Kaiserslautern relegated - Bundesliga

Kaiserslautern became the final team — with Cologne and Duisburg — to be relegated when it drew 2-2 in its must-win game at Wolfsburg.

Halil Altintop put Kaiserslautern ahead in the 20th, but Cedric Makiadi and Diego Klimowicz responded with three goals in three minutes from the 66th and 69th.

Stefan Ziemer's goal in the 86th gave Kaiserslautern a draw, but it needed a victory to avoid demotion.

Bayern Win 20th German League Title in Kaiserslautern Draw

One week after winning the German Cup, Bayern Munich also laid claim to the German championship in the season's penultimate week on Saturday and became the first team to achieve the double victory two years in a row.
Taking one point in the 1-1 draw against Kaiserslautern was enough to put Bayern Munich beyond Hamburg SV's grasp and award them their 20th German title on Saturday. Hamburg lost 4-2 against Hertha Berlin and will end the season having to fight for second place.

Germany's second Champions League berth will be decided next week when Hamburg meet third place Werder Bremen, who hammered Cologne 6-0. The loss locked Cologne into one of the Bundesliga's three relegation spots.
But the victory against Cologne guaranteed Bremen third place as Schalke 04, their closest rival, fell 1-0 in Mainz.

Felix Magath's Munich side trailed 16th-placed Kaiserslautern going into the half-time break, but managed to answer with an equalizer from Andreas Ottl in the 68th minute to ensure they could begin celebrations at the final whistle.

It was Bayern's sixth league title in eight seasons and added to their recent 1-0 cup final triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The draw against the Bavarian giants was also good news for Kaiserslautern, who still have a chance at staying in the first division if they win next week's relegation duel against Wolfsburg, who lost 1-2 to Stuttgart after taking an early lead.

Hamburg got off to a solid start in their match in the German capital with a 2-1 lead going into the break, but Hertha equalized and, after having Andreas Neuendorf sent off in the 59th minute, broke through the Hamburg defense twice with goals from Nico Kovac and Marko Pantelic.

Football - Germany Bundesliga

With three fixtures left in the season the Germany Bundesliga can almost crown their champion. The only two teams now with possibilities to win the Championship are first place Bayern Munich and Hamburg SV; first place Bayern Munich is 5 points ahead of Hamburg SV. It will be a fierce fight for first place as none of the teams can afford the luxury of losing any points so expect them to try and win every game they have left.

The Bayern Munich will clinch the title if they win on Saturday against Kaiserslautern, it will be the second consecutive title and they already won the second consecutive cup so it will be a double double for them and the 20th Bundesliga title.

Bayern didn’t have a great campaign in the Champions League but they can wash their face to their fans if they manage to clinch the title on Saturday. It will be a great comfort for the team and the fans; as we know the sooner the league finish for the important teams it’s better for the National Team. That way they can count with all the players towards the preparation for the FIFA World Cup.

On the other side the Hamburg SV depends on the results of Bayern Munich. If Bayern losses on Saturday they can forget about the title; however if they lose Hamburg SV might still have a shot of course if they win all their games left.

It’s very impressive the campaign that the Hamburg SV has had. Not being such a known team they have proved to everybody in Europe that they can match any team they face. With a possible ticket to next year Champions League the team is very motivated in continuing the good work they’ve been doing so far and have a good season ending.

'We were lucky,' said HSV coach Thomas Doll. 'We weren't able to settle down into any rhythm after going ahead 1-0. Cologne got better and better. They played fantastic. We didn't invest enough into the match and didn't play well. 'But we got three points against a very strong Cologne team.'

Hamburg can clinch second place and direct qualification into the Champions League if Werder Bremen, third with 61 points, does not win their match on Wednesday against MSV Duisburg.
Now you know it, two important teams that will fight with everything they’ve got for the Championship; this is best opportunity if you like sports betting to add more excitement to that soccer passion.

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.


Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

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Iran names squad for World Cup - Soccer

Iran named its initial squad for the World Cup Championship. Iranian Coach Branco Ivankovic named 25 players and five more players for the "waiting list" in the event of injuries.The Bundesliga quartet Mehdi Mahdavikia (Hamburg), Rahman Rezaei (Messina) are not in the initial squad, but have a secure place in the final 23-man group.Former Bayern Munich striker Ali Daei was also nominated, but not the two former Bundesliga players Khodad Azizi (Cologne) and Karim Baqeri (Bielefeld) who are still playing in Iran. Also nominated is defensive midfielder Javad Nekunam who might reportedly join Hertha BSC Berlin next season.

2006 UEFA CUP Tournament

The UEFA Cup is handed over to the Dutch city of Eindhoven, and in preparation for hosting this season's final, golden memories of 1978 will come flooding back.
It was on 9 May 1978 that local side PSV Eindhoven established themselves as a major force in European football as they beat SC Bastia 3-0 at the Philips stadium - the venue for this season's final - to win the UEFA Cup, following a goalless draw in the first leg in Corsica two weeks earlier.
By that time, PSV had already broken the cast-iron grip that the big clubs from the west of the Netherlands - Feyenoord and AFC Ajax - held on the Dutch title by winning the Eredivisie in 1974/75 and 1975/76, but in taking the UEFA Cup, they announced their presence to the whole continent.
With the final being contested over two legs in those days, PSV had not enjoyed an easy time in the opening fixture against Bastia. Heavy rainfall turned the first leg into a boring show. But the second leg, however, was much more one-sided, and with the elements no longer blocking their route to goal, PSV shone with Willy van de Kerkhof, Gerrie Deijkers and Willy van der Kuylen finding the target as they secured a famous victory in front of 27,000 fans.
With Feyenoord and Ajax both having won major European competitions in the early 1970s, PSV were the third Dutch club to triumph in UEFA competition, and added to their trophy cabinet by winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1987/88 before reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2004/05.
The memories of that first success back in 1978 will be celebrated as 2004/05 UEFA Cup, against all the Sportsbooks odds. Winners of last year’s cup PFC CSKA Moskva hand the trophy to Eindhoven, with goal scorers Van de Kerkhof and Van der Kuylen in attendance. Sadly Deijkers died of heart failure at the age of 56 back in October 2003.
Deijkers' story was an odd one. He had played as a defender in previous seasons but coach Kees Rijvers - who will also be at the handover - decided to hand him a chance to become a striker as PSV were having attacking problems in 1977/78. He went on to score 18 league goals and six in the UEFA Cup that season.
While Deijkers will be missed at the ceremony at the Evoluon building in Eindhoven, plenty of other PSV stars of 1978 will be there to make up the numbers. Among them will be Willy's twin brother René van de Kerkhof, Jan Poortvliet, Jan Poortvliet and Kees Krijgh all eager to get their hands on the trophy again.

Kaiserslautern 1-0 Hannover 96 - Soccer

Kaiserslautern's bid for Bundesliga championship tournament survival is back on after Daniel Halfar 's first-half strike gave them a narrow win over Hannover.
The hosts were holding on in the closing stages but their first-half dominance was enough to warrant an important three points.
The victory ends a three-game losing streak for the Red Devils and takes them level with fourth-bottom Mainz, whose game in hand is against league leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.
Hannover managed to fashion the game's first opportunity - Florian Fromlowitz saving from midfielder Michael Delura's close-range header - but after that it was all the home side until the break.
In the seventh minute Halfar stole the ball from Hannover defender Per Mertesacker before having his shot saved by visiting goalkeeper Robert Enke.
Then just before the half-hour mark, Sebastian Reinert found space inside the Hannover box but the midfielder fired wide.
Fellow midfielder Marco Engelhardt did little better, firing over in the 35th minute, but four minutes later the hosts finally managed to get themselves in front.
Hannover's Hanno Balitsch lost the ball in midfield to Halil Altintop and Lautern's top scorer laid the ball off for strike partner Halfar, who beat Enke from just inside the area for his third league goal of the season.