Robert Lewandowski was "unbelievably proud" to follow in the footsteps of Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller by scoring 40 goals in a Bundesliga season.

Muller's long-standing record from the 1971-72 campaign was finally matched by Lewandowski on Saturday.

The Bayern striker's landmark goal came from the penalty spot in a 2-2 draw with Freiburg, just his 28th league appearance of the season.

Lewandowski has netted with 31.75 per cent of his 126 shots in the Bundesliga in 2020-21, although he passed up a pair of late chances to move clear of Muller.

The forward's final opportunity to reach 41 will come next week against Augsburg, but Lewandowski is for now delighted simply to draw level at the top.

"I achieved a goal that once seemed impossible to imagine," Lewandowski wrote on Twitter with the hashtags "#Lewy40" and "#4EverGerd".

"I'm so unbelievably proud to make history for @FCBayern, and to play a part in creating the stories that fans will tell their children - following in the footsteps of legends like Gerd Muller."

Having also provided seven assists this season, Lewandowski has 47 goal involvements, by far the most of all players in Europe's 'top five' leagues.

Lionel Messi, the Barcelona superstar, is second with 38 combined goals and assists this term.

Super Rugby Aotearoa champions the Crusaders survived a second-half fightback from the Brumbies to start their Trans-Tasman campaign with a dramatic 31-29 win.

The Crusaders appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory when they led 19-7 at the interval thanks to tries from Ethan Blackadder, Richie Mo'unga and David Havili.

Irae Simone's try and five points from the boot of Noah Lolesio trimmed the gap to two points after the break, only for Brendon O'Connor and Cullen Grace to cross to restore the Crusaders' measure of command.

But Tom Banks' try and Lolesio's conversion restored hope for Super Rugby AU runners-up the Brumbies, who then moved within two points of sending the game to extra time when Tom Wright's inside pass sent Rob Valetini over in the last minute.

However, this time Lolesio could not find the desired accuracy from the tee, his kick from the sideline sailing just wide of the left-hand post as the Crusaders clung on.

There was a markedly similar end to the Chiefs' 20-19 victory over the Western Force.

The Chiefs led 10-7 at half-time and tries from Nathan Harris and Jonah Lowe appeared to put them in control.

But Luke Jacobson's 66th red card, which came after he received a second yellow for slowing the ball down at the ruck, gave the Force new life.

They made their one-man advantage count three minutes later as Richard Kahui went over and had a chance to snatch victory at the last after Domingo Miotti crossed.

Miotti, though, could not convert his own try, sending the attempt agonisingly wide of the uprights.

That kick ensured it was a clean sweep for New Zealand sides over their Australian opponents, the Blues having run in eight tries in trouncing the Rebels 50-3 earlier in the day.

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski matched Gerd Muller's long-standing record of 40 goals in a Bundesliga season on Saturday.

Muller, another Bayern legend, netted 40 times across the 1971-72 campaign.

However, his record now looks set to tumble after Lewandowski equalled his haul with a game to play, converting a penalty to open the scoring in a 2-2 draw at Freiburg.

The Poland international revealed a t-shirt reading "4EVER GERD" with a picture of Muller on it, while his celebrations included receiving a guard of honour from Bayern players and staff by the visiting dugout as he hailed the historic goal, which arrived in the 26th minute.

Lewandowski might have then moved ahead of Muller on Saturday, too, but passed up a pair of late opportunities, first denied by Freiburg's Mark Flekken and then somehow scuffing a second effort straight at the goalkeeper from close to the goal line.

His final opportunity to set a new outright benchmark will come as Bayern conclude their season in Munich against Augsburg next Saturday.

Lewandowski's 40 goals this season have come across 28 games. Five of them have been with his head, with 31 on his right foot and four from his left.

A penalty box specialist, Lewandowski has netted 37 times from inside the area, while eight of his strikes have come from the penalty spot.

Having netted 40 times from 126 shots, the former Borussia Dortmund man has an outstanding shot conversion rate of 31.75 per cent.

With seven assists, Lewandowski leads all players in Europe's 'top five' leagues in 2020-21 with 47 goal involvements, clear of Lionel Messi's 38 for Barcelona in second place.

