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Two of South Africa's nine provinces - Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal - are at the forefront of hosting the remaining matches of the 2019/20 PSL season. 

This includes 54 elite league matches, three Nedbank Cup matches and 44 National First Division (NFD) matches. 

Gauteng has more stadiums than any province in the country - they include FNB, Orlando, Bidvest, Makhulong, Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Lucas Moripe, and Dobsonville among others. 

KwaZulu Natal has six PSL-approved venues such as Harry Gwala, Moses Mabhida, Princess Magogo, Sugar Ray Xulu, Chatsworth and King Zwelithini in Umlazi.  

PSL chairman Dr Khoza told Sunday Times that the league's application to the government for the biological safe environment (BSE) included Gauteng and North West but said KwaZulu-Natal came forward and presented a 'beautiful pitch'. 

"But we have since received a pitch from KZN which was a beautiful pitch. It's unbelievable," confirmed Khoza to the same publication. 

"Our application says we need two provinces but if one province can accommodate all the teams, so be it." 

Khoza appears to have changed his mind about completing the current campaign by July 31. 

He said the task team's report will indicate the number of fixtures left as well as the number of weeks needed to ensure the season is done and dusted by August 31, while confirming that everything will be discussed in Tuesday's board of governors meeting at the PSL headquarters.  

"The report of the task team will indicate how many fixtures and how many weeks we require because we must finish everything by August 31," he revealed.      

"We have been procedural in our approach all along. The date of the resumption of training and matches will be dealt with in that meeting. 

"We have to allow teams to train first because if we don't that there will be too many injuries."

Khoza also weighed in on the issue of expiring contracts and those who have already signed pre-contracts elsewhere such as George Maluleka of Kaizer Chiefs among others. 

And he encouraged the players to remain at their respective clubs until the suspended season is concluded to protect the integrity of football.

"It should be a give and take between all the parties concerned. We encourage all the stakeholders to make sure that we should finish the season with the same players," he confirmed. 

"We are also engaging with the unions to make them aware of the extension of the season. 

"It must be done according to the laws of the country. It must be a negotiation between the players and their clubs.

"We encourage everyone that we finish the season with the full complement of the players to protect the integrity of the sport. This will be a discussion between the clubs, players, players' union and in some cases, players' agents." 

The same publication reported the league may decide to split the 32 teams across the provinces - with 16 PSL teams allocated their own province and the other 16 NFD teams accommodated in another province to complete the season.  

Frank Lampard says he will take some time to speak to his youngsters individually after three of them suffered the fate of being substituted at half-time, in a move that helped Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Leicester City.

Leicester had been the better team before half-time, and Lampard decided to take off 19-year-old Billy Gilmour, 20-year-old Reece James and 21-year-old Mason Mount for Ross Barkley, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic.

Barkley ended up being the match-winner as the Blues improved in the second half, with the other substitutes allowing Lampard's side to control the match.

Having started each of his side's last two games, Lampard cited tiredness in Mount's case, while his other two youngsters were said to be lacking match fitness in their first starts since the season resumed.

"I could have made different changes as well," Lampard said at the King Power Stadium on Sunday evening. "Mason has played two games in a week and gave a lot of input against Manchester City for 90 minutes.

"Reece James hasn’t played for a long time, since lockdown. Billy was the same. These are contributing factors around it. They are going to be top players for this club no matter what. They are going to have top careers in football. They will have really, really top careers because of the players they are.

"Whether you can call it a learning experience, it was just a factor of how I saw the game. They can take it on board. They are all good lads, all train well and all have a good work ethic. I’ve never had a problem with the three of them at all. I’ve got no worries; it was just the circumstances today."

Lampard has been lauded for his faith in youth in Chelsea's team this season, offering an all-time record eight academy products the chance to debut for the west Londoners in a single campaign.

This has come with contract renewals for most of them and a reduction in the average age of the squad, as the club navigated their transfer ban by leaning on one of the best youth systems in English football.

Lampard showed his ruthless side to his three youngsters, but he isn't blaming them and may take them aside in the next analysis session following the match.

"Yes, I possibly will [speak to them again]," Lampard added. "I spoke to them all briefly at half-time and the end because it does happen in football. This is what it is. Sometimes it’s a tough game for different reasons.

"I’ll happily speak to them. I have got no problem with them; it certainly doesn’t feel an issue where I can say they didn’t give me anything. The performance was lethargic for the whole team and they were part of that.

