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KCCA FC coach Mike Mutebi has cautioned his players they must show the true character of a derby if they are to beat rivals Express FC in a Ugandan Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Kasasiro Boys will visit Wankulukuku for the famous derby against the Red Eagles, sitting ninth on the 16-team table with nine points from six matches while Express are fourth with 12 points from six outings.

During the last fixture between the two sides at the same venue, the match ended in a 1-1 draw and the veteran Mutebi has now insisted for them to get a win away, they must put up the biggest character of a derby to stop their opponents.

“We will take the game so serious given its magnitude and history around it,” Mutebi said as quoted by the club’s official website.

“It is a derby and derbies are won by teams that show the biggest of character on the day. We need to show that we want to win so that we can pick three points.”

KCCA last picked a win in the league on December 11, 2020, against Mbarara City FC at home in Lugogo and have gone on to lose the next three games since then.

On the other hand, Express are still unbeaten in the top-tier with their last outing seeing them beat title challengers URA FC by a solitary goal away.

KCCA will also head to the derby missing some of their key players - youngsters Sadat Anaku, Ayella Dominic, and Opio Sunday – both are out due to licensing issues.

The game has also come too soon for Julius Poloto, Denis Iguma, and Gift Ali who are still recovering from injuries while Magambo Peter, Filbert Obenchan, Musana Hassan, Achai Herbert, and Kato Samuel are the available options that coach Mutebi could pick from.

Express new signing Muzamiru Mutyaba will face his former employers for the first time since he parted ways with the club in June 2020 while former goalkeeper-coach Daniel Kiwanuka is another who switched to the Red Eagles in the previous summer transfer window.

The Kasasiro Boys and the Red Eagles have met 22 times in the last 11 years, with KCCA managing to register nine wins while Express have picked four wins with the other nine battles ending in a draw.

Former Ghana and Hearts of Oak star Mohammed Polo has expressed interest in replacing Serbian coach Kosta Papic as the club's head coach.

The Phobians technical position has become vacant following the resignation of ex-Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Enyimba and Azam coach Papic who cited interference among his decisions to leave the post.

The 60-year-old assumed duty only last December, leaving after four wins, three draws and three defeats in the Ghana Premier League.

“I faced the same interference which Papic faced at Hearts with player’s selection,” 1978 Africa Cup of Nations winner Polo, who coached Hearts between 2013 and 2014, told Ashh FM.

"The direction of Hearts of Oak isn't the best and it can't be the best in any way, it's not done in Europe - how the management and the board run the team in Ghana.

"I'm ready for the Hearts of Oak job on one condition, that is, I will bring in my own assistant manager."

The recent stint was Papic's second spell with Hearts of Oak, having first coached the club in 2009.

“It’s very unfortunate that this is happening that coaches have to leave the club this way," former Ghana and Hearts right-back Yaw Amankwah Mireku, who won the 2000 Caf Champions League, 2001 Caf Super Cup and 2004 Caf Confederation Cup titles with the club, said, as reported by Footballghana.

“Papic’s problem has to do with structures. He should have made us known which structure, in particular, was the problem.

“It’s a problem that there are always issues between management and the technical team. Coaches are sacked day in and day out.

“I will speak on behalf of former players. The leaders should try and also sacrifice for the supporters of the club to be happy, we are all worried by the current happenings going on with the club."

Hearts are currently 11th on the Premier League table after 13 rounds of matches. The second most successful club in the history of the top-flight, their last of 19 titles came in 2009, the same year Papic ended his first stint.

Recently-signed Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak says that Tuesday night was "so special" to him as he helped the Reds keep a clean sheet against RB Leipzig.

Kabak was one of Liverpool's top performers as the on-loan Schalke defender starred alongside Jordan Henderson in defence in Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League win over the German side.

The Turkish defender could join Liverpool permanently in the summer for a fee of £18 million ($25m).

What did Kabak say about Liverpool's performance?

 "It was so special for me because this was my first clean sheet and my first win in this jersey," he told Liverpoolfc.com.

"I'm a new player, I'm a young player and there's a lot of stars here. I need a little time to adapt here and with time I will be better I think.

