Looking for Soccer News?

10-man Bandari FC returned to winning ways after a hard-fought 2-1 FKF Premier League win against AFC Leopards at Mbaraki Sports Club on Sunday.

It was the Dockers who scored first in the 28th minute through Umaru Kasumba but AFC levelled the scores in the 36th minute after captain Isaac Kipyegon converted from the penalty spot but Bandari won it when William Wadri slotted from the spot in the 44th minute.

Both teams came into the match seeking to bounce back to winning ways. Bandari had lost 2-0 against Posta Rangers while AFC Leopards had suffered a 1-0 defeat against rivals Gor Mahia in a Mashemeji Derby.

It was Bandari, who started the game on a high note, and with only five minutes played, Ugandan winger Wadri found himself with acres of space inside Ingwe’s danger zone but his feeble effort was gathered by goalkeeper Maxwell Muchesia.

Three minutes later, it was the turn for AFC Leopards to take the lead as Brian Wanyama received a good pass from Peter Thiong’o but he failed to beat goalkeeper Michael Wanyika.

A minute later, Ingwe attacked yet again after a combination between Thiong’o and Peter Ngang’a released Brian Wanyama but with only goalkeeper Wanyika to beat, he blasted the ball wide.

Bandari finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when former Sofapaka striker Kasumba latched onto a through ball from Whyvonne Isuza before rounding up Muchesia and planting the ball into an empty net.

The Dockers almost doubled their lead in the 30th minute when Wadri released Kasumba, but the Ugandan striker fumbled the ball and failed to beat Muchesia.

Six minutes later, AFC Leopards moved level after goalkeeper Wanyika fouled the advancing Maxwell Otieno inside the box and up stepped captain Kipyegon, to send him the wrong way.

The goal was short-lived as a minute to the half-time whistle, Bandari were also awarded a penalty of their own after Washington Munene handled the ball inside the box and Wadri stepped up to make it 2-1 past Muchesia.

On resumption, Isuza, who was facing his former club, was booked after a nasty tackle on Wanyama and 10 minutes later, he fluffed an open chance to make it 3-1 for Bandari after failing to beat Muchesia on a one-on-one situation.

In the 67th minute, Bandari were reduced to 10-men after Wanyika was sent off for a second bookable office, and three minutes later, Ingwe almost levelled the scores through Thiong’o but his well-taken free-kick rattled the woodwork for a goal-kick.

Wanyika’s exit saw coach Casa Mbungo ring the changes with goalkeeper Justin Ndikumana coming in, Bonface Mwangemi replacing Abdalla Hassa in the midfield while AFC Leopards benched Musa Saad for Bonface Mukhekhe.

Despite playing a man less for the remaining 23 minutes, the Dockers held on to collect maximum points at their backyard.

In other matches played on Sunday, Kakamega Homeboyz continued their fine start to the season after securing a 2-0 win against Posta Rangers at Bukhungu Stadium.

Meanwhile, Kariobangi Sharks came from behind to force a 1-1 draw against Wazito FC, Nairobi City Stars snatched a 2-0 win against Bidco United while Mathare United picked their first win of the season after beating Nzoia Sugar 2-1 on the road.

Racing Genk striker Paul Onuachu has revealed he was almost sure of making a big move in the last transfer window after managing 33 goals for the Belgian side.

The 27-year-old Nigeria international was a transfer subject as several clubs in Europe were being linked for his services but he eventually ended up staying at Genk.

Onuachu has now said he did not understand why his transfer did not materialise despite scoring 33 goals for Genk and also winning the Golden Boot.

“It was one of the most difficult periods of my life. All that stress…I felt ready for the big step, but no offer came,” Onuachu said as quoted by Voetbalprimeur.be.

“Was something going on behind my back? Was it the amount Genk had put on me? Honestly, I don't know. Nobody understands.

“Corona, they tell me. Come on, I don't believe that! I scored 33 goals: then you're always gone, aren't you?”

He is, however, confident soon he will make a transfer move and has refused to be bothered by what transpired in the last window.

“For someone, who scores so many goals, the clubs normally line up, no matter how old you are,” Onuachu continued. “Anyway, it doesn't bother me anymore. I let it go.”

