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Churchill Brothers have amicably resolved the dispute over non-payment of dues with Ghanian forward Sadat Bukari, Goal understands. 

FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) had previously ruled in favour of the player who filed a case against the club over unpaid salary. But since both parties have mutually agreed to settle the issue at hand, the case has been closed by FIFA. 

Bukari was signed for the 2018-19 I-League season but as necessary arrangements to bring him in India could not be made, the player did not make a single appearance. However, since the contract was signed and the player was willing to play, the club was obligated to pay his salary in its entirety for the contracted period.

Churchill were keen to appeal against this decision in the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), an international quasi-judicial body established to settle disputes related to sport but missed the deadline to do so. They did not even file an "Intention to Appeal" within 21 days of the order. 

The former I-League champions had written to CAS requesting them for a fresh window to file a suit but their plea was rejected. 

Bukari last plied his trade with Cypriot First Division side Aris Limassol and is currently without a club. 

Lately, non-payment of salaries to players has been a subject of discussion in Indian football. The AIFF had pulled Hyderabad FC for non-payment of dues. East Bengal physical trainer Carlos Nodar Paz also lambasted the club over unpaid remuneration. 

Zinedine Zidane believes Karim Benzema's incredible assist in Real Madrid's win over Espanyol may be one of the plays of the season.

Benzema produced a moment of magic to set up Casemiro in Madrid's 1-0 victory that sent them two points clear atop La Liga on Sunday.

The forward's outrageous backheel through the legs of defender Bernardo Espinosa gave Casemiro a simple finish.

Madrid head coach Zidane was unsurprised and believes Benzema's skill could go down as one of the best moments of the campaign.

"It doesn't surprise me. He is a player who invents things," he said, via AS. "And then Casemiro is there. It can be one of the plays of the championship."

Benzema himself was quick to talk down the importance of his contribution, but explained he saw the play evolve before he made the backheel.

"It was a good play, but the most important thing is the goal afterwards," he said afterwards. "Casemiro gets it right. We are very happy."

Pressed on the piece of skill, the French forward added: "I see football like that! I knew Casemiro was coming from behind."

The man who profited from the assist - Casemiro - wasn't surprised by the piece of skill from his team-mate and insisted full credit should go to the target man.

"What Karim did, for me is normal. We all know that the qualities he has aren't of a number nine, but of a number 10," Casemiro said.

"I know him, I know how he plays and the quality he possesses. I asked for the ball in space, and his backheel pass was incredible.

"It's Karim's goal. It's the backheel pass of a number 10 and you have to congratulate him."

The stunning touch swiftly prompted comparisons to ex-Madrid great Guti, who famously teed up Benzema for an open goal with a similarly stunning touch against Deportivo La Coruna in 2010.

As clips were shared of both goals on social media, Guti joined in the conversation to praise his former team-mate.

Sharing a picture of his own assist, the 43-year-old tagged Benzema and posted a series of clapping emojis.

"Magic, friend," he wrote. "Brutal."

The goal lifted Madrid two points clear of rivals Barcelona with six games remaining in the La Liga season.

Majeed Ashimeru, Jerome Onguene, Sekou Koita, Mohamed Camara, Patson Daka, Karim Adeyemi and Enock Mwepu have won the 2019-20 Austrian Bundesliga league with Salzburg after defeating Hartberg 3-0 on Sunday at the Red Bull Arena.

Goals from Andre Ramalho, Hwang Hee-chan and Daka were all Die Die Mozartstadter needed to secure victory in the empty stadium.

With the first-half heading goalless an unmarked Ramalho headed past goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger a beautiful cross from Domi Szoboszlai.

In the 53rd minute, Hee-chan doubled the lead after connecting to an Albert Vallci cross after beating two Hartberg men.

Hee-chan turned provider for Daka six minutes later as the Zambia international tapped in from close range.

With that strike, Daka who was in action from start to finish now boasts of 24 goals in 29 games for Jesse Marsch’s men in the Austrian topflight this season.

His compatriot Enock Mwepu who was handed a starter’s role was replaced in the 70th minute by Zlatko Junuzovic while Adeyemi and Ashimeru were thrown into the fray as substitutes for Hee-chan and Andrea Ulmer respectively.

Salzburg hold an incontestable nine-point lead at the summit of the log meaning that with two games to play nobody can catch the runaway leaders.

With 30 matches played, they have won an impressive 20, with eight draws and just two defeats. The champions have scored 102 times and conceded on 32 occasions.

