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Goal Kenya's bid to win the LaLiga Media seven-a-side tournament came to an immature end after falling in the semi-finals to eventual winners Capital FM at Goan Institute. 

The tournament, which included seven other media houses in Kenya, was meant to create good working relations with the stakeholders in the media industry.

Goal was placed in Group B alongside Radio Africa. Royal Media and the Standard Group. They started their campaign with a 4-0 win over Royal Media, before defeating Radio Africa 2-1. The final match was against Standard and it ended 2-0 in favour of Goal.

The team went on to top the group with maximum points, followed by Royal Media who had four points after a 2-1 win over Radio Africa and a 4-4 draw with Standard.

In Group A, Nation Media finished top with seven points, the same as Capital FM who had an inferior goal difference.

In the semis, Goal fell 2-1 to Capital, with the latter getting the winner in the stoppages. On the other hand, Royal Media made it to the final after defeating Nation 3-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regular time.

They went on to set a date with Capital in the final, and after a stalemate in the final, the latter were crowned after a 4-3 win in the shootout. 

Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa has maintained their main target is to move top of the Ugandan Premier League table after picking their first away win against URA FC on Sunday.

The Red Eagles scored through forward George Senkaaba, who was making his first start this season, to sink the Taxmen at the Arena of Visions in Ndejje.

URA under veteran coach Sam Ssimbwa had failed to deal with Mathias Muwanga’s long ball which Senkaaba calmly controlled and shielded left-back Arafat Galiwango before slotting home.

The win has now left coach Bbosa believing their target of moving top of the table is still in sight and also promised to rectify a few mistakes he spotted against URA before their next league match.

“We prepared well, the boys knew we had to avoid conceding in set pieces like was the norm in other matches,” Bbosa told the club’s official website after the match.

“We had a few mistakes but we’re going back to correct them, the target remains going top of the table, we have KCCA FC next but we respect them and we shall prepare to get maximum points.”

On his part, goal hero Senkaaba lauded his teammates for their efforts to pick an away win.

“I would like to thank my fellow players, fans and the technical team for the away win,” Senkaaba told the club’s official website after the game. “As we promised you our fans, this is just the beginning.

“We shall win game by game, as a player, I am happy for this goal, it has been a team effort and it helped me have confidence, I now urge the fans to buy season tickets so that they can support us in our next game against [KCCA].”

During the contest, the Red Eagles started brightly with Senkaaba running down URA’s backline but was unsuccessful not to find the back of the net in the opening eight minutes.

After taking the lead, the Red Eagles continued to press, looking to double their advantage and winger Charles Musiige would have scored in the 35th minute but his effort went agonizingly wide of the far post.

The win pushed Express to position four of the 16-team league table with 12 points from six matches.

AS Vita Club coach Florent Ibenge has conceded Simba SC deserved to beat his team in the first match of the Caf Champions League group stage on Friday.

Despite playing at home, the Democratic Republic of the Congo side suffered a 1-0 defeat against the Msimbazi giants from Tanzania in their Group A fixture played at Des Martrys de la Pentecote in Kinshasa.

Zambian striker Chris Mugalu gave Simba the deserved win, which saw them move top of the group after he stepped up to convert from the penalty spot, sending AS Vita custodian Omossola Medjo the wrong way.

Ibenge has now admitted that Simba were the better side during the match as they mastered his plans and destroyed them.

“My team was the second best against Simba, we did not play how the way I would have wanted us to play and Simba took the advantage to punish us because they mastered the game very fast and dominated us,” Ibenge said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“My players also failed to rise to the occasion, their performance was below per, none of my players tried to pick himself up, and it became difficult for us to counter them [Simba], they were good in all departments and deserved the win.”

Ibenge has further congratulated Simba for the win by stating: “I want to thank our opponents, for the display, but we still have a long way to go but the only problem we have is to lose at home, it is not good to lose at home, I will work to improve our finishing so that we can bounce back to winning ways in our next match.”

