Sports World April 14 Highlights: Liverpool Lose Ground; Leverkusen Win Bundesliga Title

April 14, 2024. A red letter day in German football. Bayern Leverkusen lifted their maiden Bundesliga title in style. Elsewhere, Arsenal and Liverpool wilted under Manchester City pressure as the Premier League title fight enters a decisive April phase. On a Super Sunday, MS Dhoni also turned the clock back as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians in a high-profile Indian Premer League. Then there were other big-ticket actions -- Monte Carlo Masters (tennis), Augusta Masters (golf)... Relive all that here.

Messi, Messi, Messi

Rafael Nadal was drawn to face Flavio Cobolli at the Barcelona Open in what would be the Spaniard's first clay-court appearance this year in the buildup to the French Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had hip surgery last summer and this year has played only three competitive matches — in Brisbane before skipping the Australian Open. (AP)

Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan could be out for at least seven to 10 days due to a shoulder injury, the team's head of cricket development Sanjay Bangar indicated after the narrow loss to Rajasthan Royals. Dhawan missed the game against Royals on Saturday night. Sam Curran led the side in his absence. "He's having a shoulder injury, so he is likely to be out for at least a couple of days, I would say. Having an experienced opener, somebody like Shikhar, who has experience of playing on such wickets, becomes extremely crucial (for the team). (PTI)

Read more about the match 30 of the IPL 2024 as RCB take on SRH here

Will Pakistan Hockey Federation be suspended by the IHF? Read more about that news right here

Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants. Follow our blog right here:

Railways wrestler Anju, who had outclassed Vinesh Phogat in the recent selection trials, and Harshita put up a dominant show to reach the gold medal bouts in their respective categories at the Asian Championships, but Sarita Mor was eliminated after a shock defeat in her opening round here Sunday.

Competing in a highly competitive 53kg weight class category, Anju logged back-to-back wins by technical superiority against Philippines' Aliah Rose Gavalez and Sri Lanka's Nethmi Ahinsa Fernando. (PTI)

Spanish club Mallorca has said that it is working with authorities to identify the fan who made monkey gestures after Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni scored a goal in a La Liga match this weekend, Associated Press reports. The young fan was seen on television appearing to make monkey gestures as Madrid players celebrated Tchouaméni's goal early in the second half at Son Moix Stadium on Saturday. The fan then threw a plastic water bottle onto the field and Madrid players quickly showed it to the referee.

La Liga is also expected to formally denounce the alleged racial abuse.

The San Antonio Spurs will be without Victor Wembanyama for their final game of the season tomorrow morning. San Antonio face the Detroit Pistons in their last fixture of the 2023-24 campaign.

The seven-foot-four French youngster will sit out against the Pistons due to an ankle injury, meaning he ends his rookie campaign with 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and an NBA-leading 3.6 blocks per game.

In the rain-interrupted match 9 of ACC Men's T20I Premier Cup, hosts Oman have defeated Cambodia by a thumping 63-run margin.

Casper Ruud is facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men's singles final of the Monte Carlo Masters. Tsitsipas is on course for a third title at the event after he beat Jannik Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals. Ruud, meanwhile, warded off world number 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the other semi-final to reach the summit clash.

Liverpool, locked in a three-way title race with Arsenal and Manchester City, have work to do at Anfield. The home team is trailing 14th-rung Crystal Palace 0-1 at half-time in their English Premier League duel. Eberechi Eze found the back of the net in the 14th minute for the visitors, and the scoreline has stayed as that since. Let's see what happens in the second half. Stay tuned.

Kader Bamba came off the bench to score an injury-time winner as Nantes won 1-0 at Le Havre, securing a vital win in their battle to avoid relegation from Ligue 1. Bamba cut inside from the left wing and hit a low shot from the edge of the penalty area in the third minute of stoppage time, Associated Press reports.

The visitors' one-goal lead stands at Anfield. Crystal Palace have vanquished Liverpool 1-0 to rock the latter's title hopes. This is Liverpool's first home defeat in EPL since October 2022.

All too easy for Stefanos Tsitsipas in the end. The 25-year-old from Greece trumps eighth seed Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the Monte Carlo Masters title for the third time in his career.

Max Holloway beats Justin Gaethje with what many believe to be "KO of the century" in the UFC 300 event in Las Vegas. The all-American fight for the BMF title witnessed Holloway floor his rivals with 10 seconds remaining at the UFC 300 Las Vegas.

The two-time defending champion of the ATP 500 Barcelona Open, Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the tennis tournament a day ahead of the main draw due to the same injury that made him miss the Monte Carlos Masters last week.

West Ham's European hopes received a second blow in the space of four days after a meek 2-0 home loss to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday. The Hammers were beaten by the same score by Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday, leaving them a huge task in the return match on Thursday. (AP)

In the title decider match of the 2023-24 Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen by 5-0 to become the champions for the first time.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa severely dented Arsenal’s Premier League title bid as two late goals gave them a deserved 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

In yet another twist in the run-in, the Gunners were well beaten as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins struck within three minutes of one another to stun the home fans. (Stats Perform)

Arsenal's defeat cast a shadow over their fans while Bayer Leverkusen saw a rainbow after winning the Bundesliga for the first time. Rafael Nadal brought excitement to the tennis world with his return at the Barcelona Open. A day full of mixed emotions it was. That's all for now. Have a good night!