This triumph also means that they have won the title in the last seven seasons as well as the seventh time they would win a double in their history.

Rapid Wien, meanwhile, will attempt to hold onto second place and automatic qualification into the Champions League group stages next term.

Despite losing 1-0 at home to Wolfsberger AC, LASK can still challenge for the automatic place in Europe’s elite club championship as well as Hartberg with Sturm Graz hoping to qualify for Europa League play-offs.

Unbeaten in their last eight games, Daka and his teammates host Sturm Graz in a dead rubber game before ending the season with an away encounter at LASK on Sunday at the Raiffeisen Arena.

Bayern Munich can win the Champions League and DFB-Pokal to complete a treble of championships, according to former president Uli Hoeness.

The German giants clinched their eighth successive Bundesliga title earlier this month and lifted the trophy after a 4-0 win against Wolfsburg on the weekend.

With the Bavarians to play in the DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, and being in pole position to progress through their round-of-16 Champions League tie versus Chelsea, Hoeness believes Bayern can win the treble - a feat the club achieved famously in 2012-13.

Bayern will go into this weekend's cup final as hot favourites, while their 3-0 win against Chelsea in the first leg at Stamford Bridge puts them in the box seat to progress to the last eight in their European campaign.

"If our team can preserve this form, we have a good chance of winning everything," Hoeness told Blickpunkt Sport.

"I hope that the team can keep the rhythm."

Bayern became the seventh European team to win a treble in 2012-2013, defeating Dortmund in the Champions League final, Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal, after clinching the Bundesliga by a mammoth 25 points.

This time around, Bayern won the league title by 13 points ahead of Dortmund, but scored an extraordinary 100 goals on their way to sealing the club's 30th German top division championship.

Hoeness praised the team for reaching such an impressive mark and called on the Bundesliga's other teams to improve so Bayern won't waltz to a ninth straight title next season.

"It's really special to score 100 goals in a Bundesliga season. It's a sensational achievement," Hoeness said.

"The other [teams] have to work harder now. You can't expect Bayern to work only half a day to make the Bundesliga more exciting."

Robert Lewandowski has scored a staggering 49 goals for Bayern in all competitions, including 34 in 31 league matches and 11 in only six Champions League games.

On the flank, Serge Gnabry added an impressive 19 goals in his breakout season for the club since joining in 2017, while Thomas Muller broke the Bundesliga assists record.

MLS has announced that 18 players and six staff members have received positive tests as the league prepares to return to play for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The league is set to resume on July 8 with the start of the MLS is Back tournament, with each of the league's teams heading to Orlando for a competition that will include a group stage and knockout rounds.

Teams were able to begin training on June 4 and, since training began, a total of 668 players have been tested.

On Sunday, MLS confirmed that, of those 668, 18 have received positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests prior to heading to Orlando.

Prior to travelling to Orlando and entering the league's isolated setup for the tournament, players and staff must complete an additional two PCR tests 24 hours apart and within approximately 72 hours of travel. After that, all of those travelling will be required to take another PCR test and will be quarantined until they receive the result of that test.

Any individual who produced a positive test after arriving in Orlando will undergo a clinical assessment by a healthcare provider while also being moved to the isolation area of the hotel until receiving medical clearance.

Starting on Tuesday, the league will begin providing updates every other day with testing results for all involved in the MLS is Back tournament.

As of Sunday, three MLS clubs have already entered the league's setup in Orlando: the San Jose Earthquakes, FC Dallas and hosts Orlando City.

So far, a total of 329 people have been administered PCR tests on-site, with two tests producing positive results from players who had just arrived in Orlando.

With the tournament nearing kickoff, all teams are required to be settled in Orlando within seven days of their opening match of the tournament.

The tournament will make MLS the first major men's professional sports league to return to play in the U.S., with the NWSL resuming play this past weekend.

Hosts Orlando City will face local rivals Inter Miami in the first matchup of the tournament and the first matchup of the two Florida teams.

Later that night, Inter Miami's expansion partner Nashville SC will face the Chicago Fire.

Inter Milan stepped up their Serie A title chase with a 2-1 victory over Parma in Sunday evening’s encounter, with Victor Moses providing an assist.

Late goals from Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni were all the Black and Blues needed to secure a comeback victory after going down to Gervinho’s opener.

Antonio Conte’s men came into the game following a disappointing 3-3 home draw against Sassuolo on Wednesday and were hoping to take a positive result from Stadio Ennio Tardini.

