Simons grabs impressive double as Leipzig sends Wolfsburg to fourth straight loss

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Xavi Simons scored twice as Leipzig weathered a late comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Bundesliga on Friday and win away from home for the first time this year.

All three goals came from outside the box in a display that put Leipzig's recent bad away run to bed and lifted it into fourth place, equal on points with the team above it, Eintracht Frankfurt.

Leipzig's last away win was on Dec. 7, a run of seven winless matches.

Loïs Openda got the scoring started after 11 minutes. Wolfsburg lost possession in front of its own penalty box and Openda rifled a low shot inside the far post.

A defensive mishap led to a similar second 15 minutes later. Leipzig took possession when a defender slipped and Xavi Simons made space for himself on the edge of the box and his low shot beat the goalkeeper in the exact same place.

The third in the second half was the pick of the bunch. Baku teed up Simons nicely and the Dutch international side-footed in a sublime curler from 25 meters out.

Kilian Fischer pulled a goal back for Wolfsburg — becoming the 16th different player to score for the club this season, a club record — and Andreas Skov Olsen brought the home side right back into the game with 16 minutes left.

But it could not find an equalizer and it remains in 12th place, having lost four games in a row.

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

Wolfsburg's Andreas Skov Olsen, right, celebrates scoring with teammates during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons, left, and Wolfsburg's Bence Dardai in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons, second left, celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Kilian Fischer, left, and Leipzig's Lois Openda in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Kilian Fischer, left, and Leipzig's Xavi Simons in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday April 11, 2025. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.

The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.

People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”

This comes as the U.S. military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes on boats in September.

U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy.

The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S.

Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Residents evacuate a building near the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)