Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins

Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins
Union Berlin's Scottish forward #07 Oliver Burke (R) celebrates with teammates scoring during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and 1 FC Union Berlin in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany on September 21, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 21 September 2025

Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins

Burke hits Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin beats Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3, Dortmund wins

BERLIN: Scottish forward Oliver Burke scored a Bundesliga hat trick as Union Berlin delivered a master class in counterattacking soccer before holding on to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 away on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Ilyas Ansah also starred, capitalizing on a mix-up in the Frankfurt defense to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
Ansah was involved again before Serbian forward Andrej Ilić sent Burke through for his first goal in the 32nd.
Nathaniel Brown pulled one back before the break but Frankfurt’s hopes of an equalizer were dented when Ansah got up after a foul and eluded two defenders before playing the ball out to Ilić, who crossed for Burke to make it 3-1 in the 53rd.
Ilić also set up the next goal three minutes for his fourth assist. Burke finished with a delicate chip over Kaua Santos in the Frankfurt goal.
One young Frankfurt fan cried in disappointment.
But Can Uzun pulled one back in the 80th and Frankfurt got a penalty when Jonathan Burkardt went down spectacularly. Leopold Querfeld had his hand near the Frankfurt forward’s neck and was penalized after a VAR check. Burkardt stayed cool to score from the spot in the 87th.
Union coach Steffen Baumgart was sent off shortly afterward for kicking a paper cup in frustration.
Dortmund delight
Karim Adeyemi’s first-half rocket from 18 meters (yards) was enough for Borussia Dortmund to beat Wolfsburg 1-0 for its third straight Bundesliga win.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck returned after a six-month injury layoff because of a meniscus tear in his knee and played the whole game.
Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen made his Wolfsburg debut on the hour-mark but couldn’t prevent the team’s first league loss of the season.
Dortmund is second in the league, two points behind Bayern Munich.
Gladbach’s first goal
Haris Tabaković scored Borussia Mönchengladbach’s first league goal of the season to earn a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the team’s first match since firing Gerardo Seoane as coach.
Tabaković equalized with a header off a corner in the second minute of stoppage time for Gladbach to get a deserved point in its first game under interim coach Eugen Polanski, previously the under-23 team coach.
American midfielder Malik Tillman put Leverkusen ahead on a counterattack in the 70th, but the home team’s performance shows there is still much work to do for new coach Kasper Hjulmand. He inherited the rebuilding project from Erik ten Hag, fired after just three games in charge.


Sabalenka overcomes holder Gauff to reach semis of WTA Finals

Sabalenka overcomes holder Gauff to reach semis of WTA Finals
Updated 57 min 5 sec ago

Sabalenka overcomes holder Gauff to reach semis of WTA Finals

Sabalenka overcomes holder Gauff to reach semis of WTA Finals
  • The world number one finished top of the Steffi Graf Group and next takes on Amanda Anisimova
  • American Pegula takes on in-form Kazakh Elena Rybakina

RIYADH: Aryna Sabalenka roared back from a slow start to beat Coco Gauff 7-6(5) 6-2 and clinch a semifinal spot at the season-ending WTA Finals on Thursday, sending the defending champion packing and assuring Jessica Pegula of a place in the last four.
The world number one, who is seeking a maiden trophy in the event since a run to the final three years ago, finished top of the Steffi Graf Group and next takes on Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of their US Open title clash.
American Pegula takes on in-form Kazakh Elena Rybakina, who qualified for the last four as the best player from the Serena Williams Group.


Gauff’s erratic serve had been a concern after her opening defeat by Pegula, but it was the 21-year-old’s aggressive return game that stood out against Sabalenka as she broke to start the match and went 4-2 up at the King Saud University Sports Arena.
Sabalenka let out a scream after she saved break points and held for 3-4 in the rematch of the French Open title clash that she lost, and the fired-up Belarusian soon broke to draw level at 5-5 with a neat forehand winner.
Sabalenka showed more fight in the tiebreak to come from behind and take the first set, and there was no stopping the 27-year-old when she eased to a 4-0 lead in the second set.

BREEZY WIN
Earlier, Pegula secured a breezy 6-2 6-3 victory over the already-eliminated Jasmine Paolini and said she would work out a strategy for her next opponent despite knowing there was a slim chance of an exit if Gauff prevailed in three sets.
“We’re going to be really happy with today, for the rest of the day and maybe for most of the night, and then we’re going to have to switch strategies a little bit because it’s a quick turnaround now,” said Pegula.
“We’ll be ready for the next opponent.”
Pegula gained the upper hand, winning five out of the first six games after Paolini faltered on her serve early, before the 2023 runner-up took the first set, giving her Italian opponent no chance.
Paolini withstood some powerful baseline hitting in the next set to hold in the opening game but Pegula continued to heap on the pressure and broke for the third time in the contest, paving the way for a comprehensive victory.
“Today I finally got a straight-sets win for the first time in like a few months,” Pegula said.
“That always feels really good. I thought I served well, just played solid and was aggressive when I needed to be. There weren’t any negative notes today.”