However, they were pegged back by 15th minutes strike by Gervinho thanks to an assist from Juraj Kucka.

The Ivorian coolly displaced Antonio Candreva and Danilo D'Ambrosio before slotting into the bottom-right corner of goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.

Four minutes later, Inter were handed a penalty owing to Andreas Cornelius’ handball – but a VAR check ruled against the decision as Diego Godin had been offside before the incident.

The visitors’ ambition for a comeback was looking destined to end in vain after substitute goalkeeper Tommaso Berni was shown the red card for dissent from the bench in the 69th minute  - his ushered in Chelsea loanee Moses for Antonio Candreva.

That proved to be the turning point as Conte’s men levelled matters eight minutes from full time through defender Stefan de Vrij after heading home Lautaro Martinez's header.

Victory was guaranteed three minutes later through Godin’s replacement Alessandro Bastoni who headed past Luigi Sepe to the despair of Parma who had Kucka sent off two minutes earlier.

Nigeria’s Moses who was featuring in his sixth Italian elite division game of the season got cautioned by referee Fabio Maresca in the closing stages of the game for time-wasting.

After an impressive shift, Gervinho was replaced in the 86th minute by Gaston Brugman, while Ghanaian superstar Kwadwo Asamoah was an unused substitute by the San Siro giants.

Thanks to this victory, Inter remain third in the log having accrued 61 points from 28 league games – eight points behind leaders Juventus.

They take on struggling Brescia on Wednesday, while Parma face Hellas Verona in a game that could prove key to both teams' European ambitions.

Chelsea signing Timo Werner has revealed his decision to abandon RB Leipzig's Champions League campaign 'hurt', as he prepares to officially head to Stamford Bridge.

The German striker will officially begin his contract with the Blues on July 1 after a £47.5 million ($59m) switch to the Premier League was announced earlier this month.

However, the decision to join Chelsea quickly after the transfer fee was agreed between the two clubs means Werner will miss out the rest of Leipzig's continental campaign.

The Bundesliga club had already progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a crushing 4-0 win against Tottenham across two legs.

Werner has contributed four goals in eight matches through Europe's premier club competition, including the winning strike in the first leg versus Spurs in London.

"Of course it hurts me that I can't help out [RB Leipzig] to play in the Champions League. But I'm a Chelsea FC player from July 1st and I'm being paid by Chelsea from then on, Werner told Sportbuzzer.

"It was clear that all parties - Chelsea, RB and my side - should and must settle this. Of course I tried to keep out of the Champions League issue as much as I could because it was clear that I would have to hurt one side. That's why my agent finally agreed it with the clubs."

Werner helped Leipzig finished third in the Bundesliga - contributing 28 goals in 34 matches - before he packed his bags for his London move.

The 24-year-old became Leipzig's record goalscorer in his final match for the club on Saturday, with his two strikes against Augsburg putting him on 95 goals, two more than Daniel Frahn's previous mark.

Despite being not able to participate in Leipzig's Champions League journey, Werner says he will still support his former team and hopes to even attend their quarter-final if the situation allows.

"I am forever connected to Leipzig and RB, will sit in front of the TV during the quarter finals and keep my fingers crossed - maybe I can even be on site in Lisbon," Werner said.

Despite joining Chelsea in the next couple of days, Werner won't be eligible to represent his new club until next season - meaning he can't help the Blues fight for the top four this campaign or feature in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

Arthur and Miralem Pjanic have signed their contracts with Juventus and Barcelona, respectively, with both teams expected to make an official announcement regarding the midfielders on Monday.

The two clubs agreed a deal earlier this week that will see Arthur leave Camp Nou for Turin for around €70 million (£63m/$79m), while Pjanic will move in the opposite direction for a €60m (£55m/$67m) fee.

Both players underwent medicals at their respective new clubs on Sunday afternoon before putting pen-to-paper on their contracts.

Arthur has signed a five-year deal with Maurizio Sarri’s side, which will see him earn a basic salary of €5m per season, going up to €7m (£6m/$8m) with bonuses.

Though both players will remain at their current clubs for the remainder of the extended 2019-20 campaign, Barcelona wanted the deals completed by the end of June for budgetary reasons.

Given the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Juve would struggle to pull off an expensive transfer so needed to agree a swap deal that would include one of their high earners heading in the opposite direction.

The Catalan giants have been targeting Pjanic for some time, but the deal was held up as Arthur was initially reluctant to make the move to Italy.

However, a breakthrough was reached on Saturday evening that allowed the clubs to press ahead with the double deal.