He has so far scored nine goals for Genk in the Jupiler Pro League accumulated from 10 appearances.

In a recent interview, Genk coach John van den Brom revealed why Onuachu could be denied the opportunity to take penalties for the side.

"Last year we applauded Paul for his penalties, he was almost a certainty of success. But now..." John van den Brom said.

"He had already missed one and is now doing so twice. Three of his four penalties failed. We have to think about whether it is time to make someone else responsible for the penalties."

Genk are currently placed in position eight of the 18-team table after amassing 17 points from 11 matches, eight fewer than leaders Union Saint-Gilloise, who have 25 points from 12 outings.

On Sunday, Genk will host KAA Gent in a league match at Cegeka Arena.

West Ham boss David Moyes has insisted that Manchester United and Chelsea-linked midfielder Declan Rice is no longer available for the "bargain" price of £100 million ($138m).

Rice has spent his entire career to date on West Ham's books, having initially graduated to their senior squad back in 2015.

The 22-year-old is now established as one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League, with a number of top clubs reportedly keeping tabs on his progress, but Moyes has ruled out the possibility of selling a prized asset in the near future.

What's been said?

It was suggested in the summer transfer window that the Hammers would have accepted a £100m bid for Rice, but their head coach says his value has increased again after his strong start to the new season.

Asked whether he worries about potential suitors coming in for Rice next year, Moyes told Sky Sports: "No I don’t, because there was a bargain to be got with Declan at £100m. That bargain’s now gone.

"We have a lot of really good players at this football club. I think while you’re building and developing, people might always come and look at your players.

"But it’s good that they are because that tells us that they’re doing well."

Rice's stance on his future

Rice addressed the ongoing speculation over his future before a Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna in September, insisting he is currently fully focused on his duties at the London Stadium.

The England international, who continues to attract interest from Man United and Chelsea, told reporters: "Everyone knows how I feel about West Ham and about playing under the manager and what it's like playing with the group of players I'm playing with.

“I feel you can see in my performances nothing is up, nothing is concerning me. I'm playing with a smile on my face, I'm going out there, leading the team. I think you could see a difference if I wasn't giving 100% but every time I'm putting on the shirt my only objective is to give everything for the club.”

Further reading

La Liga organisers have celebrated the return of Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze after he turned out for the team in their 2-1 league defeat against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Nigeria international has endured a rough time since he picked up an injury during the Yellow Submarine’s Europa League semi-final clash against Arsenal on May 6.

During the game, Chukwueze was stretchered off in anguish and could not recover in time for the final against Manchester United and he also missed the Super Cup clash against Chelsea.

However, after almost five months out, Chukwueze returned to action for the Unai Emery-led side after replacing Arnaut Danjuma in the 78th minute of the team’s 2-1 home defeat against Osasuna on October 17.

He then came on for Danjuma and scored at the death as Villarreal cruised to a 4-1 win against Young Boys in their matchday three of the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Villarreal came up against Athletic Bilbao and Chukwueze made his second appearance in La Liga, coming on for the injured Gerrard Moreno in the 20th minute, but he could not help his side claim victory as they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

La Liga have taken to their social media pages to celebrate the return of the Super Eagle.

“Great to see you back in action,” La Liga wrote on their Twitter handle. “70 minutes under the belt.”

Meanwhile, Emery has called on Chukwueze and Villarreal to react after their defeat against Athletic Bilbao.

“We need to react. We set up for each match looking for the points, getting players ready, and giving minutes to those who are playing less. We need to look at certain things about how we play and how we’re performing,” Emery told the club’s official website.

“We’ve had two defeats in a row, although we did have a very important win in the Champions League between them.”

On the overall outcome of the game, Emery said: “I feel it was an even game, with both teams trying to impose their style. They pressed us well positionally, but we found spaces on the counter.

“Their first goal was a blow emotionally, but we reacted. It played out similarly in the second half. The first penalty sets you back emotionally, but the second gives you hope. In the end, the game ended falling in their favour.”

For all its supposed superiority in prestige and importance, the Champions League didn’t produce the most gripping African tale in Europe this week.