"But individually, it’s very tough to stand out when a performance is like that. I’ll say that to them; it’s not a problem. If it’s a bit of a learning one, then fine but if I had a problem with work ethic or attitude I’d say it. But I don’t have that with them. It will be a brief conversation and we will move on. They are going to be big players for us."

Following the match, Chelsea drew Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, but next they face London rivals West Ham in the Premier League.

Samuel Chukwueze played for 89 minutes as Villarreal recorded a 2-0 La Liga win over Valencia at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday.

Javier Calleja’s men have been in superb form since the league resumption with victories over Celta Vigo, Mallorca and Granada, followed by a 2-2 draw against Sevilla in their most recent encounter.

This is indeed improved form compared to the period before the league suspension where they lost on the bounce to Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Leganes.

Chukwueze created the opening goal for Villarreal on Sunday in the 14th minute, passing to Gerard Moreno, who in turn gave it to former Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer to finish off in cool fashion.

The Yellow Submarines' second goal came with the help of Valencia goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, whose long kick was intercepted by former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla, who played it into the path of Moreno to do the rest.

Chukwuweze was taken off in the 89th minute with Javier Ontiveros replacing him.

The 21-year old Nigeria international produced 70 touches, two key passes and 52 accurate passes at an impressive 94% success rate, which was the highest among the Villarreal starters, followed by Cameroon international Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa with 93.9%.

Chukwueze was also successful in three of four long balls, three of four dribbles and also won six of eight total duels.

The 21-year-old has now completed 1,734 minutes of football from 31 appearances in La Liga this season, of which 16 have been starts while 15 were off the bench.

He has scored three goals and provided four assists, the most recent of which coming in the 1-0 win over Mallorca when he assisted Carlos Bacca’s goal.

Chukwueze’s last goal, however, dates back to November 24, 2019, in a 3-1 defeat at home to Ghana defender Joseph Aidoo’s Celta Vigo.

Sunday’s win puts Villarreal within three points of fourth-placed Sevilla, thus keeping their hopes of Champions League football next season very much alive.

They will, however, be wary of Getafe who are two points behind them and could overtake them for fifth place should they get the better of another Champions League hopeful in Real Sociedad on Monday night.

Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were on target as holders Manchester City coasted into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win at Newcastle United.

A 2-1 reverse at Chelsea on Thursday officially ended City's reign as Premier League champions and Pep Guardiola's men looked out to make a statement from the off at St James' Park.

De Bruyne, who turned 29 on Sunday, coolly slotted home a 37th-minute penalty in what was scant reward for a dominant first-half showing.

Sterling then added a fine second 22 minutes from time as City booked a last-four date with Arsenal at Wembley.

Riyad Mahrez blazed one over and bent another effort wide of the right post from 20 yards as City threatened early.

Karl Darlow twice denied Sterling in a match that was fast becoming an attack-versus-defence training drill.

It took a silly push from Fabian Schar on Gabriel Jesus to break Newcastle down, though, with De Bruyne rolling the resulting penalty into the bottom-left corner.

Aymeric Laporte headed narrowly wide just before half-time and Mahrez flashed another chance just over shortly following the restart.

Newcastle should have been level when Allan Saint-Maximin laid one on a plate for substitute Dwight Gayle, who astonishingly skied over from six yards with the goal gaping.

City immediately made them pay. Sterling drove at the Newcastle defence and cut inside before curling a cute finish into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards.

What does it mean? City's treble dream intact

The Premier League trophy may be about to reside in Liverpool's trophy cabinet for the first time but City are still in the hunt for an EFL Cup, FA Cup and Champions League treble. They seldom had to get out of first gear here.

Sterling and Mahrez torment Magpies defence

Steve Bruce's game-plan was clear – play deep, keep it compact and hit on the counter. The only problem is such a tactic allowed Sterling – who scored his first goal from outside the box since November 2018 – and Mahrez ample opportunity to attack and both men were a constant threat. 

That Schar was silly, Fabian…

Newcastle were unimaginative but defensively stubborn until Schar had two goes at pushing Jesus to ground. It was a real head-scratcher of a decision from the centre-back, one that ended the hosts' resilience. 