Arthur has made 72 appearances for Barcelona since joining from Gremio in the summer of 2018. The Catalan giants viewed the midfielder as a key part of their first-team squad, but Goal revealed last month they would be open to selling the 23-year-old should the right offer arrive.

Pjanic, meanwhile, has been a regular in the Juventus line-up, making 36 appearances in all competitions this season for the Turin giants, who are on the brink of a ninth successive Serie A title.

They currently sit four points clear of Lazio at the top of the table with 10 games remaining.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina international has won three league titles and the Coppa Italia twice with the Bianconeri since joining from Serie A rivals Roma in 2016.

Newcastle United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City on Sunday, but Steve Bruce clearly liked what he saw from Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne was typically influential in City's dominant 2-0 win at St James' Park , opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half after Fabian Schar's foul on Gabriel Jesus.

That goal set the holders on their way to a quarter-final victory that Raheem Sterling wrapped up after Dwight Gayle improbably missed a chance to equalise from point-blank range.

So taken was former Manchester United captain Bruce by the performance of De Bruyne, who also scored a wondergoal for City in their Premier League meeting with the Magpies in November, he joked Newcastle would be signing the Belgium superstar.

Interrupting De Bruyne's post-match interview with City's club media, Newcastle boss Bruce grabbed a grinning De Bruyne and told the reporter: "He's going to stay here.

"He's going to stay here, come here - that's an exclusive out of Newcastle tonight. He's had enough of Manchester City and he's going to come and play for Newcastle."

Bruce was able to confirm the arrival of one new signing post-match: former Motherwell goalkeeper Mark Gillespie on a free transfer.

Newcastle could soon be in a position to make more expensive signings with a controversial Saudi takeover still being investigated by the Premier League . 

With question marks remaining over the deal however, Bruce has called for clarity so that the club can remain focused for the remainder of the season. 

"I think everybody needs a bit of clarity," he said post-match. "And if I am led to believe it is the Premier League that are stalling all of the negotiations then they have to come and make a decision sooner or later.

"It is not healthy for anybody. As I have said for me personally, and we have another game on Wednesday now and we have a wonderful opportunity.

"We can't use that [the takeover] as an excuse but we need a bit of clarity and get it put to bed one way or another."

Real Madrid moved two points clear at the top of LaLiga on Sunday, capitalising on Barcelona's draw at Celta Vigo by beating the Espanyol 1-0.

Zinedine Zidane's men led the league by virtue of their superior head-to-head record going into the weekend and were boosted by Celta's late equaliser against Barca on Saturday.

Madrid made sure not to pass up the opportunity to build a gap at the summit as Casemiro scored following a wonderful Karim Benzema assist in an entertaining if ultimately narrow away victory.

The capital club have control of the title race with just six matches remaining, although it was not all one-way traffic at RCDE Stadium despite bottom side Espanyol's accommodating defending.

Madrid looked similarly shaky at times in the first half as Sergi Darder saw an early deflected shot trickle wide before Wu Lei wastefully blasted over.

Former Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez scrambled to keep out an ambitious Casemiro attempt and watched both Sergio Ramos and the Brazil international head over, the captain missing the target from point-blank range.

Benzema was next to try his luck and draw a save from Lopez, whose busy outing continued with a double stop from Casemiro and Eden Hazard in a goalmouth scramble prompted by his own failure to deal with a high cross.

Casemiro's fifth effort before half-time finally evaded Lopez to break the deadlock, though, as Benzema teed up his team-mate with a cute backheel through Bernardo Espinosa's legs.

Madrid's momentum was slowed by the break, yet subsequent speculative Espanyol efforts from distance did not cause Thibaut Courtois significant concern as another win was sealed.

What does it mean? Madrid reinvigorated since restart

Defeat to Real Betis in March saw Madrid hand pole position back to Barcelona, but the coronavirus pandemic swiftly prompted the suspension of the season.

Zidane's side have entertained since the restart and could have run up a handsome scoreline against Espanyol. Crucially, though, they have won five straight matches, striking a balance between style and substance, while Barca have twice dropped points.

Casemiro in control

Nominally a holding midfielder, Casemiro provided Madrid's chief attacking threat in the first half. He appeared to be involved in each and every attack and deserved a goal long before it arrived courtesy of a gorgeous piece of skill from Benzema that meant, this time, Casemiro could not miss.

