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Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has called on Kenyan goalkeeper Farouk Shikalo to be patient as he strives to make the starting XI.

The former Bandari custodian is yet to start a game in the Mainland Premier League since the top-flight restarted on June 13, with the Belgian coach preferring Metacha Mnata in that position.

The Belgian tactician has now urged the Harambee Stars keeper to keep fighting hard in training and wait for his chance, saying he does not have any bad feelings towards the player.

“If you watched our game against Azam FC, my keeper Metacha [Mnata] played very well, and he as always been fantastic in the position, so Shikalo must wait for his time,” Eymael told Goal on Monday.

"I told him last week he has to wait for his chance and when the chance comes, he has to take it with both hands, it is that simple,

“I like him [Shikalo], he is working very hard during training sessions but how can you change your goalkeeper, when he is doing very well?

“[Mnata] has shown how good he is and for a coach, you don’t change a top player just because you have another one on the bench, but always keep him in your squad.

"I am not against Shikalo playing, he is a good keeper too but must wait for his time, I know his time will come.”

Since joining the Jangwani Street-based giants, Shikalo has remained an understudy to Mnata and has rarely started in league matches.

Meanwhile, Eymael has confirmed captain Papy Tshishimbi will miss their next league match against Ndanda FC owing to injury.

The towering defender has already missed the first three matches since the top-flight restarted on June 13 after President John Pombe Magufuli gave the green light for all sporting activities to resume in the country.

Tshishimbi missed the 1-0 win against Mwadui FC in Shinyanga, the 1-1 draw against JKT Tanzania in Dodoma, and their 0-0 result against Azam FC at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

“[Tshishimbi] will miss the next two matches because he is yet to recover fully from injury,” Eymael told Goal on Monday.

“We don’t want to rush him, we want him to heal properly to avoid him coming back to action and then returning to the treatment table, our doctors are monitoring his situation very closely and from what I have been told, he will be out for the next two matches.”

After the 0-0 draw against Azam FC at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday, Yanga will remain third with 56 points as the ‘Ice Cream Makers’ maintain the second spot, with 58 points, after 30 matches.

With speculation mounting on Bidvest Wits defender Thulani Hlatshwayo's move to Orlando Pirates, former Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund believes the 30-year-old can add value at the Soweto giants.

Hlatshwayo’s future has been a subject of speculation in the past few weeks, just after the Clever Boys were sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), and coach Jozef Zinnbauer’s men are said to be the frontrunners for his signature.

The four-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) winner says this is a perfect opportunity for the Buccaneers to sign the lanky defender as he will also bring stability whilst helping skipper Happy Jele.  

“I think he can bring a lot to any team, there’s no doubt about his qualities. He’s a leader, a team player, and a good footballer in general,” Igesund told Goal.

“He’s an international player and the current captain of Bafana Bafana. He has grown over the years and he will definitely help Pirates should they sign him.

“He is disciplined, he works very hard and he’s a good team player. He is someone that can bring inspiration to those around him. Yeah, I think he’s a player that can really do well for Pirates if they go ahead and eventually sign him.”

On the fact that the former Ajax Cape Town defender has chipped in with crucial goals or Gavin Hunt’s side, ‘GI’ is confident that a player like Hlatshwayo will help in many aspects at Pirates.

“He is doing well aerially, he can go up front and score vital goals for the club,” added the coach.

“He does well for Wits because they are a team that can capitalize or plan around set-piece or corner kicks. I think that’s another good quality of Thulani. He has a strong aerial presence both in defending and attacking.

“I think to have a solid goalkeeper and defender like Thulani can be good for Pirates. Players like Happy [Jele] can definitely benefit from a signing like Thulani. They can challenge for trophies when they sign him.”

Meanwhile, the Soweto giants are also linked to midfielder Thabang Monare, left-back Sifiso Hlanti as well as winger Deon Hotto from the Braamfontein-based outfit.

Mikel Arteta has been warned by Arsenal cult hero Perry Groves that handing a contract extension to David Luiz will see him come under unnecessary pressure as supporters start to “lose faith”.

As things stand, an experienced Brazilian defender is due to drop into the free agent pool this summer.

When crossing London from Chelsea in the summer of 2019, the South American centre-half only committed to a 12-month deal.

