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Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga has urged the players to take Namibia’s African Nations Championship game with a competitive mind on Wednesday.

Zambia drew the last game against Guinea and are yet to confirm a place in the quarter-finals and that is the reason the FAZ supremo wants the next game to be played with the highest level of competitiveness.

“The job is not yet done for the group stages as three teams still have a chance to crawl out of Group D,” Kamanga said as was quoted by FAZ’s Facebook page.

“We have urged the team not to be complacent and approach the Namibia match with a fierce competitiveness that will ensure Zambia crosses to the quarterfinal.

“On the evidence of the last two matches, we are confident that they will finish the job and sail to the quarterfinals. Winning comprehensively against Namibia has the added incentive of retaining Limbe as the team base for their quarterfinal and hopefully semi-final.

“We can only wish our boys all the best in the game against Namibia.”

Zambia national team head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic had described their second game against Guinea as a clash of titans. Chipolopolo had started the campaign brightly after beating Tanzania 2-0 before the stalemate against Syli National.

As Zambia will be battling already eliminated Brave Warriors, Tanzania and Guinea will clash in another decisive encounter of the group.

The president also talked about the importance of coaching education that has been rolled over by the federation. The next phase of training will involve FAZ candidates completing the programme at the National Sports Development Centre in Lusaka.

“Fifty candidates, notably some active footballers enlisted for this program among them Winstone Kalengo, Mwape Mwelwa, Kennedy Nketani and Jimmy Chisenga. It is always encouraging to see active players begin to look beyond their playing days,” Kamanga added.

“These programs will be continuously held but most importantly beyond just training, we want to breed coaches that can take our game to the next level.”

The Caf C Licence course – which had 30 candidates - also attracted active footballers and retired ones including William Njobvu, Henry Banda, Brian Lubaba, Satchmo Chakawa and Clive Mwale.

The group stages of the 2021 edition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) and the AFC Cup will be played in centralised venues.

While the AFC Champions League will be held in the West and East Regions, the AFC Cup will be hosted across the five AFC Zones.

The ACL group stage West Region matches will be played between April 14-30 while the East Region games are planned between April 21-May 7.

For the AFC Cup group stage, the South, Central and East Zone matches will kick-off on May 14 and the West Zone commences on May 23. The ASEAN Zone is scheduled to take place from June 22-28. Each team in this year’s AFC Cup Group Stage will compete in a single match round-robin format.

The ACL knockout matches in the Round of 16 are scheduled for September 13-15 and the Quarter-finals on September 27-29. Both rounds will be played as single matches. The AFC Champions League Semi-finals will be over two legs on October 19-20 and 26-27.

The AFC Cup West Zonal Semi-finals will be held on September 13 and 14 with the second-leg scheduled to take place two weeks later. The ASEAN Zonal Semi-finals will take place on August 10 and 11 over a single leg.

The two-legged Zonal final involving South, Central and East clubs is scheduled for August 11 and 25, with the ASEAN single-leg Zonal final planned for August 25, before the two-legged West Zonal Final takes place on October 20 and November 3.

The two-legged Inter-zonal Semi-Finals is scheduled for September 14-15 and 28-29 with the Inter-zonal Final to be staged on October 20 and November 3.

The ACL will witness a two-leg final on November 21 and 27, while the AFC Cup Final will take place on November 26.

Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa had become the first Indian club to qualify for the group stage of the ACL after they topped the league stage last season. ATK Mohun Bagan will play in the AFC Cup group stage while Bengaluru FC will take part in the AFC Cup qualifying rounds.

Frank Lampard has been sacked from his role as Chelsea manager and will be replaced by former Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel.

Lampard had been in charge for just over 18 months, but leaves following five defeats in the last eight games.

He will be replaced by Tuchel, with Goal understanding that a verbal agreement as been in place between Chelsea and their incoming manager for a couple of days before the news of Lampard's departure became public.

It comes just 24 hours after Lampard led Chelsea to a 3-1 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup, but the club's Premier League form has led to growing concerns.

The 42-year-old achieved a top-four finish last season, which was deemed impressive having taken over when the club were under a transfer ban.

However, this season Chelsea spent £220 million ($275m) on new signings to try and close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City.

It hasn't worked, with Timo Werner and Kai Havertz suffering prolonged periods of poor form under their new manager while Chelsea's performances as a team were increasingly getting worse.

