Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin demanded improvements after watching his side play out a goalless draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

BVB produced a meek attacking performance at the Weserstadion, with a 20-yard effort from substitute Karim Adeyemi representing their best sight of goal in the second half.

They attempted nine shots totalling just 0.63 expected goals (xG) overall, managing just 14 touches in the area to their hosts' 22.

To make matters worse, Dortmund saw centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck sent off for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute and had to dig in for their point, leaving Sahin frustrated.

"As Borussia Dortmund, we have to perform differently, even if the team has undergone changes and has a new coach," Sahin told reporters. 

"It would be a very cheap excuse to say it is because of the transfer window. We have worked very well in the market. Still, we are expected to play better."

Dortmund have four points from their first two games of the Bundesliga season and host Heidenheim next time out on September 13, before facing Club Brugge in their Champions League opener five days later.

Borussia Dortmund were held to a 0-0 draw at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Defender Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off for Dortmund in the second half and Nuri Sahin’s side ultimately had to settle for a point.

After an underwhelming start to the match, the visitors were more aggressive following the interval, with substitute Karim Adeyemi making an instant impact with an effort from more than 20 yards out. But Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer was in place to deny the forward.

Dortmund were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute when centre-back Schlotterbeck received a second yellow card for sliding in on Bremen forward Justin Njinmah.

BVB still pushed for a winner despite their numerical disadvantage, but a solid Bremen defence withstood late pressure to secure a point at home.

Data Debrief: Defences on top

Neither side can claim they were hugely unfortunate not to have scored, with Dortmund’s expected goals (xG) total of 0.61 only coming in marginally ahead of the hosts (0.41).

BVB did have four shots on target, although all four came from the 58th minute onwards with two of them from substitutes in Adeyemi and Donyell Malen, while Bremen only tested Gregor Kobel – who now has two straight clean sheets – on one occasion.

It was Marvin Ducksch who had the hosts’ only shot on target in his 100th Bundesliga appearance, the first six of which came as a Dortmund player.

The result means Bremen end a run of four straight home defeats to Dortmund in Bundesliga play, although they have now gone nine such matches without a victory.

Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita for the rest of the season and imposed a “substantial” fine after accusing him of walking out of Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The 29-year-old former Liverpool midfielder did not feature in a 5-0 defeat at the Bay Arena, with his club claiming he had chosen “not to travel to the ground with the team and decided to go home instead” after discovering he was not in the starting line-up.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita until the end of the season. The club have also handed the midfielder a substantial fine.”

Guinea international Keita, the statement added, “will no longer train with the team or be part of the first-team dressing room.”

Bremen’s head of professional football Clemens Fritz said: “As a club, we won’t tolerate Naby’s behaviour.

“He let his team down in a time of difficulty surrounding our recent run of form and squad availability and put his own interests above those of the team. We can’t allow that.

“At this stage of the season, we need full focus on the remaining games and a team who stick together. That’s why we’ve been left with no alternative.”

Leverkusen’s win clinched them the title and left Bremen sitting in 12th place, just five points clear of the bottom three with as many games remaining.

Keita, who had a spell in Germany with RB Leipzig earlier in his career, joined the club as a free agent on a three-year deal last summer following the expiry of his contract at Anfield.

Xabi Alonso wants Bayer Leverkusen to grasp their “first chance” to claim a maiden Bundesliga title but insisted he is not attaching any extra significance to the visit of Werder Bremen.

Victory for Leverkusen on Sunday would guarantee the club’s first top-flight title in their 120-year history although they would be crowned champions if Bayern Munich and Stuttgart both lose on Saturday.

With five rounds of fixtures to go after this weekend, Leverkusen have plenty of opportunities to make club history in a season where they have stitched together a 42-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

But while Alonso is keeping the same mantra he has had throughout the campaign, the Spaniard would take some comfort in Leverkusen sealing the crown at the first attempt.

“Obviously there’s this special aspect to the game on Sunday,” Alonso told a press conference.

“We have the chance to be champions. But we’re only focusing on the game itself and want to play with our usual quality and mentality. We don’t want to think too much about eventualities.

“We’ll prepare normally for the game. Luckily, it’s not the only chance we have to be champions. But we’re playing at home and want to take our first chance.

“We’ll approach the game with full respect, because nothing is a given. Our heads are now on Bremen. We’re in a good situation and are focusing fully on Sunday.”