In an earlier interview, Simba coach Didier Gomez Da Rosa praised his players for the away win saying it had set them to a good start in their efforts to get out of the group and reach the quarter-finals.

“We are very happy and satisfied because my players put up the kind of game I had asked them to play,” Da Rosa told reporters after the match. “We have come here and returned home with a very important win.

“As I said before, these are kind of results we need to make sure we get out of the group stage and reach the quarter-finals and we exactly got that, so the win is very vital for us and it will have some impact when we close the group stage matches.

“I am happy for all the players, we created a number of chances despite playing away but I am happy we picked a win, against a team which beat us 5-0, the last time we met at the same venue, so this is an improvement from my lands and I am happy for them.”

Simba will now welcome Egyptian giants and defending champions Al Ahly to Dar es Salaam in their second group stage match on February 23.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has not for the first time this season stressed the need for his side to be more clinical in front of goal.

Mngqithi was speaking after his team beat Sudan champions Al-Hilal Omdurman 2-0 in a Caf Champions League Group B encounter at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday evening.

Centre-back Mosa Lebusa opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Kermit Erasmus secured the win with a 90th-minute goal.

But with the score at 1-0 for most of the game, there had always been the chance for the visitors to equalise.

And even if Al-Hilal do not carry the same attacking threat as some of the other African giants in the Champions League, there was always the chance they could have sneaked a goal from a set-play, which is why Mngqithi was not entirely happy with his side's performance, despite the victory.

“It is a very sensitive area because not many people will respect clubs like Al-Hilal and we are the people who are in the group stages and we know what they are capable of, they can beat you at any stage, more especially with set-plays,” Mngqithi was quoted saying by the Citizen.

Masandawana lead the domestic league standings by two points over SuperSport United. They've scored 24 goals in 15 league matches, two less than SuperSport and three less than the PSL's highest scorers, Cape Town City (both of those sides have played a match more).

Sundowns' defensive record is the best in the league with just seven goals conceded in 15 games.

Mngqithi certainly feels they can do better in the goalscoring department and has highlighted this already on several occasions this season.

“We are complaining about the players not being shrewd enough and the people who are supposed to score these chances are the ones who unfortunately did not take them," said the former Golden Arrows coach.

"If we look at even the game we played against Chippa United, we scored two goals but we could have easily scored eight to 10 goals. The game against Stellenbosch became a humdinger in the end but we could have easily scored four more goals but we have not been clinical,” Mngqithi lamented.

“Our goal ratio is not bad but if we look at the expected goals, we always look like a team that can score many goals but unfortunately we don’t take the chances the way we should and we don’t want to put stress and anxiety on the player because the more you demand the more you put them under tremendous pressure and they end up not giving you what you want.”

Also in Group B with Sundowns are TP Mazembe and CF Belouizdad, who played to a goalless stalemate in their opening game to leave Downs top of the group.

Namungo FC have failed in their bid to return home after Angolan authorities asked the team to return to their hotel from the airport on Sunday.

The Tanzanian domestic Cup winners had travelled to Angola to play their first leg of the Caf Confederation Cup against Primeiro de Agosto but the game which was set for Sunday was cancelled by Caf after the Angolan authorities ordered all Namungo players to self-quarantine owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the game being cancelled, Namungo’s efforts to return home have now stalled as the team spent the whole of Sunday at the airport in Angola and they were finally asked to return to the hotel with reports emerging that three of their players and one official had tested positive for Covid-19.

“Namungo players have been ordered to return to the hotel from the airport, where they were planning to board the plane back home after their match was called off,” a source in Tanzania Football Federation, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Monday.

“The players wasted a whole day at the international airport in Luanda as they waited for a plane to return home but now they are not able to use the private jet because three of their players and one official have reportedly returned positive Covid-19 tests, and now Angola authorities have asked them to serve the mandatory quarantine before coming back home.”

