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Bayer Leverkusen’s Son Heung-min (left) and Freiburg’s Oliver Sorg challenge for the ball in Freiburg, Germany, Wednesday. (AP-Yonhap News) |
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― Arjen Robben scored the opening goal before being taken out on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury Wednesday as title holder Bayern Munich advanced to the German Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory in Augsburg.
Also, Bayer Leverkusen edged Freiburg 2-1, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated second-division Sandhausen 4-2 after a hat trick from Joselu and Wolfsburg needed a late goal from Ivica Olic to prevail 2-1 over another second-tier club, Ingolstadt.
Robben scored in the fourth minute in Augsburg, off a pass from Mario Mandzukic. His first effort was blocked by goalkeeper Marwin Hitz, but he knocked the loose ball into the net.
In the 16th, the match was over for Robben, after a heavy tackle by Hitz. Robben was whistled for offside but Hitz charged into him hard and escaped with a yellow card. Robben was finally taken off the field on a stretcher, bleeding from the right knee. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Thomas Mueller came in for Robben and notched the winner in the 78th with a header after Jerome Boateng’s cross following a corner.
“It’s the cup, it’s normal for such a game to be a bit hard,” said Mueller, who had a penalty claim denied.
Bayern labored to the victory although coach Pep Guardiola used his best available lineup. Franck Ribery came in late in the match for his first appearance since cracking a rib Nov. 15 in a match for France.
Leverkusen reached the quarterfinals for the first time in five years by scoring the quickest goal of this season’s competition. Robbie Kruse scored 30 seconds into the match by capitalizing on a dreadful error by Freiburg’s defense.
The home side pulled level in the 19th through Matthias Ginter, before Emre Can secured Leverkusen’s victory in the 77th.
England
Luis Suarez’s stunning quadruple for Liverpool capped a goal-laden night in the Premier League that saw the top four all win, but Manchester United lose 1-0 to Everton to be cut adrift in the title race.
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Sunderland’s Ki Sung-yueng (left) and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard vie for the ball on Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap News) |
Arsenal preserved its four-point lead as Nicklas Bendtner capitalized on a rare start to score in a 2-0 win over Hull, while Eden Hazard capped a brilliant performance with two goals in Chelsea’s wild 4-3 victory at Sunderland.
Manchester City stayed third by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2, mainly thanks to Yaya Toure’s brace, but the star of the night was Suarez, whose four goals in a 5-1 thrashing of Norwich included a looping volley as part of a first-half hat trick.
“Just the fear he puts in defenders ― the quality of his finishing is phenomenal,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said of the Uruguay striker, who has now scored 11 goals in his last four games against Norwich.
While the front runners were all winning, United slumped to a fourth defeat of a turbulent first season in charge for David Moyes, whose old club of 11 years claimed a first win at Old Trafford since 1992 thanks to Bryan Oviedo’s 86th-minute goal.
Tottenham ruined Rene Meulensteen’s first match in charge of Fulham by winning 2-1 at Craven Cottage, giving Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas a first win in five games and some much-needed breathing space.
France
Struggling Evian ended Paris Saint-Germain’s 36-game unbeaten run in all competitions by defeating the leader 2-0 in the French League on Wednesday.
Clarck Nsikulu capitalized on a counterattack to fire home a low strike in the 75th minute before Pape Amodou Sougou cut inside Thiago Silva to beat goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu in the 87th.
The defending champion saw its lead over Lille atop the league cut to one point while Evian moved into 15th place.
“We were too average to win tonight,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc told Canal Plus television. “We were not good in the first half but we created chances and should have taken the lead. I think it’s a different story if we open the scoring.”