Wu wide of the mark

Madrid may have given up more chances than usual in recent weeks, but opponents must still make sure to take their opportunities when they arrive. Wu's profligacy saw Espanyol fail to do so. He should have hit the target when well placed in the first half and then aimed a tame shot into Courtois' clutches shortly after the break.

Key Opta Facts

- Madrid have conceded 21 goals after 32 games in LaLiga this season, their second-best total at this stage in the competition, after 1987-88 (20 goals).
- Benzema is the third LaLiga player to reach double figures for goals (22) and assists (10) this season in all competitions, after Lionel Messi (26 and 21) and Luis Suarez (16 and 11).
- No team has recorded more wins against a single opponent in LaLiga history than Madrid versus Espanyol (W104 D33 L35).
- Benzema has been directly involved in six goals in his past six LaLiga away games against Espanyol (four goals and two assists), this after having not been involved in any of his previous three such matches at RCDE Stadium.

What's next?

Madrid host stuttering Getafe on Thursday, the same day Espanyol's unlikely bid to avoid the drop takes them to Real Sociedad.

Inter relied on two defenders to get them out of trouble as Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni scored late on to snatch a 2-1 win at Parma in a dramatic Serie A clash.

With Antonio Conte watching on from the stands as he served a touchline ban, Gervinho's 15th-minute goal looked set to be enough for Parma to secure a valuable win in their push for Europe.

Yet Inter fought back in the closing stages – De Vrij rather fortunately turning home Lautaro Martinez's header before Bastoni headed in the winner three minutes later to consolidate Inter's place in third.

Bastoni's goal came almost immediately following the restart after Inter's equaliser, with Juraj Kucka's dismissal for dissent having caused a lengthy stoppage.

After drilling wide with his first attempt, Gervinho made no mistake with his second opportunity, calmly rounding Antonio Candreva and Danilo D'Ambrosio before slotting into the bottom-right corner.

A VAR check for an Andreas Cornelius handball looked set to result in Inter being awarded a penalty four minutes later, only for the officials to spot Diego Godin had been marginally offside.

Cornelius squandered two great chances to put Parma 2-0 up prior to the break, first blazing over when one-on-one with Samir Handanovic before slicing wide from Jasmin Kurtic's cross.

With Inter's substitute goalkeeper Tommaso Berni having received a red card for complaining from the bench, the visitors' comeback efforts seemed set to prove fruitless when Romelu Lukaku curled wide and Alexis Sanchez saw a stinging strike saved.

Yet their luck finally turned in the 84th minute – De Vrij in the right place to flick Martinez's header on into the net.

Kucka was given his marching orders while Inter celebrated, and Inter swiftly made their numerical advantage count as Bastoni headed in from point-blank range to deal the final blow to his former club.

What does it mean? Inter fending off Atalanta… for now

Atalanta's victory over Udinese earlier had lifted them to within a point of Inter, whose slim title hopes all but faded with a draw against Sassuolo last time out. However, the Nerazzurri have just about managed to keep their rivals – who they face in their final league game of the season – at bay.

Bastoni the hero from the bench

With Godin having struggled up against Cornelius and Gervinho, Bastoni was introduced in the 73rd minute, yet it was at the other end of the pitch that the former Parma youngster made a telling impact, having been in the right place at the right time to turn in his second Serie A goal for Inter.

Cornelius' misses prove costly

Inter were made to pay for Roberto Gagliardini's glaring miss against Sassuolo, but this time they were the benefactors of two dreadful attempts from Cornelius, who could have put Parma out of sight before the break.

Key Opta Facts

Inter have gained 32 points away from home this season, the most of any team in Serie A.
Inter have scored 13 headed goals in Serie A, at least two more than any other team this term.
De Vrij has been involved in six goals for Inter this season with three goals and three assists.
Gervinho is just the third Parma player to be involved in 10 or more goals in back-to-back Serie A seasons since 2004-05, joining Domenico Morfeo (2004-05 and 2005-06) and Sebastian Giovinco (2010-11 and 2011-12).

What's next?

Inter take on struggling Brescia on Wednesday, while Parma face Hellas Verona in a game that could prove key to both teams' European hopes.

Inter chief executive Beppe Marrotta says the club have yet to agree an extension to Alexis Sanchez’s loan from Manchester United, which is due to expire next week.

The Chile forward joined Antonio Conte’s side on a season-long loan at the end of the 2019 summer transfer window.

But with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the European football season by nearly three months, a fresh agreement is needed if Sanchez is to remain at San Siro beyond the end of the original deal and cover the club’s final 10 Serie A matches and Europa League campaign.

