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Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has named two players who can play for the team in the absence of injured Jonas Mkude.

Vandenbroeck has urged the fans not to be worried about the absence of the midfielder when they face Ruvu Shooting in a Mainland Premier League match on Sunday.

Simba confirmed on Wednesday that the Taifa Stars international, who was injured in the 3-1 friendly win against KMC FC, will be out for the next two weeks.

His absence left many Simba fans wondering how the team will cope without him but the Belgian tactician has now assured them he already has possible replacements for his role.

Vandenbroeck confirmed Mzamiru Yasin and Brazilian playmaker Gerson Fraga will perfectly fit into the role Mkude was playing for the Mainland giants.

“I just hope [Mkude] will not be out for a long time because we need him for subsequent matches in the league and the domestic competition,” Vandenbroeck is quoted by MwanaSpoti.

“In Simba, we have a huge squad, and fans should not be worried because we can easily rotate the starting eleven. I can easily use Yasin or Fraga in the same position and I know they will do a good job and give us the result we need.”

Mkude has also assured fans he will be back after a short period on the sidelines.

“I am feeling much better now because even the pain I was feeling when I suffered the injury has somehow eased off,” Mkude explained.

“The injury was a bit complex because all my fingers in the right knee got injured but for now I am feeling better and I hope to make a comeback soon and help my team win the title and FA Cup.”

The injury is set to keep Mkude out of league matches against Ruvu Shooting and Mbeya City, and he could also sit out the FA Cup clash against Azam FC.

Simba, who are chasing a third league title, will face Ruvu Shooting at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

Before the league took a break, Wekundu wa Msimbazi were in good form and are leading the table with 71 points from 28 matches.

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has affirmed his intention to tie Kylian Mbappe and Neymar down to the club on a long-term basis.

While both attackers have been linked with moves away in recent months, Mbappe to Liverpool and Real Madrid, and Neymar with a switch to either Los Blancos or Barcelona, the Ligue 1 champions are not planning for life without their star duo.

Nevertheless, if they fail to negotiate contract extensions with the pair, whose deals are up in 2022, they may be forced into difficult decisions next summer and that is not something that Leonardo wishes to consider.

“There’s nothing that tells us they’ll leave this summer,” Leonardo told Journal du Dimanche .

“They both still have two years left on their contracts and we’re thinking about what we can do next with them. We want to move forward.

“Mbappe is the future of PSG. This is what everyone wants. The ideal scenario would be for him to extend his contract. He’s already among the best five players in the word. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are 32 and 35, Neymar and Mbappe are 28 and 21 and they are with us.

“There’s no need to overthink it. We have to take advantage of having them because they’re something huge. We have to find a solution to continue together.”

Leonardo, meanwhile, says Neymar has put last summer, when he wanted to join Barcelona, behind him.

“We’ve not talked about it any more,” he said. “He’s been very happy, he’s had a great season and he’s been very involved with the3 squad.”

Leonardo, who indicated that PSG will have a “summer of transition without any bling-bling transfers”, also confirmed that record scorer Edinson Cavani will leave the club in the summer , when his contract expires, with long-time servant Thiago Silva and right-back Thomas Meunier also departing on free transfers.

Although the Ligue 1 season was aborted early due to the coronavirus pandemic, PSG are set to complete their two domestic cup campaigns, in which they will face Lyon (in the Coupe de la Ligue) and Rennes (in the Coupe de France) finals, while their Champions League quest is expected to be concluded in August.

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows midfielder Lucky Baloyi's future at Bloemfontein Celtic looks uncertain.

The 28-year-old player has been one of Phunya Sele Sele's key players this season which has been suspended indefinitely since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Baloyi's current deal with the Free State giants is set to expire at the end of this month and the club is yet to indicate whether they will be extending it.

Celtic chief executive officer Khumbulani Konco said that they have yet to engage with Baloyi about his future due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We haven’t had discussions with any player whose contract is coming to an end," Konco told Daily Sun.

“The league will advise us on way forward how to deal with this matter.”

Siwelele have had financial problems over the years and National First Division (NFD) side TS Galaxy has been targeting Celtic's Premier Soccer League (PSL)'s status.

However, the Celtic management, which is led by chairman Max Tshabalala, has constantly denied that the club is up for sale.

According to Daily Sun, Konco indicated that all matters regarding player contracts which are due to expire will be sorted out when the team resumes training.

On Friday, the South African Football Association (Safa) confirmed that the government has green-lighted PSL teams to return to the training pitches.

Meanwhile, Baloyi said he was not thinking of his future with Phunya Sele Sele as the country battles the virus.

“There is no football going on at the moment, therefore I don’t want to discuss anything related to the game including my contract with Celtic," he told the same publication.