"I think we played very well and we gave everything on the pitch. We won all challenges in midfield and I think we deserved to win and I'm so happy.

"Leipzig are a really good team and second in the Bundesliga table but I think we controlled the game very well.

"First half we had a lot of good opportunities and second half we scored because of their mistakes – but we already had it under control.

"I think it was a really impressive game from us."

He added:  "The last three games we lost in the Premier League but we played very well I think. That's football – sometimes you can play good but lose.

"I hope if we continue to play like this tonight we will win our next Premier League game."

Another big match on the horizon

Kabak and Liverpool will leap right back into another big match this weekend, as the Reds are set to face Everton in the Premier League.

Liverpool currently sit sixth in the league, two points behind fifth-place West Ham and fourth-place Chelsea.

Further reading

It is that time of the season for a Kerala Blasters supporter. Once again, what they feared would happen in the middle of the season has finally happened - the club's ninth different head coach has also parted ways towards the end of what has been a dismal campaign. 

Much was expected of Kibu Vicuna when he was appointed last summer, shortly after the club appointed Lithuanian Karolis Skinkys as the sporting director. It was believed that the club was undertaking a whole new long-term project and Skinkys was involved in the decision to bring in Vicuna, who had won the I-League title with Mohun Bagan. 

It was a straightforward decision for the former Bagan coach to sign for Blasters, considering the club that employed him merged with ATK to enter the Indian Super League (ISL).

However, there was always a risk of getting sacked at the end of the season at the Yellow Army. Since getting rid of Steve Coppell at the end of the third season of ISL, Blasters have never had a head coach who lasted for more than one season, except for David James who joined in the middle of the 2017-18 season and was sacked in the middle of the season that followed. 

But there was hope that things would be different, especially during a season that was affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Every club's preparations were hampered by the deadly virus which forced teams to enter into a bio-bubble in Goa for the entire season. 

Blasters, like many others, were off to a slow start under the Vicuna era. They were winless in their first six matches before registering their first win against Hyderabad. Vicuna was unable to decide his best starting lineup and he kept chopping and changing his lineups almost on a game-by-game basis for the first 10 matches. This was also due to the fact that they had plenty of injuries during the season. 

This uncertainly could also be down to the transfer options that Blasters missed out on before the season kicked off. Sandesh Jhingan decided to end his six-year stay with the Kochi-based club and left to sign for ATK Mohun Bagan, leaving a gaping hole in the defence. 

Blasters first filled it by agreeing to a deal with Colombian defender Oswaldo Henriquez who later decided not to come to India due to the rising COVID-19 cases . Henriquez was attending the online coaching sessions of Kibu Vicuna until an offer from the Israeli club came his way.

The club then agreed to terms with Tiri who also ended up joining Bagan. Jhingan and Tiri are part of the best defence in the league this season after 18 rounds. The solution to Blasters' woes could have been simpler - when the best players leave for rival clubs, give the new coach time to assemble his own squad. 

The defence was Vicuna's biggest concern and the department in the squad that ultimately cost the gaffer his job. Blasters have conceded 33 goals in 18 games, the worst tally in the league. And even in the 0-4 defeat to Hyderabad that acted as the tipping point for the club to make the decision, two goals were the direct result of defensive blunders by Bakary Kone. 

Kerala have conceded seven penalties and have dropped a mammoth 18 points after scoring the first goal, both the most by a team in ISL this season.

Kone and Costa Nhamoinesu, who many expected to form a strong centre-back pairing at the start of the season, have simply failed to deliver. Abdul Hakku stepped in as an alternative but remained error-prone. Vicuna was desperate for a solution and was forced to turn to midfielder Jeakson Singh who played as a centre-back for five consecutive games until Tuesday's fixture. 

The departure of the club's all-time top scorer (a feat that he achieved in just one season) Bartholome Ogbeche was another move that hurt the team. His replacement Gary Hooper took time to settle into the team's style of play and during that period, strikeforce was dependent on Jordan Murray for goals.