That agreement does include a clause that the Gunners can trigger to keep Luiz on their books for another season.

Those at Emirates Stadium are currently mulling over whether or not to take up that option.

Groves feels there is an easy decision to make, with Luiz having returned to Premier League action off the bench against Manchester City with a costly, error-strewn performance.

The South American made a mess of trying to clear his lines in that contest as Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock, before then conceding a penalty and being shown a red card.

Arteta is now being urged to move on quickly from Arsenal’s experiment with Luiz and keep fans onside by allowing an enigmatic figure to head through the exits.

“He’s 33 now and keeps making the same mistakes,” former Gunners midfielder Groves told talkSPORT.

“He can play one brilliant game in six where you think what a player he is, pinging it 60, 70 yards, getting in front of the centre-forward and nicking it.

“But then another three or four of those games, he’ll make a ricket or he won’t concentrate.

“If Arteta signs David Luiz, Arteta will come under pressure from Arsenal fans.

“They will lose faith in Arteta because it’s blatantly obvious that he [Luiz] is always going to cause you problems.

“Arteta wants to play a back four, he wants to play a high line, he wants to play a pressing game and David Luiz can’t do that.”

Luiz, who arrived in north London claiming that he could help to get Arsenal back on the trophy trail, has taken in 33 appearances across all competitions this season.

It may be that he is not seen again in 2019-20, with a suspension now set to be served before potentially moving on to pastures new.

Busoga United acquired the use of its name from the Registrar of Companies in the right manner, the club's chairperson Diana Nyoga has stated.

The Busoga Kingdom wrote to the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa), withdrawing the use of the name by the club, but Nyago says they followed all the procedures in the acquisition of the name.

“We followed the correct procedure of acquiring that name [Busoga United], through the Registrar of Companies, which the office advised that we seek authorization from the kingdom as per the rule against the use of traditional organization names,” Nyago told Football256.

“The kingdom gave us a letter of no objection to the cause, and that’s how we acquired the name for the club.

“So, in any case to the contrary, the same procedure has to be followed which is, unfortunately, heading into a legal battle.” 

The protracted tussle between the club and the kingdom comes a few days after Nyago claimed Busoga Kingdom Sports Minister Amin Bbosa had not been authorised by the club to attend Fufa's consultative meeting in the previous week.

“Fufa should come out and outline how the people who represented Busoga United are known in the club’s structures and they represented the club in what capacity,” she added.

“[Amin] Bbosa has no business whatsoever to represent the club irrespective of his position in the kingdom, which I respect. He is not an official at the club, that’s the truth and it doesn’t call for war."

The move taken by the Busoga Kingdom meant, Kyabazinga, King William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV, ceased to be the club's patron. Adamant Nyago says credible evidence has to be presented by the kingdom as to why they are opposed to the club's use of the name.

“The person who signed the letter of no objection for us to use the Kingdom name will have to present very genuine reasons for the Registrar of Companies on why it should be changed now,” she concluded.

“Writing to Fufa is wrong because it was just at the receiving end of what name we presented to them as a club, they were not involved in the process, so why involve them in the name change process.”

Busoga United was initially called Kirinya Jinja SS and were promoted to the Premier League six seasons ago.

Kenya international Joseph Okumu has explained he is not focused on taking the Harambee Stars armband from Victor Wanyama.

The towering defender, who has so far managed nine appearances, has been touted by many as the best replacement for Wanyama when he decides to quit playing for the Kenyan national team.

Okumu has the experience to captain the team having led Kenya’s U23 side and also Chemelil Sugar, where he started his playing career in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

However, Okumu has now clarified his intention, saying he does not want to take away the armband from the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder but to always help Harambee Stars perform well in matches.

“My main focus is not to have the armband but just represent the nation to the best of my ability,” Okumu is quoted by Standard Sports.

“However, if an opportunity arises for me to lead the team then why not? But it will not be new to me because I had the same role at the U23 team.”

Okumu, who currently turns out for IF Elfsborg in Sweden, was among the players who shone for Kenya as they took part in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals held in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Okumu was in action for IF Elfsborg as they restarted the Sweden top-tier with a 1-0 win against IFK Goteborg and was also involved in a 2-2 draw against visiting Hammarby.