Club chairman Bruce Buck watched on with technical and performance advisor Petr Cech as Leicester City ran out comfortable 2-0 winners against Lampard's side in their most recent league fixture. 

The loss to Brendan Rodgers' men was just the latest of a series of defeats against the Premier League's best teams, which recently included reverses against Manchester City and Arsenal.

Chelsea have only beaten West Ham of the top 11 clubs this season, while picking up the second-lowest number of points at this stage of a season since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

Lampard earned 1.67 points per match in the league, which is the lowest of any manager appointed since Abramovich bought Chelsea.

The former England midfielder had been open to continuing but the decision was taken out of his hands by those higher up.

Former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund boss Tuchel is set to be the man to come in to Stamford Bridge, following his sacking by Ligue 1 champions PSG just before Christmas.

Tuchel, who has been angling himself for the role, could be the right man to get the most out of both Werner and Havertz, as well as Christian Pulisic who was brought through Dortmund's academy.

Meanwhile, Lampard's legendary status remains intact and many Chelsea fans would have been happy to see him continue. A display had been planned for the Shed End part of the stadium, urging Chelsea to stick with their all-time record scorer, with 211 goals, and manager.

Lampard previously managed Derby County after retiring from a glorious playing career that saw him win the Champions League and three Premier League titles.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has cancelled the 2020 edition of the AFC U-16 and the U-19 Championships which were scheduled to be held in Bahrain and Uzbekistan.

The Asian football body reluctantly arrived at the decision to cancel the tournaments after taking into consideration the uncertainty and risks in view of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The next editions of both competitions will be allocated to the same hosts in 2023. Uzbekistan will host the AFC U-20 Asian Cup and Bahrain will host the AFC U-17 tournament. 

A couple of the participating nations had requested the apex body of football in Asia to shift the dates as they were not able to prepare for the tournament due to the worsening Coronavirus situations in their respective countries. 

The U-16 tournament was first scheduled to be held from September 16 to October 3 but was postponed to November 25 due to the pandemic. 

Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said, “We are grateful for the support of the hosts for these competitions who agreed with the AFC the need to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders during this time of uncertainty and taking into consideration the risks of the current pandemic.”

The 2020 AFC U16 Championship will feature 16 teams - 12 of them qualified after winning their qualification groups while four best runners-up were also handed a spot.

The format for the final tournament will feature four groups of four teams each. The winner and runner-up in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.

India qualified for the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship finals in September 2019 as the table-toppers from Group B. With two wins and a draw, India managed to pick up seven points from three matches to finish above Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in Uzbekistan.

Before going into the AFC U-16 qualifiers, the colts also enjoyed an 11-match winning streak. They built on their performance and finished with an unbeaten record in the qualifiers and boasted a goal difference of +10. 

This was for the ninth time that India managed to qualify for the finals, having done it earlier in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2018 editions of the competition.

The top four teams of the AFC U-16 Championship finals qualify for the U-17 World Cup as representatives of the AFC.  

Thiago Alcantara is not changing Liverpool for the better despite being a “brilliant player” says Dietmar Hamann, with the former Reds midfielder reiterating his claim that the Spanish playmaker is slowing Jurgen Klopp’s side down.

The reigning Premier League champions were considered to have pulled of quite a coup when luring the former Barcelona star away from treble-winning Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020.

The talented 29-year-old saw a bout of Covid-19 and an unfortunate injury suffered in the derby with Merseyside rivals Everton prevent him from making an immediate impact in England.

Thiago has returned to full fitness of late and landed a prominent role in Klopp’s plans. Hamann, though, has suggested that Thiago is forcing a side struggling for form away from a tried and tested model that has delivered so much success, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane lacking the speedy service that once made them so productive.

“He hasn’t played much, he has been injured,” Hamann told Stadium Astro of Thiago. “We have seen some of the best players in Europe take a few weeks or months adapt to the English game. I think we will see a better Thiago.

“Liverpool have always been a team that plays the ball forward quickly. I know teams sit back against them, but that doesn’t mean that slowing the game down helps them.

“Thiago is a player that always wants to be in possession, he gets 120 touches in a game, and when he wants the ball, the defenders and full-backs will be trying to give it to him because they know he is a playmaker.

“The time they lose in giving him the ball is time they lose in giving it to Salah or Mane quickly. Liverpool have always been at their most devastating when the ball has got to Mane and Salah quickly.

