Nuri Sahin made no excuses after another dismal away performance saw Borussia Dortmund slip to a 3-1 loss at Mainz.

Dortmund saw Emre Can sent off as they fell to a fourth straight away defeat in the Bundesliga.

Saturday's loss leaves them in seventh place, 10 points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

"A difficult away game for us. Once we got that red card it got really hard," said Sahin, whose team have become the second Bundesliga side this century to have zero wins in their first five away games and five wins from their first five home games (after Borussia Monchengladbach in 2013-14).

"We have too few points on the road though I have to analyse today's defeat a bit differently than the other defeats because of the red card.

"With a few more points we would be somewhere else in the table. But for us we just are getting too few points."

Mainz picked up what was their first home win of the season in the Bundesliga, as they made their numerical advantage count following Emre Can's 27th-minute dismissal following a rash tackle. 

"Emre can't go into this challenge like that," Sahin said.

"He wins the first ball and then in the second effort he should stay up."

Real Madrid confirmed that defender Eder Militao will undergo surgery after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in their 4-0 win over Osasuna. 

Militao was forced off in the 30th minute of their LaLiga clash at the Bernabeu on Saturday after hyperextending his knee in an attempt to reach the ball. 

The Brazilian, who missed six months of last season with a serious knee injury, received treatment on the pitch before being stretched off with tears in his eyes.

He becomes the second Madrid player to suffer an ACL injury this term after Dani Carvajal was sidelined for the rest of the campaign last month. 

"Following tests carried out today on our player Eder Militao by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament with involvement of both menisci in his right leg. Militao will undergo surgery in the coming days," Real Madrid said in a statement.

Either side of Militao's injury, team-mates Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez were also forced off the pitch, overshadowing a much-needed return to winning ways. 

Carlo Ancelotti said he will be looking to bring in some of the club's youth academy players into the first-team picture to fill the gaps in their injury-hit squad. 

Madrid are also without Thibaut Courtois, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba through injury, though Ancelotti was not thinking about making new signings in January.

"I'm not thinking about signings right now because we have to prepare for games with the players we have," Ancelotti told a press conference.

"Three injuries in the first half is quite rare. The demanding schedule doesn't allow the players to rest and be fresh.

"We will evaluate the situation in the coming months. The only thing we can do is try to recover as many players as possible. We will see in January what happens."

"Today (academy defender) Raul Asencio came off the bench and made a good contribution, (midfielder) Federico Valverde played fine as a full back. 

"We did well last year when we had injuries, and we will do the same this year as well."

Leeds United closed the gap on Championship leaders Sunderland after Regis Le Bris' side collapsed at home to Coventry City on Saturday.

Daniel Farke's side moved to within two points of Sunderland after coasting to a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road.

Jayden Bogle sliced home after 19 minutes for Leeds, who made sure of victory in stoppage time as Joel Piroe came off the bench to score.

There was no such success for Sunderland despite Wilson Isidor and Dennis Cirkin both finding the net in the first half at the Stadium of Light.

Haji Wright pulled one back for Coventry, who dismissed long-term boss Mark Robins this week, just past the hour before Jack Rudoni snatched a 2-2 comeback draw with six minutes remaining.

At the other end of the table, Portsmouth managed just their second victory of the season with a 3-1 triumph over Preston North End at Fratton Park.

Josh Murphy and Connor Ogilvie were both on target in the first half before Colby Bishop's late penalty sealed victory after Emil Riis Jakobsen had reduced the deficit for Paul Heckingbottom's visitors.

Victory moved Portsmouth up to 23rd in the league, two points ahead of bottom side QPR and within three points of safety.

Fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle also gained a point as Adam Randell's 41st-minute strike cancelled out Jerry Yates' early opener for Derby County at Pride Park.

The 1-1 draw leaves Wayne Rooney's side 16th in the table, but just one point clear of the relegation zone, while Derby sit comfortably 12th.

Norwich City dropped down the table in Saturday's other game, suffering their first home defeat in the league in 22 games after a 2-0 reverse against Bristol City at Carrow Road.

Anis Mehmeti and Nakhi Wells scored in either half for Liam Manning's visitors, who moved into 10th with a victory that left them just two points shy of the play-off positions.

Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson were on target in either half as Fulham triumphed 2-0 over 10-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Smith Rowe broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, taking Raul Jimenez's pass into his stride before finishing past Dean Henderson.