Key Opta Facts

- Newcastle have conceded two or more goals in 20 of their last 24 matches against City in all competitions.
- City have won their last 10 FA Cup matches by an aggregate score of 37-4. They are only the third team to achieve this feat since the turn of the 20th century, after Aston Villa (10 between 1913 and 1914) and Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).
- De Bruyne is the first City player to score a goal on his birthday since Nolito against Everton in October 2016.
- De Bruyne has been directly involved in 30 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 18 assists), more than any other City player.

What's next?

City face Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals but are next set to give Liverpool a guard of honour when the new champions visit the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, a day after Newcastle make the mammoth trip to Bournemouth.

Frank Lampard has praised Ross Barkley after he came off the bench to fire Chelsea into the FA Cup semi-finals, saying the midfielder is “reaping the benefits” of hard work on the training ground.

Barkley was introduced at half-time against Leicester on Sunday as Lampard responded to a sluggish first-half display from his side at the King Power Stadium with a triple substitution.

The former Everton midfielder, who also scored in the fifth round win against Liverpool, swept home Willian’s cross after 63 minutes for the game’s only goal and set up a last-four clash against Manchester United at Wembley next month.

Barkley has found himself in and out of the starting XI at Stamford Bridge this season, with only 14 of his 23 appearances in all competitions coming from the start.

Despite the lack of regular action Lampard says Barkley’s attitude cannot be faulted and thinks his match-winning display on Sunday is just reward for his efforts.

“I played with Ross and I know he’s a great lad. He wants to be the best player he can be and has a great attitude in that sense,” said the Chelsea boss. “I won’t touch on that one, all I’ll say is before we went into lockdown he put in some really good performances for us. 

“His attitude has been spot on in training since the minute we’ve been back, how he trains and it shows how he looked after himself in lockdown. 

“He was unfortunate not to start against Villa and since then has made an impact in every game he has played. 

“A great example of when you train at a level, have that attitude and when you have the quality that Ross has. He can score goals. He can shoot with both feet. He makes the box. He defended well and showed great discipline in his game against Manchester City. 

“He is reaping the benefits and showing it. I've got lots of time for Ross, he's a big player for us and you could see that in the last three games.”

Next up for Chelsea is a trip to West Ham in the Premier League on Wednesday.

A 19-year-old man has been charged after a firework was thrown at the Liver Building as Liverpool fans celebrated their side’s Premier League title win on Friday.

Matthew Egglesden from Scarisbrick in Lancashire has been charged with causing criminal damage to the Royal Liver building and firing fireworks in a public place.

The 112-year-old building houses the club offices of city rivals Everton and was partially lit up blue on Friday evening.

Another man, 26-year-old Craig Campbell from Kirkdale in Liverpool, has been charged with assault after a man suffered serious head injuries during the gathering.

Campbell and Egglesden will both appear at Liverpool City Magistrates Court on Monday, June 29.

Supporters had gathered at the Pier Head to celebrate Liverpool’s title success for the second night in a row despite warnings from the club to stay away amid the risks of the coronavirus pandemic and a possible second wave.

Videos shared on social media shows fans ignoring social-distancing measures with flares and fireworks set off. Videos the next morning showed a considerable amount of rubbish left strewn across the Pier Head and other parts of the city centre.

Merseyside Police say 15 people arrested for various offences, including public order offences, drunk and disorderly and affray, have been bailed whilst investigations continue.

Police issued a section 34 dispersal order for the city centre until Sunday, which gives officers powers to break up groups of more than two people.

A joint statement by Liverpool, Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council and fans group Spirit of Shankly condemned the scenes on Friday as “wholly unacceptable”.

“Several thousand people turned up at the Pier Head on Friday June 26 and some chose to ignore the social distancing guidance and risk public safety,” read the statement. “Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable.

“The potential danger of a second peak of COVID-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.

“When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate. Until that time, the safety of our city and our people continues to be our number one priority.”

Jurgen Klopp's side were confirmed as Premier League champions on Thursday after Manchester City suffered defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, meaning Liverpool can't now be caught at the top of the table.

Klopp and the players celebrated their victory at Formby Hall golf resort, where they had gathered earlier in the evening to watch the game.

Ghana international Bernard Mensah was on target as Kayserispor registered a 2-0 away triumph over Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

The 25-year-old's effort seven minutes to full-time secured all three points for the Anatolian Star in the match week 29 fixture at Yeni Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium.

Despite the win, Kayserispor still stay trapped in the relegation zone while Sivasspor are third on the standings.

The goal was Mensah's fifth strike of the season in 23 league appearances. He also has eight assists to his name this term.