Of course, Mohamed Salah did what he tends to do — score decisive goals — despite not matching the level of previous performances this season in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid, Sebastien Haller continues to sparkle in his maiden Champions League campaign and Samuel Chukwueze netted on his CL debut minutes after coming on against Young Boys.

No player in Europe’s premier club competition has scored more than the Ivory Coast frontman’s six strikes in three games, while his pair of assists in Ajax’s 4-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund means he now outranks every player in goal involvements.

Chukwueze has had to be patient through rehabilitation from a thigh injury that kept him out of what would have been the biggest game of his career at the backend of last season.

Stretchered off in Villarreal’s Europa League semi-final second-leg success over Arsenal, the Super Eagle missed the final against Manchester United—this obviously rankled.

The wide attacker has had to bide his time, watching on from the sidelines as his team faced Chelsea in the European Super Cup in August and returned to the Champions League for the first time in 10 years.

It’d be remiss to overlook Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo flourishing in Rangers’ impressive 2-0 defeat of Brondby on Thursday — the former powering a header past Thomas Mikkelsen while the midfield man’s guile and creativity deserved an assist — as well as Victor Osimhen coming on to score in Napoli’s 3-0 success over Legia Warsaw to match Dries Mertens’ record of netting in three successive European games in this century.

How about Karl Toko Ekambi, who continued his dominance of this year’s Europa League to score twice and set up Lucas Paqueta impressively as Olympique Lyonnais roared from 2-0 down to defeat Sparta Prague 4-3?

The Cameroon star has outscored everyone in Europe’s secondary club competition, although the Napoli frontman and Patson Daka are on his tail with four strikes at the halfway point of the group stage.

Be that as it may, Daka owned this week’s action in European competition, aided by Kelechi Iheanacho in this double act that could light up the East Midlands for years to come.

Many observers without any allegiance to Leicester City might have been unaware of Wednesday’s EL action against Spartak Moscow while it was ongoing, but the story of the Zambia star netting four times in Russia made a splash by day’s end.

Down 2-0 in Moscow, the headlines were already writing themselves. Having dropped two points from a seemingly unassailable position against Napoli — a 2-2 draw that preceded match-day two’s defeat by Legia Warsaw — this was something of a must-win to avoid facing the prospect of an early exit.

Had Daka not risen to the occasion, the post-match headlines were bound to focus on the Foxes’ continental malaise away from the King Power Stadium. Three wins in 14 matches on their travels in Europe was a stand-out stat before kick-off, and another disappointment in their 15th game was going to upset committed supporters.

Scoring four times not only saw him become Zambia’s first-ever hat-trick hero in European competition, but he also becomes Leicester’s joint-top scorer in Europe and matched Derek Hines’ 1958 feat of scoring a quartet in a single game.

Particularly pleasing is how the Central African hasn’t let his head drop in what has obviously been a somewhat difficult start to life in English football. The former Red Bull Salzburg marksman has seen little game time in the Premier League and Europe wasn’t being kind to him either.

A disallowed goal against Napoli on his Europa League debut for the club diluted the cacophonous celebration at the King Power and another blank in Poland against Legia after a shot-happy outing must have played on his mind.

After enduring a frustrating time on Wednesday until his first goal — where he snatched at a half-volley in the opening 10 minutes and felt he should have won a penalty minutes after the hosts opened the scoring — the night ended in elation.

Without a doubt, five goals in two games have announced the Central African and offer a glimpse into the future when the ageless Jamie Vardy calls time on his storied Leicester career.

Again, it would be inattentive to ignore Iheanacho’s role in Moscow as his pair of assists for the Zambian aided the Foxes’ comeback.

Like Daka, the Super Eagle surprisingly found himself out of the team at the start of the season, albeit with a few mitigating factors. However, Brendan Rodgers has bowed to common sense and is reaping the rewards of the Nigerian’s final-third output.

The first assist saw him look up and release his strike partner after some quick thinking and the second was a display of selflessness and presence of mind to pick out a better-placed teammate.

Rodgers praised the embryonic signs of understanding between the duo after a pre-season friendly against Queens Park Rangers in the summer, but this was different. When the stakes were higher, the African pair came up trumps magnificently in challenging circumstances.