Fulham forward Smith Rowe had another goal ruled out in the second half for offside, before Daichi Kamada's 76th-minute red card for a poor challenge on Kenny Tete made matters worse for the hosts.

Wilson, the two-goal hero against Brentford on Monday, made sure of all three points with seven minutes remaining, latching onto Alex Iwobi's superb throughball and slotting home.

The Wales international saw another late strike overturned for handball, but another London derby victory moved Marco Silva's side up to sixth place and saw them join a cluster of sides on 18 points.

Meanwhile, Palace's sixth league defeat of the season leaves them 17th and just a point clear of the relegation zone heading into the international break.

Data Debrief: Cottagers extend streak as super sub Wilson strikes again

Fulham have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last four away league games against Palace, not going longer without conceding against a single opponent on the road.

Now unbeaten in seven Premier League London derbies, the Cottagers are now on their joint-longest run without defeat in such matches.

Wilson sealed the victory with his third goal as a substitute in the space of a week. Only Collins John (four) has netted more times as a substitute for Fulham in a single season than the Wales international.

A difficult day for Palace was worsened by Kamada's dismissal. Three of the Eagles' last six Premier League red cards have come against the Cottagers, against no other side have they seen more.

Jordan Pickford made a stunning save deep into stoppage time as West Ham were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at London Stadium.

Julen Lopetegui is seemingly under increasing pressure at West Ham, and though the hosts created the better chances in the end, it was a largely flat performance on Saturday.

Substitute Danny Ings, who had tested Pickford in the 87th minute, thought he had won it in the 93rd with a deflected attempt, but Everton’s goalkeeper produced a fine fingertip stop.

Pickford had been beaten earlier in the second half when Crysencio Summerville struck the post, after Jesper Lindstrom had seen a header kept out by Lukasz Fabianski at the other end.

The stalemate leaves West Ham in 14th in the Premier League, two places above Everton, heading into the international break.

Data Debrief: Shot stoppers steal the show

In a game that lacked quality from either side during the contest, a draw was perhaps a fair result and can be used as a positive heading into the international break. 

While Everton registered 18 shots compared to West Ham's 11, the Toffees had to rely on Pickford on several occasions to take a point back to Goodison Park. 

Pickford made six saves for Everton, but Fabianski, at the other end, was also on form. He produced four stops as both goalkeepers played pivotal roles in earning their team a valuable point.

Wolverhampton Wanderers earned their first Premier League win of the season as they beat Southampton 2-0 at Molineux.  

Pablo Sarabia scored Wolves’ fastest-ever Premier League goal to give them the breakthrough with only one minute and 48 seconds on the clock. 

Southampton left-back Ryan Manning had a goal overturned by the VAR 10 minutes later for Mateus Fernandes’ foul on Nelson Semedo in the build-up. 

But Matheus Cunha’s stunning strike early in the second half ended hopes of a Saints comeback, as the Brazilian added to his assist for the first goal. 

Southampton continued to see more of the ball and probed for a goal, but the Wolves defence held firm to secure a crucial victory in a battle between the relegation strugglers.  

The result meant Wolves climbed up to 18th in the table with six points, while it is Southampton who now occupy the bottom spot with four points from 11 matches.

Yoane Wissa’s brace helped Brentford claim another thrilling win as they twice came from behind to defeat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

It was another high-scoring Premier League affair for Thomas Frank’s side at home, as his side have now scored three or more goals in their last three home wins.

They had to work hard for the three points, however, as Evanilson profited from a mistake from Sepp van den Berg to open the scoring early in the first half.

Wissa’s header cancelled out that opener before the break, while Mikkel Damsgaard got them back on level terms just one minute after Justin Kluivert had restored Bournemouth’s lead in the second half.

However, Wissa delivered the winner nine minutes later with a lovely dink to get the Bees back to winning ways after their heartbreaking late defeat to Fulham on Monday.

Brentford leapfrog their opponents into 10th on 16 points, with Andoni Iraola’s side one point behind them in 11th.

Data Debrief: Wissa leads the way for the Bees

Only Erling Haaland (19) has now scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League in 2024 than Wissa (15).

He has scored in each of his last five home Premier League games (7 goals), becoming the second player to do so for Brentford in the competition after Bryan Mbeumo, who did so last month against Ipswich.

The pair have been pivotal to Frank's side. Either Mbeumo or Wissa have had a hand in 68% of Brentford's goals in the Premier League this season.

Bournemouth have also profited from the form of their striker. Evanilson is the first Bournemouth player to score in three successive league games since Dominic Solanke in December 2023.

 

Borussia Dortmund slumped to a fourth consecutive away defeat on Saturday, losing 3-1 to Mainz after Emre Can's first-half sending-off. 

Dortmund, who had a midweek confidence boost with a 1-0 home win over Sturm Graz in the Champions League, struggled against the hosts and were left with 10 men in the 27th minute when their captain launched a reckless studs-up challenge on Lee Jae-Sung and received a straight red card.

Things got even worse when the South Korean rose to nod a deft finish past Alexander Meyer to give Mainz the lead in the 36th minute.

However, Lee then brought down Serhou Guirassy in the box just four minutes later, with the striker restoring parity from 12 yards.

Dortmund could not hold on until half-time though, as their defence was again caught out when Jonathan Burkardt turned in a cutback in first-half stoppage time.

After the break, Mainz picked up where they had left off, bagging a third goal through Paul Nebel, who coolly slid in from the edge of the six-yard box in the 54th minute.

Dortmund, who have lost four of their five away league games this season and drawn the other, are on 16 points in seventh spot. Mainz are three points behind in 10th.

Data Debrief: Away day woes

Dortmund have won just one of their away games in all competitions this season - a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League - but there does not seem to be an end in sight to their troubles.

It is the first time that Dortmund have lost six competitive away games on the bounce since 2006-07, but Nuri Sahin's bigger worry will be the fact that they only attempted two shots, with their penalty the only effort on target. 

Meanwhile, Mainz have ended a three-match winless run in the Bundesliga, extending their impressive recent record against Dortmund in the process, as they are unbeaten in four games against the Black and Yellow (W2 D2).

Koji Miyoshi produced an 89th-minute leveller to snatch struggling Bochum a 1-1 draw against champions Bayer Leverkusen in Saturday's Bundesliga clash.

Patrik Schick fired Leverkusen into an 18th-minute lead after he was sent through by Florian Wirtz's superb ball before threading through Patrick Drewes' legs, with his strike hitting the post and rolling in.

Bochum, with new head coach Dieter Hecking on the bench, were by no means overrun, working hard in defence to shut down spaces but lacked more clinical finish up front.

Those profligate struggles ended late on as Miyoshi slammed home from close range to salvage a draw for the hosts.

The draw leaves Leverkusen, who lost 4-0 at Liverpool in the Champions League in midweek, in fourth place on 17 points, nine behind leaders Bayern Munich. 

Data Debrief: Familiar issue for Leverkusen

Leverkusen seemed on course for a battling away victory, until Miyoshi's last-gasp leveller proved pivotal for Bochum.

Alonso's side have now dropped 11 points from winning positions in the Bundesliga this season, no team has lost more.

That is in stark contrast to last season when Leverkusen became just the second team in Bundesliga history to not drop a single point from a winning position over an entire campaign.

Jamal Musiala's stunning first-half finish powered undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a nervy 1-0 victory at St. Pauli on Saturday.

Bayern, fresh from their 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica courtesy of another Musiala goal, had the upper hand at the start.

St. Pauli, however, showed few nerves and gradually became more aggressive, carving out a couple of scoring chances of their own.

Bayern struck first, however, when Germany midfielder Musiala won possession before unleashing a ferocious shot from range that went in off the crossbar for his fifth league goal.

Promoted St. Pauli turned out to be a tough nut to crack with Bayern given little space to create chances in the second half and the hosts lurking on the break.

Victory leaves Bayern top on 26 points, six ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, who host Borussia Monchengladbach later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: St. Pauli's scoring struggles

St. Pauli have failed to score at home across their opening five such matches in the Bundesliga, leaving them on a league-low seven goals in the competition overall.

That issue may not have been expected to change here, however, considering the hosts have only won one of their 11 home games in professional football against Bayern (D3 L9).

St. Pauli managed just three shots for their 0.08 expected goals tally (xG), failing to find the target with all of those in what proved to be another frustrating outing.

Jamal Musiala's stunning first-half finish powered undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a nervy 1-0 victory at St. Pauli on Saturday.

Bayern, fresh from their 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica courtesy of another Musiala goal, had the upper hand at the start.

St. Pauli, however, showed few nerves and gradually became more aggressive, carving out a couple of scoring chances of their own.

Bayern struck first, however, when Germany midfielder Musiala won possession before unleashing a ferocious shot from range that went in off the crossbar for his fifth league goal.

Promoted St. Pauli turned out to be a tough nut to crack with Bayern given little space to create chances in the second half and the hosts lurking on the break.

Victory leaves Bayern top on 26 points, six ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, who host Borussia Monchengladbach later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: St. Pauli's scoring struggles

St. Pauli have failed to score at home across their opening five such matches in the Bundesliga, leaving them on a league-low seven goals in the competition overall.

That issue may not have been expected to change here, however, considering the hosts have only won one of their 11 home games in professional football against Bayern (D3 L9).

St. Pauli managed just three shots for their 0.08 expected goals tally (xG), failing to find the target with all of those in what proved to be another frustrating outing.

Vinicius Junior scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid ended a run of back-to-back losses in all competitions by hammering Osasuna 4-0 in LaLiga on Saturday.

The victory cut the gap to league leaders Barcelona to six points, with Carlo Ancelotti's side having lost El Clasico in their previous league game.

Vinicius opened the scoring in the 34th minute at the Bernabeu after controlling a pass from Jude Bellingham perfectly to beat the offside trap and fire past goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.

Bellingham then turned scorer eight minutes later, chipping the ball over Herrera's head to double his side's lead.

While that goal put Real Madrid in a commanding position, Vinicius ended it as a contest in the second half with goals in the 61st and 69th minutes. Following the result, Osasuna are fifth on 21 points.

Data debrief: Vinicius helps Real Madrid back into form

Vinicius scored his second hat-trick in under a month on Saturday, having done the same in Real Madrid's 5-2 victory at home to Dortmund in the Champions League on 22 October.

It was also his third within the calendar year, while he now has 11 goal involvements in 10 matches against Osasuna in the league – more than any other team in LaLiga.

The victory today was Real Madrid's third straight league victory against Osasuna in which they have scored four or more goals, while they are now unbeaten in their last 19 (W15 D4) against them.

Lamine Yamal may not be fit to feature for Barcelona against Real Sociedad in Sunday's LaLiga clash, says head coach Hansi Flick.

Yamal has been training alone in an attempt to recover after a hectic schedule for the Blaugrana.

Pau Cubarsi is in contention, however, after suffering a facial injury in Wednesday's 5-2 Champions League win at Red Star Belgrade.

Cubarsi participated in a full training session with the team, though 17-year-old Yamal was not present.

"Lamine was inside and he did specific strength training. He has had a lot of matches in the last few weeks so we took care of him and let him [train separately] indoors. We will see what his situation is tomorrow," Flick told reporters on Saturday.

Flick heaped praise on Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 19 goals in 16 appearances across all competitions.

"He is in very good shape. I am also impressed with how he helps the defence. For me, there are no thoughts about giving him a rest," he added.

"Dani [Olmo] felt a little bit unwell at night but this morning he is doing better, so with him just treatments and medicine, I think he is ready for tomorrow against Sociedad."

La Real have fared better on the road, collecting 11 of their 15 points away and losing four of their six home matches, with their only victory in front of their own fans coming against lowly Valencia.

Barcelona, on 33 points from 12 matches, are six points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who have 27 from 12 games.

Reggae Boy Jon Russell was voted man of the match in Barnsley FC’s 2-0 win over Rotherham United in their Sky Bet League One clash at Oakwell on Friday.

Russell gave his side the lead through a goal from a set-piece in the 32nd minute.

He produced a header on target from a corner that was saved by Rotherham keeper Cameron Dawson. Unfortunately for Dawson, he parried the ball straight to Russell who then slotted home a left-footed finish from inside the box to net his second goal of the season.

Barnsley’s second goal came four minutes from full time when Stephen Humphrys latched on to a long ball to produce a shot from just inside the 18-yard box that went to Dawson’s left and into the bottom corner.

The win puts Barnsley fourth in the League One table on 25 points from 14 games. Wycombe Wanderers and Birmingham City occupy the top two spots with 30 points each from 14 and 13 games, respectively, while Wrexham are third with 28 points from 14 matches.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.