Hasan Huseyin Acar broke the deadlock for Kayserispor in the third minute of first-half injury time, benefiting from a Pedro Henrique assist.

That was after Mert Hakan Yandas wasted a 12th-minute penalty for the home side.

In the 83rd minute, Mensah wrapped up all three points for the visitors with a cool penalty.

He will hope to continue his fine form when the Anatolian Star host fifth-placed Besiktas in their next game.

The midfielder joined Kayserispor on a permanent contract last year following an initial loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

He had loan spells with Turkish club Kasimpasa and Portuguese fold Vitoria Guimaraes before transferring to Kayserispor.

Owing to his fine showing in the Super Lig, Mensah has reportedly attracted interest from giants Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas amid rumours of an imminent exit from Kayserispor at the end of the season. 

“Every football player wants to play [for] a big team," Mensah said in relation to the speculations, as reported by Fanatik.

"I am currently thinking only about Kayserispor.

"If such an offer comes, it will be considered.

“Every footballer wants to play in the Champions League and in the European League, [but] I'm happy here right now.

"However, if the offer comes from a big team, it will be important for the player's career. Then I will talk to our mother, Berna [Kayserispor Chairman Berna Gozbası]."

Mensah, a full Ghana international, will hope his fine season performance at club level convinces Black Stars coach CK Akonnor for a recall following a long snub for national duty. 

Manchester United will face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup while Arsenal will take on holders Manchester City.

The ties will be played at Wembley on the 18th and 19th of July.

Manchester United sealed their place in the last four on Saturday when they won 2-1 away at Norwich after extra time, as Harry Maguire struck with two minutes left to play against the hosts, who went down to 10 men late in the second half.

Chelsea went through with a narrow scoreline, too, as Ross Barkley was on target in the 63rd minute to secure a 1-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

United and Chelsea have faced each other three times already this season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team coming out on top each time. The Red Devils opened their Premier League campaign with a 4-0 win over Frank Lampard's team before beating them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup in October. They then got the better of the Blues at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 Premier League victory in February. 

However, Chelsea's last FA Cup success came at United's expense, as the London outfit won the trophy for the eighth time in their history when they ran out 1-0 winners in 2018.

Arsenal progressed to the last four thanks to a late winner against Sheffield United on Sunday, with Dani Ceballos popping up with the decisive goal after Nicolas Pepe's first-half penalty was cancelled out by a David McGoldrick goal.

Manchester City secured their place in the the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle at St James' Park, with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling on target.

Pep Guardiola's team are looking to defend their crown, having beaten Watford in the decider last year, but Arsenal are the FA Cup's most successful team, having won it 13 times in their history.

Manchester United are the second most frequent champions with 12 wins to their name, with their most recent coming in 2016. City, meanwhile, have won it six times each. 

The FA Cup final is scheduled to be played at Wembley on August 1.

Inter Milan have used Obafemi Martins as the focus for the first episode of their new documentary series titled 'Inter Roots'.

The video highlighted the rise of the Nigeria forward from Inter's youth team to the first team, where he scored 49 goals in 136 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

Martins joined Inter Milan from Serie C side Reggiana in 2001 - the club signed him from Nigerian outfit FC Ebedei after his impressive three-month trial.

He started his career in Milan with the youth team and he played a key role in helping the club win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera - an Italian youth competition - in his debut campaign with 23 goals scored in the 2001-02 season.

The Nigerian forward was promoted to the first-team the following season, and he made his Serie A debut against Parma in December 2002.

Martins is renowned for his pace on the ball and his somersault celebration whenever he scores.

The 35-year-old won two Coppa Italia, one Serie A title and an Italian Super Cup during his five-year stint with the Nerazzurri.

"From the Youth Sector to the First Team: Obafemi Martins is the protagonist of the first episode of "Inter Roots"," the club tweeted.

He left the Italian giants in 2006 to team up with Premier League club Newcastle United before switching to Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, Birmingham City, Levante, Seattle Sounders and Shanghai Shenhua later in his career.

He is yet to find a new club since he was released by the Chinese Super League club after he suffered a knee injury during an AFC Champions League game in April 2018.

Despite his lengthy absence from competitive football, Martins told Goal he is still thirsty for more goals and silverware.

“After my career-threatening injury in China, many people advised me to quit but I told myself I still have a lot to offer the beautiful game,” he said in an exclusive interview in November.

“Football is my life; I eat, drink and sleep football so I don’t see any reason to call time on something that makes me happy.