Baloyi has made 24 appearances across all competitions for the team this season under coach Lehlohonolo Seema.

The experienced defensive midfielder joined Phunya Sele Sele from Chiefs in 2017 and he quickly became a key player for the team.

The man nicknamed 'The Sheriff' played an instrumental role in helping Celtic reach the 2017 Telkom Knockout Cup final where they were narrowly defeated by Bidvest Wits.

He played all four matches for Siwelele in the competition which is also known as the South African League Cup during that season (2017/18).

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has explained how the club has tried to counter the acts of hooliganism amongst its fans.

In his address to the National Executive Committee, Shikanda explained how past acts of violence by their fans has affected the club financially and how the current administration tried to counter violent fans.

“This year, without fear of contradiction, I can say we have not had cases of hooliganism and even when the referees have not been at their best, our fans have accepted results and went home hoping to fight another day,” Shikanda said during the address.

“Our club has zero-tolerance to hooliganism and we have worked through the branches and through them we have tried to identify who have been causing problems before. 

“We have also planted our stewards, dressed in a manner that they cannot be identified, inside the fans to identify trouble makers.

"What has been happening before has cost the club a lot as we have missed chances of playing at Kasarani and at Nyayo Stadium because of the past cases of hooliganism.

“We owe the Stadium management close to three or four million shillings due to past acts of hooliganism and this is expensive for us because we have to pay players. Taking KSh3 million to Kasarani yet players have not been paid is very painful.”

Shikanda was elected one year ago and said the club has seen stability and better results were to be registered if the season was not interrupted by the coronavirus.

“I can confidently say the club is stabilising and we are moving in the right direction,” continued the official.

“The journey, since we were elected, has been interesting and sometimes very painful but as the club's National Executive Committee we have stabilised the club.

“Were it not for Covid-19, people would have seen different results both at the administrative level and team results. 

“If you look at our history since the club was formed in 1964, the club has not had the financial stability but we have cultivated an interest in the club and made AFC Leopards a daily affair, not a weekend affair.

“It is important to put both managerial and physical infrastructure which will bring AFC Leopards closer to the people.”

The former Ingwe player also stated how they navigated the season despite not having a financial partner.

“We have gone through a whole season and the team never gave a walkover, we trained on a daily basis and met all our obligations without a sponsor,” explained Shikanda.

“It has also been easier to convince our players because it was easier for us to face and assure them the management is working round the clock to address their issues.

“Despite the challenges, not a single day did our players took part in go-slows and boycotted club activities.”

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that there is a place in his squad for Alexis Sanchez but indicated the Chile star would only be considered a squad player at present.

Alexis, 31, has failed to make an impact at Old Trafford since arriving in January 2018 as part of a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and was offloaded in the summer to Inter on loan.

His time in Italy, however, has also proven to be difficult and was only a substitute as the Nerazzurri crashed out of the Coppa Italia on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with Napoli.

Absorbing wages of £400,000 per week, the former Barcelona man is proving to be an expensive flop and Solskjaer has indicated that while he will be given his chance, his face simply may not fit.

“Of course there’s a place for good players and good people in this environment,” Solskjaer said, according to The Star.

“Let’s see where we get to after the season, because we do feel this squad is exciting. We do feel we’re on the way to something.

“It’s up to all the players when they’re here to do well, because there’s always talk of people coming in and out, and it’s about gelling this group together.

“Sometimes when you decorate your living room it might be a nice chair or nice sofa, but it maybe doesn’t go with the rest of it.

“For us to think about major honours, our focus is about finishing the league this season.”

Meanwhile, the Norwegian has stated his belief that on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson can go on to become England No.1 – and take over from David de Gea as first choice at Old Trafford.

“Dean has made some great choices over the years and has developed fantastically,” he 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.”

Manchester United will return to action after the coronavirus break next Friday, when they travel to face Tottenham in an away Premier League fixture.

It will be their first match for more than three months, with Solskjaer’s side chasing a top-four position that would guarantee Champions League football next season, although fifth may also be sufficient should Manchester City’s appeal against a two-year ban fail.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) forward Bernard Morrison has revealed why he did not travel to Shinyanga for the team’s Mainland Premier League match against Mwadui on Saturday.

The Ghanaian star was booked on the same flight as coach Luc Eymael for the trip to Shinyanga on Friday but he was nowhere to be seen and even went ahead to switch off his phone.

Eymael instead, travelled with Congolese striker David Molinga, who was also left behind when the team left for Shinyanga on Wednesday owing to unknown reasons.

The Belgian coach later told Goal he was very upset by the conduct of the player and did not know what happened because he was supposed to travel with him but later switched off his phone.