A 25th victory in 29 league games in this campaign will likely lead to an outpouring of celebration from fans at the BayArena and a possible pitch invasion.

“The most important thing is that the fans can celebrate properly,” Alonso said when asked about the prospect.

“They deserve that. But we still have a few games left to play on this pitch. We need the pitch still.”

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel said he will avoid Bayer Leverkusen securing the Bundesliga title on Sunday by watching Arsenal’s Premier League match against Aston Villa instead.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are on the brink of being crowned champions and host Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Even if Bayern beat Cologne at the Allianz Arena a day earlier, Leverkusen – 16 points clear with just six matches remaining – will take their first title by seeing off Bremen.

However, Tuchel, whose side host Cologne fresh from a pulsating 2-2 Champions League draw at Arsenal on Tuesday night, will have his attention elsewhere.

“I won’t be watching the Leverkusen game on Sunday,” he said. “I’ll watch Arsenal.”

The Champions League is the only trophy still up for grabs for the German giants following a disappointing domestic campaign.

And ahead of the quarter-final return leg in Munich on Wednesday, Tuchel has hinted he will rotate his side for the visit of Cologne.

“We’ve got several days between Cologne and Arsenal, but there’s the consideration to throw in some other players and make some changes,” said the former Chelsea manager, who is leaving Munich at the end of the season.

“If we make changes, then it’s more to give players some match rhythm for Wednesday and not to rest anybody.”

Leroy Sane is among those unlikely to feature on Saturday.

The former Manchester City winger impressed for Bayern at the Emirates on Tuesday night before he was substituted in the second half.

“It’s about how much pain he can tolerate,” added Tuchel of Sane.

“We geared everything towards him being able to play for Arsenal. He was an important factor there and played a great game.

“Since he showed a reaction, we’re focusing on him on Wednesday. The plan is for him to return on Sunday or Monday. But if he plays, he’ll show a reaction in his pubic bone again, which will remain the case for the time being.

“It’s clear what assets and talent the boy has. But we’ve been waiting for him to score a competitive goal since October. He got off to an outstanding start to the season, but he’s slowed down a bit.

“The expectations before the Arsenal first leg were huge and he delivered. We expect him to keep pushing himself, then he’ll be a key player for us.”

Tuchel will watch Saturday’s match from the stands after he was shown a fourth yellow card of the season in last weekend’s shock defeat to Heidenheim.

Cologne are four points from safety and Bayern are unbeaten in their last 19 meetings against their opponents on Saturday.

Bayern Munich slipped to their first home league defeat of the season as Mitchell Weiser’s second-half goal earned Werder Bremen a shock 1-0 win at the Allianz Arena.

The visitors, who had Justin Njinmah’s strike ruled out in the 25th minute after a VAR check, looked relatively comfortable for much of the first half against a Bayern side who were looking to close the seven-point deficit to leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bremen took the lead just before the hour mark when former Bayern man Weiser cut in from the right and unleashed a fierce left-footed shot into the roof of the net.

Ole Werner’s team had Michael Zetterer to thank for preserving their advantage, the goalkeeper producing several superb saves to ensure the away team took home all three points.

Bayern had the better of the early stages, Leroy Sane firing the game’s first shot on target straight into the grasp of Zetterer.

But the away side, who headed into the match unbeaten in four, soon began to grow in confidence.

Jens Stage forced a save from Manuel Neuer, and Weiser’s deflected effort looked to be heading in before the Germany goalkeeper superbly touched behind for a corner.

They thought they had the opener in the 25th minute when Njinmah was set clear on goal and slotted home, but it was ruled out after a VAR check adjudged Jamal Musiala had been fouled in the build-up.

The hosts then almost took the lead themselves when Dayot Upamecano found himself one one one with Zetterer, but he directed his effort straight at the keeper.

Harry Kane had his first real glimpse of goal at the start of the second half when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the box but he powered over the bar.

Bremen took the lead just before the hour when Weiser crashed into the roof of the net from close range.

Bayern pushed for an equaliser, with no-one on hand to tap home after England captain Kane headed a corner back across goal from the back post.

It turned into wave after wave of home attack in the closing stages and they were denied again when Sane’s goal-bound shot was tipped behind by Zetterer.

Bayern went within inches of an equaliser with three minutes to go when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s cross found Mathys Tel, but the Frenchman’s header was tipped onto the post by Zetterer as the visitors held on.

Bayer Leverkusen returned to the Bundesliga summit with a 3-0 win at Werder Bremen to ensure boss Xabi Alonso enjoyed a memorable 42nd birthday.