“The earlier they get the ball, the more timer they have to turn and run at a defender. Mane and Salah are virtually unstoppable when they are running at defenders at pace.

“The dynamics of the team will change and I’m not sure whether that change will be for the better with him [Thiago] in the team. He’s a brilliant player, there is no doubt about it, but whether he is a player that Liverpool need, I’m not too sure.”

Thiago played another 81 minutes of competitive action for Liverpool in their FA Cup fourth-round clash with Manchester United, but was unable to prevent the Reds from slipping to a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes has made a “massive impact” at Manchester United, admits Ryan Giggs, but the Red Devils legend has told a Portuguese midfielder that he needs major silverware in order to stand alongside the likes of Eric Cantona.

Plenty have been quick to place a talismanic 26-year-old in that talent pool at Old Trafford.

Over the course of 12 months in English football, Fernandes has become the go-to man for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when it comes to moments of inspiration.

Another was provided in his most recent outing, with a match-winning free kick crashed home in a 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round clash with Liverpool.

Fernandes had started that contest on the bench, but was introduced as United rolled the dice on home soil and further endeared himself to a fan base that have grown accustomed to seeing enigmatic playmakers lead trophy quests.

Giggs is hoping to see the Red Devils get over that line with Fernandes leading the way, telling Stadium Astro: “Eric, when we won the FA Cup in 95-96, he was the difference. In the big games he would every often be the difference.

“Fernandes undoubtedly has had a massive impact on United. There have been comparisons with Eric and the impact he has had – not just his quality but the fact everyone around him seems to be playing better.

“You can just see he is a winner. When things aren’t going right he is telling other players, he’s having a go at the referee, he is constantly moaning and he wants to win.

“He has been a revelation since he came to United. Like all top players, he has to do it in the big games and then win trophies.”

Giggs added on the comparisons with Cantona: “Of course there are similarities – penalty takers, scoring and assisting goals, same position.

“The results have changed since he came into the club and generally lifted the club. But, Eric won three or four leagues and the FA Cup – that’s the benchmark.

“It’s not easy because there is a lot of quality and not a lot of trophies to win. Once he has done that, then you can talk about him and the likes of Cantona.”

Giggs has also suggested that Fernandes’ impact in Manchester can be likened to that made by Robin van Persie in 2012-13, with the Dutch striker helping United to the last of their 13 Premier League titles following a high-profile switch from Arsenal.

The Welshman said: “Van Persie came for the first season and was scoring so many goals and we won the league that year.

“You can make a difference on a team but sooner or later – and it’s not just his responsibility – the team have got to win things. He’s a fantastic player. I like his attitude, he doesn’t like losing.”

Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt has explained why Samir Nurkovic's mentality makes him such an important player for the Soweto giants.

Nurkovic missed the first three months of the 2020/21 season through injury and at one point it also looked like he could be departing for Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

But since his return to action at the start of the year, the Serbian has made a very positive impact on Chiefs' fortunes.

He began his comeback with a substitute appearance in a 2-0 defeat to Maritzburg United. But since then, he's started in every game and has scored once and created two assists in a period in which the Glamour Boys have risen from just above the relegation zone and up to seventh spot after claiming 10 out of 12 points.

In their most recent game, a 0-0 draw against Stellenbosch FC at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday, Nurkovic captained the team in the absence of the injured Ramahlwe Mphahlele.

Hunt paid a glowing tribute to the striker's attributes when explaining why he was given the armband.

“He [Nurkovic] leads by example. He’s what we need in the future of this football club," the four-time PSL title winning coach was quoted saying by the Sowetan.

"We need people who have game toughness, who are mentally tough and I think he’s one of them. So it was a perfect decision [to make him captain].

“It’s something that will be going on. But Rama had been the captain for the past couple of games. When he comes back he will be the captain."

Mphahlele has been skippering the side in the absence of club captain Itumeleng Khune, whose poor form has seen him replaced in goal by Daniel Akpeyi.

Judging by Hunt’s comments after the Stellenbosch draw, it could be a while before we see the former Bafana Bafana number one back in the Amakhosi goal.

“I thought Daniel was excellent, fantastic, he swept up well,” Hunt said. “There is a lot of competition here and people need to work hard to get back in the team.”

