Borussia Dortmund will have several players back from injury for their Bundesliga game against visitors Freiburg on Saturday, with coach Nuri Sahin relieved to have more options again.

The Ruhr valley club have had as many as 10 players injured at some stage as they have dropped to seventh place in the league, 10 points off leaders Bayern Munich.

But they will now have five players back for their return to action, including goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, as well as Gio Reyna, Julien Duranville, Waldemar Anton and Jamie Gittens.

"After a long time there is more good news than bad news regarding injuries," Sahin told a press conference on Thursday.

"I don't expect Gio and Duranville, for example, to be at 100% but the physios have done a great job.

"So if they are in the squad that means they can play. I'm just happy to be able to take decisions. We can now take some nice decisions."

Until the international break last week, Dortmund, who travel to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League next week, struggled with injuries and failed to win any of their away matches in the league, losing touch with the leading teams.

Dortmund, who have 16 points from 10 games, will be without injured defender Niklas Sule and suspended captain Emre Can.

"I had said we were running on fumes before the international break because we had to play with the same team," Sahin said.

"I think we played with an almost identical lineup in five consecutive games. I hope that in the coming weeks we will be able to rotate more.

Morgan Gibbs-White taunted his former club Wolves but Nottingham Forest could only earn a 2-2 draw which did little to help their Premier League survival hopes.

Gibbs-White goaded the away fans after he scored and was then involved in his side’s second goal but Matheus Cunha’s double for Wolves ensured Forest were denied all three points.

They would have seen this as a good opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and Luton, who lost heavily at Manchester City, but the gap is just one point.

And with home games with City and Chelsea remaining, their survival fate could well be decided by away matches at Everton, Sheffield United and Burnley.

Though they are hoping to recoup some of the four points they were docked by the Premier League for breaking financial rules, with an appeal date still to be set.

Wolves, who are playing with a sizeable injury list, look set for a mid-table finish as European qualification now looks out of reach with no wins in the last four.

All of the early pressure was from the hosts as they started on the front foot, with Ryan Yates testing Jose Sa from distance and then Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gio Reyna shooting off target from promising positions.

Yet, Wolves should have led in the 27th minute after being presented with a golden chance by some suicidal passing out from the back.

With his back to goal, Yates passed straight to Joao Gomes, whose curled shot beat Matz Sels but was heroically cleared off the line by Murillo.

The goal was gaping as the ball fell straight to Pablo Sarabia from the rebound but he dragged his shot wide.

Wolves did go ahead in the 40th minute with a brilliant solo effort by Cunha.

He ran his marker Andrew Omobamidele all the way down the left flank into the penalty area, then turned him superbly, cut inside Yates, and fired an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

The lead was short-lived, though, as Forest levelled in first-half stoppage time and it was only ever going to be one man.

Gibbs-White found space at the near post from Reyna’s corner and glanced into the far corner before enjoying his celebration.

The former Wolves midfielder pretended to celebrate in front of the Forest fans before turning to the away section, who had been booing him.

He was involved again as Forest took a 57th-minute lead when he burst into the area and after he was tackled by Matt Doherty the ball fell perfectly for Danilo to slot home.

But five minutes later Cunha’s second of the game brought Wolves level as he turned home from close range after Forest could not deal with a corner.

It was the 22nd time Forest have conceded from a set-piece this season and this was one of the most costly.

They were the ones pushing for the win with Hudson-Odoi and Neco Williams missing presentable chances as they had to settle for a point.

The United States clinched their third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title with a commanding 2-0 victory over Mexico in the final of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna were the heroes for the USA, each finding the back of the net to secure the historic win against their arch-rivals.

The match kicked off with an electrifying atmosphere, and the intensity was palpable from the start. Christian Pulisic had an early opportunity to put the USA ahead but was denied by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 5th minute.

Mexico responded by applying pressure in the USA's half, and their best chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute when Luis Chavez's shot was saved by USA goalkeeper Matt Turner after a flicked-on header.