Nigeria winger Victor Moses, who joined on a six-month loan from Chelsea in January, is in a similar predicament.

Bayern Munich meanwhile hope to extend Ivan Perisic’s loan from the Nerazzurri so he can feature in the German champions’ DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen next weekend as well as their Champions League round of 16 second leg against Chelsea.

Marrotta says Inter remain in talks with all three clubs over loan extensions, but has revealed his frustration at how discussions are progressing.

“This is a great regulatory anomaly that needs to be resolved because we are still dealing with Chelsea and Manchester United today to try to extend their loans,” Marrotta told Sky Sports.

“It is not a beautiful thing. We are also dealing with Bayern Munich over Ivan Perisic.”

It was hoped that a return to Italy, where he had thrived at Udinese before later joining Spanish giants Barcelona, would give Sanchez a fresh start following his struggles at Manchester United.

However, the niggling injuries and loss of form that dogged Sanchez’s time at Old Trafford has followed him to Inter, where the 31-year-old has scored just once in 18 appearances in all competitions so far this campaign.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed earlier this month that Sanchez would only be a squad player should he would return to Old Trafford. Though with reported wages of around £400,000 per week, the Red Devils may seek to move Sanchez on then have such an expensive asset sat on the substitutes bench.

Olanrewaju Kayode continued his fine scoring form in the Turkish Super Lig with a goal in Gaziantep's 1-1 draw against Antalyaspor.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring at the Gaziantep Arena on Sunday with his 10th league of the season in the 58th minute.

The effort was close to securing the hosts’ first league win since February until Adis Jahovic scored an 88th-minute equaliser for Antalyaspor from the penalty spot.

Kayode alongside Senegal's Papy Djilobodji and Cameroon's Jean Kana-Biyik were in action for entire duration while Ghana's Patrick Twumasi played for 62 minutes as Gaziantep recorded their third straight draw since the restart of the Turkish top-flight.

The draw left Marius Sumudica's side 10th in the league standings with 35 points after 29 matches, two points behind ninth-placed Antalyaspor.

Gaziantep visit Denizlispor for their next Super Lig fixture on July 3 and Kayode will be aiming to help them end their seven-game winless run.

The Nigeria international has been in fine form since he moved to Turkey on a season-long loan from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer.

He has contributed 10 goals and six assists in 25 league appearances for Gaziantep this campaign.

On the international scene, the former Manchester City striker played for the Nigeria at the U17, U20 and U23 levels before making his Super Eagles debut in a friendly match against Senegal in March 2017.

Kayode's last invitation to Gernot Rohr's team was in October 2017, and he was an unused substitute in their 1-1 draw against Algeria during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva netted a hat-trick for Minsk in a 9-0 victory over Dnepr Mogilev in a Belarusian Women's League match on Sunday.

Having hit four in a 6-1 win over ABFF WU19 last week, Oghiabekhva did not take her foot off the pedal as she netted her fourth treble this season and third in a row in her side's latest triumph.

The visitors did not take long to gain the lead as Tamila Khimich intercepted a back-pass to fire the home side ahead inside the opening 20 seconds and almost netted her second a minute later.

In the fourth minute, Oghiabekhva found space from the middle of the park to launch a long pass to Khimich, who rounded the goalkeeper to slot home her second of the match.

Moments after seeing her effort go wide, the 30-year-old grabbed the third goal of the match in the 11th minute with a good finish before Anna Kozyupa netted the fourth 10 minutes later.

Six minutes after the restart, Oghiabekhva scored her second goal of the match to continue the surge of goals before she raced into the defence to complete her treble three minutes later. 

Red-hot Khimich maintained Minsk's ruthless attack as she hit her hat-trick in the 54th minute before hitting her fourth 14 minutes later and then her fifth and the hosts' ninth three minutes from full-time.  

The latest treble takes Ogbiabekhva's goal tally to 16 in eight games this season for Minsk and she lasted 54 minutes of the tie. 

Cameroon's Alvina Niyolle played for 63 minutes while Cote d'Ivoire's Nadege Cisse lasted the duration but Nigeria's Chioma Wogu missed out as she continued with her recovery from injury.

The latest win keeps holders Minsk just behind leaders Dinamo-BPUSC, with 18 points from eight matches this term.

Minsk will seek to continue their quest to reclaim the top spot when they host Botsor in their next top-flight encounter on July 5. 

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta says the club is in "advanced negotiations" for Achraf Hakimi as the fullback nears a potential move to Serie A.