“It feels amazing to have started the season with a win. The team is in good spirits and we are working on getting the maximum points in our next match [Helsingborg],” Okumu explained on getting playing time in the Swedish league.

“But I expect to get as many playing minutes as possible and help the club achieve its goals as I develop myself too.”

On whether he has coped well in Sweden, Okumu said: “I have adapted to life here and I’m having a decent time despite the issues to deal with Covid-19. I have also had a good relationship with club manager Bo Jimmy Thelin and he is an amazing coach to work with.”

Okumu started his career with Green Commandoes, then joined KPL side Chemelil Sugar where he left to sign for Free State Stars in South Africa, and after that, he played for AFC Ann Arbor and Real Monarchs FC, both in the USA, before he sealed the transfer to Elfsborg in 2019.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has revealed captain Papy Tshishimbi will miss the next two matches in the Mainland Premier League.

The towering defender has already missed the first three matches since the top-flight restarted on June 13 after President John Pombe Magufuli gave the green light for all sporting activities to resume in the country.

Tshishimbi missed the 1-0 win against Mwadui FC in Shinyanga, the 1-1 draw against JKT Tanzania in Dodoma, and their 0-0 result against Azam FC at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

The Belgian coach has exclusively told Goal the skipper will miss the next two matches as well, starting with Namungo FC on Tuesday.

“[Tshishimbi] will miss the next two matches because he is yet to recover fully from injury,” Eymael told Goal on Monday.

“We don’t want to rush him, we want him to heal properly to avoid him coming back to action and then returning to the treatment table, our doctors are monitoring his situation very closely and from what I have been told, he will be out for the next two matches.”

Asked whether he has missed the players’ presence in the past three matches, Eymael explained: “I don’t want to comment on that, no comment.”

On Sunday, Eymael hit out at his strikers for wasting scoring chances, something he said denied them the chance to beat Azam and move to the second spot on the 20-team league table.

“I am disappointed with all my strikers,” Eymael told Goal after the match.

“We created chances after chances, but we don’t finish the chances we create, if we don’t score that is a big problem, 30 crosses and we cannot find the back of the net? I think that is a big problem.

“Our biggest problem currently is we are not scoring, that is the biggest problem we have, it is that simple, we are not scoring goals despite creating chances and something must be done urgently before we play our next match.

“I cannot change the players [strikers] now, I can only ask them to rectify the mistakes in training like we keep doing, we must think about scoring and the strikers must stand up now and be counted, they should get their scoring boots back, I don’t need to shout at them but they should know what they are supposed to do.”

Yanga will remain third with 56 points as Azam maintain the second spot, with 58 points, after 30 matches.

Benjamin Mendy brings "a special quality" to Manchester City, according to Pep Guardiola, who is hoping the French left-back can maintain full fitness after his impressive display against Arsenal.

City forked out £52 million ($64m) to lure Mendy to Etihad Stadium from Monaco in the summer of 2017, after watching him emerge as one of the brightest young talents in Europe at Stade Louis II.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to reach his full potential in Manchester due to a string of serious injuries, limiting him to just 47 appearances in all competitions over the past three seasons. 24 of those outings have come in 2019-20, but Guardiola had still been unable to rely on the France international prior to the coronavirus-enforced break in the campaign.

Mendy benefitted from two months in lockdown to get himself back into peak condition, and returned with a point to prove against Arsenal on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes of City's 3-0 victory, producing an assured display in defence which helped to keep the Gunners quiet going forward.

Guardiola could stick with Mendy for his side's next fixture against Burnley on Monday, but he is reluctant to get carried away with the full-back's latest display.

Asked if the former Monaco star can play a key role in City's squad over the next few weeks, Guardiola told a pre-match press conference: “It’s our wish and his wish. He has a special quality with his energy. He came back so fit but it’s one game. Hopefully, he can play regularly.

“He’s a guy who missed a lot. Fabian Delph and Oleksandr (Zinchenko) and Danilo helped us a lot (when Mendy was out). I think it's so important to have him, but we have to wait, it’s just one game.

“The quality for Benjamin is to go outside, but Mendy is also learning to go inside too. It’s about being fit.

“He loves playing football. He plays without pressure – he’s a guy who handles pressure really well. But we could not count on him for two years, it’s a long time.”