The Europa League may not carry the appeal of the continent’s esteemed club competition but Daka and Iheanacho lit up Europe this week, and it’s likely a fool’s errand picking out a more adorable African tale.

Gor Mahia coach Sammy Omollo is confident the team will reclaim their Football Kenya Federation Premier League title in this campaign.

K'Ogalo have been winning back-to-back league titles since 2017, but last season they were dislodged from the summit by the Brewers who won the league in 2016. The former Harambee Star insists there is a massive difference between the previous campaign and the ongoing one.

He has stated on Sunday, Gor Mahia will not relax in the second leg of the Caf Confederation Cup's second preliminary round against Sudanese outfit Al Ahly Merowe, that they will push for more despite winning the last meeting away 3-1.

'Gor Mahia are back'

"Last season and this one there is a massive difference. The team has improved very much, every position has about two quality players, so it is about fighting for your position," Omollo told Goal.

"The [Al-Ahly] game has not ended, we have to push harder and ensure we complete the job. No room for complacency and I have told the players as well.

"I am expecting a positive outing on Sunday because the preparations have been good and I thank the office for that. This season we are back and I am sure we are winning the league, we will reclaim it."

'Leopards played well in Mashemeji Derby'

On Wednesday, K'Ogalo played their sworn rivals AFC Leopards at Kasarani Stadium but ended up losing the game by a solitary goal scored by Boniface Omondi. 

But the tactician lauded Ingwe, stating they were impressed despite being in the process of rebuilding.

"It was a good match for us, we had just won in Egypt and the confidence was high," Omollo continued.

"But Ingwe played well, you could not tell they are building a team. They gave us hard work with their possession, but despite them playing well in the second half, we still had a chance of scoring two goals.

"Samuel Onyango hit the post and also missed a one on one."

The match between Gor Mahia and Al-Ahly will be played at Nyayo Stadium from 4 PM.

In the first El Clasico of the season, arch rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns in a La Liga clash on Sunday at the Camp Nou.

This will be the first time in the last 17 years that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo or Sergio Ramos will take part in this marquee clash. The Ronaldo vs Messi and othersuch duels added an extra zing to the competitiveness of this fixture.

Nonetheless, Clasicos are always special to the fans of these two clubs across the globe. With a game in hand, Los Merengues are just three points behind Real Sociedad and a win against their rivals will help them claim the top position. Barcelona, on the other hand, are currently placed in the seventh position but three points in the Clasico can send them to the second position.

The two clubs have met each other in 246 competitive matches out of which Real Madrid won 98 and Barcelona won 96. 52 ties ended in a draw. Former FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the all-time highest goalscorer in El Clasico's history and is also the joint-most capped player along with current PSG teammate and former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos.

Here, we take a look at all the records of this classic encounter between the two Spanish giants.

Who has won the most El Clasicos - Barcelona or Real Madrid?

Who are the top five goalscorers in El Clasicos?

Who are the top five players with the most appearances in El Clasico?

What are the five biggest wins in El Clasico history?

Which players have scored the most hat-tricks in El Clasico's history?

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under no illusions about the "tremendous" challenge Liverpool will pose in Sunday's Premier League blockbuster as he admits his side has fallen behind their rivals in recent years.

The two giants face off at Old Trafford in a clash which even at this early stage could hold huge implications in the 2021-22 title race. 

And Solskjaer admits that it will not be easy to take down Jurgen Klopp's charges, who have been in fine form so far this term. 

What was said?  

“It’s a massive rivalry because of the history of the two clubs. The amount of titles and trophies these two clubs have won and the history between us, the two cities and the football clubs," the Norwegian told reporters ahead of the encounter. 

“It’s a rivalry that you have to take up and hold your hand up and say that they are a very good club, a very good team.

“You have to make sure that you are better than them. The last four years they have been tremendous. We’re chasing them. We’ve chased the last four years and the results, we’ve been behind them.

“Now we’ve taken steps but the next step is to, again, be above them because we were above them last season.

“But that’s history and hopefully this season we can achieve something better.”

'No time to lose'

Solskjaer is nevertheless confident that despite some mixed recent results, the future is bright for his team. 

“I expect us to improve in the next couple of months, definitely," he added. 