Hakimi has risen to prominence this season while with Borussia Dortmund, where he's made 45 appearances across his second campaign on loan with the German side.

With that loan set to end this summer, Hakimi has been linked with a number of moves, with parent club Real Madrid facing a decision when it comes to the fullback's future.

Borussia Dortmund had been in talks with Real Madrid to extend Hakimi's loan deal, according to sports director Michael Zorc, although the club has given up that chase in recent days.

Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich have also been said to be interested, while a return to Real Madrid and a place in Zinedine Zidane's squad has also been reported as a potential solution to Hakimi's uncertain future.

However, in recent days, Inter have jumped into the lead in the race to sign the Moroccan star, with the Italian side linked with a €40 million (£36m/$45m) deal to bring him to Italy.

And Marotta all but confirmed that the club is expecting that deal to go through with a final announcement possible in the coming days.

"The will of [owners] the Zhang family is to continue buying important players," Marotta told Sky Sports. 

"I confirm that we are in an advanced negotiation for Hakimi. [Inter sporting director Piero] Ausilio has been very good, but we must now conclude the negotiation.

"Tomorrow will be an important day, I am optimistic. It is a job done from Ausilio in these two months. This is an operation that, with the times that are going, is really very, very important."

He added: "To make a player like Hakimi on the left too? We want to raise the bar, it's the will of the owner. But we also have to mix in the economic needs, especially at this stage. We will see the opportunities.

Dortmund have already signed an apparent replacement for Hakimi, having brought in Thomas Meunier on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Hakimi scored five goals and added 10 assists for Dortmund this season in the Bundesliga, helping the club to a second-place finish.

Throughout his two-year loan spell, Hakimi made a total of 73 appearances and scored 12 goals, having also appeared 17 times for Real Madrid during his lone season with the Spanish side's first team.

Inter currently sit third in Serie A, trailing only league-leaders Juventus and second-place Lazio while sitting just ahead of fourth-place Atalanta.

Rennes sporting director Florian Maurice has admitted he expected Tanguy Kouassi would join the club at a time his future with Paris Saint-Germain was up in the air.

The teenage centre-back made his senior breakthrough during the 2019-20 season, making six appearances in Ligue 1, and scored a brace in a 4-4 draw with Amiens.

He also had two outings in the Champions League, one of which was a 5-0 win over Galatasaray in the group stage, the other against Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16.

Kouassi had been in lengthy talks over a new professional contract with Thomas Tuchel’s side while other clubs were interested in offering him a pre-contract since his PSG contract expires on June 30.

He, however, refused to commit and has chosen to join Bayern Munich.

“Kouassi, it was a great opportunity, when I arrived, I said: "We are going, we must go, it is an exceptional opportunity.”, Maurice told Ouest-France

“I knew that with PSG it was going to be difficult, but frankly, I never imagined that he would leave Paris to go to Bayern. I imagined him leaving Paris to come to our place because I think the project suited him completely."

Maurice went on to assert that despite the interest Rennes had in Kouassi, he was never going to guarantee the Franco-Ivorian instant playing time.

“You are never guaranteed anything to a player, I am very honest with them, I never promise that they will play, no," he continued.

"One is the coach who makes the team. Two, it is not because you arrive that you will hold. I never say 'you're going to play so many matches', that would be lying.

“Kouassi, I think it was an opportunity compared to that, he will seek a little more playing time and I think that he was offered something very interesting.

“Then, with [coach] Julien [Stephan], we are also thinking about more experienced players. I cannot give a name, but we have identified players who are very difficult to get. We are on this type of profile too, we know that experience is also needed.”

After Kouassi’s switch to Bayern was confirmed, PSG coach Tuchel stated he was sad to see the defender go and at the same time did not understand his reasoning for the move.

“At 17 and without a professional contract, Tanguy played in our most important game against Borussia Dortmund,” Tuchel told the press.

“We trusted him. He could play as a centre-back and defensive midfielder. Without doubt, he had a big future here.

“For me, he shouldn’t have left now. I don’t understand the reasoning and I’m sad.”

PSG were crowned Ligue 1 champions for the third consecutive time after the season was cancelled at matchday 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

French clubs have, however, returned to training with the 2020-21 season scheduled to commence on the weekend of August 21-23.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged his Manchester City side is bound to show more focus in their quest for FA Cup and Champions League glory after seeing the defence of their Premier League title officially ended.

City's 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Thursday saw Liverpool crowned champions but they were in fine form during a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final.