Mphahlele failed with a late fitness test to be available for the Stellenbosch game, having picked up a slight hamstring injury in the previous match against TTM.

Chiefs have two league matches this week – against TS Galaxy on Tuesday and against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.

Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya has confessed he will go back to the drawing board and rebuild afresh after their latest defeat in the FKF Premier League against AFC Leopards.

The Sharks had started the season on a high note and were unbeaten in the opening six rounds of matches before they lost 4-2 against Tusker FC.

And since the defeat to the Brewers, Sharks have struggled to win their matches, and against Ingwe they lost 2-0 courtesy of goals from lead striker Elvis Rupia and Jaffery Owiti.

Coach Muluya has now admitted the latest defeat has forced him to reevaluate his approach as they have to regroup afresh.

“It is back to the drawing board now because our performance is not what we have been enjoying when the season kicked-off,” Muluya told Goal after the AFC Leopards game at Kasarani.

“We have to look at what is happening to us, we have to study the last three matches and get to know where the problem lies, I don’t know why we cannot score goals, we were scoring goals in the first five matches but now we are struggling to score goals and that is unacceptable.

“We are lucking the hunger to go for goals, our fight for goals is down, and if you look at the game, AFC Leopards got two chances and used them.”

On whether his players are to blame for the goals they conceded, Muluya explained: “I don’t want to blame Brian [Bwire] for the second goal, he came off his line to try and get us a goal as we were down 1-0 and it was a corner, but AFC Leopards used his absence from the line to score, so I feel he was also trying to get us a goal.

“It’s normal, there is nothing to worry about, he left his goal line because he wanted to get us a goal, it is not the first time [Bwire] is doing that, so I cannot blame him for the second goal.

“AFC Leopards scored in the first half and defended very well, they kept us at bay and when they scored the second, it was game over, so we have to congratulate them for the performance they displayed.”

Kariobangi Sharks will next take on Nairobi City Stars while AFC Leopards will come up against Posta Rangers.

Martin Odegaard is set to finalise his move from Real Madrid to Arsenal on Monday.

The attacking midfielder flew into England on Sunday evening and will travel to London Colney on Monday morning to undergo his medical and put the finishing touches on his loan switch.

Odegaard will spend the remainder of the season at Arsenal, with the Gunners agreeing to pay his wages, which are believed to be around £38,000 ($52,000) a week.

They have also paid Madrid a loan fee for the 22-year-old and there is no option to turn the move permanent included in the deal.

The move will delight Mikel Arteta, who is believed to have played a significant role in convincing the Norway international to opt against a return to Real Sociedad in favour of a spell in north London.

Odegaard’s arrival will ease the pressure on the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, while increasing the pressure on underperforming stars such as Willian and Nicolas Pepe.

The young attacker was determined to leave Madrid this month in pursuit of regular football between now and the end of the season, having made just nine appearances for the Spanish champions in all competitions this season.

Arsenal have been searching for a creative midfielder since the start of the campaign, with Mesut Ozil having been left out of the Premier League squad by Arteta.

The German has now completed a move to Fenerbahce and, in his absence this season, Arsenal have struggled for creativity, although Smith Rowe has transformed Arteta’s attack since being brought into the side on Boxing Day.

The 20-year-old has set up three goals in six games since the 3-1 win against Chelsea on December 26 and found the net himself in the FA Cup win against Newcastle.

There are some who believe Odegaard’s imminent arrival might put the brakes on Smith Rowe’s impressive development, but Arteta insists every decision Arsenal make is well thought out.

“We have a very clear idea of how we want our players to develop and what they need to do that,” he said, when asked what the capture of Odegaard could mean for Smith Rowe.

“All the decisions we make are just to reinforce their development and try to give them the best possible chance.”

As well as playing at number 10, Odegaard can also operate from the wide right position, so he could provide cover for Saka, who has been performing so well on the right side of attack in recent weeks.

That could see opportunities further limited for Willian and Pepe, whose performances were once again called into question following Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round defeat at Southampton.

Tino Kadewere dedicated Olympique Lyon’s massive 5-0 victory over St. Etienne on Sunday to the club’s supporters.

The 25-year-old found the net twice as the Kids bagged the bragging rights of the 122nd derby between the two.

Rudi Garcia’s side put in a typically robust performance to keep a clean slate against the 10-time French elite division kings at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The Zimbabwe international said the win was for the fans, while revealing that the derby triumph was very crucial for his team.