“Yes he [Morrison] promised to come with me on our trip to Shinyanga but he didn’t show up and he went further to switch off his phone,” Eymael told Goal on Saturday.

The player, who joined Yanga in 2019 after leaving Orlando Pirates of South Africa, has now come out to defend his decision to miss the clash.

“I was unable to link up with the rest of the squad in Shinyanga because I was still suffering from pain in my right knee and thus I felt it was not fair for me to travel and I will not be able to play,” Morrison is quoted by Sokaletu.

On Saturday, when grilled by Goal whether he will take any disciplinary action against the player, Eymael said: “I have no idea why he did that, I will first have to investigate and get to know the reason he decided to switch off his phone and then will make a decision.”

Apart from Morrison, Yanga played Mwadui without injured captain Papy Tshishimbi, Ally Ally, and Erick Kabamba.

The absence of the players, however, did not deter Yanga from beating Mwadui 1-0, courtesy of Balaka Mapinduzi's goal, to move them level on points with second-placed Azam FC, who will play against Mbao FC at Azam Complex on Sunday.

In another match on Sunday, champions Simba SC will be seeking to bag maximum points when they host Ruvu Shooting at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

When Odion Ighalo announced his retirement from international football after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, many considered it the perfect time for the forward to bow out.

Even though Nigeria hadn’t won the tournament, and had to make do with yet another third-place finish (the eighth time the nation have claimed bronze), Ighalo’s five goals made sure he finished top of the scoring charts, having scored two more than his closest challengers which included Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane.

Along with Mikel John Obi, both stalwarts announced their retirement, and it seemed to herald a new era.

“This is one of the most difficult career decisions I have had to take. It’s been an amazing five years journey, but after due consultation and extensive discussion with my family I have decided it’s time for me to retire from the national team,” Ighalo wrote on Instagram in 2019.

“It is now time to concentrate on club football and give the younger players the chance to learn and grow.”

Since the 30-year-old made the announcement, the nation, entirely appreciative of his efforts in the green jersey, have since moved on and have thrown their support behind the prodigious Victor Osimhen.

A group of observers, awed by Osimhen’s talent, believed the young frontman should’ve played at last year’s finals instead of the experienced Ighalo, on the back of a prolific 18/19 campaign at Belgian outfit Sporting Charleroi.

While Gernot Rohr didn’t bow to the pressure of dropping the Afcon qualifiers’ top marksman, the Shanghai Shenhua man’s statement after leading Nigeria to bronze in Egypt signalled the passing of the torch to the next generation.

For his part, the Lille striker has taken up the gauntlet in style too, scoring four goals in as many appearances since Ighalo bowed out, including a debut strike against Ukraine in September and an incredible performance against Lesotho in November.

In the latter, the 21-year-old set-up two goals for Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze before scoring two himself as the West African giants won 4-2 in the Southern African nation.

Since then, Rohr’s also added in-form Heracles Almelo forward Cyriel Dessers to the squad, to provide healthy competition for or play alongside the 2015 U-17 World Cup top scorer.

Clearly, a new spine is being built, and a potential return for Ighalo does nothing but create uncertainty for the incumbent while casting doubts about the team’s short-term direction.

“I am still in contact with Gernot Rohr and Amaju Pinnick, and they congratulated me on my loan deal,” Ighalo told Brila FM in early June. “I am still thinking about returning to the national team, but right now I want to concentrate on my club career.

“I left the national team because of the distance between Nigeria and China, but now that I am in Manchester and just like life and in my career, you never can tell.”

The former Watford striker’s comments seem odd given he only signed on at Manchester United till the end of January 2021 and not permanently.

If the distance between both countries was the original reason for calling time on his Nigeria career, then what happens when his time at Old Trafford eventually comes to an end early next year?

Given the affable character of the striker, some may reckon it’ll be too forthright to assume this potential return is simply motivated by self-interest. However, that’s exactly how it’ll look if Ighalo walks back on his decision to quit the Super Eagles “and give the younger players the chance to learn and grow.”

The optics in this narrative so far don’t look good, and the level of dissenting voices will grow significantly if the ex-Udinese frontman returns to the side and pushes Osimhen or other budding youngsters to the back seat.

Nigeria still have four qualifiers to play before Afcon 2021, billed to be held in Cameroon in January, but will ultimately be determined by the impact of the coronavirus in the coming months.

Ighalo was celebrated for his bravery in returning to the team after the disgraceful treatment he received following the 2018 World Cup. He seemed a man reborn following the disappointment in Russia to score a boatload of goals in the remainder of the Super Eagles’ Afcon qualifying campaign and peaked with the impressive finals showing.