After playing host to Burnley, City will turn their attention to a huge meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, which could have a huge bearing on the top-four race.

Antonio Conte wants to see Christian Eriksen become "more decisive" after the midfielder helped Inter to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria.

Eriksen set up Romelu Lukaku's opener and Lautaro Martinez also scored as Inter moved within six points of Serie A leaders Juventus with their victory at San Siro on Sunday.

Morten Thorsby pulled a goal back for Sampdoria during the second half, but Inter secured three points.

Eriksen had a game-high five shots and four key passes, but Inter head coach Conte wants more from the midfielder.

"We had the chance to work with him. We had the time to improve from both physical and tactical point of view," Conte told a news conference.

"Nowadays he fits our project but he needs to be more decisive because he had many chances to score and he must score.

"But I am pleased the way he played, as the team, because we are going to play again in three days and those three points will be decisive for us."

Eriksen has scored two goals and provided as many assists in 10 games for Inter this season, having arrived from Tottenham in January.

The Danish international himself believes he has not produced his best form since joining Inter, but is eyeing further improvement after impressing in the win over Sampdoria.

The former Tottenham star has struggled since leaving the Premier League club for Inter in January, however, Eriksen has looked better since the coronavirus-enforced break, after scoring in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg defeat against Napoli last time out.

Reflecting on his display as Inter moved within six points of Serie A leaders Juventus, the Denmark international told Sky: "I don't think that you've seen the true Eriksen.

"I can improve further and I hope to score more, I did so against Napoli but it didn't help the team so it doesn't matter for me and it was just a lucky effort. I had a few chances tonight and perhaps I rushed the strikes too much and I'll look to do better in the future."

He added: "Things keep getting better, I think it was the right decision to come here. I've been welcomed very well with a lot of warmth from both the fans and my team-mates.

"I'm proud to be here and of the fact that Inter wanted me. I'm disappointed to not experience the atmosphere put on by the fans at the stadium but things are going very well with everyone.

"In the first half, there was lots of space and I benefited from that before Sampdoria closed up in the second and I wasn't able to have the impact that I'd have liked."

Inter host Sassuolo as they return to Serie A action on Wednesday.

The impact of Coronavirus in football has been unprecedented, shutting the game down all over the globe with leagues suspended and players and coaches left in a limbo. The case has been the same with India as well.

Though, thankfully, the domestic season was almost complete when the pandemic ended live football. However, the national team did suffer with their joint 2022 World Cup-2023 Asian Cup qualifying matches in March cancelled.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has now put out new dates for those matches, with India set to take on Qatar, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in October and November later this year.

However, the impact of Covid-19 has been different in each country and it could have an effect on the teams' preparations for the qualifiers. For example, the cases seem to have come relatively under control in Qatar while the count has kept on increasing steadily in India and Bangladesh.

As of Sunday night, Qatar has had more than 87000 positive cases of Covid-19 (more than 30000 cases per million) but the rate has come down, prompting the government to ease the restrictions. As such, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) has already started preparations to resume the league which was halted by the pandemic.

India, on the other hand, is still reeling under the increasing number of cases. The number of positive cases have already crossed the 400000 mark and is steadily rising. There is no sign of the curve flattening in the near future with most of the metropolitan cities overwhelmed by the crisis.

Bangladesh is also in a similar plight. They have more than 110000 cases, large for a country their size. For example, India has almost 309 positive cases per million while the figure is almost double (682) for Bangladesh.

Afghanistan have also been affected with more than 28000 cases, amounting to about 741 cases per million.

It looks highly uncertain that live football, or even training, might be possible in India and Bangladesh, or for that matter even Afghanistan, in the near future. In fact, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) have not been able to take a decision on when domestic football could restart, despite the pleas of players and coaches.

Bangladesh's State Minister for Youth and Sports, Zahid Ahsan Russel, recently stated that it would not be possible to announce the timetable of the beginning domestic sports due to the crisis.

On the other hand, the relative abatement of the crisis in Qatar means that their league is set to restart on July 24, 2020. The Qatar Stars League (QSL) teams have already started training from June 10 after the authorities set out safety guidelines. The players and officials are set to undergo Coronavirus tests again in the coming week.