As the first half progressed, the USA began to test Mexico's defense from distance. Sergino Dest came close with a shot that sailed just over the crossbar in the 38th minute. However, it was Tyler Adams who broke the deadlock just before halftime with a stunning long-range strike from 35 yards out, giving the USA a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Mexico looked to mount a response, but they struggled to break down the resolute USA defense. Instead, it was the USA who extended their lead in the 63rd minute when Gio Reyna capitalized on an initial clearance from the Mexican defense and fired a shot past Ochoa at the near post, making it 2-0 for the USA.

Despite Mexico's efforts to get back into the game, the USA defense held firm, denying their opponents any clear-cut opportunities. As the final whistle blew, the USA celebrated their third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title, reaffirming their dominance in the region once again.

 

 

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz were denied what would have been an historic run to the Concacaf Nations League final, as they suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to United States in extra-time of a lively semi-final encounter at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on Thursday.

After taking the lead through Greg Leigh’s first international goal in the first minute, the Reggae Boyz defended stoutly to keep United States at bay, until an unfortunate Corey Burke own-goal in the last minute of stoppage time changed the shape of the game.

Burke’s 90+5 goal not only brought the United States back into the contest, but also sent the game into extra time where Coventry forward Haji Wright, who was a second half substitute, scored a brace in the 97th and 110th minutes.

The result means United States remain on course to retain their title, while Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Reggae Boyz will contest a third-place match with the loser of the Panama versus Mexico encounter. The final and third-placed games are scheduled for Sunday.

It was a dream start for the Boyz as, with just over 50 seconds on the clock, Bobby Reid provided a weighted cross that caught United States defence napping and Leigh arrived at the far post to expertly head home.

United States settled into their game and forced the Jamaicans into a defensive posture, which allowed them space to pick their passes in the attacking third, but they failed to produce anything meaningful to bother Andre Blake.

In fact, the combination of Dexter Lembikisa, Dishon Bernard and Joel Latibeaudiere made that possible, as they consistently got in the way of the marauding United States attackers to thwart a few efforts that were going goalward.

The Jamaicans could have doubled the lead in the 20th, but Cephas, who dismissed two defenders on his way into the 18-yard box, belatedly fired his effort straight to Matt Turner, in goal for United States.

United States had an opportunity to pull level two minutes later when Kasey Palmer foolishly gave up possession in a dangerous position and it took a desperate sprint from Latibeaudiere to chase down and deny Christian Pulisic.

The hosts continued to boss possession and again went close to the equaliser, Bernard put his body on the line to deny Malik Tillman and ensured Jamaica remained 1-0 up at the break.

United States maintained their momentum on the resumption and again breached Jamaica’s defence when substitute Gio Reyna squeezed a pass through for Tillman, and it took a timely check from Michael Hector to avert the danger.

From there the United States enjoyed a decent passage of play in which they camped out in the Jamaicans half but were unable to find the equaliser due to faulty shooting for the most parts.

Cephas should have doubled Jamaica’s lead against the run of play in the 63rd, as he got to a loose ball ahead of a defender and got through on goal, but he hit a tame effort straight at Turner.

The Boyz would pay for that missed opportunity when United States with literally the last kick of the game, forced an own-goal when Burke deflected in from Reyna’s corner kick.

From there, one could sense that the writing was on the wall for the Jamaicans, especially given the fact that they were absorbing a whole lot of pressure.

United States inevitably found the lead when Reyna supplied a decent pass through to Wright, who fired past Blake.

Jamaica had an opportunity to get back on level terms in the second half of extra time, but Romario Williams, who got through on goal, couldn’t bring ball under control to get a shot off.

However, Wright had no such issues, as he got on the end of another weighted Reyna pass and made no mistakes from deep inside the 18-yard box.

Despite being down, the Reggae Boyz fought on and created another opening, but Williams, who had space deep inside the 18-yard box, fired over the crossbar and that basically summed up the Jamaicans night in the final third.

It has been an unusually quiet transfer deadline day as some Premier League club’s look to get new signings in ahead of the 11pm deadline.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the best deals done so far.

Rogers makes Villa switch

Aston Villa have completed a move for Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough, with the forward having impressed in the Sky Bet Championship so far this season with seven goals and eight assists to his name.

The 21-year-old arrived at Villa Park after Middlesbrough finally succumbed to an offer in the region of £16million.

Rogers will now line up in the Premier League to help Unai Emery’s side pursue a spot in Europe come the end of the season.