Robert Lewandowski equalled Gerd Muller's record of 40 Bundesliga goals in a single season as Bayern Munich were held to a 2-2 draw by a determined Freiburg on Saturday.

With a ninth-straight league title already sewn up, the focus for Bayern was all about Lewandowski's pursuit of a notable milestone that was set back in the 1971-72 season.

Lewandowski had closed in on the magical number with a hat-trick against Borussia Monchengladbach last time out, helping Hansi Flick's side celebrate being crowned champions in style with a 6-0 win at the Allianz Arena.

The Poland international matched the legendary Muller's haul thanks to a first-half penalty awarded following the involvement of the video assistant referee.

On-field official Florian Badstubner deemed Lukas Kubler had pulled down Thomas Muller at a corner after receiving a recommendation to review the incident, allowing Bayern's number nine to reach 40 from the spot.

The scorer received a guard of honour from Bayern team-mates and staff next to the visiting dugout in the immediate aftermath, though he failed to take two glorious chances late in proceedings that would have seen him move clear in the history books.

Less than three minutes after conceding the opener, Freiburg capitalised on a set-piece situation to draw level. Vincenzo Grifo's corner into the near post was met by Manuel Gulde, who beat Niklas Sule to the ball and flicked a header beyond Alexander Nubel – handed a first league start as Manuel Neuer watched on from the bench.

While Serge Gnabry had a tap-in finish ruled out for offside early in the second half, Bayern went back in front in the 53rd minute when Muller's volley across the face of the box was finished off by a sliding Leroy Sane.

However - after Mark Flekken had denied Lewandowski, who also scuffed another opportunity at to the goalkeeper - Freiburg captain Christian Gunter fired in a deserved equaliser to earn his side a point.

Rangers ended their triumphant Scottish Premiership season undefeated thanks to a thumping 4-0 win over Aberdeen.

A Joe Lewis own goal put Steven Gerrard's champions ahead at Ibrox, with a Kemar Roofe double and an effort from veteran striker Jermain Defoe completing a dominant victory that took the Glasgow giants up to 102 points.

Gerrard's side emphatically halted Celtic's bid for 10 consecutive top-flight crowns and, in going an entire campaign unbeaten, they matched the exploits of Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys in 2016-17.

Rangers' 55th Scottish title overall has proved to be a record-setting affair, with a miserly 13 goals conceded – one fewer that the previous best by Celtic back in 1913-14.

Despite Aberdeen's spirited efforts after half-time, Allan McGregor was able to keep a clean sheet – the Gers' 26th shutout this term to match Celtic's 107-year-old record.

Victory also meant a perfect return of 19 wins from 19 at Ibrox in 2020-21. That matched the feat achieved by Martin O'Neill's Celtic, who eventually chalked up 26 in succession at Parkhead between 2002 and 2004.

"It's been a while since I've had the smell of champagne. It's been so long I'm actually enjoying it," a sodden Gerrard told Sky Sports during the post-match celebrations.

"I'm so proud of the boys and all the staff around it, but the main thing is the supporters. I was asked to come here at a difficult time, it had been even more difficult before that.

"I have to pay my respects to the people who got it to the point where I took over. After that it was about having a vision, getting the right people in the right places, the right support from the board and fighting for it.

"We've fought every day for the last three years to get to this point."

Celtic concluded an utterly wretched season, that brought about the sacking of manager Neil Lennon, with a 0-0 draw at Hibernian to finish 25 points shy of their bitter rivals.

Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid are entering the "Luis Suarez zone" as they edge closer to securing a first LaLiga title since the 2013-14 season.

Atleti hold a two-point advantage over city rivals and reigning champions Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, and face Osasuna in their penultimate game of the season at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.

Should they claim three points against Jagoba Arrasate's side and Los Blancos fail to beat Athletic Bilbao, in a game which kicks off at the same time, Atletico will be crowned champions with a game remaining.

Leading the charge up front will be Uruguay international Suarez, who has scored 19 goals in his first season at the club since joining from Barcelona.

Suarez, 34, won four LaLiga titles during his time at Barca and Simeone is expecting him to use all that experience to ensure Atleti do not slip up in their final two games.