“I’m 34 but I feel like a teenager, and with this sensation, I can still play for any big team across the world. I’m thankful for what I have achieved in football but I thirst for more.

“That desire is still there, the desire to score more goals and win more titles. For my next move, I have got offers from the United States, China and Saudi Arabia but I will only move when I see the right bargain.”

Groningen used clips from 'The Last Dance' to inspire Arjen Robben to return to his boyhood club.

It was confirmed on Saturday that Robben had agreed to come out of retirement and sign for the Eredivisie club, where the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich winger came through the ranks in 2000.

Robben retired last year following another Bundesliga-winning season with Bayern, with Groningen failing in a bid to sign him soon after.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, technical director Mark-Jan Fledderus said: "We first went to Munich to speak to him about coming to play for us, just days after he retired in May last year. That didn't happen, but we kept up contact and then arranged secretly with his wife to travel down and talk to him again last month.

"On May 21 I drove to Munich at the invitation of [Robben's wife] Bernadien. We surprised Arjen there. It was a great moment.

"We ordered sushi from their favourite restaurant and we made a compilation of footage from the documentary 'The Last Dance' and footage of Robben. We then said that the best way to help our club was to play football with us."

While Robben is unlikely to reach similar heights to those documented in the series about Michael Jordan and his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98, he is relishing the challenge of returning to Eredivisie action.

"I'm here to help the club," Robben said. "You do that by showing the right attitude. I don't have anything to lose and I'm going into the challenge with a positive attitude and to try to make the best of it.

"I haven't set any goals, it could be over in a month or it could last two years."

On his wife's support for the decision to come out of retirement, he added: "It made the decision a lot easier knowing I had the support of my family. Retiring was the toughest decision of my career, maybe a little forced upon me with all the injuries.

"We decided to stay a year in Munich to enjoy the city and get used to the idea of not playing football. I didn't watch much for about six months and really enjoyed doing other things.

"Eventually the sports lover in you starts to nag and I had been training to run the Rotterdam Marathon before the coronavirus crisis."

Groningen were ninth when the Eredivisie season was brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic. It was later cancelled with no champion declared and no teams relegated. The 2020-21 campaign is expected to begin in September.

Ante Rebic's eighth Serie A goal of 2020 and a late penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu dented Roma's top-four hopes as Milan claimed a 2-0 Serie A win at San Siro.

The Giallorossi were seeking four successive top-flight victories for the first time all season but hot and humid conditions in Milan seemed to sap them of any creativity.

Edin Dzeko missed the target with a close-range header in the first half and the contest was heading for a dour draw until Rebic popped up with the opening goal 14 minutes from time to continue his fine form since the turn of the year.

Theo Hernandez was then tripped in the box by Chris Smalling with two minutes to go, allowing Calhanoglu to make sure of the points with an emphatic penalty.

Both sides were slow to get going but it was Roma who eventually seized some sort of control.

Dzeko really should have scored with a header when unmarked six yards out but he could only flick Justin Kluivert's deflected cross wide.

It was a similar story at the other end when Calhanoglu nodded off target from Hernandez's delivery, with the presence of Antonio Mirante possibly putting the Milan man off.

Milan failed to register a single shot on target in the first half but they twice worked Mirante in quick succession midway through the second period following the introduction of Lucas Paqueta and Alexis Saelemaekers from the bench.

Calhanoglu got behind the Roma defence via a one-two with Saelemaekers but Mirante denied the Turkish midfielder with his legs before pushing away an effort from Paqueta.

A Milan goal did eventually come, though, after Davide Zappacosta gave the ball away to Rebic in his own half.

Mirante saved from Franck Kessie and then diverted Rebic's first attempt onto the post but the in-form forward rifled the rebound into the roof of the net.

Hernandez's driving run then paid off when he reached the ball before Smalling, and Calhanoglu converted his penalty to give Milan breathing space.

What does it mean? Top four a tall order for Roma

Fonseca's side still have Atalanta in their sights but the team currently occupying fourth won their fifth league match in a row by beating title contenders Lazio on Thursday.

Roma can therefore not afford any slip-ups, and this was a damaging result for their Champions League aspirations as they failed to close the gap to three points.

Rebic finds a way through

Chances were few and far between in this one and, though he squandered the first opportunity that came his way, Rebic made amends with the rebound.