"I am happy. We won for the supporters,” the former Le Havre striker told club website.

“They were with us this [on Sunday], it was wonderful. The messages from the supporters give me a lot of confidence. It's not over, there are a lot of games left. This derby was very important to us."

Kadewere gave Rudi Garcia’s men a 16th-minute lead after the Green’s defenders fumbled a corner kick taken by the visitors.

Nine minutes before the half-time break, Marcelo doubled the visiting side’s advantage thanks to an assist from Leo Dubois.

In the 59th minute, Marcelo completed his double, heading a well-taken free-kick by Dubois past goalkeeper Jessy Moulin.

St. Etienne’s ambition of getting at least a draw faded into thin air after the African star found the net for the second time in the 68th minute, with Memphis Depay helping him with the final pass.

Denis Bouanga’s own goal eight minutes from full-time completed the rout as Claude Puel’s team suffered their 10th loss of the 2020-21 French top-flight campaign.

After putting up an outstanding shift, Kadewere - who now boasts of nine Ligue 1 goals in his maiden season at Lyon - was substituted for Algeria international Islam Slimani with five minutes left to play.

For Cameroon's Karl Toko Ekambi, he was handed a place in the starting XI but was subbed off for French forward Rayan Cherki while Cote d'Ivoire's Maxwel Cornet and Algeria's Djamel Benlamri played no role in the match.

With this result, Garcia's men climbed to third in the log having accrued 43 points from 21 outings, while Saint-Etienne retain their 16th position.

ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas underlined the importance of scoring the first goal as it then allows the team to play in a more organised fashion.

The Kolkata outfit have won five out of their seven matches with a 1-0 scoreline in the seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). They also have the second best defence in the league with only five goals conceded in 12 matches.

“It is always to important to score, be it in the last minute or the first minute. It is important to score first. Then we can play more calmly and in an organised manner. I am very happy with the scoreline (1-0),” said Habas.

In their last match against Chennaiyin FC, David Williams scored an injury-time header which helped them clinch three vital points. However, they did lose Subhasish Bose and Edu Garcia to injuries in the previous outing.

“I think we played well for 90 minutes against Chennnaiyin. The boys understood that we needed to win. We changed the system of how we play and that might have influenced the score,” he observed.

Next up for ATK Mohun Bagan are NorthEast United whom they defeated by a 2-0 score-line last time around. However, Habas refused to take Khalid Jamil’s side lightly as he believes that they have some good players in their ranks.

“In football, no two matches are the same. It was one competitive match. We are not over confident because we won that one. We have due respect for NorthEast and we have to be at our best to win the match. 

“They are a difficult opponent. They have good players and they will make it difficult for us,” he pointed.

ATK Mohun Bagan trail ISL league leaders Mumbai City FC by five points and Habas diplomatically stated that he isn’t sure which teams would qualify for the play-offs as there are a lot of matches left in the league season.

“I don't know where we will finish. I can't say which clubs will qualify for playoffs. We have many matches left and it is not possible to say anything. 

“We have to wait for the final standings. In football, there is not just one determining moment. We have to continue with our plan. We have to win match after match. This is our philosophy,” he answered.

Bruno Fernandes says he "would not be happy" if he was Donny van de Beek and has offered his sympathy to the Dutchman amid a lack of minutes at Manchester United.

Van de Beek has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford since his big-money move from Ajax in September.

The Netherlands international has only scored once in 22 appearances, with the majority of those outings coming from the bench, leading to question marks over his position in the squad.

The 23-year-old was handed a rare start in an FA Cup fourth-round clash against Liverpool on Sunday, but ultimately failed to stake a strong claim for a regular spot in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's line up.

United progressed to the last 16 with a 3-2 win at the Theatre of Dreams, but Van de Beek was unable to impose himself on the contest and eventually came off for Fernandes midway through the second half.

Solskjaer admitted before the match that the former Ajax star is frustrated with his current situation, telling reporters: "I wouldn’t say that Donny is happy. Of course, he wants to play more, but he gets about his job in the right manner.

"We are doing well and have got players who are playing really well in his position."

Fernandes, whose stunning late free-kick sealed the home side's victory, empathises with Van de Beek but still insists he has an important role to play in the current squad as the season progresses.

