Germany

MADRID — Real Madrid and Germany player Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like "puppets" by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.

Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bayer Leverkusen forward Lucas Alario scored his third successive Bundesliga brace as his side came from behind to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-3 on Sunday in a game also featuring one of the best goals of the season.

Joshua Kimmich has developed into one of the most well-rounded players in the world. Essentially the Crystal Dunn of men’s soccer, he’s one of the best players in Europe regardless of what position he lines up at, from fullback to midfield. In part because I built my FIFA Ultimate Team around him, it was devastating to watch him leave the pitch in tears with an apparent injury in a 3-2 Bayern Munich victory on Saturday in Der Klassiker.

We’ve got a new leader in rowdy UEFA Champions League Group B, and Real Madrid and Inter Milan should really just be thankful that Borussia Mönchengladbach isn’t dashing off into the sunset at this point.

After drawing 2-2 with both Real and Inter by way of conceding 90th-minute equalizers, Gladbach travelled to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday in a violent mood inspired by French forward Alassane Pléa.

Hoffenheim's Ryan Sessegnon says he is disgusted at the racist abuse he has been subjected to online after the winger shared screenshots of the messages he received on social media.

"Honestly unbelievable. The craziest thing is I'm not even surprised anymore. Disgusting," Sessegnon, who joined the Bundesliga club on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last month, wrote on Instagram.

BERLIN — Champions Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Cologne on Saturday with goals from Thomas Mueller and Serge Gnabry returning them to the Bundesliga summit as coach Hansi Flick rested top scorer Robert Lewandowski.

The Bavarians, who are in action against Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday and also face Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga next week, are on 15 points, ahead of Dortmund on goal difference.

Cologne vs Bayern Highlights

Those of us waking up Saturday morning hoping to see some more rampaging action from Christian Pulisic were disappointed when the American was pulled out of the Chelsea lineup late with an injury suffered during warmups. Fortunately, Josh Sargent filled the void admirably, scoring his first Bundesliga goal of the season with a well-taken strike.

Julian Nagelsmann and first-place RB Leipzig will head to North Rhine-Westphalia to take on Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

In a press conference this week, Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc mentioned the feelings of the club regarding international breaks during the midst of the ongoing pandemic. 

Zorc said that if it were an option, Dortmund would consider not sending players on international breaks given the current situation. He lamented that clubs unfortunately do not have much of a choice as refusal to release players to their national teams could cause the players to face punishments and suspension.