Bayern Munich had taken over at the top on Friday night with a narrow victory at Cologne, but Alonso’s unbeaten team provided the perfect response.

An own goal by Olivier Deman broke the deadlock after nine minutes and then it was all about the visitors’ wing-backs.

Jeremie Frimpong made it 2-0 before half-time with a thumping finish from close range and Alex Grimaldo wrapped up a comprehensive win with Leverkusen’s third in the 76th minute to make it 12 league games without defeat.

Stuttgart are third in Bundesliga after goals at either end of the first half from Deniz Undav helped them to a 2-1 victory away to Frankfurt.

Borussia Dortmund make up the top four after they fought back from two down to beat Borussia Monchengladbach in a thriller.

Goals from Rocco Reitz and Manu Kone put Monchengladbach 2-0 up inside 28 minutes, but Marcel Sabitzer started the comeback before further efforts by Niclas Fullkrug, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Donyell Malen inspired an excellent 4-2 triumph for the hosts.

Elsewhere, Wolfsburg got the better of RB Leipzig 2-1 and Union Berlin started the post-Urs Fischer era with a 1-1 home draw with Augsburg.

Barcelona lost more ground in the LaLiga title race after they were forced to settle for a point at Rayo Vallecano.

Unai Lopez fired Vallecano ahead six minutes before half-time with a superb strike from range and Xavi’s side struggled to make their dominance count until the 82nd minute when Florian Lejeune put through his own net.

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Barca substitute Raphinha had strong penalty appeals turned down in stoppage time as it finished 1-1.

Atletico Madrid leapfrogged Barca to move into third after a 1-0 victory at home to Mallorca.

In-form Antoine Griezmann grabbed the only goal of the game with 64 minutes on the clock when he headed home Mario Hermoso’s deep cross to send Diego Simeone’s team into the top three.

Mason Greenwood found the net in Getafe’s 2-1 win at home to Almeria, while Rafael Benitez celebrated a point on his return to Valencia after his Celta Vigo side battled to a goalless draw.

AC Milan returned to winning ways in Serie A against Fiorentina thanks to a Theo Hernandez penalty on a historic night at the San Siro.

Hernandez won a spot-kick in first-half stoppage time and converted from 12 yards to end a four-match winless run in the division for Stefano Pioli’s team.

Pioli helped Milan make history with seven minutes of the match remaining when he introduced 15-year-old forward Francesco Camarda for Luka Jovic to make the teenager the youngest ever player to appear in Serie A.

Napoli got the Walter Mazzarri reign under way with a 2-1 win at Atalanta after goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Eljif Elmas, but Lazio suffered a surprise defeat by the same scoreline at Salernitana.

Ciro Immobile put Lazio ahead in the 43rd minute but Grigoris Kastanos’ equaliser and Antonio Candreva’s long-range rocket earned Salernitana a first league victory of the season at the 12th time of asking.

Patrick Vieira’s Strasbourg held Marseille to a 1-1 draw in Ligue 1, while Lens claimed an excellent 3-0 win at Clermont where both teams finished the match with 10 men.

Harry Kane scored and assisted for Bayern on his Bundesliga debut against Werder Bremen in a 4-0 victory.

Bayern’s record signing shone under the lights at Weserstadion as Thomas Tuchel’s men claimed all three points in their opening league game of the 2023-24 campaign.

Leroy Sane was sent through by Kane before neatly finishing with his right foot after four minutes to give the champions a 1-0 lead.

And a bursting run down the left channel by Alphonso Davies resulted in the left-back picking out Kane, who timed his run into the box perfectly before finding the bottom corner after 74 minutes to give his new side a 2-0 advantage.

Sane and Mathys Tel both got on the scoresheet in added time to confirm a
4-0 victory for Bayern on the road.

Villarreal showcased a convincing performance when they beat Mallorca 1-0 away from home to make up for last week’s opening day 3-2 defeat to Real Betis.

The 2021 Europa League winners stifled their opposition with 61 per cent possession before prolific goalscorer Gerard Moreno’s 62nd minute strike gave his side their first points of the season.

Metz held Marseille to a 2-2 draw at home having gone down to 10 men in the second half.

Emran Soglo opened the scoring after 14 minutes when he squeezed the ball inside the near post after receiving a neat pass from new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aboubacar Lo was sent off after 59 minutes for Metz but the home side responded with goals from Cheikh Sabaly and Georges Mikautadze to give them a 2-1 advantage.

