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• Alonso hails Leverkusen rearguard after stubborn Bayern display

  Xabi Alonso was proud of his Bayer Leverkusen players after they produced a resolute defensive performance to earn a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Bayern Munich.

  After Robert Andrich gave Leverkusen the lead, Bayern's Aleksandar Pavlovic levelled with a stunning half-volley from 25 yards out which gave goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky no chance.

  Bayern, who had won all four of their previous league games under Vincent Kompany, had 18 shots to Leverkusen's three and almost 70% of the possession.

  That is the fewest shots Leverkusen have attempted in any of their 98 competitive matches under Alonso, while they also generated just 0.07 expected goals (xG) to Bayern's 1.32.

  Despite their lack of attacking threat, Alonso was delighted with his side's defensive resilience, saying: "The energy and belief at Bayern is different to last season, they are going full throttle with and against the ball. 

  "That was very tough today. We can be happy with the point. I needed more energy from the team.

  "I'm happy with that. We were ready to suffer and we did that. We need the discipline and passion of the players.

  "It wasn't easy, we didn't have control of the ball. It was a challenge to defend. The point is important... The whole team did very well. We hardly had a chance to breathe but I'm very proud of my players."

  Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka, who provided the assist for the opener, said their main strategy was to be compact and deny Bayern opportunities to score.

  "We are self-critical. If you score three goals every game, that's not enough. If we play well today and switch gears, we can do something," Xhaka said.

  "Defensively, we put in a good performance. The goal today was to be compact and concede little. You can certainly do more with the ball and everyone knows that we can do more. If someone had told us before the game that we would get a point, we would have taken it."

  Leverkusen will next turn their attention to the Champions League, when they host AC Milan on Tuesday. 

• Al Kholood 2-4 Al-Hilal: Koulibaly on target as champions move to summit

  Al-Hilal withstood a late Al Kholood rally to move top of the Saudi Pro League following a 4-2 victory at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.

  The damage was done during a late first-half surge by the reigning champions, who leapfrogged Al-Ittihad to the summit of the table.

  Al-Hilal broke the deadlock in the 38th minute through former Napoli and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who finished after Renan Lodi initially struck the woodwork.

  Malcom doubled the lead four minutes later, then Ali Al Bulayhi made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time.

  Former Atletico Madrid and Nottingham Forest defender Lodi then got in the act to make it four within three minutes of the restart.

  The hosts finished the contest the stronger of the two sides with Hammam Al Hammami and a William Troost-Ekong penalty halving the deficit, but that rally could not prevent the visitors from remaining perfect after their first five games.

  Data Debrief: Al-Hilal remain perfect

  Al-Hilal have won each of their opening five games in a Saudi Pro League season for the third time in their history, also achieving the feat in 2010-11 and 2018-19.

  Jorge Jesus' side also continued their dominant record against newly promoted clubs, having now won each of their last nine such matches.

  Despite their late surge, Al Kholood suffered their third defeat of the season, though there was individual cause for celebration, as former Al-Hilal player Mohammed Jahfali came on for his 200th Saudi Pro League appearance.

   

• International record goalscorer Sinclair to retire after NWSL season

  Christine Sinclair, the all-time record goalscorer in international football, will retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League in November.

  Sinclair, 41, has 190 goals in 331 appearances for Canada, making her the top scorer across both men's and women's football.

  She has played for the NWSL's Portland Thorns since 2013, helping them to win the inaugural title that year. She added further league crowns to her collection in 2017 and 2022.

  The Canadian great has had similar success with her national team, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also one of three players to score at five World Cups, alongside Brazil's Marta and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

  Sinclair retired from international football in December 2023, and will now call time on her club career.

  "Portland, thank you will never be enough. Soccer has been my passion since I was four years old and it has taken me on a journey I could never have imagined," Sinclair wrote on Instagram.

  "As I finish out this last ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful, and passionate city that I will always call home."