Qatar are aiming to complete their season by August 26, with the remaining rounds of the QSL set to be held at three stadiums having cooling technology - the newly launched Education City, Al Janoub and Jassim bin Hamad.

For India, the start of the new season is very much uncertain. It should ideally start in October or November but given the current scenario, it is unlikely that teams and players will get a proper pre-season by that time to regain their match fitness. The start of the new season is also uncertain and could be pushed back if the crisis worsens.

What this means for India is that by the time the World Cup qualifiers rolls along in October and November, Qatari players could be well ahead of their Indian counterparts in terms of match fitness. Whether India can actually hold a training camp or make adequate preparations for the qualifiers is also uncertain, given the travel restrictions and other limitations.

It could be that Bangladeshi and Afghani players' plight might be similar to the Indians. Though India's chances to qualify for the World Cup is over, they need to finish as high as possible to confirm their spot in the 2023 Asian Cup third round qualifiers. Else, they will have to play a play-off.

As such, every result, even against Qatar whom the Blue Tigers held to a draw away from home, will be important. India are currently fourth on the table with just three points from four games and need to finish third in order to confirm their spot in the third round of Asian Cup qualifiers.

The game against Qatar is set for October 8 at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar. However, Indian players have not trained outdoors since February and will need at least four-to-five weeks of preparation. It remains to be seen what the quarantine rules for each state will be for people moving from other states and whether it will apply to players coming in to take part in a training camp.

It is not easy in the current scenario and poses a lot of challenges to the authorities. Everything hinges on how the Coronavirus crisis plays out in the next few months.

Penn Orji career in India started as a teenager with JCT FC in 2009 and he was an instant success at the club. The Nigerian midfielder is forever grateful to the Punjabi club for giving him the opportunity to kick-start his career.

Reminiscing fond memories from his JCT days, Orji told Goal, “JCT is the club which gave me the opportunity to start my career in the top flight of Indian football. I have some lovely memories there. The Punjab culture is different from West Bengal and other places where I have played.

“I felt at home there and the support from the coach and the players were tremendous. After just one month into the league, I was handed the captain’s armband. I gave my all for the team and was ready to put my life on the line for them.”

Orji was all praise for his former coach at JCT, the legendary Sukhwinder Singh, who played a key role in churcning out talent from Punjab. The crafty midfielder hailed the Punjabi for the work he did at the club and for giving him enough opportunities.

“That season we did a very good job. Coach Sukhwinder (Singh) did a very good job. Sometimes when I tell people about him, I say he is more than a coach, he is like a father. He is a monk. The man really kept the team together,” said the former East Bengal player.

Harping further on the quality of that team, Orji said, “JCT was the team who sold the most number of players the next season than any other team. I remember the entire starting eleven were contacted by other clubs. Four of us left the club to join East Bengal. That just shows how good the team was. I had one of the most precious memories from India at JCT.”

With the Coronavirus pandemic forcing clubs to alter their plans for pre-season, online video calls have become the go-to tool for coaches to get their message across to the players. 

Kochi-based Indian Super League (ISL) club Kerala Blasters have taken the online route to prepare the players until the situation allows them to train together. 

It has been learnt that Kibu Vicuna, who joined as head coach a few months ago, has been conducting weekly online meetings via Zoom to address his players. Through the calls, the coach has been discussing his methods and tactics and how he wants to shape the team for next season. 

These calls are scheduled on every Thursday.

Additionally, Paulius Ragauskas, the Lithuanian fitness coach who was also part of Vicuna's staff at Mohun Bagan, has been instructing the players on how to go about their fitness routines. The players are being given individual notes so that when the pre-season finally gets underway, everyone turns up fit and ready to go. 

After finishing outside the top four in the last three seasons, Blasters will be hoping to improve their performances under the new leadership. As part of a structural revamp, the club had appointed Lithuanian Karolis Skinkys as the sporting director who will play a major role in making football-related decisions at the club. 

The club has also wrapped up deals for multiple Indian players including GIvson Singh, Ritwick Das, Prabhsukhan Gill, Albino Gomes and many more. They have also made a big signing in 22-year-old full-back Nishu Kumar who joined the club from Bengaluru FC. 

