Injury to Hummels sours Bayern’s win
BERLIN: Bayern Munich suffered an injury scare ahead of their midweek Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid when Germany defender Mats Hummels picked up a knee injury against Hamburg on Saturday.
Hummels was hurt in the first half of Saturday’s Bundesliga encounter after landing awkwardly on his right knee having challenged for the ball with Hamburg’s US international striker Bobby Wood.
After receiving treatment on the pitch, Hummels finished the first half but sat on the turf early in the second, indicating to the Bayern bench, and was replaced by Jerome Boateng on 51 minutes.
“I had hoped it would get better, but it got worse as the game went on,” said Hummels after the final whistle of Bayern’s 1-0 victory thanks to Joshua Kimmich’s late goal. “I am assuming I can (play against Atletico), but there are no guarantees.”
Atletico host Bayern on Wednesday in Champions League Group D with both sides having won their opening matches.
Last season’s finalists Atletico beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 away a fortnight ago while Bayern trounced Russia’s Rostov 5-0 in Munich. Atletico knocked Bayern out in the semifinals of the Champions League last season.
DORTMUND BEAT FREIBURG 3-1
BERLIN: Title contenders Borussia Dortmund twice hit the woodwork as they beat Freiburg 3-1.
Dortmund, who have now scored 14 goals in their last three league games, should have killed off the match long before Freiburg pulled a goal back on the hour to set up a nervous finale.
However, strikes from PierreEmerick Aubameyang and Lukasz Piszczek and a stoppage time goal from Raphael Guerreiro allowed Dortmund to secure a fourth win in five league games and equal a club record of 24 home games without defeat.
GOLDANIGA OWN GOAL HANDS JUVE 1-0 WIN
ROME: An own goal by Palermo’s Edoardo Goldaniga was enough to give champions Juventus a 1-0 victory in Sicily on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to four points.
Brazilian defender Dani Alves, who joined from Barcelona in the close season, fired in from 25 metres with the ball taking a wicked deflection off Goldaniga’s leg to hand Juve their fifth win in six league matches in a scrappy encounter.
Juventus, who had crushed Cagliari 4-0 in midweek with Alves on target, struggled with a tight Palermo defence in the first half, with both Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic failing to put them ahead with several good scoring chances.