"Of course Cristiano (Ronaldo) has been here for a month, Jadon's (Sancho) been here for two months. Marcus (Rashford) is just coming back, Edinson (Cavani) had a long run up to when he could join us, so I expect us to improve, definitely.

"It is exciting to have these types of players to work with and it is about finding the balance between width, how big we're going to make the pitch, how Edinson and Cristiano, two of the best box players in world football. Then you've got exciting wingers, goalscorers and I'm sure we will improve.

"We have lost some points lately that we are not happy with but we are in the situation we are in and we have to take it from here and really get going.

“There is no time to lose because even though it is a long season the teams we are competing against are not going to give us too many options to catch them.”

United currently sit sixth in the Premier League standings after losing two and drawing one of their last three outings, while Liverpool are four points ahead and could move back in front of Manchester City into second with victory over their rivals.

Further reading 

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at those that have criticised his work rate at Manchester United, saying that he isn't concerned by those that don't want to see him continue winning trophies.

Ronaldo has been the target of criticism regarding his defensive effort, although the goals have continued to flow at Man Utd.

But the Portuguese star has fired back at those that criticise him as he pointed to his age and past successes to say that he knows what he's doing.

What was said?

"I know when the team needs my help defensively," the forward said."‘But my role in the club is to win, help the team to win and to score goals – [the defensive side] is part of my job.

"The people who don’t want to see that is because they don’t like me but to be honest I’m 36, I win everything so am I going to be worried about the people who say bad things about me?

"I sleep good at night. I go to my bed with my conscience very good. Keep going with that because I will still close mouths and win things."

Ronaldo continued: "Criticism is part of the business. I’m not worried about that. And I see it as a good thing, to be honest. If they worry about me or they speak about me, it’s because they know my potential and value in football still.

"So it’s good. I’ll give you an example: if you’re in a school and you’re the best student, you ask the worst student if he likes the best, they’ll say they don’t like him.

"I think the main word is that I’m still happy and enjoying football. It doesn’t matter how many things I won in my career. I win everything but I’m still motivated.

"I’m in a new chapter of my life, even with my age, and this is why I am here — to try to win, and I think Manchester needs to be at this level of winning and thinking to win big things so I’m here to help."

Ronaldo's record so far

Ronaldo recently scored the match-winning goal in Man Utd's Champions League victory over Atalanta, a game that saw the Red Devils come back from 2-0 down to stun the Italian side.

In total, Ronaldo has scored six goals in eight games for Man Utd this season, with three of those goals coming in three Champions League appearances.

Further reading

Serge Aurier made his Villarreal debut in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in a LaLiga fixture.

Having left Tottenham Hotspur in August, the Cote d’Ivoire international joined the Yellow Submarine on a free transfer for the rest of the 2021-22 season, with the option of extending the contract for two more years.

Since his move to Estadio de la Ceramica, the 28-year-old has waited patiently for his maiden appearance – with his closest attempt an unused substitute role in the 2-1 triumph at home to Osasuna on October 17.

However, he ended his wait as manager Unai Emery brought him on as a 65th-minute substitute for Argentine defender Juan Foyth.

Despite featuring for 25 minutes, he could do little as his team bowed away from home to Marcelino’s Lions.

Inspired by their 1-0 triumph over Alaves their last time out, Bilbao took the lead through Raul Garcia after converting a pass from Inaki Williams.

To make things worse for the visiting side, they had Gerard Moreno forced off injured with Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze taking his place.

Thirteen minutes from the half-time break Emery’s team restored parity as Frenchman Francis Coquelin’s deflected shot Arnaut Danjuma sailed past goalkeeper Unai Simon.

In the 77th minute, the hosts regained their lead through Iker Muniain who stepped up to convert a penalty kick after VAR replays adjudged that Alberto Moreno had fouled Unai Vencedor.

They had an opportunity to extend their lead five minutes later but Alex Berenguer could not convert from the spot. That miss was inconsequential as the Basque side sealed maximum points in the game they dominated.

Algeria international Aissa Mandi was an unused substitute for Villarreal while a knee injury kept Senegal’s Boulaye Dia out. Following this defeat, the reigning Europa League kings dropped to 13th in the Spanish topflight log with 11 points from nine matches.