Facundo Pereyra was the most impressive foreign signing this season until he picked up an injury that required surgery - he may return to the squad for the final two games but it is too late for Vicuna. 

Kerala's star Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahul KP benefitted from Vicuna's system towards the end of his tenure after initially struggling to make an impact. While Rahul has come alive on the right flank, Sahal took up the challenge of playing in an unfamiliar left flank and had begun to look livelier.

The Malayali midfielder has created 28 chances, (second-most by an Indian), completed 18 take-ons (most by a Kerala player), completed 261 passes in the final third (second-most by a Kerala player) and completed 14 passes in the opposition box (second-most by a Kerala player and only 4 players have more this season). But these numbers in attack couldn't do anything to save Vicuna's job as the team continued to leak goals at the back. 

Blasters are out of the race for the top four and have had another season to forget. With two games remaining, they remain 10th on the league table and have won just three matches with a tally of 16 points from 18 games. 

For a coach who always gave cliche answers in his pressers and played it safe off the field for the benefit of the club, Vicuna concluded his last interaction with the media by criticising the club's transfer policy. And he knew he had to do it before he signed off. 

"Our scouting of the players was bad, the plans and expectations for the season were higher than the reality."

Jurgen Klopp says that Alisson will sleep very well on the way home to Liverpool after maintaining a clean sheet in the Reds' 2-0 win over RB Leipzig.

The Brazilian goalkeeper has come under fire in recent weeks after a series of blunders against Manchester City and Leicester.

However, on Tuesday, he was not beaten by a solid RB Leipzig side, although he was saved by the post on a first-half chance.

What did Klopp have to say?

“Definitely. But he had big moments in the Leicester game, eh? But of course, a clean sheet helps, as you can imagine," Klopp said after the game. 

"Ali will sleep really well in the plane on the way home! As always, he helped us a lot.”

Klopp full of praise for Kabak

Alisson wasn't the only Liverpool star to earn plaudits from Klopp, as the manager also singled out January signing Ozan Kabak, who joined from Schalke on an initial loan with an option to buy.

The young Turkish defender stood out for the Reds on Tuesday, putting in a man of the match-level performance alongside Jordan Henderson in defence to help keep the clean sheet.

“I think that his attitude was good," Klopp said. "I’m very happy with his performance. And Hendo, he can play this position perfectly.

"It’s not that Leipzig didn’t have a chance, Ali had to intervene also, but that’s normal. Overall I can say that, the whole package, I’m very pleased with the performance.”

Merseyside derby looms

Liverpool will have little time to celebrate their victory over RB Leipzig will now look ahead to a clash with rivals Everton.

The Reds are currently outside the top four, two points behind fifth-place West Ham and fourth-place Chelsea.

Liverpool are also only three points ahead of their local rivals, with Everton also having two extra games to play.

Further reading

Nigeria international Jamilu Collins has signed a new one-year SC Paderborn contract, the club confirmed on their website.

Collins, left-back, was linked with a move out of the Benteler-Arena following the team’s relegation to Bundesliga Two, however, he chose to remain with the club until June 30, 2022.

According to the German outfit, the Super Eagles star decided to stay having convinced goalkeeper Leopold Zingerle (until 2023), Ron Schallenberg and Johannes Dorfler (both until 2024) to continue playing for Paderborn.

Reacting to this development, director of sport Fabian Wohlgemuth is delighted to retain Collins who has grown in his over three years with the two-time Oberliga Westfalen winners.

"Jamilu has developed very well in his three and a half years in Paderborn,” Wohlgemuth told club website.

“With his strong performances, he has attracted the attention of numerous other clubs. This is another reason why we are pleased that he sees his other sporting home at SC Paderborn 07. Together, we want to further develop the existing potential.”

Collins began his youth career at Abuja Football College Academy before he signed his first professional contract with HNK Rijeka.

Following his inability to break into the Croatian topflight side’s main squad, he was loaned to NK Pomorac, Krka, Sibenik and Istra 1961.

Having completed his loan spells, he was snapped up by Paderborn on September 6, 2017 on a two-year contract following a successful trial with then Liga Three side.