However, Vitinha salvaged a point for Marseille and more than nine minutes of added time failed to produce a winner.

Bayern Munich stretched their lead at the Bundesliga summit to four points as goals from Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane clinched a 2-1 win over a stubborn Werder Bremen.

Having taken advantage of Borussia Dortmund's slip-up at Bochum to go top last week, Bayern knew an 11th consecutive league title is now in their hands as they travelled to the Weserstadion on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel's stuttering start at Bayern looked set to continue as Werder held firm for over an hour, but Gnabry's close-range finish broke the hosts' resistance before Sane capped a flowing move to make it 2-0.

Though Niklas Schmidt's stunning strike ensured a nervous finish, Bayern clung on to pile the pressure on Dortmund ahead of their meeting with Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Jiri Pavlenka smothered Gnabry's shot from a tight angle early on before making an even better save 20 minutes in, blocking Benjamin Pavard's powerful close-range header.

Werder threatened on the break as Mitchell Weiser went close to converting Romano Schmid's cross, while Christian Gross fired over at the end of a mazy run.

Gnabry misjudged an overhead kick as Bayern's pressure mounted after the restart, and then teed up Sadio Mane to side-foot narrowly wide.

It was Gnabry who made the breakthrough just as Bayern seemed to be running out of ideas. The Germany international lost his marker to sweep home from close range after Jamal Musiala's shot deflected into his path.

Bayern extended their lead 10 minutes later as substitute Sane slotted into the bottom-left corner.

There was a tense finish to come as Schmidt found the top-right corner from long range, but Bayern stood firm to take a huge step towards retaining their title.

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.

The 92-cap Germany international, who won the World Cup with his country in 2014, also represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir during his 17-year career.

Ozil was under contract with Turkish side Basaksehir until the end of the season, but he has called time on his playing career due to a number of injury issues.

"After thoughtful consideration, I'm announcing my immediate retirement from professional football," he wrote in a statement on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday.

"I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity.

"But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it's become more and more clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football."

Ozil started his career with Schalke before moving to fellow Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, where his impressive form across three seasons led to a move to Madrid.

In three campaigns at the Santiago Bernabeu, the German playmaker won a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.

He joined Arsenal in a big-money deal in September 2013 and was arguably the best number 10 in world football for a period.

Indeed, the 146 chances Ozil created in 2015-16 remains the most ever in a single Premier League campaign.

After seven and a half years in north London, during which time he won four FA Cups, Ozil joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer after his Arsenal contract was terminated.

Ozil spent two largely unsuccessful seasons with Fener before making the switch to Basaksehir, where he had been restricted to just four league appearances this season.

"It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions," Ozil added in his statement.

"I want to thank my clubs – Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahce, Basaksehir and the coaches who supported me, plus team-mates who have become friends.

"Special thanks must go to my family members and my closest friends. They have been a part of my journey from day one and have given me so much love and support, through the good times and the bad.

"Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter which club I was representing.

"Now I'm looking forward to everything that is in front of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful daughters, Eda and Ela – but you can be sure that you will hear from me from time to time on my social media channels. See you soon, Mesut!"

At international level, Ozil started all seven of Germany's matches in their triumphant World Cup 2014 campaign.

He scored 23 goals in 92 appearances, the most recent of those caps coming against South Korea at the 2018 World Cup.

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.

The former Germany international, who earned 92 caps for his country, also represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir during his 17-year career.

Ozil was under contract with Turkish side Basaksehir until the end of the season, but he has called time on his playing career due to a number of injury issues.

Koln boss Steffen Baumgart quickly turned his attentions towards containing Bayern Munich after watching his rampant side hit Werder Bremen for seven on their return to Bundesliga action on Saturday.

Baumgart's men, who began the day four points behind their visitors in the table, ended an incredible opening period 5-1 up after Linton Maina, Ellyes Skhiri and Denis Huseinbasic added to Steffen Tigges' double.

Huseinbasic's 36th-minute strike gave Koln the earliest five-goal lead in their Bundesliga history, before Skhiri's second, coupled with a Marco Friedl own goal, rounded off the scoring after the break.

While Baumgart was pleased to see Koln halt a five-game winless run in their first outing since the World Cup, he refused to get carried away ahead of Tuesday's daunting clash with the champions.

"It's a game that you won't always have, of course," he said at his post-match press conference.

