Bamford scores late winner off nose as Leeds beat Sheff Utd
Sheffield: Patrick Bamford scored an 88th-minute goal off his nose to earn Leeds a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, which slipped to a third straight loss to open the Premier League season on Sunday. Bamford met a left-wing cross by Jack Harrison with an attempted header that ended up hitting his nose and finding the bottom corner. The striker was criticized for his conversion rate last season as Leeds earned promotion, but has now scored a goal in all three of the team’s games on its return to the top division. “This one came off my nose,” Bamford said, “but I’ll take it!” Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier produced two brilliant saves, from John Lundstram and George Baldock, to keep the hosts at bay in the first half. The one off Lundstram was particularly special, Meslier flinging himself to his right to instinctively tip a powerful shot around the post. “Every shot that he saved, their players were like, ‘Who is this guy?’ but he is a brilliant keeper,” Bamford said of Meslier, a 20-year-old Frenchman. Sheffield United has yet to score in its first three league games so far — a first for the club in its 131-year history — and Chris Wilder’s team is struggling to replicate its form from last season when it nearly qualified for Europe. Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds has back-to-back wins, after beating Fulham last weekend. Halftime substitute Rodrigo, an offseason signing from Valencia, failed to finish the match after being taken off himself in second-half injury time. (AP)
Bayern beaten after 32 games
Sinsheim: Hoffenheim ended Bayern Munich’s 32-game run without defeat on Sunday with a 4-1 win in the Bundesliga. Bayern’s former reserve team coach, Sebastian Hoeneß, coaxed a concentrated relentless team effort from his new side and was rewarded with goals from Ermin Bicakcic, Munas Dabbur and two including a penalty from Andrej Kramaric. It was Bayern’s first defeat in any competition since a 2-1 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Dec. 7, 2019, and Hansi Flick’s third as coach since he took over the Bavarian powerhouse on Nov. 3, 2019. Bicakcic opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a header into a corner, and Dabbur made it 2-0 eight minutes later. Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann’s long kick seemed to catch Bayern’s defense by surprise. Benjamin Pavard attempted to win the ball from Kramaric, but instead it fell kindly for Dabbur, who calmly lobbed the ball over Bayern’s advancing goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Joshua Kimmich pulled one back in the 36th, letting fly from outside the penalty area inside the far top corner, giving Baumann no chance. (AP)
Poland’s soccer coach tests positive
Warsaw: The Polish Football Association says that the coach of the national team has tested positive for COVID-19 and that he is being isolated. The association announced on Saturday evening on Twitter that head coach Jerzy Brzeczek tested positive for the novel coronavirus and that “a standard isolation procedure was introduced, in line with the applicable sanitary regulations.” The Onet news portal reported that Brzeczek had a fever but no other symptoms. (AP)
Quartararo wins in Spain
Montmelo: Fabio Quartararo won the Catalonia Grand Prix on Sunday to retake the points lead in the MotoGP championship. It was the third victory of the season for Quartararo, who hadn’t been on a podium since his consecutive victories in Spain to start the year. “I suffered a lot the last month, never going back on the podium since Jerez (de la Frontera),” the 21-year-old Frenchman said. “It was not easy.” Quartararo started second but took the lead from pole-sitter Franco Morbidelli nine laps into the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Spaniard Joan Mir finished second and compatriot Alex Rins was third. Morbidelli wound up in fourth place. The victory gave Quartararo an eight-point lead over Mir in the riders’ standings. (AP)