On Sunday, Namungo coach Hemed Morocco explained how they had learned from their cancelled game in Angola. We want to thank God that everyone is okay and safe but what happened is a lesson for us to learn,” Morocco said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“It’s a challenge for us and it’s a lesson too so we have nothing to say at the moment, we are back in Tanzania to prepare for our upcoming matches.”

On cancelling the fixture on Saturday, Tanzania Football Federation explained: “Caf has cancelled the first leg match pitting Primeiro de Agosto against Namungo,” read a statement by TFF signed by media officer Cliford Mario Ndimbo and obtained by Goal.

“The game was scheduled to be played on Sunday in Luanda but earlier on authorities in Angola had ordered the entire team of Namungo to be quarantined after arriving in Luanda and also be tested for Covid-19.

“Owing to the standoff, Caf has moved to call off the match and confirmed the outcome on the game will be discussed and communicated in due course.”

The East Africans were paired against Primeiro de Agosto of Angola in a draw conducted on January 8. The Tanzanian Premier League side, who are making a first appearance at this stage, were scheduled to play away, before a home match against the Angolan outfit, on February 14 and 21, respectively.

This time last year, Jeakson Singh was enjoying a very good personal season at Kerala Blasters. 

In his first full season at the club, he made 13 appearances and clocked over 800 minutes. He had quite easily become an important player for the then coach Eelco Schattorie in midfield. 

Fast forward to February 2021, the midfielder is now playing in an unfamiliar role as a centre-back at the same club in a different lineup and under a different coach who prefers a different system. The team is struggling to register wins and currently has the worst defensive record in the league, having let in 29 goals in 17 matches. However, Jeakson's importance to the team remains unchanged. 

Jeakson has already played 14 games this season and his first nine appearances were as a defensive midfielder as Kibu Vicuna attempted to figure out his best starting lineup. With Blasters continuing to leak goals and the coach unable to name a consistent defensive line, the former Mohun Bagan boss turned to Jeakson to fill in at centre-back. 

Since the game against Bengaluru on January 20, the former India U-17 star who scored in the U-17 World Cup, has been playing as a centre-back. 

It has not been comfortable for the youngster who has struggled to keep up with the different demands of the new role but overall, the defence has not worsened.

In the 12 games which did not have Jeakson as a centre-back, Blasters conceded 22 goals - 1.8 goals per game. In the last five games wherein the Indian midfielder played in defence, Blasters have only let in 7 goals - 1.4 goals per game. 

While this could also be due to the fact that VIcuna has more or less settled on his backline in the last few games, Jeakson's defensive capabilities as a midfielder have also helped the team when he plays as a centre-back.

Only Vicente Gomez (104) and Bakary Kone (55) have recovered possession of the ball more times than Jeakson (54) in the current campaign. He has also intercepted 15 passes this season, a tally only behind that of Jessel Carneiro (25), Costa Nhamoinesu (20) and Vicente Gomez (16). 

It is clear that Vicuna is reluctant to use two foreigners - Costa and Kone - together in the lineup and the alternative Abdul Hakku is both injury-prone and inconsistent. This has forced the gaffer to turn to Jeakson and it has yielded mixed but slightly better results so far. 

The youngster needs more time to familiarise with his new role and the experiment should only be considered a short-term fix for now as it is clear this is not his natural position. However, Blasters being the worst defence in ISL this season has nothing to do with Jeakson being played at centre-back. It is more of a collective failure of the team. 

While NorthEast United boss Khalid Jamil felt Odisha put up a fight in his team's 3-1 win in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday, the game gave us a different picture. 

Luis Machado picked up a brace and Deshorn Brown also scored in the first half itself to give the Highlanders a healthy lead going into the break. Bradden Inman netted a goal for Odisha before the break but NorthEast United survived their opponents' second-half pressure to seal a crucial win in the race for the playoffs. 

After the game, the Highlanders boss had said, "I don't think it was easy. It was a really difficult game. For us, it was important to finish the game and to focus from the first to the last minute." However, his side was cruising to an easy victory at half-time. 