“We have a really good squad and we have options. If you look at the bench and the first XI today and the ones at home we have a really good squad, it will not be a problem if we change the team or someone is tired because we have really good players," the United talisman told MUTV.

“Donny did a great game, playing in the position I play watching him he moves really good, he played really well. It's important for us.

"If I was in the position of Donny I would not be happy at all but the most important is doing what he does today, coming in and helping the team.”

Van de Beek will be hoping for another chance to shine when the Red Devils welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Wednesday.

The league leaders will be expected to dispatch the bottom-of-the-table Blades with relative ease before turning their attention to a heavyweight meeting with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium three days later.

Hosts Cameroon sealed their place in the African Nations Championship quarter-finals despite playing to a goalless draw with Burkina Faso at Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde on Sunday night.

The Indomitable Lions came into the match aware that a draw will put them in the next stage. The Burkinabes needed a win in Group A to seal a position in the last eight of the competition.

It was the Stallions who put their Central African opponents under early pressure in front of their home fans, hoping to get an early goal and destabilize them.

Burkina Faso had great chances to score, but the likes of Mohamed Outtara and Sansan Hassamy Dah failed to capitalise on their chances. Cameroon goalkeeper Haschou Kerrido also played a great role in helping his team to stop the opponents.

The great chance for the home team came in the 68th minute - Joel Ngon managed to get past the Stallions defenders, but goalkeeper Aboubabcar Sawadogo pulled off an excellent save to deny him.

In another Group A match played at Reunification Stadium in Douala, Mali defeated Zimbabwe by a solitary goal to ensure they qualify for the last eight.

The Zdravko Logarusic-led charges were desperate for a win to advance. It is the reason why they started the game on a high hoping to score first and put the Eagles under pressure.

Qadri Amin could have done that in the third minute when he was through on goal but somehow missed the chance. A minute later, he was replaced by Ian Nekati.

It was a warning for the Malians and they upped their tempo and increased their concentration levels to avoid an upset. Their tactical change paid dividends in the 12th minute when Demba Diallo found the back of the net.

The Malians would have doubled the advantage in stoppage time but Bassekou Diabate hit the woodwork after getting past the Warriors' custodian.

As a result, Mali finished top of the group with seven points, two more than the hosts, Cameroon.

The Eagles will play the second-placed team in Group B while Cameroon will play the winners for a place in the last four.

Odisha FC were agonisingly close to picking up their second win of the season against Bengaluru FC on Sunday but failed to do so as Erik Paartalu bailed out the Blues in the 82nd minute with an equaliser and rescued them a point.

Both Odisha and Bengaluru had their chances to score more goals but were guilty of wasting chances to clinch the tie. In the end, the 1-1 draw was a fair result for both teams.

The Kalinga Warriors have improved quite a bit from their poor start to the season. They have grown in confidence with each passing game in attack but they still need to be more clinical up front. They have also been guilty of not closing out matches whenever they have got their noses ahead, especially like what happened on Sunday.

Diego Mauricio has been the club's standout performer since the beginning of the season and is the club's top scorer this year with seven goals in 13 matches but it is not possible for the Brazilian alone to keep scoring and win matches single-handedly. There needs to be more contribution from the others.

Baxter off late has been deploying a more attacking 4-3-3 formation which has seen forwards Manuel Onwu and Daniel Lahlimpuia playing alongside Mauricio upfront but neither the Indian forward nor the Spaniard have found the back of the net this season. Onwu has been nowhere close to his form from last season where he joined the club in January and scored goals galore.

Both of them have had chances to score against Bengaluru but failed to take their chances.

Another major issue which Baxter is facing is his defensive woes. The British coach has experimented a lot in the backline and has tried several combinations. Jacob Tratt initially used to start as Steven Taylor's partner in central defence but the Australian defender nowadays is playing as a right full-back. Baxter has tried Gaurav Bora in defence at times, Rakesh Pradhan in the January transfer window with Hendry Antonay replaced at left-back. 

However, Odisha continue to concede goals at crucial junctures. They have leaked in 20 goals which is the second-worst record at the moment after Kerala Blasters. 

After the match, Baxter seemed exasperated with Odisha's inability to hold on to leads as he said, "I am frustrated with many things like our inability to put the game to bed, our inability to defend the full 90 minutes without making elementary mistakes. Set-pieces decide many games and it brought them (Bengaluru FC) back in the game. I was disappointed that we didn't do a great job in not giving away silly free-kicks and silly throw-ins or corner. The team has to learn from it. We are playing well on a regular basis to win games but we are not winning."

