Three see red for Bremen but home side takes points in eventful win over Mainz
Mainz started the day in sixth place, three places above the home side, but it was Bremen who took the early initiative.
It should have gone ahead as early as the 10th minute but Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner saved a Marvin Ducksch penalty awarded after the keeper brought down Romano Schmid.
However, Bremen was not to be denied and four minutes later it took the lead. A corner ricocheted around the box and Leonardo Bittencourt stabbed in the loose ball from three meters out.
Bittencourt limped off after 33 minutes but it was only in the second half that Mainz threatened to draw level.
Danny da Costa's deflected shot hit the post after an hour and then Paul Nebel saw his effort saved on the line by Niklas Stark eight minutes later.
Bremen also had a late goal disallowed for offside and then saw two men sent off in the dying seconds for timewasting, followed by coach Ole Werner after the final whistle.
The result lifted Werder two places into seventh, a point behind Mainz.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
How Liverpool can afford to sign Alexander Isak this summer
Liverpool have been very active in the ongoing summer transfer window. The Reds broke their club transfer record when they brought in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £116.5 million. Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and most recently Hugo Ektike have also arrived at Anfield, taking their spending to £269m so far. Given their big outlay this summer, it appears Liverpool will not be able to sign Newcastle United's Alexander Isak. The Merseyside titans communicated their interest in Isak, but with Newcastle adamant the player was not for sale, they did not submit a formal bid. The latest is Isak is actively pushing to leave Newcastle, but there are doubts whether Liverpool's finances allow them to spend a huge fee for the Sweden international. However, the Reds' supporters will be absolutely delighted to hear that their club can afford to spend another £200m and still be compliant with the PSR rules. This is according to the Daily Mail (July 26, Page 104) who estimated their total income this year at £385m. Liverpool have been frugal in the previous three transfer windows. Unlike the other big clubs, they signed only one player (Federico Chiesa) for £10m last summer. Winning the Premier League last season means Arne Slot's side banked £174.9m in prize money and around £83.8m for their run to the last 16 of the Champions League. Furthermore, their kit deal with Adidas, starting on August 1, is reportedly worth more than £60m per year. Liverpool have already raised £66m with the sales of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrel Quansah, Nat Phillips and Caoimhin Kelleher. They could further boost their spending power if they manage to sell Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. It becomes clear Liverpool can afford to sign Isak, but it remains to be seen whether they can tempt Newcastle into selling their best player this summer.
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
INEOS now ready to rival Bayern for ‘unstoppable' frontman who's a ‘thorn' in defenders' sides
Manchester United are considering scuppering Bayern Munich's pursuit of Christopher Nkunku, with the forward nailed on to leave Chelsea in the coming weeks. Already ranking behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, Nkunku is poised to see his minutes slashed even more after the Blues sanctioned the arrivals of both Liam Delap and Joao Pedro – to the point even Jackson now faces an uncertain future. The French international did feature throughout Chelsea's triumphant Club World Cup campaign, although he was really only playing to hopefully catch the eyes of his suitors before engaging in exit negotiations. Journalist Zach Lowy previously went as far as hailing him as 'unstoppable' and for being a 'thorn' in defenders' sides. Bayern set sights on Nkunku coup Nkunku has been utilised sparingly by Enzo Maresca. (Photo by) To Nkunku's delight, he has seen himself added to Bayern Munich's shortlist, which would allow him to return to the league where he showcased his most prolific goalscoring attributes in the form of the Bundesliga. His record in Germany speaks for itself: 47 goals and 43 assists in 119 appearances across four seasons with RB Leipzig made it no surprise that Chelsea forked out £52 million to add him to their ranks back in June 2023. Yet, unrelenting injury issues plagued Nkunku's first season in London; he was available to play only 14 times – including two Premier League starts – and returned three goals. The subsequent term saw him facing a mammoth task to claim a starting spot and, while he did feature 48 times in total, just nine of those came from the off in the league. What's United's stance on Nkunku? TeamTalk suggests United will offer the 27-year-old the opportunity to continue plying his trade in the English top flight but, ultimately, the chance to join a side like Bayern, who'll be well in the mix to win the Champions League and other silverware, may prove too lucrative to turn down. More Stories / Latest News INEOS now ready to rival Bayern for 'unstoppable' frontman who's a 'thorn' in defenders' sides Jul 24 2025, 10:28 'Shock enquiry' made: United's PL rivals look to unsettle fan-favourite after contract negotiations stall Jul 24 2025, 7:53 United player working behind the scenes to convince £43m starlet of Old Trafford move after INEOS register interest Jul 24 2025, 7:09