After a slow start to life at San Siro, the former Eintracht Frankfurt star has come alive and has scored eight of their 18 Serie A goals – 44 per cent - in 2020.

Oh no, Dzeko

While Rebic was ruthless with his finishing, Dzeko was unusually wasteful when opportunity knocked early on.

The ex-Manchester City striker has scored four times against Milan in Serie A but he failed to make that five on an afternoon when he won only a third of his aerial duels and was taken off.

What's next?

Milan have a midweek trip to SPAL before visiting Lazio while Roma host Udinese on Thursday prior to a trip to Napoli on Sunday.

Former Germany and Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez says he will probably retire after helping Stuttgart earn promotion back to Bundesliga.

Stuttgart’s immediate return to the German top flight was confirmed on Sunday despite a 3-1 home defeat to Darmstadt in their final game of the season, with Heidenheim’s loss to champions Arimina Bielefeld meaning Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side finished runners-up.

Gomez was Stuttgart’s scorer in Sunday’s defeat to take his total for the season to seven in 24 appearances. The 34-year-old is in his second spell at the Mercedes-Benz Arena having returned to his boyhood club in January 2018.

After suffering the ignominy of relegation last season, Gomez said he wanted to help the team back into the top flight before he left. With that mission now accomplished, the striker admits he is now ready to bring his playing career to a close.

"It was my absolute goal to say goodbye here as a first division player,” Gomez told SID.

"I was sure at the beginning of the season that we will go up. So I decided that this will be my last year at Stuttgart, in Germany and probably as a football player.”

Stuttgart Sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger says he is ready to offer Gomez a coaching role at the club should the former Germany international decide to end his playing career.

"I think we owe it to him as an club and I would be glad if someone with his experience and charisma helped Stuttgart again,” said the former Aston Villa midfielder.

Gomez is a firm favourite among Stuttgart fans thanks to a hugely successful five-year spell at the club at the start of his career.

He scored 87 goals in 156 appearances, helping the club win the Bundesliga title for the fifth time in the club’s history in 2006-07 and be named German Footballer of the Year.

His goalscoring exploits earned him a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2009, where he would win seven major trophies including two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2013. He left Bayern for Fiorentina in the summer of 2013 and would also play for Beskitas and Wolfsburg before returning to Stuttgart.

Gomez also scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the German national team, representing Die Mannschaft at two World Cups and three European Championships.

Former Cameroon defender Lucien Mettomo has revealed that fallen Cameroon legend Marc-Vivien Foe “felt a little tired” on the eve of the fateful 2003 Fifa Confederations Cup match against Colombia.

Foe collapsed and died of heart failure during the semi-final encounter against the South Americans at Stade de Gerland in Lyon on June 26, 2003.

Mettomo who was also Foe’s teammate at Manchester City shared a room with the late midfielder at the Saint-Etienne hotel where Cameroon stayed.

“We were in Saint-Etienne, and Marc felt a little tired, he had a stomach bug, but nothing really to be worried about,” Mettomo told Radio Sport Info.

“Besides, during the day he trained normally, he went to the massage room, all that is most normal. He always had his plate of fruit close at hand.

"The morning of the match I woke up earlier than him, I went to have breakfast, he went to see the physiotherapist directly and we found ourselves at lunchtime.

“After the meal, we returned to our room. I fell asleep a little and it was he who woke me up to tell me that it was time to meet the others for the stadium. While he was dressing up, I packed our things in the bag that we both shared.

“And when we left [the hotel], he says to me ‘Lucien, today is the match of death, if someone has to die, it is today.’

"At the time, nothing special because he simply wanted to say that this semi-final against Colombia was the moment to make an impression on the world level as we wished.

“But with hindsight and the years that followed, I tell myself that this statement sounded like a premonition.”

It was a statement Foe was to repeat on the team bus on their way to Stade de Gerland and said it again at half-time in the dressing room.

Cameroon took the lead nine minutes into the match through Pius N’Diefi and Foe was shown a yellow card on 23 minutes.

“[The match was going] pretty good since we lead 1-0 at the break. In the dressing room, we had to settle the debate on the marking of a Colombian striker who moved a lot,” continued Mettomo.

“Rigo [Rigobert Song] wanted an individual marking and I wanted us to play in zone marking. Marco settled the debate by asking Rigo to man-mark the Colombian. I had to stay on the cover.

“After that, he [Foe] got up and called out to all the other players about the fact that we had 45 minutes left to write history and that if someone had to die on the stadium, well, it should happen.”