Christian Eriksen believes his decision to leave Tottenham for Inter was the right one as he continues to adapt to life in Serie A. 

The 28-year-old claimed the assist for Romelu Lukaku's opener on Sunday as Nerazzurri claimed a 2-1 win against Sampdoria to keep their slim Scudetto hopes alive.

Eriksen also found the back of the net last time out in a Coppa Italia clash against Napoli with the Denmark international proving a worthy addition to Antonio Conte's side. 

After seemingly falling out with Spurs, Eriksen believes his decision to join Inter has been justified since his arrival. 

“Things keep getting better, I think it was the right decision to come here," Eriksen told Sky via Inter's official website.

"I’ve been welcomed very well with a lot of warmth from both the fans and my teammates. I’m proud to be here and of the fact that Inter wanted me.

"I’m disappointed to not experience the atmosphere put on by the fans at the stadium but things are going very well with everyone."

Eriksen was initially criticised after his first few appearances for Inter with Paolo Di Canio claiming he would become a problem for Conte. 

But while the Dane himself admits he's yet to perform at his best, Eriksen is adamant he can make a difference at Inter. 

"In the first half, there was lots of space and I benefited from that before Sampdoria closed up in the second and I wasn’t able to have the impact that I’d have liked," he said. 

"I don’t think that you’ve seen the true Eriksen. I can improve further and I hope to score more, I did so against Napoli but it didn’t help the team so it doesn’t matter for me and it was just a lucky effort.

"I had a few chances tonight and perhaps I rushed the strikes too much and I’ll look to do better in the future."

Conte himself recently backed Eriksen to give Inter's title hopes a boost having adapted to the Nerazzurri's style of play. 

"I think he's now found his feet and fully settled here," Conte said of Eriksen. "We are always trying and working on solutions to get the best out of the qualities of the players in the squad.

"I am pleased with how we have worked over this period." 

Thibaut Courtois backed the decision to rule out Adnan Januzaj's effort in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, insisting his line of sight was affected.

Januzaj appeared to have cancelled out Sergio Ramos' penalty in the second half, but his strike was ruled out after Mikel Merino was adjudged to be offside.

Karim Benzema doubled Madrid's lead moments later after a VAR check for a possible handball, and Zinedine Zidane's men held on despite Merino's late strike on Sunday.

Courtois, whose Madrid moved top of the La Liga table, insisted his line of sight was impacted for Januzaj's strike.

"When he shot there were three people in my line, Merino, another from Real and one of us who was covering the shot," the Madrid goalkeeper said, via the club's website.

"I didn't see anything and in the end if you don't see the ball and it goes by so fast it won't give you time to react. It is an offside position.

"It may be right or not, but it prevents seeing it. That is what the VAR is for and I think the decisions have been clear."

With eight La Liga games remaining, Madrid moved above rivals Barcelona thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

Courtois was happy to collect three points, saying: "The key was to win. We know that it is always difficult to play here. It is a great team that fights to enter Europe."

Madrid are in action again with a home clash against Real Mallorca on Wednesday.

Zidane expressed his annoyance at full-time after being asked about how the refereeing decisions affected the game against Real Sociedad. 

"What bothers me is that in the end we only talk about the referees, it seems that we have not done anything on the field," the Madrid head coach told a news conference. 

"But we are not going to control the controversy. We won on the field and I think the victory is deserved."There is a penalty and I think that for the goal, Karim touches it with his shoulder.

"These are things of the referee and as always I do not get involved, he does his job and nothing else. I have to respect these things and think only about what we did.

"It is a deserved victory, which is the most important thing for us."

Antonio Conte has stressed that Inter are still in the hunt for the Scudetto, insisting his side hope to "achieve something extraordinary" in Serie A.

Inter – third in the standings – returned to league action following the coronavirus-enforced break with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez were on target in a brilliant first half, both players capping fine team moves as Inter regrouped from their Coppa Italia semi-final exit at the hands of Napoli.

Conte's Inter are six points behind leaders Juventus through 26 games, and five adrift of Lazio in the race for silverware in Italy.

"This evening, we had no choice but to get the victory so we could close the gap to six points," head coach Conte said in a news conference.

"We fuel the hope that we can achieve something extraordinary. It's true that we could've sealed it earlier by making more of our chances, but instead we conceded at the first Samp attempt and got a little anxious. It was a good performance, anyway.