"We scored five goals from the first five shots on goal. We are happy about the result. We went forward with a lot of speed and earned the goals.

"On Tuesday, however, we have a team in front of us that shot down other teams with a similar result. We know what to expect."

Saturday's win represents the first time Koln have hit seven goals in a game since a 7-0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in October 1983.

The visitors, meanwhile, are now winless in their last 11 Bundesliga trips to Koln (D6 L5).

Hansi Flick was pleased to see Niclas Fullkrug score on his Germany debut, but admitted his side were far from their best despite the 1-0 win over Oman.

The visitors struggled in Muscat in their World Cup warm-up game, relying on substitute Fullkrug's 80th-minute strike to take victory in a match that never really got going.

Though Germany will not be the only side battling fatigue amid a mid-season tournament, their lacklustre performance against relative minnows perhaps highlighted the difficulties they could face at Qatar 2022, which begins on Sunday.

Flick did take time to praise Fullkrug, the Werder Bremen striker winning his first cap after firing 10 goals in 14 Bundesliga games this season, while outlining his concerns over their warm-up showing.

"He deserved the goal," Flick told RTL after the win. "He had two or three other shots also. You could already feel when he was on the pitch, there was a presence up front."

Germany won just 38.4 per cent of their duels against Oman, but while the head coach admitted they will need to do better at the World Cup, did acknowledge that low number was likely down to his players wanting to avoid injury.

"Of course you have to say, if you see how we tackled in duels, that's not the level we want at the World Cup. But you can also understand that no one wants to hurt themselves."

Flick did lose defender Lukas Klostermann during the first half, with the RB Leipzig man only recently returning from a lay-off with knee ligament issues.

Germany kick off their World Cup campaign against Japan on November 23, before further Group E matches with Spain and Costa Rica.

Sadio Mane will undergo an X-ray after sustaining a shin injury during Bayern Munich's 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen, head coach Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed.

The Senegal skipper limped off in the 20th minute at the Allianz Arena, where Serge Gnabry hit a hat-trick as the Bundesliga leaders moved four points clear at the summit. 

Mane now faces a race to be fit for his nation's World Cup opener against the Netherlands on November 21, with Bayern awaiting further tests to determine the severity of the issue.

"He got a blow to the shin," Nagelsmann told Sky. "Maybe, you have to go under the X-ray machine and see if there is something there.

"This is an unpleasant place. I hope there's not something, but I don't know exactly."

Bayern made it nine successive wins, while equalling a club-record by netting four or more times for a fourth successive home league match.

Nagelsmann praised his side after they took their Bundesliga goal tally to 47 already – more than any other team across Europe's top five leagues – though he felt the margin of victory could have been greater.

"Goals are what makes football so appealing," he added. "After 14 matchdays, we have 47 goals in the Bundesliga, that's extraordinary.

"Today, we could have done a lot more. We have good quality on the field and a good spirit. We are very quiet, stable. We played a nice game for the fans."

Serge Gnabry scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich moved four points clear at the Bundesliga summit following a 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen.

Jamal Musiala, Leon Goretzka and Mathys Tel were also on target for Julian Nagelsmann's side, who equalled a club record by netting at least four goals in a fourth successive home league game.

It was not all positive for Bayern, though, as Sadio Mane limped off less than two weeks before the start of the World Cup, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting saw a penalty saved.

Werder had briefly equalised early on through Anthony Jung, yet they are now without a win in 30 meetings with Bayern.

Musiala put Bayern in front in the sixth minute, calmly slotting into the far corner after Mane's initial effort was blocked, but Werder were level four minutes later when Jung tucked home from Mitchell Weiser's lay-off.

Despite Choupo-Moting seeing his penalty saved and Mane limping off injured, the hosts regained the lead in the 22nd minute as Gnabry curled a brilliant effort beyond Jiri Pavlenka.

Bayern then hit their opponents on the counter twice in quick succession. Goretzka made it 3-1 after racing onto Joshua Kimmich's throughball and rounding Pavlenka, before Leroy Sane latched onto Choupo-Moting's precise pass and squared for Gnabry to slot into an empty net.

Julian Nagelsmann's side scarcely slowed after half-time as Sane hit the post, while Pavlenka thwarted Gnabry's attempted lob for the hat-trick.

He was not to be denied in the 82nd minute as he cleverly stepped inside a couple of challenges before poking home, and Tels put the icing on the cake two minutes later with a powerful finish into the top corner.