He retired for a reason after his crowning glory, and a possible return only casts a shadow over the short-term prospects of Osimhen, who’s been terrific since the Man United striker’s retirement.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has put blame on the condition of the pitch for his team’s struggle to beat Mwadui by a huge margin in a Mainland Premier League match staged on Saturday.

The Tanzanian top-flight finally returned on Saturday, almost three months after it was halted owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Yanga were the first team to take to the pitch away in Shinyanga as they needed a goal from Balama Mapinduzi to win 1-0 at Kambarage Stadium, while in another match third-placed-chasing Namungo FC threw away a two-goal lead to settle to a 2-2 draw against Coastal Union.

The Belgian coach has now told Goal his team deserved to win the contest by a huge margin but they could not achieve their target as the pitch proved to be bumpy, which denied them the chance to play their passing game.

“The game was okay a well-deserved win but we played on a horrible pitch again, we could not play our passing game as the ball was bouncing all the time,” Eymael told Goal on Sunday.

“The stand out of the pitch is very bad, only in Dar es Salaam and to be specific the National Stadium and the artificial turf [Uhuru Stadium], is where you can get a good pitch, but outside Dar es Salaam the pitches are bumpy, dry, not well kept and you cannot play the same football.”

Eymael also admitted missing a huge crowd to rally behind them also played a big part in the match as only a small crowd was allowed into the stadium as a safety measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“When you are playing outside Dar es Salaam, the turnout of our fans is always fantastic but now we played with a small crowd but we understand and have nothing to do now,” Eymael continued.

Eymael also faulted the match officials for denying them what he claims was a second goal.

“They [match officials] denied us a clear goal, it was a clear goal and all these things must be worked on, we don’t want to return to the same situation that we were in before the league took a break, poor officiating should be worked on.”

On Sunday, defending champions Simba SC will entertain Ruvu Shooting at the National Stadium, while Azam FC will face off with Mbao FC at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.

Yanga SC communication officer Hassan Bumbuli says eyes are now set on Tuesday's league match away at JKT Tanzania.

The Dodoma-based side has regularly been a difficult opponent for the 27-time league champion and in the last four meetings, they have managed two draws and as many wins.

With that in mind, the official admitted it will be a tough game but all they want are three points on the road.

"We respect [JKT Tanzania] they are a good team, and to be honest we respect all our opponents," Bumbuli told journalists.

"All teams are tough to beat especially at this time when they are chasing their objectives. However, we all know Yanga is a big, established and historic team and will do absolutely everything to win especially on the pitch.

"Like our game [on Saturday] against Mwadui, it was tough but we won; we scored two goals, we were denied one but still managed to get maximum points by the 1-0 win.

"We are one team determined to get maximum points regardless of the opponent we are playing against. For instance Prisons, they were unbeaten by the time we played them in the first round, but we defeated them.

"So regardless of how good JKT are, we just want to go there, beat them and return to Dar es Salaam with maximum points."

The Jangwani-based side is leaving for Dodoma on Sunday and their plans have been revealed.

"We will not be in a hurry for Dodoma, we have invitations from fans in our branches," he continued.

"So we will have several stop-overs at Nzega, Igunga, Manyoni, and Singida before proceeding to our destination. By 3 pm we will be in Dodoma, we rest and resume training on Monday in preparation for Tuesday's match."

Yanga won the reverse fixture 3-2 and are aiming at winning the remaining 10 league matches this season.

On Saturday, Timu ya Wananchi defeated Mwadui by a solitary goal.

The goal came in the sixth minute as a result of a quick move engineered by Haruna Niyonzima, who beat an advancing Jaffar Mohammed on the left flank.

A cross by the former was met by Ditram Nchimbi but the goalkeeper Mahmoud Amri saved Mwadui from the attack.

A second attempt by Mapinduzi, though, was too powerful for the goalkeeper to deny Yanga an opener. Deus Kaseke eventually managed to find Balama Mapinduzi who made no mistake from close range.

Brahmanand Sankhwalkar is a legendary name in Indian football and one of the stalwarts from Goa to grace the sport.

He began a celebrated playing career of 25 years with Panvel Sports Club before even turning 16. He went on to spend 17 years with Salgaocar SC and had a three-year stint with Churchill Brothers. Sankhwalkar ended his career with Anderson in 1995. This is apart from his exploits with the state and national teams.

However, there was a phase in his career when the goalkeeper nearly gave up his passion to pursue his education. But sound advice more than once from former Panvel Sports Club secretary, Antonio Bothelo, helped script Sankhwalkar's destiny.

