BEB Weekend Sports:Juicy News!

Ex-Huddersfield boss confirmed as manager of Schalke

Ex-Huddersfield boss David Wagner has been appointed manager of German club Schalke from the start of next season.



Wagner, 47, took a break from the game after he
left the Terriers by mutual consent on 14 January this year.

The German joins Schalke on a three-year deal and replaces interim boss Huub Stevens who took over when Domenico Tedesco was sacked in March.
Wagner played 36 times for Schalke in a two-year spell as a player between 1995 and 1997.

He left Huddersfield by mutual consent in January with the Terriers bottom of the Premier League after taking 11 points in their first 22 games of the season.

He took over in 2015 and led them to the top flight in 2017 via the Championship play-offs before avoiding relegation in their first Premier League season last campaign.

Schalke are 15th in the Bundesliga after a difficult campaign, having finished second last season, but are safe from relegation with two games to play.

"To dive into this world again and help to change the current situation for the better - that is the biggest motivation for me to return to the Bundesliga," said Wagner, who spent four years as Borussia Dortmund's second team coach before joining Huddersfield.

Bayern miss chance to win seventh consecutive Bundesliga title

Bayern Munich missed the chance to win a seventh consecutive Bundesliga title with a game to spare when they were held to a goalless draw at RB Leipzig.

Leon Goretzka found the back of the net in the second half but his effort was ruled out by VAR.

Second placed Borussia Dortmund, who had to better Bayern's result to keep their title hopes alive, beat Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-2.

Niko Kovac's side sit two points clear of Dortmund heading into the final day.

Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry missed Bayern's best chance of an entertaining first half at the Red Bull Arena, firing straight at Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi from a tight angle.

Goretzka volleyed Ibrahima Konate's poor clearance past the Hungarian seven minutes into the second half, but the goal was disallowed by VAR for an offside against Robert Lewandowski.

At the Signal Iduna Park, Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic gave Dortmund the lead in his final home appearance for the club, but Oliver Fink restored parity two minutes after the restart.

Goals from Thomas Delaney and Mario Gotze gave the home side breathing space before Dawid Kownacki scored a late consolation for Fortuna, who also had Adam Bodzek sent off.

Dortmund travel to Borussia Monchengladbach next weekend, while Bayern welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Allianz Arena.

Nadal knocked out in Madrid by Tsitsipas

Rafael Nadal's bid for a sixth Madrid Open is over after he was beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final.

Greek 20-year-old Tsitsipas, the eighth seed, came through 6-4 2-6 6-3 in a thrilling encounter.

He will play top seed Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final after the Serb earlier overcame Austrian Dominic Thiem 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4).

Nadal's defeat on the Madrid clay comes just two weeks before he bids for a 12th French Open title in Paris.

Tsitsipas, one of the most exciting young players in the game, beat Roger Federer at this year's Australian Open and, though he had never beaten Nadal, produced a brilliant performance to see off the Spaniard on his favourite surface.

Nadal's defeat was his third straight semi-final exit on clay after losing to Fabio Fognini in the Monte Carlo Masters and Thiem in the Barcelona Open.
Tsitsipas said: "It means the world, it's really nice to be able to play this way, it's an unbelievable feeling.

"I had to show mental discipline, and being tough and decisive in those crucial moments was key, I had to take all opportunities because Rafa is a fighter, he doesn't give you many points."

Tsitsipas, who beat Djokovic in the Rogers Cup in Toronto last August, said he was looking forward to another match with the Serbian.

Curry dominates as Golden State eliminate Houston

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry produced a dominant second-half display to eliminate the Houston Rockets from the NBA play-offs and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The back-to-back champions overcame the Rockets with a 118-113 win on Friday to win the best-of-seven series 4-2.

Curry, 31, failed to score in the first half, but scored 33 points in 22 minutes in the second.

"A night like tonight doesn't happen without belief in myself," Curry said. 

"I've had games like this before, just not as drastic going from zero to 33," the three-time NBA champion added.

The Warriors are aiming to win their fourth championship in the past five years and will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals, which start in Oakland, California on Tuesday.

from Bola Esho's Blog