Even at the setback, manager Emery expressed his admiration for his team while assuring they would keep working hard.

“I liked my team. We demand a lot from ourselves, and there are still things to improve on,” he told the club website.

“We need to continue working hard and learning things based on experiences. We were very disciplined tactically, and there were moments where we had the game where we wanted it, but they made us run a lot.”

Aurier would be gunning for a starter’s role when they square up against Cadiz on October 26.

Musa Barrow was among the scorers as Bologna crumbled 4-2 to AC Milan in Saturday’s Serie A encounter.

In the ill-tempered encounter that saw two Red and Blues players sent off, the Gambia international found the net to extend his impressive goalscoring run to four matches.

Still hurt by their 1-0 defeat at FC Porto in Tuesday’s Champions League, Stefano Pioli’s men travelled to Stadio Renato Dall'Ara to step up their bid for a 19th Italian topflight title.

However, it was the hosts who had the first chance, but Marko Arnautovic headed wide a well-taken corner from Aaron Hickey.

AC Milan took the lead in the 16th minute as Rafael Leao fired past goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski after he was teed up by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Things got worse for Sinisa Mihajlovic as Mali prospect Adama Soumaoro was given the marching orders four minutes later by referee Paolo Valeri for a harsh challenge on Rade Krunic.

Profiting their numerical disadvantage, the visitors went two goals up through Davide Calabria, who thundered home from the edge of the goal area after Samu Castillejo’s initial effort was blocked.

Four minutes into the second half, Bologna pulled one back as Ibrahimovic flicked Barrow’s corner into his own net.

The comeback was complete three minutes later with Barrow latching onto Roberto Soriano’s pass to beat goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

With that, the 22-year-old has now been involved in five Serie A goals (three goals, two assists) since the start of October, at least two more than any other player in this period.

The pendulum swung back in Milan’s favour six minutes later as Bologna were reduced to nine players. This time, it was Soriano who was shown the way out for a horror tackle on Fode Ballo-Toure.

In the 84th minute, Algerian star Ismael Bennacer put his team ahead while Ibrahimovic went front villain to hero with the fourth in the closing minutes to wrap up the points as well as keep Milan’s chances of emerging as league champions alive.

Barrow was substituted for Luis Binks in the 63rd minute while Senegal’s Ibrahima Mbaye was an unused substitute. Nigeria’s Kingsley Michael was not involved due to injury worries.

Bologna would be hoping to return to winning ways when they visit Napoli on October 28.

Mohamed Bayo found the back of the net for Clermont in their 2-1 defeat against Moses Simon’s Nantes in Saturday’s Ligue 1 fixture.

The Guinea striker pulled a goal back for the visitors in the second-half after Andrei Girotto broke the deadlock for Nantes in the 38th minute.

The first 45 minutes was action-packed as both teams were reduced to 10 men. Clermont received the first red card with Johan Gastien sent off in the 30th minute followed by Sebastian Corchia's sending off, nine minutes later.

Bayo grabbed the equaliser in the 49th minute, courtesy of an assist from Elbasan Rashani.

The 23-year-old’s effort at the Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau was his 20th league goal in 2021, including the 22 goals he scored in Ligue 2 last season that powered the Lancers to the French top-flight.

He is tied with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe as the highest scoring players in the French leagues in 2021.

Nantes later sealed all three points through Ludovic Blas’ match-winning goal in the 61st minute.

Nigeria's Simon was on parade for 90 minutes and he registered two shots in the game, but he could not add to his tally of a league goal so far.

A host of African stars were also in action in Nantes, including Ghana's Salis Samed, Guinea duo Kalifa Coulibaly and Charles Traore, Tunisia's Salif Khaoui, Cameroon's Jean-Claude Billong and Gabon's Jim Allevinah.

Nantes soared to fifth in the Ligue 1 table with 17 points after 11 matches while Clermont occupy the 14th spot with 13 points.

Bayo is Clermont's highest scoring player this season with six Ligue 1 goals so far and he will be aiming to extend his tally when the Lancers host Marseille for their next league match on October 31.