"As for Luis, we have entered the Suarez zone," Simeone told a news conference.

"It is an ideal moment for a footballer like him to find and solve game situations that the team will need. He is used to games like this and has the experience to do it."

Atleti are red-hot favourites to beat Osasuna, who have lost eight of their last 10 away games against Los Rojiblancos.

Despite this, Simeone is expecting a tough game and wants maximum focus from his side, who are aiming to score two or more goals in four consecutive home league games for the first time since April 2016.

"In football you cannot choose a rival," Simeone added. "There are no small enemies. Football is day to day and you have to play according to the game that you play.

"We continue in the same way as always. We are dealing with Osasuna, a team that has competed very well historically and will do so tomorrow as well. 

"Osasuna is changing. Lately he [Arrasate] uses 4-3-3 more, although he may return to 4-4-2 that has been in the essence of his game.

"He works much more across the game, with fast people on the outside, with people from the second row to accompany his striker and a very strong collective work.

"We seek to play a good game, take it to where we can hurt Osasuna and know that the rival will come to play with enthusiasm."

Mauricio Pochettino hopes his Paris Saint-Germain side are able to make Lille feel the heat on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.

PSG's title defence will be over on Sunday if surprise leaders Lille get a better result at home to Saint-Etienne than Pochettino's men are able to manage when Reims visit the Parc des Princes.

If Lille win, the best PSG can hope for heading into the final weekend is having a three-point deficit to overturn.

Following the midweek penalty shootout triumph over Montpellier in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, Pochettino believes his players have got last weekend's disappointing 1-1 draw at Rennes, that handed Christophe Galtier's side an advantage they appear unlikely to relinquish, out of their system.

"We don't want to repeat the problems that we made last week with Rennes. I think that is key," he told a pre-match news conference.

"We need to stay in control of the game to go after a victory and get three points that would keep us in the title race until the last day of the season

"We are motivated, nobody needs motivation. We are motivated to win tomorrow and put the pressure on Lille. We are not thinking about following their game

"We are focused on our match and getting three points because that would give us a chance. Our fate is not in our hands, but we need to make sure that we get our job done."

As is now customary at Pochettino briefings, Kylian Mbappe's future was raised.

The former Tottenham boss offered no updates on any potential new contract, choosing instead to make light of the France superstar's boisterous midweek goal celebrations.

"Thanks to that celebration I have some back pain, which I am having physio treatment for," he chuckled.

"Paris Saint-Germain have an ambitious project in place and keeping a player like Kylian is a key priority for all of us."

PSG will be without Neymar in the cup final after he collected a booking during an at times fraught encounter with Montpellier, subject to an appeal

"This is something the club is handling over the next few days," Pochettino confirmed. "We will see what the decision is and what we can do. But it is something we are thinking about."

Even without Neymar or Mbappe in the short or long term, PSG do not lack for attacking options, although Argentine striker Mauro Icardi has been off colour of late.

The former Inter captain is without a goal in his past four appearances, with a particularly lacklustre showing during the Champions League exit to Manchester City seeing him restricted to 16 touches at the Etihad Stadium.

Nevertheless, Pochettino believes his countryman can still contribute within his preferred high-octane style of play.

"At Tottenham we had different options in terms of style of play, transitions and playing high at different stages," he explained.

"They depend on how well the team was doing, this depends on how you build a team over time, getting to know your players very well and their attributes.

"Mauro Icardi can adapt to any style. He is a top player and that doesn't just apply to transitions, he is dangerous in the box and a clinical finisher.

"These are things we can all work on together and we need to build it over time with the team, bearing in mind the players' attributes so you can create the right dynamics in the team to give you the flexibility that the game requires."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not feature for Sweden at Euro 2020, head coach Janne Andersson has confirmed.

 

Zinedine Zidane insisted he does not know what is going to happen concerning his future at Real Madrid, but did little to quell talk of him quitting amid rumours of an impending resignation.

ZIdane has a contract with Madrid until the end of next season but reports have suggested he will end his second stint as the club's coach prematurely even if they win LaLiga. Madrid trail city rivals Atletico Madrid by two points with two games remaining.