"He (Sankhwalkar) had an offer to join Dempo [in 1973] and at the same time he wanted to stop playing. Me and Levino (Dias) went to his house and Taleigao and told him, 'Look, you play one more year for Panvel because if you go to Dempo, (Kuppuswami) Sampath is there, and Eugenio (Cardoso). You will lose your place and be benched all the time'," Bothelo recounted to Goal.

"And then in 1974, again he wanted to give up football. He was called by Dempo again and we convinced him to stay but he was having second thoughts because he wanted to do college (complete graduation). Then I told him, 'Look, college is not going to give you a job. Football will give you a job.' He was still adamant so finally I had to tell him that I'm making him the captain of the team. He was among the junior-most among all the players. Finally he accepted the captaincy and decided that he will continue playing football. He would have given up football otherwise."

Sankhwalkar himself admitted to Goal, "Because of football, some players don't educate themselves. So whoever (aspiring footballers) I come across, I encourage them to get an educational qualification as well. After the game is over (upon retirement), you may be required to work in an office. Some footballers have given their best in their life and today they are at some top positions. But they have worked up their way."

And as for Sankhwalkar, a government post was in the offing when he moved to Churchill Brothers in 1991. "After 17 years at Salgaocar, I was nearing the end of my career. I thought I would learn some coaching (attended a goalkeeping coaching course in Malaysia). When I joined Churchill, it was also the time when I joined the Sports Authority of Goa," Sankhwalkar recalled the fag end of his playing career that concluded with a season at his village club Anderson Mariners.

Interestingly, Panvel Sports Club was not the first team Brahmanand Sankhwalkar had signed up for. His registration card for Clube Sao Miguel de Taleigao would still be at the Goa Football Association (GFA) archives somewhere.

"He had signed for Taleigao, but they had not taken his card from the GFA. He was still not 16. I had to go and get his father's signature which was also there on the Taleigao form. His father was the Treasurer of Panvel Club either way and he agreed to sign the form. He said that he had already signed one more form and I told him that it was not used. The (Taleigao) card was not picked up so the (player) registration was not complete," Bothelo revealed.

Sankhwalkar playing for Panvel was also a stroke of luck as his brother Vallabh, a former player of the club, recommended him as a makeshift goalkeeper in a friendly match against Saligao Sporting on January 1, 1971.

"Our goalkeepers (Shankar Verlekar and Ulhas Shetye) could not make it for the match in Saligao. One goalkeeper eventually turned up. So he played the first half. [For the] second half, we put Brahmanand and he saved everything. We lost the match 2-1 but he didn't concede anything."

The former GFA secretary further mentioned, "I said 'we called him so we have to field him' and it was a festival match. So it didn't matter if we lost by more goals or not. I had heard a lot of him from Dr. (Alvaro Remigio) Pinto who was a prominent personality who promoted football in Taleigao. He was telling me that this boy would be a great goalkeeper one day."

Brahmanand Sankhwalkar won the 1974 Bandodkar Gold Cup as Panvel captain at the age of 21 before joining Salgaocar where he had to displace first choice goalkeeper Gabriel Fernandes. In fact, Fernandes had just taken over the mantle from Subhash Sinari. At Salgaocar, he won the Goan league in his maiden season at the club. He won it four more times besides many other laurels including the Bandodkar Gold Trophy (1981, 1988), Saith Nagjee Trophy (1988), Federation Cup (1988, 1989) where Sankhwalkar kept clean sheets in both finals and the Rovers Cup (1989-90).

He led Goa to back-to-back wins at the Santosh Trophy in 1983 and 1984. In fact, the goalkeeper finished the 1984 tournament without conceding a single goal - 576 minutes, a record that still stands. He began his international career at the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Youth Championship in Kuwait in 1975 and was included in various tours with the senior national team before taking up captaincy at the 1983 Nehru Cup, 1986 Asian Games in Seoul and against Bochum XI, a German team that visited India in 1986.

The Government of Goa conferred Sankhwalkar with the Bakshi Bahaddar Jivbadada Kerkar Award in 1977 and in 1996, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) chose him as the player of the decade (1985-1995) before he was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 1997.

India is set to host the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time after 1979, a tournament which turned out to be memorable for the women.

The 1979 Women’s Asian Cup was held in Calicut (Kozhikode) in January 1980. Six teams participated in the league-cum-knockout tournament that was held across nine days at the EMS Corporation Stadium. All games lasted 60 minutes each, with all teams playing each other once in the group stage. Each win fetched a team two points and a draw meant that the two points were split. The top four sides were to qualify for the semi-final.

India was represented by two teams - India S and India N. India S was the country's first XI while India N was the second-string team. The latter won just one game and hence endured a tournament to forget. Ayona scored their only goal in the tournament in a 1-0 win over Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, India S enjoyed a great run in the group stage with three wins and two draws.