Odisha boss Gerry Peyton was forced to make a choice in the midfield on the morning of the game as Cole Alexander was ruled out due to viral fever. They ultimately placed Gaurav Bora and Vinit Rai together in front of the defence but it also meant relinquishing dominance. 

It was the Federico Gallego and Luis Machado show in the first half that blew Odisha out of the contest. The first 25 minutes of the game saw some of the best football played by any team in the ISL this season.

Ashutosh Mehta, who continued to make an impression at both ends of the pitch with his marauding runs and crosses, proved his quality in the final third once again by picking out Luis Machado at the edge of the box from the right flank. From a chance that would have normally seen players take a touch, make room and shoot, Machado attempted a terrific first-time volley to beat the keeper and find the bottom corner of the net as early as the ninth minute. 

There were plenty of gaps between the Odisha defence and the midfield that were not addressed up until the start of the second half and NorthEast forwards, especially Federico Gallego who made use of the vacant space, enjoyed a lot of time on the ball. 

Soon after the opening goal, Gallego played a delightful, defence-splitting through-ball to feed Deshorn Brown in behind the defence and striker did the rest. The former Bengaluru reject entered the box and found the net with a strike that sent the ball through the gap between the keeper's legs.

Odisha were stunned again in the 24th minute. The ever-present Gallego picked out Machado's well-timed run-in behind the defence with a magnificent lobbed pass and the forward completed the attractive build-up with a terrific header to put NorthEast three goals ahead. 

A football game may last 90 minutes but the contest seemed to come to an end then and there for Odisha. They looked demotivated, clueless and simply didn't have the energy to match NorthEast. 

Bradden Inman scored a goal just before the break to plant hopeful seeds of a potential comeback in the second half and Odisha did see a lot of the ball after the break. However, it was more than likely to do with how NorthEast stepped off the gas, having taken a solid lead already. 

Peyton's response was to replace Sajid Dhot with Diego Mauricio who is only one goal away from becoming Odisha's all-time highest goalscorer. However, the in-form forward couldn't conjure a comeback against an assured defence led by Benjamin Lambot. 

The only period Odisha were on top was during the final few minutes of the game where they actually looked like they may score a goal. But it was too late by then. If Odisha had started the game like how they ended it, maybe they stood a chance. 

U.S. women's national team stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger have announced they have adopted a baby girl. 

Harris and Krieger, who both play for NWSL side Orlando Pride, were married in December 2019 and have now confirmed their new addition, baby Sloane, who was born on Friday.

The pair now joins Alex Morgan, who gave birth to her baby girl in May 2020, as mothers on the USWNT.

What Harris and Krieger said

"Welcome to our family, Sloane Phillips ... we are so in love with you already!" Krieger said on Instagram. "This has been one of the most beautiful yet stressful processes I’ve ever experienced with you, Ashlyn Harris and I love you even more throughout this journey, if that’s even possible.

"When we first dated, we always spoke about adoption and always wanted to give a child a loving, happy and stable home. I cannot wait to give her the world and be the best Mom I can be with you right by my side."

Harris added: "My heart is exploding with joy. We did it, baby! All of the ups and downs, tears, stress and anxiety was worth it to have this beautiful blessing in our arms.

"Thank you to our wonderful family, friends, agency, teammates and coaches who have supported us fully through this process and now we are SO PROUD to share her with the world!

"To all my adoptive families out there. Wow, we see you. Whew, this has been a very stressful process. I’m hopeful to tell our story one day but for now ... we can breathe again."

Duo left off SheBelieves Cup roster

Krieger, a right back and Harris, a goalkeeper, were both omitted from the USWNT's roster for the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off on Thursday.

Their absence from the roster initially raised eyebrows, but head coach Vlatko Andonovski said at the time: “I don’t think we should read into it at all."

Their adoption of Sloane could possible explain why they won't represent the U.S. in the tournament, which also features Argentina, Brazil and Canada.