Talk of him departing was predictably a hot topic ahead of Sunday's visit to Athletic Bilbao, with Zidane adamant his future is not in his thinking as Los Blancos bid to retain the title.

"I'm going to answer the same thing," he told a pre-match media conference. "It's boring because of what I always say, playing both games ... It's the truth, I don't know what's going to happen.

"I am here, yes, tomorrow we are going to play and the last game will be missing [from his thinking]. The rest I do not know, anything can happen, it is Real Madrid.

"My strength is from day to day, I do not see myself beyond day to day. I do not look at the past or the future, it is the present to the fullest."

However, asked if he was "making it easy for the club", Zidane appeared to drop several hints that this spell as coach is about to come to a close.

"Maybe you think I'm quitting because I'm taking responsibility or I'm quitting because things get complicated. Never, nothing," Zidane replied.

"The only thing is that what I do, I do it to the max. And there comes a time when things ... It's time to change. But for everyone, not for me. For the good of the players, the club, the people.

"I don't let go because it's easy to say that I take off, turn around and don't want to look at them, moments are like that. There are moments when you have to be and others when you have to change."

Madrid have not lost a league game since January, but damaging draws with Getafe, Real Betis and Sevilla have left them needing a slip-up from Atletico to tilt the title race in their favour.

They have won 10 of their last 15 away games against Athletic but Los Leones coach Marcelino has won his last two meetings against Madrid.

"We have to watch and do what we can control, which is our game," said Zidane. "In the rest we don't know what will happen.

"The important thing is to keep adding and we want to win the three points. We are going to be playing against a very good opponent, he is doing very well and we will try to give everything."

Ronald Koeman has launched a staunch defence of Barcelona's season, insisting his team did not throw away their shot at LaLiga glory.

Tuesday's dramatic 3-3 draw at Levante means Barca go into this weekend's match against Celta Vigo four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid with two games to play, having won one of their past four top-flight outings.

After the Levante game, where the hosts came from 2-0 and 3-2 down to snatch a point, Koeman said he understood questions over his future as head coach.

However, he was in a more strident mood when previewing the Celta game, insisting Barca's run of 19 LaLiga games unbeaten – beginning in December and ending with April's Clasico loss at Real Madrid – and their Copa del Rey success should be the main marker of this campaign, as opposed to the recent collapse.

"We didn't throw it away," he said. "We made a comeback that cost us a lot of effort. 

"Atletico and Real also lost points. It's true that we lost a big chance against Granada [a 2-1 home defeat at the end of last month after Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead], but we're talking about one match.

"It is important to believe and continue, trying to win and hope. Our chances of winning are small but we still have some and it is about winning our games.

"In the past two weeks I have felt mistreated. We won the Copa, we recovered 12 points in LaLiga.

"If you look at the press in recent days, it seems that we did a very bad job and I do not agree with that."

Koeman went on to insist he retains the support of the dressing room at Camp Nou and similarly dismissed suggestions he should be disappointed by the efforts of his players.

"I am not disappointed with my players. For them it has also been a very difficult year," he said.

"There are five or six players who have missed 35 or 40 matches in all competitions. We were only able to sign one player. 

"The fans have seen a team that has played fantastic games, which has shown to be very hungry, recognising that sometimes we do not win key games, such as Levante in the second half. 

"The team has a future. If we can sign what we think is missing to take the next step, we can be excited about next year."

On the subject of his own future, Koeman claimed that had not been on the agenda during a meeting with club president Joan Laporta this week.

"I can't explain much, we talked about the latest results, the team and we meet to talk [again] after the season," he added.

Novak Djokovic had to battle back more than once before eventually getting the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rome, keeping alive his hopes of a sixth Internazionali BNL d'Italia title.

The reigning champion was in trouble when play was halted in the quarter-final clash on Friday, trailing by a set and a break before persistent rain forced an early end to proceedings.

However, Djokovic was able to get back on level terms before the duo played out a see-saw deciding set that twice saw Tsitsipas hold control.

The sixth seed – seeking a first win over the world number one on clay at the third attempt – even had the chance to serve out for the match when 5-4 ahead, only to falter with the finishing line in sight.

Djokovic instead claimed three games in a row to finally prevail after three hours and 16 minutes on court. He has little time to recover, though, as his semi-final match is scheduled for later on Saturday.

