Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at home by reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, in a clash that saw Harry Kane limp off late in the game with an injury.

Leverkusen took the lead in the 31st minute when Robert Andrich fired home from a corner after a defensive mistake by Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlovic.

However, Pavlovic quickly redeemed himself with a stunning long-range strike just eight minutes later to bring Bayern back level.

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England captain Kane, who had a quiet game, was forced off the pitch with a foot injury in the 86th minute following a collision with Leverkusen’s Amine Adli.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl expressed concern but remained hopeful about Kane’s condition.

“When Harry leaves the field, it means something because he’s pretty tough,” Eberl said. “It doesn’t look good, but we hope he’s made of strong English wood and nothing’s broken.”

The second half saw Bayern push hard for a winner, with Serge Gnabry twice hitting the woodwork in the closest efforts for the hosts.

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer lamented the missed opportunities, stating, “We deserved more, definitely. We were clearly the better team and had the better chances. The goal we conceded was frustrating.”

The match was marked by tension early on, with Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano receiving a yellow card for time-wasting, and Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso also booked for disputing a referee’s decision.

Despite Bayern’s early dominance, Leverkusen were clinical in taking the lead, capitalizing on their rare first-half opportunity.

Leverkusen, who shocked German football last season by becoming the first team to complete an unbeaten league and cup double, proved resilient under pressure and held on for a valuable point.

The result leaves Bayern top of the Bundesliga standings, but with their lead potentially in jeopardy depending on Kane’s injury.

Cole Palmer has etched his name into Premier League history after becoming the first player to score four goals in the first half of a match.

The Chelsea forward delivered an extraordinary performance against Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with all four goals coming in a dazzling 19-minute burst during the first half.

Palmer struck in the 21st, 28th, 31st, and 41st minutes, with his four goals spanning just 19 minutes and 57 seconds.

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This achievement places him among an elite group of players who have netted four or more goals in a single Premier League match, a rare feat that has only been accomplished 41 times in the competition’s history.

While Palmer’s feat is remarkable, only one player has scored four goals in a match in a shorter time span—former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe, who netted four times in just 17 minutes and 56 seconds during Spurs’ 9-1 demolition of Wigan Athletic in November 2009.

In addition to this new record, Palmer has also been making a name for himself from the penalty spot.

He has converted all 10 of his Premier League penalties, putting him just one goal behind Yaya Toure’s record of 11 penalties scored with a 100% conversion rate.

Maintaining a flawless penalty record is no easy task, as Ivan Toney found out in the 2022/23 season.

The Brentford striker came close to matching Toure’s record, only for his 11th penalty to be saved by Nick Pope.

Ironically, Toney managed to score another penalty later in the same match.

With Palmer’s incredible form and flawless penalty-taking, the young England international is fast becoming one of the Premier League’s rising stars, adding new chapters to both Chelsea’s and the league’s history.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has imposed a two-match ban on Emiliano Martinez for “offensive behaviour.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) made the announcement on Saturday.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper, who plays for Aston Villa, was also found guilty of “violating principles of fair play” in two separate incidents.

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The first violation occurred during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5, when Martinez held a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin.

This was not the first time he had performed such a gesture, having done the same with the Golden Glove trophy after Argentina’s victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final.

In a second incident, FIFA sanctioned Martinez for striking a cameraman’s equipment with his gloves after Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10.

The AFA voiced its displeasure with FIFA’s ruling, stating, “The Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee.”

As a result of the ban, Martinez will miss Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.

Argentina currently leads the South American qualifying table with 18 points from eight matches, two points ahead of second-placed Colombia. Martinez’s absence will be keenly felt as the team looks to secure qualification.