German sports magazine 11FREUNDE “11 Friends” has teamed up with more than 800 soccer players playing in the country in a mission to support gay soccer players.
In 11FREUNDE’s latest issue the hashtag and slogan “Ihr Könnt Auf Uns Zählen” (You Can Count On Us) has been echoed by the magazine and some of the biggest men and women stars playing in Germany.
When Erling Haaland scored his 25th Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund in his 25th game for the club the 20-year-old striker had certainly exceeded expectations but for the first time analysts were able to calculate by exactly how much.
Haaland had taken 73 shots on goal for an Expected Goals (xGoals) tally of 18.15, which means he had scored seven more goals than expected, underlining his world class efficiency in converting shots from difficult situations.
With 18 goals in his first 13 Champions League appearances, Erling Haaland is on pace to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time scoring record sometime next month. The 20-year-old Norwegian scored two and assisted one — all in the first half — of Borussia Dortmund’s electric 3-2 victory over Sevilla in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.
FREIBURG, Germany — Borussia Dortmund conceded two goals in three minutes to slump to a 2-1 loss at Freiburg on Saturday and drop 16 points behind leaders Bayern Munich while putting their hopes of a Champions League spot next season at risk.
Dortmund, who needed extra time to beat second tier club Paderborn 3-2 in the German Cup on Tuesday, have long given up on the title but their third loss in the last four league games meant they remained in sixth place.
Soccer is one of the very few sports that boasts competitions where small, local sides are able to face off against the best teams in the country. These matchups capture the imagination while providing a sense of hope and magic to a small group of supporters.
Domestic cups have long provided smaller clubs with the opportunity to prove their mettle by facing nationally recognized sides, and while major upsets are rare, just the slightest hope of an improbable win is enough to cause local pandemonium and stir significant interest among neutral supporters.
If you’re FC Barcelona, do you want the good news first, or bad news? The good news is that, according to Deloitte’s annual report for the world's richest soccer teams 2021, Barcelona was the highest-earning club in 2020! The bad news is that total revenue was decreased by nearly $153 million, a precipitous fall of 15 percent from 2019’s earnings. Oh, and you’re also $1.46 billion in debt.
DORTMUND, Germany — Borussia Dortmund had to come from behind to rescue a 1-1 home draw against struggling Mainz 05 on Saturday that kept them in fourth place in the title race, four points off the top.
Dortmund, who missed a late penalty, did everything right in the first half with close to 70 percent possession and 11 shots on goal, but they wasted a slew of chances and Jude Bellingham also hit the woodwork.
LEIPZIG, Germany — Borussia Dortmund scored three times in the second half, twice with Erling Haaland and once with Jadon Sancho, to beat hosts RB Leipzig 3-1 on Saturday and close the gap to the top spots in the Bundesliga.
After a toothless first half Dortmund improved after the break, taking the lead when Halaand charged down the wing and Marco Reus flicked his cross on with his back heel for Sancho to fire in.
No one can argue that 2020 has been an awful year that we all want to put behind us. But before we look ahead 2021, we have to take a minute to appreciate how sports have provided something resembling normality in recent months.
Considering the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been incredibly lucky to have soccer leagues playing regularly since June.
2020 has been a tough year financially both for clubs and for players.
The economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen transfer values deflate, with the value of many players decreasing independent of their form on the pitch by 10-20 percent.
For clubs this means their assets are worth less to go with a sharp decrease in revenue caused by matches without fans. For players, this means their skills are worth less as well as a decrease in salaries.