Bayelsa United have crashed out of the Caf Confederation Cup after losing 4-0 to CS Sfaxien in Saturday’s second round, second leg fixture.

The Nigerian National League side had won the first leg 1-0 courtesy of Victory Beniangba’s 55th-minute effort at the Yenagoa Township Stadium.

At the Stade Taieb Mhiri Stadium in Sfax, Diepreye Teibowei’s men were hit for four as their ambitions faded into thin air.

Juventus of the Arabs took the lead in the 11th minute as Chris Kouakou capitalised on horrendous defending to fire past goalkeeper John Shaibu.

Six minutes later, Mohamed Ben Ali doubled the advantage as the Nigerian side struggled to get hold of possession.

In the goal-laden first half, Aymen Harzi made it three for Giovanni Solinas’s men in the 27th minute before Fares Chawat completed the rout five minutes before the half-time break.

Although Bayelsa United put up an improved performance in the second half, they were unable to get the goals as they bowed 4-1 on aggregate.

Prior to the showdown in Tunisia, coach Teibowei had expected his team to put up an improved showing after missing numerous scoring opportunities in the reverse fixture.

“Actually, I will not say I’m disappointed, but it was not my expectation, because we are playing against an experienced side,” he told the media.

“My expectation was, at least, if we are able to win with a wide margin, going back to play them in Tunis will be a formality.

“But now, I’m not saying that we are not going to go there and get the desired result. If they can come here and play us this way, we can equally go there and play them the same way.

“For Bayelsa United, we have played home, we have won 1-0, we’ve been able to see the so-called CS Sfaxien that people thought were invincible.”

For goalkeeper Shaibu, he claimed his team can take inspiration from Leicester City’s Premier League heroics and claim Caf Confederation Cup glory.

“Football is all about time and opportunity. Nobody gave us a chance in the first place to win the Aiteo Cup, yet we achieved that by defeating a top-flight team,” he told Goal.

“Now that we have this chance, we are looking forward to representing Nigeria well and we are not just going to make up the numbers of participating teams.

“We have already commenced preparations for our campaign and with our youthful squad, we can do a Leicester City.

“We are drawing inspiration from them because no one gave them a chance to win the Premier League many seasons ago.

“Whether people call us underdogs or write us off, we don’t care. Our duty is to get on to the field of play and get the job done.”

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has indicated that Themba Zwane and Keagan Dolly could be recalled to the Bafana Bafana squad next month.

Bafana are set to play their last two 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification Group G matches against Zimbabwe and Ghana as they look to finish at the top of the group and progress to the next round of qualifying. 

Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Zwane and Kaizer Chiefs winger Dolly were regulars in the national team before Broos was appointed Bafana coach in May this year - replacing local tactician Molefi Ntseki.

The two players have been influential for their clubs with Dolly having grabbed a brace as Chiefs thumped Chippa United 4-0 last weekend, while Zwane also scored twice in Sundowns' 2-2 draw against DRC side AS Maniema Union. 

Broos explained his team selection criteria as he has been on a mission to refresh and rebuild the national team along with his two assistants Cedomir Janevski and Helman Mkhalele. 

“You have to know I started here with nothing. I came here at a bad moment, at the end of the season. You couldn’t see games anymore, the league was finished," Broos told The Citizen.

“Luckily there was the Cosafa Cup and the Olympics, so I saw those, and already had much information. Helman also helped me a lot in the first months.

"He told me about players, their mentality, everything, even then we didn’t have so much. So the first selection was ‘ok, we’ll take this one, and this one, and we will see."

Broos stated that he has been following Dolly and Zwane with the Belgian tactician expected to announce his squad for the crucial matches against Zimbabwe and Ghana soon. 

“So now we try to improve, we are at league games every week. We were in Durban [for Arrows versus Sundowns on Wednesday] to see players we didn’t know, that we didn’t see … before," he added. 

"The door is not shut for anyone. The day I want a better player, I will take them and we did that in the last squad with Mose Lebusa (though he was ultimately injured) and Sifiso Hlanti.

“In every camp we evaluate the team and say ‘ok, there we have to have a bit more quality.’ Those names [Dolly and Zwane], we are following, so who knows, maybe they will be in the squad [for Zimbabwe and Ghana].”