JONATHAN BURKARDT DOUBLE LEADS FRANKFURT TO 4-3 WIN OVER COLOGNE
Jonathan Burkardt's second-half brace helped Eintracht Frankfurt survive a late Cologne fightback to win a Bundesliga thriller 4-3. The victory extends Frankfurt's unbeaten run to five games.
Jonathan Burkardt's pair of goals in the latter half were enough for Eintracht Frankfurt, who managed to withstand a late resurgence from Cologne to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory in the Cathedral City on Saturday night.
Having lately improved their performance, the visiting team from Frankfurt came to RheinEnergieStadion with a streak of four games without defeat, having netted an impressive total of 23 goals during their initial 10 games.
The home squad shocked Frankfurt by rapidly scoring just four minutes into the game. Dominique Heintz delivered a long pass from the defence, finding Ragnar Ache. The striker went around the approaching Michael Zetterer and passed the ball back to Jakub Kamiński, who precisely shot into the empty goal.
Initially, the goal was rejected due to Ache being offside, but it was later validated following a VAR review. It marked Kamiński's fifth goal in the league this season—already surpassing his previous best record in the Bundesliga for the Polish winger.
The second period saw Frankfurt seize total dominance as Burkardt scored two goals within four minutes, seemingly ensuring Cologne's defeat.
For his initial goal in the 59th minute, the forward initiated the play impressively by delivering a sweeping diagonal pass to Ritsu Dōan on the right side. The Japanese international quickly advanced to the touchline before passing back to Burkardt, who had continued his sprint into the penalty area and completed the move with a skilful first-time shot.
Only four minutes passed before the 25-year-old scored once more. Ansgar Knauff provided him with a through ball, and the striker displayed poise by outmanoeuvring Kristoffer Lund before scoring past Schwäbe, extending the lead to 4-1.
As Frankfurt appeared to be headed for an easy win, Cologne's coach, Lukas Kwasniok, made substitutions, and his choices revitalised the match.
In the 83rd minute, Marius Bülter, who came on for Ache just seven minutes prior, narrowed the margin with a composed shot from inside the box.
Another substitute, Saïd El Mala, then hit the post during added time before setting up Luca Waldschmidt, who headed in Cologne's third goal with just minutes left. Despite the intense conclusion, Frankfurt defended their lead to claim all three points, continuing their current unbeaten run and moving up to sixth place in the standings.
CELTIC SACK WILFRIED NANCY TODAY AFTER DISASTROUS 33-DAY TENURE AND SIX LOSSES
Celtic sack Wilfried Nancy after a record-short 33-day tenure. Explore the stats behind his 6 losses and the hunt for a new boss.
After Celtic's 3-1 loss to Rangers last weekend, the club fired manager Wilfried Nancy.
Nancy, 48, signed a two-and-a-half-year deal after leaving the Columbus Crew at the end of the MLS season and officially began on December 4.
After Brendan Rodgers' unexpected exit, interim manager Martin O'Neill led Celtic to seven wins in eight games. But after Nancy arrived, the results went down. He was the first Celtic manager to lose his first two games, and also lost to St. Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final and to Dundee United.
After six losses and one month, Wilfried Nancy's short and bad time as Celtic manager is done.
Only 33 days after he left the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer for Celtic, the club said on Monday that it has decided to end the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy right away.
Paul Tisdale is also leaving as Celtic's head of operations, and there was no news about a new manager.
The club added, We will let supporters know more as soon as we can.
Nancy lost its first four games, including a League Cup final, and six of eight overall. His last game was a 3-1 home loss to Glasgow rival Rangers on Saturday in the Old Firm derby.
Nancy's time was a bit shorter than Martin O'Neill's interim time, who had taken over after Brendan Rodgers left on Oct. 27. Nancy was hired on Dec. 3.
O'Neill, a popular figure who won three Scottish titles with Celtic in the early 2000s, later said he would have liked to stay.
Celtic plays Dundee United on Saturday, kicking off a busy stretch of eight games in 24 days.
That includes two key Europa League games against Bologna from Italy and Utrecht from the Netherlands. Celtic is currently in the 24th and final qualifying spot and wants to avoid being knocked out early.
Celtic also plays Hearts on Jan. 25 in what could be a big game in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Hearts is six points ahead of Celtic and Rangers at the top of the standings. The Edinburgh club wants to be the first team outside of the Old Firm to win the title since Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen in 1985.
HUGO BROOS UNDER FIRE AFTER SHOCKING AFCON EXIT AND WASTED 2026 MOMENTUM
South Africa crashes out of AFCON 2026. Was leaving Zwane and Rayners out a mistake? Full analysis of the 2-1 loss to Cameroon.
Hugo Broos and Bafana Bafana crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations after a gutting 2-1 loss to Cameroon on Sunday night.
It stings. Back home, everyone expected the team to build on that bronze medal finish, especially after storming through World Cup qualification and racking up a 27-game unbeaten streak. Instead, they just never found their rhythm in Morocco. Even in their wins—2-1 over Angola, then a tight 3-2 against Zimbabwe, or the narrow 1-0 loss to Egypt, Bafana looked shaky. The self-belief and control they showed in the qualifiers just disappeared. They hesitated, second-guessed, and rarely put any team under real pressure.
Against Cameroon, who didn’t even make the World Cup, Bafana should’ve looked more assured. They had the ball, created chances, but couldn’t convert. All that effort, and still, they walked away empty-handed.
You have to wonder if Broos regrets leaving out players like Themba Zwane and Iqraam Rayners. Without Mshishi pulling strings, Bafana missed that cool head and spark in the middle—exactly the kind of guile that changes games at AFCON. The team moved the ball sideways too often, looking predictable and running out of ideas. There was no one to pick apart a packed defence, no one to slow things down or speed them up when needed.
Sure, Bafana stayed organised. They worked hard. But when the pressure was on, they just lacked imagination and couldn’t adapt.
Rayners, especially, could’ve made a real difference up front. Against Cameroon in the last sixteen, Lyle Foster worked hard but never really rattled that tough defence. Rayners has a knack for sharper movement, attacking space, pressing with intent, and just going straight for the goal. Even Makgopa’s late strike—proof that Cameroon could be hurt by a different kind of striker—came too late. Rayners would’ve brought that edge from the start.
This exit will haunt Broos because it didn’t have to end like this. Bafana came to Morocco with momentum and belief. They left without ever making their mark. AFCON doesn’t forgive missed chances, and this run will go down as a wasted shot—a lesson that discipline and structure don’t mean much without bravery and creativity.
With the World Cup coming up in June, South Africa has to be bolder. The good vibes from qualifying won’t matter if the same problems show up again on the world’s biggest stage.