Further reading

Mumbai City (34 points) lost the top spot to ATK Mohun Bagan (36) who defeated Jamshedpur 1-0 on Sunday. Sergio Lobera will be without suspended Hugo Boumous against Bengaluru who have a weakened backline for the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) tie to be played at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, on Monday evening.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

Mumbai City Possible XI:

Injured - None
Doubtful - None
Suspended - Hugo Boumous

Key Players - Adam le Fondre, Rowllin Borges

Bengaluru Possible XI: 

Injured - Juanan, Rahul Bheke
Doubtful - Ashique Kuruniyan
Suspended - Pratik Chourdhary

Key Players - Sunil Chhetri, x

Josh Maja has expressed his delight after scoring twice in his first Premier League start for Fulham against Everton on Sunday night.

The 22-year-old delivered a five-star performance for the Cottagers in the encounter to help them secure a 2-0 victory at the Goodison Park.

Maja joined Fulham from French club Bordeaux during the January transfer window on loan till the end of the season and has quickly settled in the team.

The forward’s effort helped the Craven Cottage outfit end their eight-game winless run, having last won a match in January.

Maja revealed he had been looking forward to a time when he would open his goalscoring account for Scott Parker’s men before achieving the feat at Goodison Park.

"It is a big one, we came into the game wanting to win it and not had the results we wanted. We are very happy with the win,” Maja told BT Sport.

"We took our chances when it came and put in another good performance again, we want to continue like this. For the whole 90 minutes, the guys worked hard and stuck to the gameplan.

"This is a night I have been dreaming about for a long time, especially last night and I had a feeling it was coming and pleased it became a reality.

"Wins give the fans and players confidence and we want to take it into the next game."

Fulham manager Parker has also praised Maja, describing his performance for his side against Everton as ‘fantastic’.

“Fantastic tonight in terms of scoring two goals. The first move was brilliant and he is there to tap in and the second is a striker’s instinct to knock one in from the rebound off the post,” Parker said in a press conference.

“It has been well-documented that we have missed some big chances; the fine margins are we have not been clinical enough and tonight we were. A big boost for the team, nothing short of what they deserved.”

Maja will hope to continue his impressive showings when the Cottager take on Burnley in their next Premier League game on February 17.

The forward has one cap for the Nigeria national team and will be expected to continue his fine club performances to boost his chances of getting regular call-ups to the Super Eagles.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says that Manchester United will not let Manchester City run away with the Premier League title, despite a rocky run of form that has seen their credentials crumble.

The Red Devils slipped to a frustrating 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened West Brom on Sunday, leaving them well off the pace of Pep Guardiola's league leaders.

But their manager is refusing to throw in the towel and remains insistent that United can match their neighbours blow-for-blow at the top-flight summit.

What did Solskjaer say?

"Let's just build momentum and win games," he told BBC Sport. "[City] are in good form. Us and Leicester have to put up a fight."

Speaking later to Sky Sports News, Solskjaer further expounded on his side's struggle against his Mancunian rivals, adding: "I said we shouldn't be talked about [in the title race].

"[It's] a compliment for the boys we got into the position we are now. "We won't let them run away with it - we're playing them soon. We're not giving it away early - no we're not."

The bigger picture

Solskjaer's comments represent something of a more pugilistic spin on his prior statements, having previously suggested that United should not be considered title contenders.

With a seven-point lead and a game in hand, City are still firmly in control of their own title destiny however; even if they were to slip up against United, the Red Devils would still have to hope for a reversal of the pair's current contrasting fortunes.

United travel to the Etihad Stadium on March 6, looking to take a first victory of the term against their rivals, having played out a tepid Premier League draw in December before losing a high-energy Carabao Cup encounter last month.

Further reading

Keita Balde was on the scoresheet as Sampdoria secure a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Sunday’s Serie A game.

The 25-year-old was handed his sixth league start since teaming up with the Blue-circled on loan from French club Monaco.

The Senegal international delivered impressive performance in the encounter, scoring his fifth league goal of the season.

Balde’s effort helped Claudio Ranieri’s men return to winning ways after losing to Juventus and securing a draw against Benevento.