He played a crucial role in the team’s promotion to the German elite division. He scored his first Bundesliga goal with a 35-yard shot in a 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

In the 2019-2020 campaign, he played 30 league games but that could not rescue them from getting demoted to the second tier as they finished at the base of the log.

So far this term, he boasts of 12 games under his kitty appearances as Steffen Baumgart’s men stay 10th in the table having accrued 27 points from 20 games.

Winless in their last four matches in all competitions, Paderborn are gunning for all three points when they welcome Sandhausen in their next outing on Saturday.

Uche Ikpeazu scored his third league goal of the 2020-21 campaign as Wycombe Wanderers bowed 2-1 to Derby County in Tuesday’s English Championship encounter.

Having silenced Middlesbrough 2-1 their last time out, Gareth Ainsworth’s men squared up against the Rams with the ambition of continuing their winning streak. However, that was not the case as Wayne Rooney’s side left Adams Park with all points at stake.

Despite the hosts dominating ball possession in the opening minutes of the game, it was Derby County that had the first shot on target, as Martyn Waghorn cut inside on the edge of the 18-yard-box to hit hard and low but Ryan Tafazolli was on hand to block.

In the 16th minute, the visitors took the lead after Ikpeazu turned the visiting side’s corner kick past goalkeeper Ryan Allsopp.

Not minding their one-goal deficit, Wycombe continued to mount pressure but they were unlucky not to get the goals. In the 35th minute, Albanian midfielder Anis Mehmeti did well to cut-back to Daryl Hogan who unleashed a powerful strike off the goalpost.

Minutes later, Mehmeti and Hogan linked up again with the former delivering a cross to Ikpeazu whose effort was denied by the fingertips of goalkeeper David Marshall.

Three minutes into the second-half, the hosts got a penalty after Josh Knight was fouled in the penalty area. The Nigeria and Uganda prospect stepped up to take the resulting kick which he blasted past Marshall.

Twenty minutes to full time, the Chairboys came close as Garath McCleary teed up Mehmeti who dribbled past three players, however, blasted his shot over the top corner.

In the 90th minute, Andre Wisdom had the final say - smashing home from close range after Martyn Waghorn’s free-kick had kissed the woodwork.

Alongside Ikpeazu, English left back of Ugandan background Jordan Obita was in action from start to finish while Nigeria's Nnamdi Ofoborh and Zimbabwe's Admiral Muskwe were unused substitutes.

Following this defeat, Wycombe Wanderers remain at the base of the log with 19 points from 29 games, while Derby County occupy the 16th position with 34 points from the same number of games.

With Taylor Swift being one of the world's best-selling female musicians and Alex Morgan holding her reputation as one of the most recognisable faces of women's soccer, it's no secret that the two are friends.

The pair are known to hold a mutual admiration and respect for each other, but, considering they hail from two completely different worlds, how did their camaraderie start?

Goal takes a look.

Swift is among the most successful female pop musicians in history, so it isn't a surprise that the U.S. women's national team star is a hardcore fan.

With an expansive back catalogue that spawns the likes of best-selling records '1989', 'Fearless', 'Red', 'Lover' and 'folklore', Swift's music has dominated the global landscape for more than a decade.

While the pair of celebrities might have been aware of the other's popularity and fame for a long while, the two appeared with each other for the first time in 2015 when Swift invited the entire USWNT onstage during her 1989 World Tour in New Jersey following their Women's World Cup victory.

Morgan and her team-mates, who brought along the trophy, flanked the stage as Swift introduced them to the audience - with the pop singer herself triumphantly holding the trophy in celebration at the end.

The guest appearance by the team was one of many made by celebrities during that particular tour, with Swift inviting a posse of her famous friends onstage to surprise the crowd - such as Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Lisa Kudrow, Avril Lavigne, John Legend, Jason Derulo, and even the likes of St Vincent and Beck.

In 2019, Swift also accepted the Icon Award at the Teen Choice Awards that year from presenter Morgan.

The duo's friendship came up again when Morgan was speaking to the press during a USWNT media session from Orlando, Florida in February 2021 and gushed about her admiration for the pop star.

