Jonas Hector is a starter for one of a handful of teams with a realistic shot at winning the World Cup this summer. The 27-year-old left back helped Germany win the 2017 Confederations Cup and played a vital role in getting Die Mannschaft to the semifinals of the 2016 Euros, scoring the winning penalty kick against Gianluigi Buffon in the quarterfinals.
Borussia Dortmund hammered top four rivals Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday with goals from 18-year-old Jadon Sancho, Maximilian Philipp and a Marco Reus brace. Christian Pulisic provided the assist on Sancho’s opener after beating three defenders near midfield before playing in the English phenom.
Bayern Munich took a massive step towards the Champions League semifinals with a 2-1 away first leg victory over Sevilla in the quarters. Pablo Sarabia opened the scoring for the hosts, but a Jesus Navas own goal and header from Thiago Alcantara put Bayern in the driver's seat ahead of the return leg in Munich.
The opening 35 minutes was close to perfection from Sevilla with regards to executing their game plan. Bayern controlled possession from the start, but the likes of Sergio Escudero, Joaquin Correa and Pablo Sarabia showcased the club’s devastating quality on the counter.
With Bayern Munich attacker James Rodriguez returning to Spain to play Sevilla in the Champions League this week, the Spanish media turned its attention to the Real Madrid loanee with a staple of the country’s football coverage: unsubstantiated transfer rumors.
The rumor wasn’t all that juicy, just that Bayern will certainly move to make his loan permanent this summer by activating a clause that was included in the initial two-year loan contract signed last July.
It never ends, this churning of prodigious soccer talent at Borussia Dortmund. One minute you’re the Magic Johnson of footballers, the next some 17-year-old Londoner is vigorously nutmegging you to no end in every training session. That, apparently, is the situation facing Christian Pulisic with the emergence of younger-than-thou Jadon Sancho at Dortmund.
Monday night football is a huge part of American sports culture, a showcase evening where the sports world focuses on whatever subpar matchup the NFL has decided everyone must watch. MNF games typically have some of the biggest TV audiences of the year, regardless of who is playing. Monday night football in Germany, on the other hand, hasn’t caught on yet, as the latest Bundesliga protests have put on full display.
Germany, it seems, is the Garfield of Europe — they hate Mondays.