The British coach is correct to point out that his team are conceding silly goals and are not able to finish off matches early even though they are getting ample opportunities. The team is showing improvement in every match but they need to show more resilience and kill off games if they want to finish the season in a respectable position.

Bengaluru FC too are facing issues in terms of converting the chances which was evident on Sunday. They are showing intent in attack, especially when they try to make a comeback after a setback. But their major problem this season has been their defence. The Blues were always known for the solid defensive organisation. They were the best team in the league in the last two seasons in terms of defending and were not known for leaking too many goals.

The Blues have tried several combinations at the heart of their backline but they just can't stop the leak. They are conceding silly goals at times. Their defensive woes haven't really helped Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal as well. Sandhu, while pulling off crucial saves, has had to deal with a bit more pressure than he is used to in the recent past. 

As we enter a crucial phase in the ISL, both Bengaluru and Odisha are in desperate need of a couple of positive results.

After Hyderabad's goalless draw against Jamshedpur on Sunday, head coach Manuel Marquez opined that it is very difficult to win games in the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL). 

Except for the top two teams in the standings Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan, every team has registered either five or six draws this season after 12 or 13 matches. Hyderabad's draw against Jamshedpur was their third in a row.

For all the talent and style that Hyderabad have delivered, the young team rich in Indian talent has not been able to finish games off and there lies Manuel Marquez's biggest concern as the Nizams target their first-ever ISL playoffs. 

Hyderabad started strongly against the Men of Steel and Aridane Santana was the anchor of the ship. Santana was instructed to play deeper to outwit Jamshedpur's centre-back pairing of Stephen Eze and Peter Hartley. And it worked at the beginning. 

Hyderabad had a couple of clear-cut chances in the first half which should have been converted. TP Rehenesh, not for the first time this season, came to his team's rescue when Santana played a delightful through ball into the box for Joel Chianese. The forward's strike from inside the box was brilliantly saved by the Malayali keeper. Minutes later, Narzary was also denied by the former Kerala Blasters custodian who pulled of a terrific reflex save to keep the scores level. 

Hyderabad called the shots in the first half but then allowed Jamshedpur to get back into the game after the break. Hyderabad have scored 12 out of 16 goals this season in the second half whereas Jamshedpur's 11 conceded goals out of a total of 17 have also been after the break. 

There were warning signs for both teams but neither of them managed to truly test the keepers. Valskis, who has scored 61.5 per cent of Jamshedpur's goals this season, played out his third goalless game in a row. During the same period (in the last three matches), the Men of Steel have scored one goal. Owen Coyle needs more goalscorers if he is to take this team to the playoffs for the first time in their history. 

Coyle would have been glad to end the three-game losing streak (they have never lost four games in a row) and Marquez was satisfied with his team's performance despite failing to convert the chances they had in the first half. At the end of 90 minutes, both teams were okay about the result and it was a fair outcome based on the overall performances.

With only eight points separating the team in third from the team in the tenth position, it won't be surprising to see more fixtures ending in draws. It is indeed very difficult to win games this season. 

Luis Suarez's hot start to life at Atletico Madrid has seen him join a club occupied by only Cristiano Ronaldo as the Uruguayan fired yet another goal on Sunday.

Suarez scored the second of Atletico Madrid's three goals against Valencia, leading the way in a 3-1 win.

Joao Felix opened the scoring for Atletico Madrid in the 23rd minute, just 12 minutes after Valencia initially took the lead on a goal from Uros Racic.

Suarez stepped up in the 54th minute to give Atletico Madrid the lead before Angel Correa's 72nd-minute goal all but sealed the result for Atleti.

With his goal on Sunday, Suarez found the back of the net for the 12th time this season, having only played 15 games to this point.

Suarez's start is the best start for a player at a new club in La Liga since Cristiano Ronaldo made the move to Real Madrid, scoring 13 goals in his first 15 appearances.

The Uruguayan made the move from Barcelona this summer, joining on a free transfer after being deemed surplus to requirements at the Catalan club.

He's currently leading La Liga in scoring, level with Youssef En-Nesyri on 12 goals although the Sevilla star has played four more games.

Following Sunday's victory, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo heaped praise on the former Barca and Liverpool star, who he believes is still world-class despite being 34 years old.