To the delight of several journalists during the session and the chagrin of numerous others, Morgan spoke excitedly of the singer's forthcoming album, a recorded version of her 2008 hit record 'Fearless'.

"This is the best news ever that she rerecorded 'Fearless,'" Morgan said. "Like half of you guys don't even know what we're talking about right now, but [I'm a] big Taylor Swift fan and I just love what she's doing.

"She is a huge inspiration to me, so I'm very happy about that news."

Morgan revealed that she listens to Swift's music "every time" she drives with her husband, Servando Carrasco, in her car - with Carrasco not quite buying into Swift's discography.

"And he's like, 'Haven't you listened to her enough?!'" Morgan continued. "I'm like 'No! There's no such thing!' So there's that."

"We can continue talking about Taylor this whole time," she added. "I'm totally fine with that." She then rattled off her favorite songs from Swift's most recent full-length effort, 'evermore' - including "no body, no crime," "marjorie," and "willow."

"I just feel like I play the whole album on repeat," she went on. "The album is amazing and now I'm really excited to go back and look at 'Fearless' because she said that she has six new songs... she added on 'Fearless.'

"Right after this I'm about to go and check those songs out. So, yeah, I gotta go guys."

After the session ended, some journalists - as well as Morgan - came under fire for apparently speaking about something aside from football.

Morgan took to Twitter to state that she was overjoyed to have been asked questions that she normally wouldn't field, reminding everyone that athletes do have interests other than the sport they play.

"Talking soccer is always cool, but talking about one of the most influential and powerful women in the world is my cup of tea," she said.

Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Kylian Mbappe predicted PSG would defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou before making his prediction come true by scoring a hat-trick.

Mbappe was the star of the show on Tuesday as he netted three goals in PSG's 4-1 victory in the Champions League last-16 first leg.

After the match, Pochettino revealed that he and Mbappe had discussed the possibility of taking down Barcelona well before it happened as Mbappe reveled in helping the former Espanyol manager defeat his longtime rivals.

What did Mbappe tell Pochettino?

"Before the match, he asked me how many times I had won at Camp Nou," Pochettino said in his post-game press conference. "'Once,' I told him. He replied to me: 'Tomorrow, we are going to win a second time.'

He added: "He is a top player. Great footballers write their history. They evolve match after match. With this hat-trick, Kylian will be in the spotlight but we had no doubts.

"He's world-class. No one can discover Mbappe tonight. He's a fantastic player and he's very happy in our club. He said it, I said it too."

What's next for Mbappe, Pochettino and PSG?

Pochettino has been with PSG for just over a month, having now picked up a true statement victory in the Champions League without superstar Neymar.

PSG currently sit second in Ligue 1, just behind league-leaders Lille, with Mbappe leading the team with 21 goals in 29 games.

The club is currently without Neymar, who is dealing with an adductor injury that has him racing to be fit for the second leg against Barcelona on March 10 at the Parc des Princes.

Before that, though, PSG have a vital match in the title race looming as they face Monaco this weekend.

Further reading

Jurgen Klopp hit back at those who thought Liverpool would "slip again" against RB Leipzig, as the reigning Premier League champions came out firing to pick up a vital Champions League win.

Klopp's Liverpool put together a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in Budapest behind a pair of key away goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

The win came on the heels of some difficult results for Liverpool, who entered Tuesday's last-16 first leg on the heels of consecutive Premier League losses to Brighton, Manchester City and Leicester.

What did Klopp have to say?

"It was the game we wanted, the game we needed," he told BT Sport. "Leipzig can be a real monster, they overrun teams, they are really physical and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way. We played a really good game and we got the result we deserved.

"We defended really well and had good recovery. It was a tough game with only two days since the last one. It's only the first leg, we know that but a lot of people were waiting for us to slip again.

"For two years we were really good and this year we have problems, that's fine. A lot of people expected us to slip again but the boys didn't."

Liverpool's struggles come to an end?

Last season's Premier League champions went into Tuesday's match in poor form that has threatened to derail their push for a second straight title.