Four minutes after Bill Tchato was red-carded, tragedy then struck in the 73rd minute as the Indomitable Lions were trying to defend their lead with 10 men.

Foe fell to the ground and never stood up again.

“It’s Eric Djemba [Djemba] who tells us that Marco is down. Doctors came onto the pitch and carried him out. At this point, we do not measure the gravity of what has just happened,” Mettomo added.

“When the match ended, it was the euphoria of qualifying for the final. ...but the physical trainer tells us that Marco had a problem. So I decided to go to the treatment room and on my way, I met Salomon Olembe in tears like the doctor of Olympique Lyonnais at the time. I saw the body of Marco lying, lifeless.”

Cameroon had defied their numerical disadvantage to hold on and claim victory and stormed into the final where they faced hosts France.

Then-Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer is said to have intended to substitute Foe a few minutes before he collapsed after noticing that the player appeared fatigued.

Back at the hotel, emotions got the better of a traumatised Mettomo who could not take it in that his close friend had died.

“[The return to Saint Etienne was] very heavy. I remember that when I got back to the hotel room, the most painful moment was when I opened the bag I shared with Marc-Vivien and I had to unpack his things,” said Mettomo.

“I left the door open and it was Joel Epalle who was passing by who came in and asked me what's going on. I'll tell him ‘Joel I'm waiting for Marco.’ This answer pushed Joel and he went to alert the staff that I had a problem.”

Psychologically devastated, both the Indomitable Lions and France contemplated skipping the Confederations Cup final but Foe’s widow Marie Louise convinced them to fulfil the fixture.

The death of Foe attracted global sympathy and Cameroon went on to lose the emotional final 1-0 after an extra-time golden goal from Thierry Henry.

Manchester City are set to sign teenage Juventus forward Pablo Moreno in a swap deal which will see Felix Correia move in the opposite direction.

Goal can confirm that Spain Under-18 international Moreno is due to have a medical in Manchester on Monday ahead of signing a four-year contract.

Moreno joined Juventus from Barcelona's La Masia academy as a 16-year-old having scored over 200 goals for the Blaugrana's age-group sides, but has yet to play for the Italian champions.

He has, however, continued to impress in Turin and was expected to push for a place in Maurizio Sarri's first-team squad.

Former boss Massimiliano Allegri named the 18-year-old forward among the substitutes for a Serie A clash with Genoa last season, though that remains his only involvement with the senior team.

Moreno is now expected to complete his move to City this week, with Portugal U19 international Correia to depart for Turin.

Correia, 19, joined City from Sporting C.P. in 2019 and has spent the campaign on loan at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Correia has made 23 appearances for AZ's U21 side, contributing three goals and five assists this season.

Moreno, who in April was named on Goal's NxGn list of the top 50 teenage footballers on the planet, could also potentially also go out on loan next season to gain playing experience.

Barca had wanted to keep the youngster, who can play anywhere across the forward line or as an attacking midfeilder, before his switch to Juventus in July 2018 in a deal worth a reported fee of approximately €700,000.

During his four years at La Masia he broke a number of goalscoring records. In his first season with the Alevin A, or U12s, he scored 72 goals in 27 matches. He backed that up with 41 goals the next year, 66 the year after that and a further 34 in what proved to be his final season with Barca.

So impressive were his performances that he earned a call-up to Spain's U16s squad at the age of just 14.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria U19 international Filip Krastev is also expected to join City from Slavia Sofia.

The Bulgarian side said in a statement that the 18-year-old agreed terms with City after passing a medical.

Krastev, 18, is expected to sent out on loan, with Belgian club Lommel - who were recently added to the City Football Group - a possible destination.

U.S. Under-20 men's national team star Konrad de la Fuente has signed a new deal with Barcelona as he commits his future to the Spanish giants.

De la Fuente's new deal will run through 2022 - including the option of a further two years - with the winger set to make the permanent leap to Barcelona B next season, having started this season with the U-19s.

The 18-year-old winger has played five games with Barca B so far, scoring one goal - a stoppage-time game-winner in a February win over AE Prat.

De La Fuente and Barca B could be playing in the Spanish second division next season if the club secures promotion from the third tier in July.

Under the terms of the new deal, De la Fuente will have a release clause of €50 million ($57m/£45.5m) while he remains with Barca B, with that fee rising to €100 million ($114m/£91m) if he makes the leap up to the first team.

