Football - players.bio

Leverkusen Lose Ground On Bayern Munich With Wolfsburg Stalemate

Bayer Leverkusen dropped eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich after a scoreless draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday, setting up a potentially season-defining duel between the top two next weekend. Bayern's 3-0 win over Werder Bremen on Friday, their seventh straight league win, increased the pressure on Xabi Alonso's defending champions, who host the leaders next Saturday. Alonso named a weakened starting lineup with Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong all left on the bench after playing 120 minutes in Tuesday's extra-time German Cup win over Cologne.

La Liga: Kylian Mbappe Secures Real Madrid Derby Draw Against Atletico

Kylian Mbappe secured Real Madrid a 1-1 draw against rivals Atletico Madrid which kept Los Blancos top of La Liga on Saturday. Julian Alvarez dinked home a controversial first half penalty for Atletico but Mbappe was in the right place at the right time to bundle home early in the second half on his first appearance in the tense derby clash. Reigning champions Real Madrid lead second-place Atletico by a single point, with Barcelona, third, given the chance to cut the gap on the top two when they face Sevilla on Sunday.

Chelsea Crash Out Of FA Cup At Brighton, Manchester City Survive Orient Scare

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma sent Chelsea crashing out of the FA Cup as the Japan star sealed a 2-1 win in the fourth round, while Kevin De Bruyne spared Manchester City's blushes in their 2-1 victory at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday. Chelsea haven't won a domestic trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2018 and their wait will go on for another season after they blew the lead at the Amex Stadium. Enzo Maresca's side were gifted the lead in the fifth minute when Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen fumbled Cole Palmer's cross into his own net.