The Senegal winger opened the scoring in the 31st minute of the encounter with a fine header after receiving a sumptuous assist from Gaston Ramirez.

Six minutes later, however, Fiorentina levelled proceedings through Dusan Vlahovic, who fired home his effort from close range.

Fabio Quagliarella then scored the match-winning goal in the 71st minute after he was set up by Antonio Rosati.

Balde featured for 89 minutes in his 12th appearance across all competitions for Sampdoria before he was replaced by Mehdi Leris.

The victory ensured the Blue-circled moved to the 10th spot on the league table after gathering 30 points from 22 games.

Sampdoria is the second club Balde will be playing for on loan since teaming up with Monaco in the summer of 2017.

The forward featured for Inter Milan in the 2018-19 season and despite impressing during his time with the club, he was not handed a permanent deal.

Balde will hope to continue his goalscoring performance for Sampdoria when they take on Lazio in their next league game on February 20.

The forward is a key member of the Senegal national team and has made 30 appearances for the West African side since his debut against Niger in 2016.

Paris Saint-Germain star Rafinha says that it is time the club put their Barcelona nightmare to bed.

The clubs go head to head in the Champions League last 16 at Camp Nou on Tuesday, with PSG having lost 6-1 on their last visit to Catalunya.

On that occasion Rafinha as well as Neymar, who will be injured for this clash, were wearing the Blaugrana, but the two players have now swapped allegiances.

What did Rafinha say?

Speaking to Le Parisien , the Barcelona youth product said: “What club would not have suffered after the Remontada? We have this opportunity to respond, play a great match and get this thorn out of our foot.

“I can tell you that we all want to get on the pitch and win this game.”

What is La Remontada?

La Remontada, Spanish for "The Comeback," refers to Barcelona's incredible feat in the Champions League last-16 tie of 2017 against PSG.

The Catalans had lost the first leg 4-0 in Paris, which was a deficit that no team had previously overcome.

However, inspired by Neymar in incredible form, Barcelona went through thanks to a 6-1 victory at Camp Nou, which included three goals scored in the 88th minute or later.

Rafinha on Barcelona

The midfielder heaped praise on his former club.

Asked what they gave him in his life, he replied: “Everything. They gave me everything. I learned almost everything at their training centre. I remember that time in my life fondly.

“I grew up in Barcelona, I lived there for 13 years and I feel Catalan.

“I learned about being a footballer with Barca but also about being a person in this city. For me, Barca will always be special.”

Thomas Tuchel said he's been impressed with Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who became the first forward to score since the German took over as manager in Thursday's 1-0 win against Barnsley in the FA Cup.

The 23-year-old is now pushing to start his first league game under the new boss after Frank Lampard, who provided him with his breakthrough in west London, was sacked last month.

Tuchel has so far given starts to Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud up front, but Abraham could get the nod against Newcastle on Monday after his man-of-the-match performance at Oakwell.

What is Abraham's contract situation?

The striker has almost two and a half years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge but is arguably deserving of a a new deal, having not signed improved terms since breaking through at Chelsea.

His 30 goals since the start of last season mean that he has scored at least 11 more goals than any other Blues player in that time.

Chelsea activated a clause to extend Abraham's contract by another year but have yet to agree on an improved deal financially.

What Tuchel said about Abraham

"I’m not aware of the contract situations of my players because I don’t want to be involved with judging this when I’m making the decisions of who’s playing and who’s not," Tuchel said ahead of Newcastle's visit to Stamford Bridge.

"He deserved to play at Barnsley. He had a difficult game against Burnley at home so he suffered from a tactical shift at half-time and did not play against Tottenham and Sheffield United. That’s why he deserved to play because he is a very positive guy, very clear, very ambitious.

"I like that he made his way on the loans and overcame obstacles in his career when he went on loan. He always scored for his teams. He was always there. He has the spirit to make it at Chelsea. This is one of the toughest challenges you can face but he is ready for that.

"He played well at Barnsley because he did not only score the decisive goal but was also very important in defensive set pieces, he cleared many situations for us with his head.

