Werder Bremen fighting to stop historic relegation

It wasn't meant to be this way for Werder Bremen, trudging off the field reflecting on another missed opportunity as Bayern Munich celebrated winning another German league title.

Werder started the season with hopes of qualifying for European competition. Instead, the four-time league champions are now facing relegation for the first time in nearly four decades.

Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Bayern showed Werder at its best, combative and stubborn as it nearly earned a valuable point — or more — against the best team in the league.

Bremen's head coach Florian Kohfeldt encourages his team under heavy rain during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich in Bremen, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Because of the coronavirus outbreak all soccer matches of the German Bundesliga take place without spectators. (AP PhotoMartin Meissner, Pool)

When Bayern had Alphonso Davies sent off with 11 minutes remaining, Werder went for all-out attack and only a superb save from Manuel Neuer stopped Yuya Osako from making it 1-1. A day later, relegation rival Fortuna Düsseldorf did get a valuable point against a big team, scraping to a late 2-2 draw against Leipzig.

That leaves Werder needing to score points in at least one of its last two games to avoid dropping out of the top division for the first time since 1981. Its next chance to overhaul Fortuna comes Saturday against Mainz, then against Cologne a week later.

Werder's late push against Bayern was an outlier in a season full of second-half collapses and persistently poor defending on set pieces. Corners and free kicks have accounted for nearly a third of the 65 goals that Werder has conceded in the Bundesliga this season.

Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich players warm up prior of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich in Bremen, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Because of the coronavirus outbreak all soccer matches of the German Bundesliga take place without spectators. (AP PhotoMartin Meissner, Pool)

Werder's season was expected to be a breakout year for 20-year-old United States national team forward Josh Sargent and a swansong for 41-year-old club great Claudio Pizarro, led by up-and-coming 37-year-old coach Florian Kohfeldt. It hasn't turned out that way.

Sargent has three goals from 26 games, and none since the Bundesliga restarted last month. Pizarro is scoreless in 16 league appearances off the bench.

Instead, the bright light has been Kosovo winger Milot Rashica with a team-leading seven goals. Regardless of whether Werder survives in the Bundesliga, Rashica is likely to leave for a bigger club in the offseason.

The coronavirus pandemic has banished fans from the Bundesliga stadiums, but a conflict between Werder's fans and management is still simmering. Organized fan groups are irate at a deal to sell the naming rights to the 73-year-old Weserstadion.

Since the deal was announced last year, banners with sponsor Wohninvest's name have been stolen or vandalized, and in December fans hung a black cloth to obscure the view from the company's box at the stadium.

German soccer is accustomed to seeing its all-time greats decline. Bayern and Borussia Dortmund may still lead the pack but the likes of Hamburg and Stuttgart have already dropped into the second division. Storied club Kaiserslautern is in the third division and in bankruptcy protection.

If Werder can't find another gear for the end of the season, it could be the latest big club to leave the biggest stage.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Get ready for the 2026 Australian Open with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season on TV, who the defending champions are, what the schedule is and more:

Singles play begins next Sunday at 11 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Saturday EST) around the grounds, with the first match in Rod Laver Arena scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Saturday EST).

— In the U.S.: ESPN and Tennis Channel

— Other countries are listed here

Madison Keys of the United States and Jannick Sinner of Italy won the 2025 singles trophies. Keys beat the No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 for her first Grand Slam trophy. Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to successfully defend his title at Melbourne Park.

Sabalenka will be the top-seeded woman and Carlos Alcaraz the top-seeded man. They currently are ranked No. 1, and the tournament seedings usually follow the WTA and ATP rankings.

The Australian Open is played outdoors on hard courts at Melbourne Park, located along the Yarra River near downtown Melbourne. There are retractable roofs at Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. Women play best-of-three-set matches with a first-to-10 tiebreaker at 6-all in the third; men play best-of-five with a tiebreaker at 6-all in the fifth. Like at the U.S. Open and French Open, there are night sessions. The tournament is staged each year around the last two weeks of January, during the school summer holidays Down Under.

The Australian Open is introducing “opening week” where the Melbourne Park precinct will be open to the public from the start of the qualifying tournament, and live music will be staged every night at Grand Slam Oval. Fans can watch open practice sesions in Rod Laver Arena to see some of the sport's biggest names preparing for the first major of the year. Organizers are also expanding the so-called 1 Point Slam in opening week, where 22 professional players and 10 amateurs get the chance to play for 1 million Australian dollars in prize money.

First round of qualifying for the men's and women's singles.

— Jan. 18-19-20: First Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 21-22: Second Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 23-24: Third Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 25-26: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 27-28: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— Jan. 29: Women’s Semifinals

— Jan. 30: Men’s Semifinals

— Jan. 31: Women’s Final

— Feb. 1: Men’s Final

— Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka describes the season schedule as “insane.”

— Coco Gauff adds some context on the “worst” fans

— Novak Djokovic is cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association

— Venus Williams gets a wildcard entry for the Australian Open, at age 45

— Carlos Alcaraz ends his 7-year partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero

— The ATP is adding a heat rule like the one the women have had for 30 years

— Nick Kyrgios will do doubles time, but won't play singles at the Australian Open

Australian Open prize money has increased by 16% on last year to a record total in local currency of 111.5 million Australian dollars (US$75 million). That was up from 96.5 million Australian dollars in 2025. The women’s and men’s singles champions will win 4.15 million Australian dollars ($2.8 million), a 19% increase on last year.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus waves to the crowd after winning the women's final match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3, at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)