“We have always thought Luis Suarez was the best center forward in Europe. We are lucky that he is with us and everyone is happy,” Cerezo said during a post-match interview with Mundo Deportivo.

Atletico Madrid currently sit atop La Liga, having now amassed a seven-point lead atop the table.

Despite also having a game in hand, Atleti have that seven-point lead on their local rivals Real Madrid, who sit in second place, while Barca sit third, 10 points behind Suarez and co.

“You can lose it or you can win it," Cerezo said when asked about the title race. "We are in the middle of La Liga and there is a lot left. We are currently in first but there is a lot left."

Next up for Atleti will be a visit to Cadiz on Sunday.

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he will not simply hand Gareth Bale chances to play, insisting that the Real Madrid loanee must earn every chance he gets with the club.

Bale rejoined Spurs in the summer, making the move on loan in a much-discussed homecoming to his former club.

But the Wales star has struggled to make a regular impact since returning to north London, featuring just 11 times all season.

Bale has appeared just four times in the Premier League, although he has featured more frequently in the Europa League this campaign. 

He could also be part of the Spurs team to face Wycombe this week in the FA Cup, but Mourinho says that Bale must earn his opportunities just like every other player in the team.

"I cannot give players minutes, minutes on the pitch is not something I can give, so I'm not going in this direction," Mourinho said.

"We all know the difficulties he had for a couple of seasons, we all know that he arrived injured, we all know that even this season [has been] a little bit up and down with small things.

"The most important thing for him is to be consistent, training without any problems and when a player is consistent in training, high intensity without any kind problems then the player is ready.

"Not to be given minutes, but is ready to earn minutes, and that for me is a difference.

"This week he is working every minute like everybody else at a good intensity and let's see the way that he reacts to the accumulation of that kind of work and let's see how he reacts by the end of the week.

"The match [against Wycombe] is Monday and we still have training sessions to evaluate that. It is also about his confidence.

"If he feels that the week that he's had has had a positive impact on him and, on his confidence, he will play."

Tottenham are currently fifth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool with a game in hand.

After facing Wycombe on Monday, Spurs will play host to Liverpool on Thursday before then facing off with Brighton over the weekend.

Adem Ljajic and Vincent Aboubakar scored second-half goals to earn Besiktas a 2-1 comeback win at home against Goztepe in Sunday’s Super Lig encounter.

Having brushed aside Genclerbirligi 4-0 their last time out, Unal Karaman's men went to the Vodafone Park with the ambition of securing their third away victory of the 2020-21 campaign, nevertheless, they ended up on the losing side.

Besiktas began the game on a bright note but they had two of their goals disallowed by referee Ali Sansalan for offsides.

Six minutes before the half-time break, the visitors took the lead through Zlatko Tripic. The Norwegian midfielder powered the ball past goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu after Peter Zulj’s initial effort had rattled the crossbar.

The hosts came out stronger in the second-half and fortunately, their tenacity paid off in the 49th minute as Ljajic fired past goalkeeper Irfan Egribayat.

Receiving a pass from on loan Leicester City forward Rachid Ghezzal, the Serbian dribbled two of his markers before drilling home a shot through the legs of Egribayat.

In a positive twist of fate, Besiktas took the lead thirteen minutes before full-time with Aboubakar heading past Goztepe goalkeeper a cross from Gokhan Tore. The goal was the Cameroonian’s second for the Black Eagles in four days as well as his 11th in 16 league outings so far.

While he was in action from start to finish alongside DR Congo international Fabrice N'Sakala, Algeria’s Ghezzal was substituted for Tore in the 64th minute, while French winger of Cameroonian descent Georges-Kevin N'Koudou was brought in for Cyle Larin. Ghana’s Bernard Mensah was forced off injured at half-time with Ljajic taking his place.

For the visiting side, Nigeria's Obinna Nwobodo and Senegalese forward Cherif Ndiaye played all minutes, whereas former Super Eagles forward Brown Ideye was thrown into the fray to replace Soner Aydogdu with 10 minutes left to play. Mali youth international Fousseni Diabate replaced Halil Akbunar in the 85th minute, while Senegalese defender Lamine Gassama was not listed for action.

With this result, Besiktas remain at the summit of the league with 44 points from 22 games, while Goztepe occupy the 11th spot with 25 points from same number of games.