record
BERLIN: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich dropped points for the first time this season as Felix Goetze scored a late equaliser for Augsburg at his old club in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw.
Bayern were cruising to a home win, which would have left them four points clear, before Goetze nodded home the equaliser four minutes from time.
Despite the draw, Bayern stay two points clear of second-placed Werder Bremen.
With star striker Robert Lewandowski on the bench, evergreen Arjen Robben gave Bayern the lead three minutes after the break at the Allianz Arena.
With time almost up, secondhalf sub Felix Goetze, younger brother of fallen Germany star Mario, popped up with a shock equaliser having only left Bayern in July after four years .
LOEW BLOCKED FROM MEETING OZIL
BERLIN: Germany head coach Joachim Loew was reportedly blocked from meeting Mesut Ozil at Arsenal’s training ground on Monday to discuss the midfielder’s fiery retirement from international duty.
Loew and Germany’s team director Oliver Bierhoff were in London at the weekend to take part in a FIFA coaching congress and then visited Arsenal’s training ground in Colney, for clearthe-air talks with Ozil.
According to German daily Bild, Loew and Bierhoff were turned away at the entrance to Arsenal’s training ground, on the orders of Gunners’ head coach Unai Emery, while the squad was put through a recovery session.
The visit had been previously arranged, so Loew and Bierhoff later met the Gunners’ Germany internationals Bernd Leno and Shkodran Mustafi at the club’s visitors centre.
“We would have liked to have spoken to Mesut, but we have to accept that at the moment he doesn’t want to have this conversation with us,” said Bierhoff.
GRIEZMANN ON TARGET AS ATLETICO WIN 3-0
MADRID: Atletico Madrid are finally finding their groove in La Liga and just in time for a city derby against Real Madrid after they strolled to a 3-0 win over Huesca on Tuesday.
One victory from their opening four league games left Atletico seven points adrift of Barcelona a fortnight ago but three on the spin have now steered Diego Simeone’s side back on track.
This was as routine a three points as they come at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Antoine Griezmann scored early in the first half before going off early in the second, along with partner Diego Costa. Thomas Partey and Koke added numbers two and three before the interval as Atleti climb to third.
GERMANY, TURKEY IN RACE TO HOST EURO 2024
NYON, SWITZERLAND: Having lifted the World Cup in 2014, Philipp Lahm now hopes to bring Euro 2024 finals to Germany on Thursday when UEFA announce the hosts for the European Championships.
After retiring last year, ex-national team captain Lahm, 34, is head of Germany’s bid to host Euro 2024 against rivals Turkey, the only other nation seeking to host the event in six years time.
Germany want to stage their first Euro as a unified country, West Germany having hosted the event in 1988. Turkey are hoping to be awarded their first major football tournament after missing out to France by one vote for the right to host Euro 2016.