John Brooks returned to the Hertha Berlin lineup for the first match following the Bundesliga’s winter break, but the U.S. Men’s National Team defender could do little to help the team overcome Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Led by a pair of goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and an additional finish from Omer Toprak, Leverkusen cruised past Hertha Berlin, 3-1, on Sunday in German action. While the USMNT centerback could do little on the defensive end, he did produce on the attacking end, as his 44th minute headed shot was smashed home on the rebound by Valentin Stocker. Brooks’ start was his first since December 3 as the defender recovered from injury prior to and during the winter break.
Perry Kitchen and Bjorn Johnsen also faced a frustrating result, as Hearts tied Raith Rovers in Scottish Cup action. Kitchen and Johnsen both logged significant minutes, but couldn’t help Hearts prevent an 89th minute equalizer from their second division opponent.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Bornstein played a full 90 minute shift but couldn’t help Queretaro push past Puebla in a scoreless draw.
Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s action:
SUNDAY
Gedion Zelalem did not dress in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
John Brooks started and played 90 minutes in Hertha Berlin’s 3-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
Jonathan Bornstein started and played 90 minutes in Queretaro’s 0-0 draw with Puebla.
Rubio Rubin did not dress in FC Utrecht’s 1-0 loss to Ajax.
Perry Kitchen started and played 90 minutes while Bjorn Johnsen started and was taken off in the 90th minute of Hearts’s 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers.
“defender could do little to help the team overcome Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.” – FYI, his header off a corner kick led to Hertha’s goal. his shot forced a great save which rebounded to his teammate for an easy finish.
At least Chicharito didn’t score