"He was absolutely ready to suffer and for that, he has all my credit. It’s a good new start for him to step up and show that he is important for us."

What does Tuchel want from his strikers?

The Blues boss has worked brilliantly with the likes of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in his last two jobs at Dortmund and PSG and was asked what his perfect striker looks like.

"There is no perfect striker out there," he added. "There are a lot of dangerous guys out there, a lot of strong guys out there and we have some in our squad.

"Does it help if we look now to any other squad and have the feeling that the grass is greener on the other side? No, because we have guys here who can score.

"The good thing about arriving in the middle of the season is you don’t lose your head by thinking about other players; you focus your energy on developing the potential that we have. And we have potential.

"[Against Barnsley] it was very hard to score because we had only nine touches in the box. This is way too less for what we demand of ourselves and we have to work on that.

"And we have to push the numbers up to the numbers that they were against Tottenham and Sheffield and from there we need to get known to the players a little bit better and it comes every day.

"We will find maybe some formations where it is easier for us to score or for the strikers to bring them in good positions."

Romelu Lukaku has further cemented his place among the modern European greats after notching up a career haul of 300 goals, hitting the triple-century mark with a brace for Inter on Sunday.

The Belgium striker has rediscovered his most prolific form since swapping Manchester for Milan and becomes the latest player to join an exclusive club after nabbing a double in his side's Serie A 3-1 win over Lazio.

The 27-year-old converted from the penalty spot midway through the first half at San Siro to go one shy of the milestone mark, before bringing up the magic number with a close-range finish on the stroke of the interval. He later grabbed an assist as Inter went top of the table. 

What is Lukaku's Inter record?

Over a decade after netting the first senior goal of his career for Anderlecht against Zulte Waregem in August 2009, the forward shows no sign of slowing down, with his latest pair of efforts taking him to 56 goals across all competitions for Antonio Conte's side.

It is a remarkable return for the player, who has made only 80 appearances for the Nerazzurri since his arrival from Manchester United, comfortably the best goals-per-game yield of his career.

In addition, his successful penalty kick conversion means he preserves his perfect record from the spot for the Italian outfit, with 10 goals from 10 attempts - a figure unmatched by any other player in Europe's top five leagues in the past two seasons.

What did Antonio Conte say about Lukaku?

Speaking after the game, Inter's head coach said his star striker has reacted well to a Coppa Italia clash with AC Milan counterpart Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“Some were starting to murmur about Lukaku after the Coppa Italia and a few opaque performances, suggesting he had some psychological blowback from that, but there are moments when you are not at 100 per cent," Conte told Sky Italia.

“He came back firing on all cylinders tonight and we need this Romelu. We need this determination and passion from everyone in the team."

Lukaku's achievement in numbers

The attacker's half-century-plus of goals for his current club is only the tip of the iceberg on a career that has seen him play for six clubs across three countries, as well as amass an impressive international haul.

Having netted 41 times for Anderlecht, Lukaku earned a move to Chelsea, where he struggled to impress and break through into the senior set-up, failing to net a single goal during his spell with the Blues.

A loan move to West Brom yielded a further 17 finishes before he swapped London for Merseyside and launched himself towards the stratosphere at Everton.

His 87 goals during his time with the Toffees ultimately earned him a move to Manchester United, where he added 42 more goals to his tally - yet was considered by many to have underperformed.

His move in 2019 to San Siro has revitalised his career, serving as a powerful reaffirmation of his talents - while since an international debut in 2010, he has netted 57 times for his country in 89 games.

Further reading

Josh Maja scored twice while Ola Aina provided an assist as Fulham secured a 2-0 victory over Everton in Sunday’s Premier League game.

Maja teamed up with the Cottagers during the January transfer window on loan from French side Bordeaux till the end of the season.

The 22-year-old was handed his second Premier League appearance and first start and delivered a sparkling performance in the encounter.

The Nigeria international opened his goalscoring account for Scott Parker’s men in style at the Goodison Park, combining well with his compatriot Aina.