Next up will be Italian Lorenzo Sonego, the home favourite having produced a comeback of his own to see off Andrey Rublev 3-6 6-4 6-3 in another contest held over from Friday.

Djokovic will hope for a more straightforward encounter after being pushed all the way by Tsitsipas, who will rue his missed chances.

The Greek led 2-1 in the final set after clinching a break that led to his opponent throwing his racket in frustration, earning him a code violation.

He had openings to extend that advantage in the fifth game before losing his serve in the eighth, only to quickly forge his way back in front to move to the brink.

Yet a gripping set of tennis that saw a combined total of 16 break-point opportunities somehow went Djokovic's way, a memorable victory wrapped up when Tsitsipas slashed a tired-looking backhand wide.

Central Coast Mariners and Sydney both recorded slender away victories over Newcastle Jets and Western United respectively in Saturday's A-League action.

Sydney briefly moved up to second in the table after an Adam Le Fondre penalty – his first goal since returning to the club - secured them a 1-0 triumph on their visit to Mars Stadium.

Referee Shaun Evans deemed Ivan Vujica had handled inside the penalty area and pointed to the spot, the official confirming his initial decision after a lengthy VAR check.

United goalkeeper Ryan Scott had kept Sydney at bay up until that point but was unable to deny Le Fondre, who is back after a spell with Mumbai City in India.

However, Central Coast leapfrogged back over Sydney in the standings thanks to a 1-0 win of their own in the late kick-off.

A penalty settled the game at McDonald Jones Stadium too, Matt Simon on target in the 54th minute as the Mariners recorded back-to-back wins over the Jets for the first time since October 2014.

Simon has now scored nine A-League goals against Newcastle - only against Melbourne Victory (10) has he managed more in his career.

Jamie Vardy once almost quit football to embark on a new life in the sunnier climes of Ibiza but now happily admits "thank God I didn't".

On Saturday, Vardy will make history as the first player to have featured in every round of the FA Cup from the first preliminary round to the final when Leicester City face off against Chelsea in the Wembley showpiece.

But things could have been very different for Vardy, whose rise from non-league football to Premier League star and England international (albeit he is now retired from the Three Lions) is well documented.

Vardy made a £1million switch to the King Power Stadium from Fleetwood Town ahead of the 2012-13 season, back when the Foxes were playing in the Championship.

He managed just four goals and only 17 starts in the second tier during that first campaign, leaving Vardy questioning his future in the game.

Former team-mate Ben Marshall revealed earlier this year on an episode of popular UK podcast 'Undr the Cosh' how Vardy had planned to hang up the boots early and head to party town Ibiza.

Vardy spoke about that time in his life and how the confidence of former manager Nigel Pearson helped to convince him to stick at it.

"Moving to Ibiza felt a good idea at the time," he told the Daily Mail. "It felt a really good idea. Thank God I didn't.

"It was one of those things. I'd never been in that environment - playing in the Championship, struggling, the performances and the goals not coming and it does make you think.

"I had a chat with Nigel Pearson at one point and I was trying to get him to loan me back to Fleetwood, just because I'd had success there. He said 'listen, you're good enough, just knuckle down, you can play a lot higher'.

"At that stage, I knew he believed in me and after that, it all clicked together. It was a learning curve. The big jump in standard took a bit of time getting used to and then the season after we got promoted."

Vardy was vindicated in his decision, helping Leicester to the Premier League and he now has 116 top-flight goals.

His 24 in the 2015-16 campaign fired Leicester to a famous title triumph and Champions League football in the following season.

Leicester have not been back at Europe's top table since, though they are third in the standings with just two games to play under Brendan Rodgers this term, and have the cup final against Chelsea to play.

Vardy pondered whether the unexpected title win came too soon for the Foxes.

"Winning the league probably set us back a bit because it wasn't supposed to happen so we probably weren't ready for it, on and off the field," he added.

"I couldn't see any of this happening when I signed but it's where the club wanted to go and what they wanted to achieve.

"The owners were brilliant and always wanted to go up and up, and keep progressing. If you look at the nine years since I've been here that's all it's ever done. It's carried on progressing."