Basketball, NBA: A total of 39 points from the Wagner brothers Franz and Moritz were not enough to help Orlando Magic win against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the end, the Bucks, led by their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, prevailed with 136: 118 and thus recorded their fifth victory in a row. Antetokounmpo stood on the floor for 31 minutes and got 33 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Despite the defeat, the Wagner brothers confirmed their current top form. Franz Wagner was again in the starting line-up and scored 20 points and three rebounds. Moritz Wagner posted a personal best of the season with 19 points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets was postponed at short notice. Denver was unable to provide the necessary eight players due to injury problems and COVID protocol. It was the eleventh game canceled in the current season.
Soccer, England: Ralf Rangnick remains undefeated in the Premier League with Manchester United. The English record champions won 3: 1 (3: 1) against Burnley FC on Thursday evening thanks to a goal and an assist by Cristiano Ronaldo and climbed 31 points in the table with 31 points after their third league success in the fourth match under the German coach in sixth place. Leaders and local rivals Manchester City, however, have 19 points more on their account. The recently rather minimalist Red Devils showed themselves to be significantly improved, especially on the offensive. Scott McTominay scored after a pass to Ronaldo for an early lead (8th minute). Burnley professional Ben Mee (27th), who directed a shot by the former Dortmund player Jadon Sancho into his own net, and Ronaldo (35th) with his eighth goal of the season ensured a reassuring lead. The guests from Northern England could only shorten through Aaron Lennon (38th).
Soccer, England: Once again, criminals attacked and robbed a professional footballer from the English Premier League in his property. Manchester City’s João Cancelo made the incident public on Thursday evening via Instagram and posted a photo of himself with a laceration over his right eye. “Unfortunately, today I was attacked by four cowards who hurt me and tried to hurt my family too,” wrote the 27-year-old Portuguese. He tried to defend himself – and was then mistreated by the perpetrators. The club reacted with horror and announced that it would assist the police in investigating “this very serious matter”. According to the circumstances, his family is doing fine, Cancelo continued. But the perpetrators apparently made lucrative prey. “They took away all of my jewelry,” said the defender of the championship leaders from Manchester.
Cancelo isn’t the first Premier League professional targeted by criminals. In the summer of 2019, ex-national players Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac were attacked by two armed men in London. Kolisinac fended off the attack with his bare hands, the perpetrators were later caught and sentenced to prison terms. Just this month, Arsenal FC’s Brazilian Gabriel was threatened with a baseball bat by two thieves in the garage of his home. However, he was able to put her to flight and kept the hat of a perpetrator who was convicted by means of a DNA test. Previously, Reece James from Chelsea and the two Tottenham pros Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli had also been targeted by criminals.
Rad, Jan Ullrich: The former professional cyclist spoke publicly about his state of health for the first time after a stay in hospital. The 1997 Tour de France winner said the image-Zeitung: “I had a thrombosis and very severe blood poisoning. I escaped death again! To dispel all speculations: I did a drug test at the beginning of the treatment – and it was of course negative!” In autumn 2018, Ullrich had admitted drug problems in a statement and said he had undergone treatment. A few months ago, in the presence of his former rival Lance Armstrong, he gave deep insights into what was probably the most difficult phase of his life. “You know my story, three years ago I felt really bad. You visited me and I was on the same path as Marco Pantani – almost dead,” said Ullrich back then on Mallorca in the presence of Armstrong and his former teammate George Hincapie and team boss Johan Bruyneel on Armstrong’s podcast “The Move”. Ullrich thanked Armstrong again this time: “He was the first to see me in Mexico and helped me a lot. I thank him very much, as well as the rest of my team.” The 48-year-old also said: “My back has also caused major problems recently, three or four intervertebral discs have now been completely rubbed off.” He used to be 1.83 meters tall, “now it’s only 1.81”.
Soccer, Italy: In view of his planned departure from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Inter Milan has expressed interest in Matthias Ginter, according to media reports. The Italian Serie A champions put the best offer on the table in the race for the 27-year-old, reported the Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday. Specifically, it is about a four-year contract and 3.5 to 4 million euros per season. According to information from the Italian sports paper, a decision is still pending. Ginter announced the end of his contract on Tuesday on social media. “After much deliberation, I decided not to extend the contract that was due to expire in the summer,” he wrote. That is difficult for him after five years at Borussia Mönchengladbach, but he wants to take a different career path for his personal and professional development. The broadcaster Sky Sport Italia had reported that Inter had contacted Ginter’s advisor. The Nerazzurri wanted to use him to strengthen their defenses.
FC Bayern, transfer: According to media reports, long-term reservist Michael Cuisance is about to jump at Bayern Munich and is supposed to switch to FC Venice. According to Sky Sport Italia, the French midfielder has already arrived for the medical check at the Italian premier league climber. Accordingly, only the last details have to be clarified between the clubs. Cuisance had recently shown open to an early departure from the German record champions and is said to bring the Munich three to four million euros transfer fee. On Thursday, FC Venice announced on request that the change could not be officially confirmed before the start of the transfer window on January 3 in Italy. The midfielder moved from Borussia Mönchengladbach to FC Bayern in the summer of 2019 for around ten million euros. However, it was never able to assert itself on the Isar and was in the meantime awarded to Olympique Marseille. In Munich he had a contract until the summer of 2024. FC Bayern will start training again on January 2nd.