They started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Western Australia. First-half goals from Shanti Mullick and Shukla Dutta sealed the deal as the defence did well to keep a clean-sheet.

They followed this promising performance with a 2-0 win over Hong Kong. This time, Yolanda D’Souza got on the scoresheet in the seventh minute. An own-goal just five minutes later provided the hosts with a massive advantage for the rest of the game, which they protected very well.

After a goalless stalemate against Chinese Taipei, India S returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win over India N. Dutta doubled her tally for the tournament with a goal at the hour-mark and India N could not find a reply for the lone goal.

With seven points in four games, India S had already qualified for the semi-final ahead of their final group stage tie against Malaysia. But a 0-0 draw ensured their unbeaten run in the tournament was intact.

India S hence finished second in the league phase with eight points from five games. Chinese Taipei topped with nine points while India N ended at the tail with just two points.

The hosts drew fourth-placed Hong Kong in the single-leg semi-final tie. Both sides had no rest days between their final group stage game and the crucial knockout tie.

India S were 3-1 winners in the semis, with goals from Dutta, Sushma Das and Yolanda overwhelming Poon Shui-Chun’s lone goal. Dutta hence became the top-scorer for the tournament with three goals to her name.

Elsewhere, Chinese Taipei smashed Western Australia 5-0 to storm into the final. Yet again, both finalists had no days to rest their legs, with the finals scheduled on the day following their semi-final wins.

The hosts’ dream run concluded with a silver medal after 2-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei. A goal in each half helped them win their first Women’s Asian Cup.

Chennaiyin FC's trusted striker, Jeje Lalpekhlua, last played a competitive game more than a year ago when he featured in a 1-0 win over Abahani Dhaka in the AFC Cup. With a knee injury plaguing him, Jeje had to undergo surgery and was forced to miss the entirety of the 2019-20 season.

At a time when the country has been crying out for goalscoring Indian strikers, it has been a frustrating period for Jeje who has had to watch from the sidelines.

However, the Mizo Sniper, is raring to go after a period of rehabilitation. In a chat with Goal, Jeje outlines how important it is for him to play regularly and represent the national team again.

"Life is like that. When you get injured, you look for anything that can help you. Though it is hard, you need to accept it (the injury) and work hard. Whatever you did before does not matter. It's like that even during normal times. One day you could perform well and you can play bad the next day. People will only remember the latest performance. You need to keep performing well.

"After getting inured, I knew it would be tough. After the surgery, it was very difficult. I needed to work hard, eat well, rest well and prepare for the new season. Now, my aim is to come back and do well for the club and the national team," he said.

The 29-year-old has been a dedicated servant for Chennaiyin FC ever since the inception of the Indian Super League (ISL), scoring 23 goals over five seasons and helping the Marina Machans to two ISL titles. 

"What I want to do is get back my fitness. It's not about scoring goals or playing every match. Getting fit is my first target. Everything else will follow," he stated.

However, the former Mohun Bagan forward is a free agent right now after his contract with the Chennai-based club ran out. Though he is currently focused on getting back to fitness, he is in talks with several prospective employers including Chennaiyin FC.

"Right now, I'm talking with six clubs. (But) I've not taken any decision on my next move. My agent is taking care of things. We have time to make a decision and do not have to rush into anything. I will decide soon. Let's see," he revealed.

It will be interesting to see where Jeje, who has been one of the most prolific Indian strikers in the last decade or so, decides to play next season.

Gennaro Gattuso thanked his Napoli players for their "extraordinary" dedication after they drew with Inter to reach the Coppa Italia final.

Dries Mertens became the Serie A club's outright all-time leading goalscorer, cancelling out Christian Eriksen's opener in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Stadio San Paolo.

The result was enough to send Napoli through to the final against Juventus thanks to a 2-1 aggregate win in the semi-final.

Gattuso's sister Francesca died aged 37 earlier this month and the Napoli coach dedicated his side's progression to her, while hailing his players.

"I dedicate this result to my sister and my family," he said, via the club's website.

"The guys were extraordinary for the dedication they put on the pitch. I thank them because they played for me and they were close.

"I have a team that has great quality, but there was [a will] to suffer because not all the mechanisms went in the right direction. After the first very naive goal conceded it was not easy to go back up.

"We showed character and I have to say that in terms of intensity we started from where we left off. We went through a very hard period, it wasn't even easy to train for the health emergency."

Mertens' 122nd goal for Napoli saw him pass Marek Hamsik (121) as the club's outright all-time leading goalscorer.

Gattuso was pleased with the way his side performed after the Belgian's 41st-minute strike.