Konrad signed his new contract at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, alongside Barca B director Xavier Vilajoana and technical secretary Eric Abidal.

"I am very happy to continue in the best club in the world," the winger said in a statement. "It has always been my dream to play in the first team and that is why I want to stay here to try to achieve it.

"The first objective now is to move up with Barca B to Segunda A."

The news comes in the wake of links to a move away from Barcelona, with the winger heavily linked with a move to Hertha Berlin earlier this year.

De la Fuente, who was born in Miami to Haitian parents, joined La Masia in 2014 and has risen through the club's youth ranks in recent seasons.

The 18-year-old was the second-youngest member of the U.S. U-20 team that participated in the U-20 World Cup in 2019, where he played alongside players like Sergino Dest, Timothy Weah and Ulysses Llanez.

In the end, the U.S. fell to Ecuador in the quarter-final round following a round of 16 victory over highly-favoured France, with De la Fuente starting all five matches in the tournament.

Ross Barkley came off the bench to secure Chelsea a 1-0 victory at Leicester City and take Frank Lampard's side into the FA Cup semi-finals.

Lampard made three substitutions after an underwhelming first-half display and they changed the game for the Blues, with Barkley – one of those introduced – getting the decisive goal.

Leicester looked the better side in the opening period and appeared to have greater control of proceedings, though their final pass did not match up to promising build-up play.

Chelsea produced a marked improvement in the second half after Lampard tinkered with his team and Barkley ended the deadlock with a smart finish in the 63rd minute, earning his team a place alongside Manchester United and Arsenal in the last four.

Chelsea were guilty of a sloppy start, but Leicester lacked ruthlessness and did not call Willy Caballero into action until the 20th minute when Youri Tielemans saw his 20-yard effort turned wide.

Lampard's men had another couple of escapes soon after, as Harvey Barnes blazed high and wide before Jonny Evans failed to direct a free header on target from a free-kick.

But Leicester had to rely on Kasper Schmeichel to avoid going behind in the 30th minute, the Danish goalkeeper producing a fine reaction save to deny Christian Pulisic.

A seemingly unimpressed Lampard made three alterations at half-time and it led to an improvement – Tammy Abraham finding the net in the 55th minute, only for celebrations to be cut short by an offside flag.

A Ben Chilwell cross hit the crossbar at the other end, but that was a momentary lapse in Chelsea's second-half domination and they deservedly went ahead just past the hour – half-time substitute Barkley expertly turning in Willian's low cross.

The Blues should have finished Leicester off on the break in the 89th minute, but Barkley's initial pass to Ruben Loftus-Cheek was poor and when the ball was returned to him the former Everton midfielder's shot was saved in unorthodox fashion by Schmeichel.

It had no impact on the result, however, as Chelsea head to Wembley.

What does it mean? Chelsea's depth serves them well

Few would have taken issue with Lampard's starting XI. After all, the three players taken off at half-time – Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Reece James – are all fine prospects.

However, when it was not working out, Lampard was able to turn to the likes of Barkley and Mateo Kovacic on the bench, and both were very bright after coming on.

Where there's a Willian, there's a way

His days at Stamford Bridge may be limited, but Willian proved that he certainly still has his uses. Not only did he set up Barkley's winner, he exhibited his hard-working nature with a match-high five tackles.

Mount and Gilmour hooked

Chelsea endured a very poor first half and the performances of their midfielders appeared to contribute to that. Mount struggled to really influence matters in attack, while Gilmour was guilty of a few wayward passes that put his team in real trouble. It was not a surprise to see them both withdrawn at the break.

Key Opta Facts

- Leicester have now lost each of their past five quarter-final matches in the FA Cup – with each of the previous three being against Chelsea (also 2012 and 2018).
- Chelsea have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for a 10th time in the 21st century, a joint-high in this time along with Arsenal (also 10 when including 2020).
- Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers remains winless in all 15 of his meetings with Chelsea as a manager (D8 L7), the most he has faced a single opponent without winning.
- This was the first time Leicester had conceded a goal in this season's FA Cup, making them the last of the 123 sides to participate in the competition proper in 2019-20 to concede a goal.
- Since his competition debut in January 2014, Willian has been directly involved in 17 FA Cup goals (11 goals, six assists) – at least six more than any other Chelsea player in this time.

What's next?

Leicester go to Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday, while Chelsea face London rivals West Ham the same day.