On the heels of three straight losses, Liverpool are currently outside of the top four in the Premier League, having won just two of their eight league matches in 2021.

None of that mattered against RB Leipzig, though, as the Reds looked close to their best against a team also known for their relentless pressing.

Liverpool took full advantage of RB Leipzig's blunders, with Salah's goal coming as the result of a poor Marcel Sabitzer back pass.

Mane, meanwhile, pounced after Nordi Mukiele missed a clearance, all but sealing the victory on the day for the Reds.

With a 2-0 lead, and two away goals in hand, the Reds will next face RB Leipzig at Anfield on March 10.

Before that, though, Klopp and Co. will next look ahead to a chance to reinvigorate their Premier League campaign with a Merseyside derby clash against rivals Everton.

Further reading

Pep Guardiola is concerned about a Covid-19 outbreak in the Premier League when players disperse during the international break at the end of March.

The number of cases have started to fall with the Premier League announcing that there were two positive results from their two most recent rounds of testing of 2,915 players and club staff - the lowest since October.

But the Manchester City manager says he's worried that players travelling around the world for international matches could lead to a spike in numbers when they return.

How will international matches affect Man City?

A two-week international break has been scheduled after City’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Everton on March 20.

City could have 18 players called up for international duty as well as various youth team players, with the Under-21 European Championships taking place at the same time.

However, Premier League clubs may not be obliged to let Portuguese or South American players leave after world governing body FIFA extended a rule over releasing such squad members until the end of April.

What’s been said?

“The only way to be protected from this virus is to stay at home, and don’t move and social distance with no contact and don’t travel,” Guardiola said ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Everton.

“Now the people are going to travel, the players are going to the national teams and it’s difficult after to control it, so I think something is going to rise unfortunately.

“I would love to say or to guess it’s not going to happen but from experience it happened in two or three waves already worldwide, so if you move you take a risk to be contaminated, to get the virus again.

“I think the Premier League should be concerned about this, all the leagues [should be] concerned.”

How have City been affected by the coronavirus pandemic?

Wednesday's game with Everton was rearranged after their match on December 28 was called off four hours before kick-off following a Covid-19 outbreak at City.

The club’s training ground was temporarily closed down and deep cleaned after five players and four members of staff tested positive.

Next week’s Champions League first leg against Borussia Monchengladbach has been moved to Budapest in Hungary because of Germany's regulations over travel during the pandemic.

Further reading

Pep offers injury update on Gundogan, Aguero and De Bruyne

Solksjaer: We won't let City run away with the title

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted that Paris Saint-Germain proved they are superior to his side as they claimed a 4-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

After Lionel Messi gave the home side the lead with a penalty in the first half, PSG fired back and secured a comfortable win through a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe and a strike from Moise Kean.

The result puts Mauricio Pochettino's side in control before they host the Spanish giants in the second leg, and Koeman said his side's opponents deserved their win on the night.

What has been said?

"Surely the result reflects how superior they were. They were effective. In the first half it was more even. In the second half we had problems defensively. They proved physically to be very superior to us," Koeman said.

"When you go ahead and they equalise quickly it's always a problem. We didn't defend that attack well. We weren't paying attention to the ball on the wing or the centre.

"Particularly in the second half we have to admit that they were superior. They have shown that they have a more complete team than us. We have to accept it, improve things.

"We knew that this could happen because we are playing against a great team, a physical team with experience, for many reasons that is ahead of us.

"A 4-1 loss is normally very difficult. I could tell you lies but the fact is that at 4-1 down from the home leg, there are very few chances of going through. This match shows us how much we have to improve, particularly at Champions League level.

"The game has shown us that we lack things to be at the best level, especially at the Champions League level."

What next for Barcelona?

The Catalan giants are currently third in La Liga and will look to extend their seven-game winning run in the competition when they host Cadiz on Sunday, followed by another home game against Elche.

Koeman's team will then look to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the Copa del Rey when they face Sevilla in the second leg of their semi-final tie on March 3.

Further reading

Peter Olawale says Hapoel Ra’anana have not booked a place in the Israeli Premier League and has cautioned his team not to get “carried away” with their triumph over Maccabi Ahi Nazareth.

After a run of four games without victory in the Liga Leumit, Eldad Shavit’s men recorded a 1-0 win over the hosts at the Ilut Stadium.

Although Guyana international Emery Welshman decided the game on the hour mark, the Nigeria youth international was named man-of-the-match thanks to his awe-inspiring showing against Avudia Yusuf’s side.

Olawale is not paying much attention to his individual accolade and has urged his side to build upon their recent result as they continue their promotion chase.

“It was a tough game as we anticipated but at the end of 90 minutes, our never say die attitude paid off,” the 18-year-old told Goal.

“We lost our last two games, so picking an away win is a big relief for us and also a pointer that our promotion race is not over yet.

“Not many gave us a chance to pull a shocker away from home and I must give kudos to the rest of my teammates for a job well done.

“On a personal note, I am delighted to be named as man-of-the-match, nonetheless, the most important thing is that we sustain this momentum which is more important.

“We will celebrate this hard-earned result, but we won’t be carried away because we’ve not secured promotion yet.

“We will keep working hard towards actualising our dreams of securing a place in the Premier League at the end of the season.”

Hapoel Ra'anana host eighth-placed Hapoel Ramat Gan in their next outing on February 26 and the Tripple 44 Academy product is upbeat that his team would put up another assuring performance against the Urduns.

“Ramat Gan are no doubt a very strong team with great players.  They are also above us in the table, however, we will not be intimidated facing them,” he continued.

“Training resumes tomorrow and as usual our manager will map out strategies on how we can handle them.

“On a personal note, I will not relent because my contributions would be crucial towards achieving our target.”

After 22 matches played so far in the 2020-21 campaign, Ra'anana occupy the 12th spot in the log after garnering 24 points.

Kylian Mbappe said he was happy at PSG but wouldn't decide his future based on one game after his Champions League hat-trick lifted his side to a 4-1 win over Barcelona on Tuesday.

Despite the absence of Neymar and Angel Di Maria, the 22-year-old scored once in the first half and twice in the second half as the Ligue 1 giants ran riot at Camp Nou. 

Their effort was good enough that Mbappe, who has been constantly linked to La Liga and the Premier League, commented about how happy it made him to be part of Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

What did Mbappe say about the performance?

“We are very happy," Mbappe told RMC Sport. "It was a very important match for us. We wanted to come here and win, and we did it in style.

"Tonight, it is magnificent but we have not won anything yet. I am happy. I always want to give the best of myself. I have not always had that success. But never in my life will I hide.

"Today, my hard work is paying off ... We are feeling better and better physically [after our Covid-19 outbreak].

"It would be stupid to decide my future on a single match. The truth is that it is about reflecting for the long term. I have always said that I am happy here. This sort of match makes me even happier. ... The PSG shirt is one that I hold dear to my heart.”

What is Mbappe's contract situation?

The France international will see his current deal at Parc des Princes expire at the end of next season, and has yet to commit to fresh terms. 

With the likes of Real Madrid lurking, PSG are hopeful that their star forward will eventually come to terms on a new contract. 

How did PSG react to Mbappe's hat-trick?

"Today [Mbappe] shone and everyone is happy with the performance he had," Marquinhos said via RMC. "When he shines, it makes all the difference. We know his quality. He brought us this victory. As we often say, football is a team sport. But when the team is strong, it is the individuals that shine."

Added Pochettino to the French outlet: “We have no doubt that Kylian is one of the greatest players in the world despite his youth. He has already done extraordinary things. We must remain humble. There are 90 minutes left and they have great players. There is still a second leg."

Stats from Mbappe's hat-trick

Mbappe became only the third player to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona, after Faustino Asprilla did so for Newcastle and Andriy Shevchenko did so for Dynamo Kyiv (both in 1997).

Additionally, he became just the second player to ever strike at least twice at Camp Nou in European Cup/Champions League action after Ferenc Puskas did so more than 50 years ago.

Further reading