"I repeat, it's not a fitness issue, but when we have scoring opportunities and do not take them, which also happened in the Coppa Italia with Napoli, all it takes is one lucky ricochet and it's all up for grabs again.

"I hope these games will help us realise we must kill – in a sporting sense – the opponent and kill the game when we have the chance."

Inter next meet Sassuolo on Wednesday and Conte stressed his side can't afford to take any game lightly. 

"We're six points off the top with 12 rounds to go," he said. "There's no margin for error, whereas Lazio and Juventus can have the odd mistake and get away with it.

"This is why need that ferocity in front of goal, because with a strong lead, we can then relax on the ball."

Following their clash against Sassuolo, who sit 12th in Serie A, Inter then travel to Parma with even tougher fixtures against Roma and Napoli to come in July. 

Lukaku believes every game is now "life or death" for Inter as they look to end the season with some silverware. 

Zinedine Zidane hit out at constant talk about refereeing decisions after Real Madrid moved top of La Liga with a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Sergio Ramos' penalty, for a foul on Vinicius Junior, put Madrid ahead before Adnan Januzaj had an effort ruled out for offside.

Moments later, Karim Benzema doubled Madrid's lead after a VAR check for a possible handball and Zidane's men held on despite Mikel Merino's late strike.

Zidane is tired of all the talk about referees, saying his side deserved their win as they moved above Barcelona thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

"What bothers me is that in the end we only talk about the referees, it seems that we have not done anything on the field," the Madrid head coach told a news conference. 

"But we are not going to control the controversy. We won on the field and I think the victory is deserved."

Zidane added: "There is a penalty and I think that for the goal, Karim touches it with his shoulder.

"These are things of the referee and as always I do not get involved, he does his job and nothing else. I have to respect these things and think only about what we did.

"It is a deserved victory, which is the most important thing for us."

Madrid, who host Real Mallorca on Wednesday, have won three consecutive games since returning to action after the coronavirus-enforced break.

Zidane was satisfied to leave Anoeta with three points, with Madrid top of the table with eight La Liga games remaining.

"A win, three points at a difficult stadium. We had a complicated match to play until the end," he said.

"We were playing well, creating chances but this doesn't mean anything. We saw how complicated the last 10-15 minutes were.

"But the feeling I'm left with is the effort and the intensity and the attitude we had from the start. And in the end, we leave a difficult stadium with three points. It's a deserved victory."

Los Blancos lead La Liga based on a superior head-to-head record with Barcelona, who boast the same points but superior goal difference. 

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes David de Gea is no longer the reliable player he once was for the club. 

De Gea was slammed by Roy Keane for a costly mistake he made in the Red Devils' recent 1-1 draw with Tottenham. 

While manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to brush off the criticism aimed at his shot-stopper, Neville has backed up Keane's comments, stressing the Spaniard has struggled consistently for some time. 

Neville believes the 2018 World Cup was a turning point for De Gea with his showing at the tournament in Russia leading to a lack of confidence. 

"He was the one player United could rely upon for the last four years but he's not the same," he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

"He hasn't been the same for some time. When form drops for six months it's a blip but when it goes on for a year you start to worry. When it goes over two years it becomes more permanent.

"That is now a fair representation of what De Gea is as he's making lots of mistakes. Ones he would never make - he was always somebody you could completely rely upon. It can only be a confidence thing. The arms, legs and body are the same - it's got to be the mind.

"The reception he's got in Spain has affected him. He's even been booed by Spanish fans when he's wearing the Spanish shirt. In the World Cup in 2018 he really struggled and from that he's doubted himself. Mentally he's not quite the same."

While De Gea has struggled to impress at Old Trafford, Dean Henderson has impressed on loan with Sheffield United. 

Though Henderson's immediate future remains unclear, Solskjaer recently declared he certainly has what it takes to become the Red Devils' number one in years to come.

"Dean has made some great choices over the years and has developed fantastically," Solskjaer said.

"We're looking at that in terms of where he's going to be next season, but as yet that has not been decided.

"This season has proved a great experience for him, he's done himself some favours with his performances, and proved he will be England's No.1 and Man United's No.1 at some point."