Klopp smiles broadly as Leipzig defeats Werder Bremen 4-2 in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Jürgen Klopp watched with a broad smile as Leipzig defeated Werder Bremen 4-2 to reclaim fourth place in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Klopp, the former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz coach, took over his new duties as Red Bull’s head of global soccer on Jan. 1 and he took the first opportunity to see the energy drinks manufacturer’s German representative in competitive action.

Klopp can have had few complaints as he watched the 21-year-old Xavi Simons open the scoring and then cancel Mitchell Weiser’s response, before Benjamin Šeško, also 21, made it 3-1 with a brilliant strike from distance after the break.

Both Xavi and Šeško fit the profile of highly talented young players that Klopp will be expected to develop and attract to the growing Red Bull stable of clubs.

Leipzig substitute Christoph Baumgartner scored in the final minute before Bremen's Oliver Burke scored in stoppage time.

Klopp was in Paris on Saturday to see second-tier Paris FC beat Amiens 1-0. Among his tasks there is turning the club into one of France’s best under the ownership of the country’s richest family, the Arnaults of luxury empire LVMH. The family’s takeover of the second-tier club includes bringing Red Bull on board as a minority stakeholder.

Leipzig has struggled so far this season, losing all its games in the Champions League and dropping points in seven of its 16 games in the Bundesliga.

Germany forward Deniz Undav returned from injury to lead Stuttgart to a 1-0 win at Augsburg in the late game.

Undav had been out since Nov. 6 with a hamstring injury and then another muscular injury sustained in training. He went on as a substitute in the 61st minute in Augsburg and scored just four minutes later after being sent through by Angelo Stiller.

The win lifted Stuttgart – last season’s runner-up – to seventh in the 18-team division, one point above Borussia Dortmund.

Noahkai Banks, an 18-year-old American defender, made his Bundesliga debut for Augsburg when he replaced injured defender Maximilian Bauer in the 29th minute.

Bayern Munich leads defending champion Bayer Leverkusen by four points after 16 rounds, meaning it can’t be caught at the halfway stage, giving the Bavarian powerhouse the unofficial title of “Herbstmeister” or autumn champion.

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Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic, left, and Augsburg's Chrislain Matsima in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart at WWK-Arena, Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Jan. 12, 2025. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Atakan Karazor, left, and Augsburg's Samuel Essende in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart at WWK-Arena, Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Jan. 12, 2025. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Deniz Undav, center, celebrates scoring a goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart at WWK-Arena, Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Jan. 12, 2025. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Managing Director Sport, Jürgen Klopp, center, watches the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Lois Openda controls the ball, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Lukas Klostermann, right and Werder's Marvin Ducksch vie for the ball, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Antonio Nusa, right and Werder's Derrick Köhn vie for the ball, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Antonio Nusa, left and Werder's Derrick Köhn vie for the ball, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons celebrates after scoring a goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons celebrates after scoring a goal, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and SV Werder Bremen, in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The former police officer was set to be buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since his November detention on what his family said were politically motivated accusations. Hours ahead of the ceremony, his children, neighbors, police officers, friends and dozens others gathered to pay their respects.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack on Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. His death comes as scores of families like his — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are now coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners.”

Alfredo Romero, director of the organization Foro Penal, a non-governmental organization that tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, said the group has received a “flood of messages” since last week from families.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly said last week that a “significant number" of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace.”

Romero explained that of the roughly 300 families who reached out, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military.

As of Tuesday morning, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of 55 prisoners. While Venezuela's government reported a higher figure of 116, it did not identify them, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed. He did not live long enough to walk free.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside an international airport in Rome Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died," he said.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)