The efforts from the Super Eagles stars ensured the Craven Cottage outfit ended their eight-game winless run, having last tasted victory in FA Cup tie against Queens Park Rangers in January.

Nigeria target and on-loan RB Leipzig forward Ademola Lookman also delivered a scintillating performance for Fulham in the encounter.

Maja came close to opening the scoring in the ninth minute when he fired a fine volley but his effort missed the target.

Fulham continued to push for an early goal and in the10th minute, Lookman sent a fine cross across the face of goal which Aina pounced on and hit a shot but his strike was blocked.

The moment eventually came for Maja to break the deadlock in the 48th minute when he fired home from close range after receiving a timely pass from Aina.

The 22-year-old forward then completed his brace in the 65th minute with a well-taken strike which was enough to seal the victory.

Harrison Reed struck a shot which hit the woodwork and fell for Maja, who swiftly tucked home his strike.

Maja featured for 73 minutes before he was replaced by Ivan Cavaleiro while Aina was on parade for the entirety of the game.

Lookman played for 83 minutes before making ways for Cameroon international Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Gabon midfielder Mario Lemina featured for 90 minutes before he was replaced by Nigerian forward Joshua Onomah while Super Eagles star Alex Iwobi was an unused substitute for Everton.

Despite the victory, Fulham remain in the 18th spot on the Premier League table after gathering 18 points from 23 games.

The Nigeria internationals will hope to help the Cottagers continue in the winning ways when they take on Burnley in their next league game on February 17.

Argentine football begins its program for 2021 with the playing of the Copa Liga Profesional.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Boca was crowned 2019-20 league champions in March after coming out on top during the 23-game season, and also triumphed in the following Copa Diego Armando Maradona, which ended in January. 

In lieu of beginning a new league season, the Argentine footballing authorities have instead sanctioned another cup competition, which will run from February to May.

The 26 Primera Division clubs have been split into two groups, with each side playing each other once. 

In addition there will be one inter-zonal game every week, where Boca and River, Racing Club and Independiente and the rest of Argentina's Clasico rivals will face off in a series of clashes. 

The top four teams from each group then advance to a play-off stage, which will take place in a straight knock-out format in order to yield a single winner.

Fanatiz has the rights to the Copa de la Liga Profesional worldwide, excluding Argentina, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Israel, Russia, Sweden and the Balkans.

How to watch Estudiantes vs River

The Copa Maradona was an experience Estudiantes will hope to put behind them quickly. 

The La Plata club won just one of the 11 games disputed in the second half of 2020, placing them among the worst performers in the entire top flight. 

With the formidable Ricardo Zielinski now in charge having moved to the club from Atletico Tucuman, Estudiantes should prove harder to best in the Copa Liga Profesional.

River endured a frustrating 2020, missing out not only on both the Superliga and Copa Diego Maradona titles to arch-rivals Boca, but also falling short in the Libertadores. 

The Millonario were pipped to the Superliga crown back at the start of the year on the final day, having led for much of the campaign. Then, in January, defeat to Independiente coupled with Boca's draw against Argentinos Juniors sent the Xeneize into the final, where they downed Banfield on penalties. 

Their third near-miss came against Palmeiras, winning 2-0 in Sao Paulo in a fantastic semi-final second leg performance which nevertheless was not enough to overturn a 3-0 defeat in the opener. 

But having kept together the bulk of his ever-dangerous squad, coach Marcelo Gallardo will be hopeful of another strong campaign this time round. 

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

Estudiantes vs River team news and preview

Estudiantes were dealt a blow prior to their Copa debut when forward Francisco Apaolaza was ruled out, having broken a bone in his wrist during training. 

Gonzalo Montiel is unavailable for River due to a thigh issue, while Nacho Fernandez continues in recovery from an operation and also misses out.

Watch all this weekend's Copa Liga Profesional matches on Fanatiz in the US  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Copa Diego Armando Maradona matches are available on Fanatiz?

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.