"After Mertens' goal we had a sort of liberation and we expressed ourselves better," he said.

"The boys are giving everything both in terms of commitment and availability. Now we will play the final with our weapons. If we continue on this path we can take great satisfaction from ourselves."

Napoli will face Juventus in the final in Rome on Wednesday and while Italian football has now restarted, Gattuso stressed the tragedy of the coronavirus pandemic will never be forgotten. 

'We lost thousands of people. The world has changed," he said.

"Even coming to the stadium with masks and sitting far away from people in the street - all of it is strange but none of it compares to the devastation of losing so many people.''

England manager Gareth Southgate concedes Jadon Sancho returning to the Premier League would present "different opportunities" for the attacker. 

The Borussia Dortmund star has been strongly linked with interest from Chelsea and Manchester United but any transfer is expected to cost over €100 million ($112m). 

Sancho's strong form in the Bundesliga has continued this season with the 20-year-old scoring 17 goals and contributing 17 assists from just 29 league appearances. 

Asked about Sancho's future, Southgate believes the attacker is in a good position to improve whatever he does, noting a return to England could be a beneficial challenge. 

"From a personal point of view, for England, whichever route opens up is positive," Southgate was quoted by Sky Sports. 

"He'll play at Dortmund, he is well looked after by the staff and they give the right messages. There isn't a downside for us if he stays with Dortmund but if we see him in the Premier League that brings different opportunities to see him in a different environment and how he adapts to that.

"The most important thing is that he keeps playing regularly, at his age that's key to him learning and improving.

"The key is he has to play football. The beauty of him playing at Dortmund is he has played regularly and he has played in a team expected to hit a certain level.

"Champions League football is another bonus and that need to be challenging Bayern Munich all the way.

"The Premier League would provide him with a different challenge, the depth of the league is a bit more intense - in terms of the quality."

Sancho has so far made 11 appearances for Southgate's England side, scoring twice and contributing four assists. 

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson recently heaped praise upon the young star, stressing the sky's the limit with his skills and attitude. 

"A lot of people are speaking about him. He is a top player, a special player, that in training he has got something different and he's sharp and able to get past players with ease," Henderson told Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel Five.

"Also he's got a good head on his shoulders, he loves football, wants to improve, listen and learn so if he just continues on that path the sky's the limit for him really."

Quique Setien was "very pleased" with Barcelona's form as they returned to action with a 4-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday.

After Arturo Vidal's opener, Lionel Messi set up Martin Braithwaite and Jordi Alba before sealing Barca's victory in additional time with a record-setting strike.

Although Real Madrid have a game in hand, Barcelona are five points clear, having made a bright return following a break of more than three months from competitive action due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Setien liked what he saw from his side, who have 10 games left in the La Liga season and are next in action on Tuesday when they host Leganes.

"The feelings are good. There are always things that you want to improve, but I am satisfied with the game we have made," he told reporters.

"We have had an effectiveness...but we were fine with the ball. We have had a break, but I am very satisfied.

"To be the first game without playing, we could be accused of a lack of rhythm, but I think it is a good start to face this sprint that we have 10 games left. I have good feelings in general."

Luis Suarez played his first game since January, coming off the bench in the second half to return from a knee injury.

Setien was pleased with the Uruguayan forward, who set up Messi's sealer after replacing Antoine Griezmann.

"Everything he has done, he has done well. He had quality actions," he said. "Surely we will see how he is improving, but he has been spectacular."

Despite ongoing speculation surrounding a possible transfer for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, Suarez has been backed to remain a reliable provider for Barcelona. 

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger noting earlier this week that the veteran striker doesn't need replacing but adding that the Catalans will likely reinforce their attack over the summer regardless. 

"Barcelona has always bought the greatest players. Personally, I'm not sure that Suarez needs to be replaced," he told beIN SPORTS.

"They can add another striker because it's true that Suarez and [Lionel] Messi are the main contributors and they might need somebody else who can score goals.

"I still think Griezmann at some stage will start to score goals, he doesn't look completely adapted, maybe now after confinement he will be refreshed because he's a good goalscorer as well.

"But I'm convinced they will buy another striker as well."

Lionel Messi set another La Liga record on Saturday as Barcelona made a winning return to the pitch. 

The leaders won 4-0 at Real Mallorca in their first match since the campaign was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Arturo Vidal opened the scoring after just two minutes before Messi set up Martin Braithwaite for his first Barca goal and then Jordi Alba to make the points safe.

Messi then added a fourth in second-half injury time to reach 20 La Liga goals for 2019-20.

The Argentina star is the only player to score 20 or more goals in Spain's top flight in 12 consecutive seasons.