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Spain's women battled sexism and indifference. Now the world champions are eyeing European title
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — If the women's soccer players of Spain have gone from nobodies to title contenders in less than a decade, it hasn't come easy. The national team has had to fight for better coaching, decent travel conditions, and modern training facilities. It paid off with a World Cup title in 2023, the Nations League crown last year, and on Sunday they face England in the European Championship final. 'It has been a constant with the national team that we have had to fight for acceptable work conditions that would allow us to play at our best,' former Spain defender Marta Torrejón told The Associated Press by phone on Friday. Torrejón lived through the lean years, the time when playing for her country felt like, in her words, a 'waste of time.' And she knows from talking with Barcelona teammates who still play for their country how much things have improved. Torrejón retired from international soccer after the 2019 World Cup as Spain's then most-capped player with 90 appearances. She has since helped Barcelona win three Champions League titles and a slew of other trophies. She also played a part in one of the revolts Spain's women have staged to demand more from the men who run the game. After the 2015 World Cup, Torrejón and other players successfully pushed for the removal of coach Ignacio Quereda, who had run the team for nearly three decades, for his poor preparation ahead of the team's first appearance in the competition. Quereda was later accused by former players of verbal abuse, an allegation he denied. 'I enjoyed playing for the national team, but the preparation and attention to the player was minimum. It felt, to put it bluntly, like a waste of time,' Torrejón said. 'The level of practice and the level of physical training both plummeted compared to what we had (at Barcelona). It was like taking a step back. 'I am told that isn't the case now, and I am very glad to hear that.' Torrejón said she saw steps in the right direction under former Spain coach Jorge Vilda, who replaced Quereda, but felt there was still more untapped potential in the team when she retired. After Torrejón quit the team, some players announced in 2022 they would no longer play for Vilda unless he ran a more professional operation. He was backed by the federation. Some players returned to play for him, and the team made history by winning the 2023 World Cup. The celebrations were overshadowed by the behavior of then-federation president Luis Rubiales, who kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the awards ceremony in Sydney. Vilda backed Rubiales, but he was swept away with his boss when the players stood up to force change, from the removal of Rubiales to improving the travel, preparation and staffing of the team. Torrejón said she had heard from Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes, stalwarts of Spain and Barcelona, that things are better since Rubiales and Vilda left. New coach Montse Tomé has enhanced the training methods. Spain leads the way at the Euros for goals scored, ball possession, passing accuracy and clean sheets. In Spain's 1-0 semifinal win over Germany, Aitana Bonmatí leaned on the team's analysts, who informed her the opposing goalkeeper tended to leave her near post unprotected. The result was an exquisite winner from a tight angle. Barcelona and other clubs have lifted Spain Spain midfielder Patri Guijarro agrees with Torrejón that the sustained investment Barcelona has provided for the past decade in the women's game has boosted the national team. 'Each and every day we work well in our clubs and I think that is reflected in the achievements of the clubs but also in the national team,' Guijarro said at Spain's camp in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday. Guijarro also credits the professionalization of Spain's women's league in 2021, which allowed players 'to dedicate ourselves fully to soccer.' Guijarro is one of 11 Barcelona players on Spain's 23-member squad. The Barcelona contingent includes Bonmatí and Putellas, who have split the last four Ballon d'Or awards between them. Former Barcelona official Xavier Vilajoana oversaw the women's team and the club's training academy from 2015-2020. During that time, the club dramatically increased its funding for women's soccer and built a training program for girls. Vilajoana said one critical decision was having the same coaches train the boys' and girls' teams. That way the Barcelona style was instilled in all the kids, and that ball-possession, short-passing and pressure became fundamentals of the women's teams as well. 'Let's not fool ourselves, we spent many years in a very sexist society and that was reflected in women's soccer. So clearly the change in the mentality of society has helped,' Vilajoana told the AP. 'But I also believe the style of play Barca has helped see women players in the same way (as the men).' 'We had talent' In the background, Spain's strong feminist movement helped get the public behind the players. 'There were many of us players who gave it our all for the national team but weren't able to get this far,' Torrejón said. 'The one thing we knew is that we had talent. We just needed more support.' ___ AP sports writer Graham Dunbar contributed from Lausanne, Switzerland. ___ AP soccer:
