Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso has hailed his side for an "important" victory against Union Berlin on Sunday, after smashing five past Union Berlin.
The Spaniard's side faced a tough test against Union at BayArena, with the visitors knowing a victory would see them reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga ahead of Bayern Munich.
After a goalless first half, Robert Andrich broke the deadlock a minute after the restart to spark a frantic second period, with a brace from Moussa Diaby followed by efforts from Adam Hlozek and Mitchel Bakker.
The win was the joint-highest win for a Bundesliga side against a league leader this millennium, equalling the score achieved by Bayern against Borussia Dortmund in April 2019.
Crucially for the hosts, it also brought an end to a six-match winless streak across all competitions and marked only the third league win for Leverkusen this season, leading Alonso to praise his side's performance.
"The first half was very close, neither side had many chances and it wasn't easy to attack. Union are standing so high in the table for a reason," he said in the post-match press conference.
"In the second half we wanted to stay focused. We had more spaces, our fast players could run deep and were very good at finishing. We are very happy today.
"Today was important. We want to continue in the same way. We always need that mentality to attack and score goals, to stay hungry.
"The 2-0 made the big difference. We defended going forward, the pressure from Jeremie Frimpong was good. That's the mentality we want to have."
Alonso's side now have two Bundesliga matches against Koln and Stuttgart before the World Cup in Qatar, with the league campaign set to resume on January 22.
Saint Martin stun Saint Lucia 4-0 in Group B as Haiti remain perfect in Group C of League B
Haiti extended their unbeaten run with a 5-3 win over Aruba, while Saint Martin stunned Saint Lucia 4-0 as both teams ended the October window on a high in their respective League B Concacaf Nations League groups on Monday.
Keelan Lebon (8th and 45th), Sacha Barakat (26th) and Pierre-Bertrand Arne (62nd) did the damage for Saint Martin at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, as they secured their first win of the campaign. Despite the win, Saint Martin remain at the foot of Group B on three points and in danger of being relegated to League C.
Saint Lucia continue to lead the standings on nine points, followed by Curacao (seven points), who edged third-placed Grenada (four points) 1-0 courtesy of Juninho Bacuna’s 30th-minute strike in the curtain-raiser of the double header.
Haiti didn’t have things all their way in an eight-goal thriller against Aruba at the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium in Oranjestad.
Five different scorers, Danley Jean Jacques (16th), Don Louicius (42nd), Duckens Nazon (66th), Fabrice Picault (76th), and Frantzdy Pierrot (89th), got on the scoresheet for Haiti, who have now netted 18 goals, the most of any team in the Nations League.
They continue to sit pretty atop Group C on maximum 12 points from four games, with a League A promotion well in sight. Aruba, who got their goals from Rovien Ostiana (14th and 20th) and Jayden Kruydenhof (78th), is on the cusp of relegation as they remain pointless.
Earlier, Puerto Rico, through goals from Gerald Diaz (45th) and Ricardo Rivera (83rd), registered a 2-1 win over Sint Maarten in the curtain-raiser.
The win moved Puerto Rico into second on six points, with a slightly better goal-difference to Sint Maarten (six points), whose goal came from Quinton Christina (54th).
Scaloni: Martinez deserves Ballon d'Or 'more than anyone'
Lionel Scaloni believes Lautaro Martinez deserved the Ballon d'Or "more than anyone" after his stellar 2024.
The forward excelled for club and country this year, earning his place on the 30-man shortlist for this year's prize.
Martinez topped Serie A's goalscoring charts as Inter won their 20th Scudetto last season, netting 24 goals in 33 matches, eight more than his closest rival, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
His 0.81 goals per 90 minutes was the best of any player in the division, while he outperformed his expected goals (xG) of 17.64.
He carried that form into the Copa America, scoring five goals to win the Golden Boot despite playing just 221 minutes as Argentina won the competition for the second consecutive edition.
Martinez's tally was the joint-best by an Argentine in the Copa America since the turn of the century, equalling Lionel Messi in 2016 and Juan Roman Riquelme in 2007.
And Scaloni believes those feats should put the 27-year-old among the favourites.
"Lautaro deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone," Scaloni said at a press conference.
"He has had a spectacular year. [At the Copa America] he scored in the final, and he was top scorer. I hope it can be given to him."
Taylor plays down rumours of rift with Kelly
Gareth Taylor has brushed off the idea of a rift between himself and Chloe Kelly after reports of the forward making a possible exit.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Taylor and Kelly had a falling out which has seen her playing time limited for Manchester City at the start of the Women's Super League campaign.
Kelly was an influential figure last term for City, making 21 appearances in the top-flight and creating the second-most chances of any player in the league (51), behind only Manchester United's Katie Zelem (57).
However, she has made just two appearances in the WSL so far this campaign and only started one of those games.
The 26-year-old is in the final year of her contract, but Taylor has played down the rumours of a breakdown in their relationship over her contract.
"There is no news on the contract. The story was a non-event, especially after such a solid performance," Taylor said in a press conference ahead of their Champions League meeting with St. Polten.
"Chloe has been great and is working hard. She understands that things are slightly different to last season. We have been able to strengthen, but she has contributed.
"Like the rest of the players, you have to be ready. Chloe has been great in that sense and is really aligned. She is with the team and is working so hard with the team.
"She is doing everything we are expecting of her. She has contributed in the limited time already and that is what we are looking for."
City began their Champions League campaign with a statement 2-0 victory over reigning champions Barcelona at the Joie Stadium last week.
Taylor's side are the favourites for their clash against St. Polten on Wednesday, having won their previous two encounters with the Austrian team in 2017-18, both by a 3-0 scoreline.
While the manager acknowledged that it may look like an easy tie on paper, his side will not underestimate their opponents.
"People probably see it as a game that is won before it is played, but I don't at all," he added.
"They were in the game for large parts against Hammarby and at 1-0 that game could easily have been drawn.
"It's a big game for us and an opportunity to build on a great moment last week."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