Rodrigo Ribeiro becomes Nuno’s first

Nottingham Forest captured 18-year-old forward Ruben Ribeiro from Sporting Lisbon as Nuno Espirito Santo made his first signing as Forest boss.

The 18-year-old striker has joined the club on loan for the remainder of the season, in a deal which could be made permanent.

Ribeiro has turned out seven times for Sporting so far this campaign and has even played in the Champions League, making his debut against Manchester City in March 2022.

Gio Reyna added to Forest ranks

Nottingham Forest have once again been one of the busier clubs on deadline day and completed a second loan signing of USA midfielder Reyna from Borussia Dortmund.

Reyna has made 121 appearances for Dortmund since 2019 and has already earned 24 caps in international colours.

Reyna will bring a wealth of experience from the Bundesliga and Champions League as Forest aim to bolster their bid to survive in the Premier League.

Dahoud goes back to Germany

Midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud joined Brighton from Borussia Dortmund in the summer but will now head back to Germany on loan at Stuttgart until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old German has made 14 appearances in all competitions but has fallen out of favour since receiving a red card against Sheffield United in November and has not featured for the Seagulls since a 1-1 draw with Burnley at the start of December.

Technical director David Weir said: “This is a good move for Mahmoud. It will give him an opportunity to play regularly for a side doing very well towards the top of the Bundesliga. We wish him well for the rest of the campaign.”

Mowbray secures Pritchard

In a sign of how quiet things have been, a Championship deal cracks the top five.

Midfielder Alex Pritchard becomes Birmingham’s third signing of the January transfer window.

The 30-year-old will link up with former boss Tony Mowbray on a two-and-a-half year contract

United States and Panama both placed a foot in the Concacaf Nations League semi-final and, by extension, next year's Copa America, after they registered identical 3-0 victories in the first legs of their respective League A quarterfinals on Thursday.

United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago

A late surge earned the United States victory over Trinidad and Tobago at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Antonee Robinson had a goal and an assist, as the United States scored three goals in the final 10 minutes of regular time to secure a healthy cushion going into Monday’s return leg.

As expected, United States dominated proceedings from the start, but they posed little threat in front of goal against a well-organised Trinidad and Tobago defence.

A second yellow card to Noah Powder in the 37th, saw the Soca Warriors down to 10 men with more than a half to play, and that prompted their host to commit numbers forward even more in search of the opening goal.

Trinidad and Tobago were stout-hearted and defiant at the back, especially goalkeeper Denzil Smith, whose confidence grew by saving a Yunus Musah attempt from distance and then a Sergino Dest shot.

However, their resistance was inevitably broken in the 81st, when Robinson’s cross from the left wing was flicked in by Ricardo Pepi to make it 1-0 to the home side.

While the goal inspired United States to push for more, it broke the hearts of the Trinidadians, and they imploded defensively as a result. Minutes after supplying the assist on the go-ahead goal, Robinson added a goal himself with a powerful left-footed finish in the 86th.

United States were keen to tack on one more before the final whistle and they did it in the 89th when Gio Reyna gathered a pass Folarin Balogun and fired into net to complete the 3-0 scoreline.

 

Costa Rica vs. Panama

Panama for the second straight time outclassed Costa Rica in a Nations League fixture at the Estadio Saprissa in San Jose.

After defeating the Ticos 1-0 in Costa Rica in the 2022-23 Nations League group stage, the Canaleros achieved the same feat, this time by a wider scoreline.

It was a dream start for Panama, as a picture-perfect fourth-minute free kick Michael Murillo went blazing into the top right corner of the net.

Panama remained on the front foot, and they doubled their advantage in the 29th when a miscued clearance from Costa Rica's defence allowed Jose Fajardo to swoop in and finish a right-footed effort.

Costa Rica sought a response and Jimmy Marin went close to pulling a goal back with a 33rd-minute shot that grazed the post.

Costa Rica mounted pressure to start the second half, but it allowed Panama to counterattack with space, and the visitors made the most of a break in the 60th. That play ended with Adalberto Carrasquilla sliding a pass into Cecilio Waterman, whose finish made it 3-0.

With the three-goal cushion, Panama played to their liking, but also kept the Costa Rican attack at bay, as they saw out the remainder of the contest for the win.

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