American teenager Matthew Hoppe scored for the third consecutive Bundesliga game but couldn’t prevent Schalke from slumping to a 2-1 loss to fellow struggler Cologne on Wednesday.
Jan Thielmann struck in the third minute of injury time for Cologne to end its five-game run without a win and leave the relegation zone. Schalke remains in last place with seven points at the halfway stage of the season.
The 19-year-old Hoppe grabbed his fifth goal of 2021 in the 57th minute, nipping in to sweep home the equalizer after Amine Harit combined with Suat Serdar.
Schalke's Benjamin Stambouli, left and Cologne's Jonas Hector fight for the ball, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Schalke and Cologne, at Veltins-Arena, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (Marius Beckerdpa via AP)
Hoppe is the third American to score in three consecutive German league games after Eric Wynalda with Saarbrücken in 1992 and Clint Mathis with Hannover in 2004. He already has more goals this year than compatriot Weston McKennie managed as Schalke’s top scorer with three in 2020.
Hoppe started up front for Schalke despite the club re-signing veteran Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Ajax the day before. A calf problem prevented the 37-year-old forward making his second Schalke debut.
Cologne defender Rafael Czichos scored in the 31st after the home team failed to properly clear a corner. It was Cologne’s first goal in six games.
Kingsley Ehizibue almost made it 2-0 shortly afterward but was blocked at close range by Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann.
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BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Crans-Montana is set to host Alpine ski races at the 2038 Olympics as organizers of the Switzerland bid detailed their plan of venues Monday.
The Swiss Olympic body is the only candidate in talks with the International Olympic Committee to be awarded the Winter Games taking place in 12 years’ time. It would be the first Winter Games in Switzerland since the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics.
Crans-Montana is among established venues for World Cup races and competitions in winter sports that will be used in an Olympic project spread across the country, seeking to avoid taxpayer spending on construction.
The ski resort was the scene of a fatal bar fire on New Year’s Day that united Switzerland in national mourning.
Crans-Montana also will host the world championships in Alpine skiing next year, and World Cup races in three weeks’ time ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics that open Feb. 6. The resort was previously slated to be an Olympic host when nearby Sion was competing to get the 2026 edition eventually won by Italy.
Swiss Olympics officials on Monday confirmed their expected plan to use St. Moritz’s bobsled track in 2038, ski jumping at Engelberg and biathlon at Lenzerheide. Ice hockey would be played at stadiums in Zurich and Zug, with some games going to Lugano to include the country's Italian-speaking region.
Lausanne, the IOC’s home city, is preferred to host the opening ceremony, figure skating and short-track skating. The city was the hub of hosting the Youth Winter Games in 2020.
Geneva would stage speed skating and curling — using the Palexpo complex that has staged Davis Cup tennis and an annual equestrian jumping meeting — and be the base for international broadcasters.
Swiss capital Bern is slated for the closing ceremony and Lucerne as a hotels hub, Olympic bid officials said.
The IOC has not set a deadline to complete its talks with Swiss officials or make a final decision.
A Swiss bid was in contention for the 2030 Winter Games that was awarded to the French Alps and Nice on the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Salt Lake City will be the hub of the Utah 2034 Winter Games, which also was confirmed in Paris.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
People light candles to express their compassion and solidarity to the victims of the deadly fire in a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, during a vigil in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