Kevin De Bruyne celebrated his 29th birthday by scoring a first-half penalty before Raheem Sterling put the finishing touch on a routine win after the break to book a last-four showdown with Arsenal.

It remains possible for City to complete an EFL Cup, FA Cup and Champions League treble this term, with Guardiola saying it is understandable his players' attentions are now on a return to Wembley as well as the last-16 return leg against Real Madrid in Europe's premier competition – a tie in which they lead 2-1.

"After the defeat in London against Chelsea, of course now in the Premier League we're struggling a little bit to focus," said Guardiola.

"We're playing for qualification to the Champions League, it's not done but we're close, we need two victories.

"But, of course, now the FA Cup and Champions League it's a little bit different for the fact we're playing at Wembley again, we were winners last season, we are in the semis again and that's so, so good. Then we prepare for the end of the season against Madrid."

On the game, Guardiola added: "First we are in the semi-final, it was not easy to attack against defenders so, so deep.

"It was a solid performance, we conceded few [chances]and we are happy to be going back to London to Wembley."

De Bruyne has become the designated penalty taker after City experienced a string of spot-kick woes this season.

The brilliant Belgium playmaker says it is a responsibility he is happy to shoulder.

"We had a few problems this year and I think the gaffer asked me to step up against Madrid," he said. 

"I've scored a couple now. If I'm the taker now I will try. Obviously there will be a day I miss, you have to take your responsibility, it if it's in it's good."

William Troost-Ekong was on parade in Udinese’s 3-2 defeat to Atalanta in Sunday’s Serie A game at Stadio Friuli.

The White and Blacks are on a 10-game winless run, with their last victory dated back to January against Sassuolo at home.

The Super Eagles star was afforded his 24th league start in the encounter, pairing Bram Nuytinck and Samir in defence but could not help his side to halt their unimpressive run of form.

 Luca Gotti’s men started the game sluggishly, allowing their visitors to take the lead in the ninth minute through Duvan Zapata.

Ivory Coast international Seko Fofana then set up Kevin Lasagna to level proceedings moments after the half-hour mark.

Luis Muriel restored the lead for the visitors and then scored his second in the 79th minute to ensure Atalanta secured all three points despite a late strike from Lasagna.

Troost-Ekong, who featured for 66 minutes before he was replaced by Rodrigo Becao, made five tackles and had an 88% successful pass rate.

With the result, Udinese are 15th on the league table with 29 points from 28 games, four places above the relegation zone.

Troost-Ekong joined the Stadio Friuli outfit in the summer of 2018 from Turkish Super Lig side Bursaspor and has been a consistent figure since his arrival in Serie A.  

In his debut campaign, the centre-back made 35 league appearances for Luca Gotti’s side, helping them to finish 12th on the table.

Troost-Ekong will be expected to play a key role as Udinese aim to maintain their Serie A status at the end of 2019-20 season. 

The Super Eagles vice-captain will hope to play for 90 minutes and help his side return to winning ways in their next league outing against AS Roma on July 2.

Salimata Simpore netted twice for Dinamo-BSUPC as they thrashed ABFF U19 8-0 in the Belarusian Women's League contest on Sunday.

Simpore is enjoying an incredible start to life in Belarus, having scored her seventh goal in seven matches in a 6-0 Belarusian Women's Cup triumph over Zorka-BSU last Wednesday.

Dinamo went into the contest on the heels of seven games with no defeats and extended the feat with the latest win thanks to Cameroon's Claudia Dabda and Burkina Faso's Simpore.

Anastasia Shlapakova opened the scoring for the hosts to launch the goal feast for Maleyew Yury's side after just four minutes into the tie.

Simpore scored to double the lead for Dinamo five minutes later before Anastasiya Linnik grabbed the third in the 33rd minute, and the Burkina Faso striker bagged her brace three minutes later.

Hanna Pilipenko ensured the home side continued from where they left off in the first half as she scored nine minutes after the restart.

Karina Olkhovik fired home a sixth for the hosts in the 61st minute before Linnik registered her second goal of the encounter and substitute Valeria Shakhray wrapped up 15 minutes from full-time.

Simpore, who played 65 minutes of the encounter, has now scored eight goals in eight appearances for Dinamo, while Cameroon's Dabda was involved from the start to the finish.

A win saw Dinamo maintained their winning run to eight and retain their three-point lead at the top, ahead of closest rivals Minsk.

They are expected to keep up their high flying start when they take on Dnepr Mogilev, who bowed 9-0 to Minsk on June 4.