Messi's strong performance against Mallorca also saw his league assist tally this season rise to 14, making him both the top scorer and top assist provider in La Liga this campaign. 

Ahead of Barcelona's return to action, club legend Rivaldo stressed Messi's workload must be managed carefully, though the 32-year-old did end up playing the full 90 minutes on Saturday. 

“Lionel Messi had some physical issues last week, so there's a lot of discussion about whether he play the whole game for Barcelona in their first game back against Mallorca on Saturday," Rivaldo told Betfair.

“Barca are two points head of Real Madrid at the top of the table so the title race is tight. If Barca can pull away, they could rest Messi in a few games.

“If the battle goes to the wire then he might have fewer chances to rest - perhaps only in games which Barca manage to dominate from the first-half - but it will be important for Quique Setien to manage his squad well, as it won't just be Messi that will reach the first game still looking to be 100 per cent fit, after all everyone has stopped and it's not easy to resume on the best form.

“As we know, Messi is always in contention for the 'Pichichi' top scorer award in La Liga and always making the difference in the team, so he wants to be on the pitch all the time and it's difficult for the manager to rotate him. He also fights for the Ballon d'Or every season and that's on his mind regularly, so you can't go to Messi and simply tell him 'take a rest'.”

Donald Trump has taken a shot at U.S. Soccer, claiming he won't be watching the game anymore following a decision not to force players to stand for the national anthem. 

America has been rocked by protests after the death of George Floyd with footballers around the world adding their voices to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

U.S. Soccer themselves have taken a surprisingly strong stance and announced earlier this week that players would no longer be forced to stand for the national anthem. 

Trump has now slammed that decision, however, vowing he won't be watching the game again until the move is reversed. 

"I won’t be watching much anymore! And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!" Trump said on Twitter. 

Trump's comments on social media came as he threw his support behind the stance of Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who himself tweeted: "I’d rather the US not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that won’t stand for the National Anthem. You shouldn’t get to play under our flag as our national team if you won’t stand when it is raised."

In a statement of their own earlier this week, U.S. Soccer confirmed their new stance on standing for the national anthem, stressing their previous approach to the matter was the wrong one. 

"The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted yesterday afternoon to repeal Policy 604-1, which required our players to stand during the national anthem," the federation said in a statement. 

"The policy was put in place after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with the peaceful protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police brutality, and the systematic oppression of Black people and people of color in America.

"It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.

"We have not done enough to listen -- especially to our players -- to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country. We apologise to our players -- especially our Black players -- staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism."

Ahead of the MLS' return next month, the competition's bosses have also confirmed there will be no national anthem played at games.

"We won't be playing the anthem, and you hit it on the head," MLS commissioner Don Garber said.

"There's not going to be any fans in the stands, so we didn't see that it would be appropriate. And I feel today no different than I felt then, which is if a player is looking to express their right to kneel during the national anthem, they should have the right to do so.

"I would hope that they would stand, but if they opt not to, that's their prerogative and we will support that."

Borussia Dortmund are prepared to be patient as they look to bring Achraf Hakimi back to the club once his loan from Real Madrid expires.

Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund’s former captain now working as the head of their player licensing department, has reiterated his desire to see Hakimi remain at the club.

His current two-year loan deal is up at the end of the season and, as things stand, he is set to return to Madrid.

"The contract situation with Real Madrid is very clear,” Kehl told Sky Germany.

“Spain are just starting again [after lockdown]. We will have to be patient with our ideas.

“If there is a chance, we will try everything. He is a very important player for us, whom we can offer a platform to develop further.”

That platform could well appeal to Hakimi. He has become a popular figure with fans at Signal Iduna Park during his two years in the Bundesliga, and would start next season as first-choice right-back if he was to return.

That would be far from guaranteed at Madrid, where Dani Carvajal has held down the first-team berth for the last seven seasons, seeing off the likes of Danilo and Alvaro Odriozola.

Odriozola is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but has failed to make an impression, and Bayern have also been linked with a move for Hakimi.

Also being linked with a move away is Jadon Sancho, though director Michael Zorc said this week that he believes the winger will stay at Dortmund for another year.

“There is nothing new at all,” Kehl added on Sancho. “We had a few issues with Jadon in the last week, but we cleared them all up.

“He played a great game afterwards and does a good job. He is incredibly important.

“At the moment, we continue to assume that he will play and stay at Borussia Dortmund next season. Regarding the rumours, I can say there is nothing to it.”

Kehl also confirmed that talks are ongoing with goalkeeper Roman Burki over a contract extension.

Burki, who had been linked with Chelsea, revealed a new deal was in the offing after his side’s last-gasp win over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday.