Looking for Soccer News?

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen expressed his delight with his side’s performance against Udinese, as the Parthenopeans pulled out a 4-0 Serie A win on Monday.

At the Stadio Friuli, the Nigeria international opened the scoring for Luciano Spalletti’s men in the 24th minute – pushing Lorenzo Insigne’s effort past the goal line.

Amir Rrahmani doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 35th minute before Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly and substitute Hirving Lozano completed the rout in the last 45 minutes.

After the triumph over Luca Gotti's White and Blacks, the former Wolfsburg and Lille star took to social media to laud Napoli’s ‘great team show’.

Echoing this sentiment is manager Spalletti who stated that his team is showing signs of improvement.

“I expected this sort of performance. The team is growing in awareness. We’re more and more confident in our ability and our quality,” he was quoted by Napoli website.

“We’re showing our strength as a team. Individual virtues are only worth anything if there’s a team and togetherness behind them. If the collective attitude brings the best out of the individuals, that’s how you achieve the most.

“At the start, we weren’t able to break up their passing game, but we then grew into the game and stamped our authority on it. We controlled possession and did well going forward. Everything then became much easier.

“We can’t take any notice of the league table at the moment or of what our opponents are doing. We have to feed off the warmth and passion from the fans.

“What matters isn’t our form, but achieving that consistency in the long term. As for tonight, we can highlight the growth in the team’s mentality. It’ll be important to build on this in terms of our attitude and results.”

Osimhen, who has now opened his Italian topflight account for the 2021-22 season, was substituted for Andrea Petagna nine minutes from full time.

Whereas, Koulibaly and Fulham loanee Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa saw every minute of action.

Having won all matches so far, Napoli climbed to the summit of the Italian elite division with 12 points.

They are guests of Sampdoria in their next league outing on September 23.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman says he does not want to speak about his future anymore after a 1-1 draw with Granada.

The Dutch manager conceded that "today's Barca is not the Barca of eight years ago" after the club needed a late equaliser from Ronald Arauajo after trailing for 88 minutes.

And, despite rumours that Koeman could be sacked if Barca fail to perform in the coming weeks, the man himself refused to comment on his own future.

What did Koeman say?

When asked about his role at the club going forward, Koeman simply replied: "I'm not going to talk about my future anymore."

'Not the Barca of eight years ago'

Reflecting on the match itself, Koeman said that he doesn't believe Barca have the players to play the way they needed to against Granada on Monday.

Pointing to several notable absences, the Dutch coach said Monday's game required a different style, especially after conceding just two minutes in and allowing Granada to strictly defend the entire rest of the match.

"Today's Barca is not the Barca of eight years ago," he said. "We played Barca's way, but we don't have the speed on the break because [Philippe] Coutinho goes inside, [Yusuf] Demir doesn't go too deep and that's the way it is. With Ansu [Fati] or [Ousmane] Dembele it's different, you have more speed, but you have to look for alternatives."

He continued: "Before the game you think about winning, especially at home, but our bad start made the game difficult for us. We didn't come in strong, it was our fault.

"The opponent, after scoring, wasted time from minute two, defended more, did not leave spaces and this is difficult.

"We improved during the game. We changed and we played with crosses from the wings. We put energy into scoring. We wanted more, but one point is better than nothing. We deserved the draw."

Further reading

Wolves have become the first football club in the United Kingdom to launch their own music label, titled 'Wolves Records'.

The Premier League side have teamed up with Warner Music UK's Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) to unite “two of the world's biggest passions” in music and football.

The club has said that the combination of a Premier League football club's reach and ADA's marketing and distribution experience will offer “unprecedented exposure and opportunities” to emerging artists.

Are any artists signed to Wolves Records yet?

At present, the label is still searching for their first signing. The initial focus is to sign local artists from the Midlands before expanding to international territories.

Helping Wolves Records with their vision is singer, songwriter and producer S-X, who has worked with the likes of Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper and Childish Gambino.

“I am very excited to be involved and support Wolves Records from the beginning and am looking forward to helping identify the best local talent and working with the label’s first artists,” S-X said in an official press release.

“Wolves and the city of Wolverhampton are both very close to my heart, and I am deeply passionate about giving talented young people from this area the best opportunities, and the rich musical talent that the West Midlands has to offer. 

“I am genuinely looking forward to seeing how Wolves Records can impact the music industry and support new artists, and I’m also very proud that it is my club that is going to be the first in the UK to venture into music in such an authentic and exciting way.”

With the company still looking to sign their first artist, hopefuls can upload their music via the label's official website.

Have Wolves branched out in other ways?

Wolves have been attempting to diversify their portfolio for some time, having previously made moves in the world of esports by forming a partnership with US-based crew Evil Geniuses.

In addition, they also launched a high-end fashion line at a runway show atop a skyscraper in Shanghai, China.

Have other clubs started record labels before?

In the UK, no, but Ligue 1 club Marseille partnered with BMG to launch 'OM records', which focuses mainly on the hip-hop and rap genres.

Further reading

Barcelona lost one of the greatest players in world football this summer as fans will have to adjust to not seeing the club's badge next to Lionel Messi's name in FIFA 22.

The Argentine icon is instead a member of Paris Saint-Germain after departing Barca, leaving behind a team that made several notable summer acquistiions.

So, what are Barca's player ratings in FIFA 22? Ahead of the game's release on October 1, Goal has everything you need to know about how the players have been scored.

Barcelona FIFA 22 player ratings

With Messi now gone, Ter Stegen takes the top spot at Barca with a 90-rated card.

Just behind him are summer signing Aguero and midfield star De Jong at 87, while stalwarts Alba and Busquets check in at 86.

Summer signing Memphis Depay has an 85-rated card, while Gerard Pique has been downgraded to an 84.

Of the club's young stars, Pedri has taken the biggest leap up to an 81 overall card, with Dest and Fati both checking in at 76.

Eberechi Eze is anticipating a ‘beautiful experience’ when he recovers fully from Achilles injury and returns to action for Crystal Palace.

The Anglo-Nigerian picked up the injury during a training session in May which abruptly ended his debut campaign, and he is yet to know when he will play in Patrick Vieira's team this season.

His last competitive appearance was in a Premier League game against Aston Villa on May 16 when he provided an assist in their 3-2 victory.

Eze is yet to play in front of Crystal Palace fans since his permanent switch from QPR in August 2020, however, he is already dreaming of the atmosphere with the club faithful which he sees as another debut outing for the Eagles.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Palace fan, to be at Palace. I believe anything is possible. The players we’ve got right now and the way we played at the weekend [v Tottenham Hotspur] was proof this works. If we take it game by game we could end up wherever,” Eze told Premier League Productions, per the club’s website.

“It’s a brilliant time for me; I’m just – again, I don’t want to rush, to put pressure on myself – but the day I come back is going to be beautiful for me. A beautiful experience stepping out with the fans. I haven’t experienced all the fans before. It’s going to be like my debut all over again. Amazing.”

Crystal Palace have won just one of their five opening games of the season, which was a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on September 11.

Despite suffering 3-0 defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea, Eze disclosed that he is enjoying his teammates’ performance as they occupy the 14th spot in the league table with five points from five games.

“You’re sitting on the side and the worst thing is you’re thinking of positions you’d be picking up the ball and stuff like that,” he continued. So it’s dangerous to go too far into that because you start to rush yourself and put pressure on yourself.

“For me, I’m just enjoying watching the team right now because they’re playing so well and they’re doing exactly what I would have hoped in this team. It’s great to watch that and, seeing that, I just can’t wait to get back and to join them.”

The 2020-21 season was another disappointing one for Arsenal, but if there was a positive to take away, it was the influx of youth players moving up to the first-team set-up at the Emirates.

The likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe have risen through the ranks, joining stars like Pierre Emerick-Auabameyang, Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette as gold cards in FIFA 22's version of Ultimate Team.

So, what are the Gunners stars' player ratings in FIFA 22? Ahead of the game's release on October 1, Goal has everything you need to know about how the players have been scored.

Arsenal FIFA 22 player ratings

Aubemeyang is, unsurprisingly, Arsenal's highest-rated player, as the pacey forward checks in with an 85-rated card.

Just behind him is the duo of Bernd Leno and Partey at 83, while Lacazette and Martin Odegaard bag 82s after the latter completed a permanent move to the club this summer.

Saka, one of the club's young stars, has been awarded an 80-rated card, while Martinelli and Smith Rowe both check in at 76. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, is a 75 with big summer signing Ben White earning a 76-rated card.

Peter Etebo will not be available for Watford when they square up against Stoke City in Tuesday’s League Cup encounter, the Premier League side has announced.

The Nigerian midfielder joined the Hornets on loan from the Potters at the start of the season and as such, he is not eligible to face his parent club.

Apart from Etebo, Kiko Femenia and Joao Pedro are also out of action against the English second-tier side due to injury worries.

“Kiko Femenia will miss tomorrow night's Carabao Cup clash with Stoke City after being substituted early in the second half at Carrow Road on Saturday,” the club noted on their website.

“However, the defender did not suffer a recurrence of the injury that has kept him out since April and should return to training later this week.

“Peter Etebo is ineligible to play any part against Stoke under the terms of his loan agreement with the Potters.

“Striker Joao Pedro will continue to build up his fitness with the squad this week and is unlikely to be risked tomorrow night.

“There are no other injury concerns among the first-team squad right now.”

Since teaming up with the Vicarage Road giants, the Super Eagle has been a key figure in manager Xisco’s squad.

He has featured in all Watford’s English elite division games so far in the 2021-22 campaign – making four appearances in the starting XI.

In Saturday’s 3-1 away victory over Norwich City, Etebo was handed a starter’s role, albeit he was substituted for Tom Cleverley with nine minutes left to play.

The 25-year-old is expected to return to the club’s fold when they welcome Newcastle United to Hertfordshire on Saturday.

As it stands, Xisco’s men occupy 11th spot in the Premier League log having accrued six points from all matches played so far.

Etebo is making his third loan move since he joined Stoke in 2018. He has also featured for Getafe and Galatasaray.

He started his career at Warri Wolves where he spent three years before moving to Portuguese side Feirense.

At Feirense, he helped the side gain promotion to the Primeira Liga and established themselves as a top-flight club, and then he had a six-month loan spell at Spanish side Las Palmas in the 2017-18 season before he joined Stoke in June 2018 for a fee of £6.35 million.

Once again firing on all cylinders after a season plagued by injuries, Liverpool look back to their brilliant best as they aim to challenge for English and European honours this term.

It was a fairly quiet summer window for Jurgen Klopp and Co., with Ibrahima Konate's signing from RB Leipzig the only notable acquisition, but the nucleus of their Premier League and Champions League-winning squad is roughly still as it was.

So, what are the Reds stars' player ratings in FIFA 22? Ahead of the game's release on October 1 ,  Goal  has everything you need to know about how the players have been scored.

Liverpool FIFA 22 player ratings

Four of Liverpool's biggest stars are tied for the top rating in the team, with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk all clocking in at 89.

Flying full-back pairing Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold also score highly with ratings of 87.

There are some decent options in midfield too, with Fabinho and Thiago rated at 86, while Roberto Firmino, who will lead the line, gets 85.

Victor Osimhen would be hoping to score his first Serie A goal of the 2021-22 campaign when Napoli face Udinese on Monday night.

Still fresh from his awe-inspiring performance in Thursday’s Europa League performance against Leicester City – where he scored a brace at the King Power Stadium, the Nigerian has been named in the Blues’ starting XI.

In a 4-3-3 formation adopted by manager Luciano Spalletti, Osimhen will lead the charge for goals alongside Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano.

Cameroon international Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will hold sway in the midfield alongside Eljif Elmas and Fabian.

Whereas, Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly teams up with Mario Rui, Amir Rrahmani and Giovanni Di Lorenzo to provide cover for goalkeeper David Ospina.

Meanwhile, Algeria international Adam Ounas is among the named substitutes while his compatriot Faouzi Ghoulam is still out due to a muscle injury.

For Udinese, former Watford star Isaac Success is out of the White and Blacks’ squad as Italy youth international of Nigerian background Destiny Udogie will play no part against the Blues due to a muscle injury.

Unbeaten in their last 12 Italian elite division games, Napoli would be hoping to extend their fine run in their quest to compete for a third Serie A title.

And to achieve this ambition, they would be hoping their star striker Osimhen puts up a good shift.

Thanks to his heroics against the Foxes, former Italy star Signori drew comparisons between him and former Chelsea hero Didier Drogba.

“They look a lot like each other physically and technically,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.

“He is good, he has everything: technique, strength, elevation, speed and power.

“He's a player who is still young and has room for improvement, and I think he showed a part of what he can do [against Leicester City].”

For Osimhen who joined from Ligue 1 outfit Lille, he has vowed to give everything to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona giants.

“I’m happy and we played as a team, even when we went two goals down, we kept playing as a team,” the 21-year-old told Sky Sport Italia.

“I don’t want to set an objective. The club always believed in me, starting with these two goals is certainly important and I want to continue like this.”

Coach Kennedy Boboye has opened up on reasons for Akwa United’s failed expedition in the Caf Champions League.

The reigning Nigeria Professional Football League kings bowed out of the tournament following a 2-1 aggregate defeat to CR Belouizdad on Sunday.

The Promise Keepers secured a slim 1-0 lead in the first leg, however, a 2-0 loss at the Omar Hamadi Stadium in Algiers saw the Uyo based side kiss the Champions League goodbye.

Explaining what went wrong, the former Nigeria U23 assistant coach explained the factors that worked against his team’s ambition of progressing to the second round.

“The moment we won by just one goal in Uyo on September 12th, I knew it will be difficult for us to get a favourable result in Algiers, but at the same time it wasn’t an impossible task for us,” Boboye told the media.

“After a careful study of the first leg, I realised that our opponents were technically better than us and that was why we came to Algiers with a game plan which, unfortunately, didn’t work for us.

“Also, two of my players Charles Okafor and Marshal Johnson had passport issues, one player Denis Nya sustained an injury during the warm-up and that altered the plans we had.

“We needed to move Dare Ojo to the centre-back position, which he did very well but we missed his experience in the midfield and it affected our game plan.”

“Having won the first leg, we knew that they (CR Belouizdad) will come out to attack us so our plan was to get at least a goal in the first half but we came up against a very good team,” he continued.

“The way they played; one can tell that they have been playing together for a very long time. The first goal they scored was a good goal but the penalty against us wasn’t a good call but that is football.”

Even at the setback, Boboye has shifted his attention to the Nigerian top-flight – where they would be making their experience on the continent count.

“We have to go back and start preparing for the new NPFL season and I think that the exposure and experience we have garnered from these two games will help the coaching crew and the players in subsequent outings both in the league and at continental level.”

Michel Ngonge has advised his former club Watford not to expect Emmanuel Dennis to fill Troy Deeney's void after his impressive start to the season.

The former DR Congo international who played for the Hornets between 1998 and 2000, thinks Dennis ‘is not a great goalscorer’ unlike Deeney who scored 140 goals for the club during his 11-year stint at Vicarage Road.

Following his permanent switch from Club Brugge in June, Dennis heralded his presence in the Premier League with two goals in five matches so far but Ngonge suggested that he has not adapted fully to life in England yet.

“I watched Watford’s first game when Dennis scored and then saw the results of the other games,” Ngonge told Watford Observer. “It’s nice for a player to mark his debut in a great competition like the Premier League with a goal, but one should never forget that it can take up to two, three months to adjust to the physicality of this competition.

“Dennis needs to get used to the pace of the league, which is not easy, and carry on. But his teammates need to help him also.

“That said, Watford should not expect him to replace Troy Deeney because Dennis isn’t a great goalscorer. In Bruges he played as a deep-lying centre-forward on the right side. For me, that’s his best position.”

In addition to his two goals, the 23-year-old also contributed an assist and Ngonge has backed him to play a key role in helping Watford maintain their top-flight status in this campaign.

“Dennis is a creative player and a bit crazy on the pitch," he continued.

"When I say that he’s crazy I mean that he is instinctive and is a great dribbler. He is young, quick and a player with an enormous amount of talent. I am sure that he will do well with his qualities and keep Watford in the Premier League.”

Watford are currently 11th in the Premier League table with six points after five matches, and they face Stoke City on Tuesday for their League Cup fixture.

U.S. women’s national team star Carli Lloyd has opened up on a "difficult" time after the 2015 Women’s World Cup triumph which thrust her name into the limelight.

The 39-year-old scored a hat-trick in the final in Canada six years ago as the USWNT won the title, the first of two Lloyd would win, adding to her two Olympic gold medals.

However, while that tournament would do incredible things for her, there was also a downside that people didn’t see, which Lloyd spoke to Goal about - as well as her decision to retire, which was announced earlier this year.

What has Lloyd said?

Speaking to Goal on All of US: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Show, Lloyd explained: “I did a lot in between 2005 and 2015, but the majority of the world thought that I just arrived on the team scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

“Up to that point, in those 10 years or so, I wasn't really the face [of the team]. I came up big in big moments, between the Algarve Cups, between Olympics and was a mainstay on the team. I didn't have many endorsement deals, besides Nike, and so, when 2015 happened, it was as if my life had changed.

“That was the first time where I was having appearances, I was having endorsements and I'm taking all these things, I'm approaching them just as hard as I would be approaching on the field things and it required me to miss some things. It required me to fly in and out for some NWSL games.

“But I think what was difficult during that point is, I was trying to take full advantage of my opportunities and thinking long term and thinking about family, retirement and all these things, and a lot of media, a lot of people, were just trashing me. 'Oh, she's got a book tour, she's worried about that, she's missing this'. No one ever asked me why I'm doing all these things, or how it's amazing for a female athlete to be getting all these opportunities.

“You fast forward to now, it's like the norm. That was really difficult, because if I didn't take advantage of all of that, I would have regretted it. No one asked me. No one was intrigued. They just had to dive into the negative of thinking that I don't care about the NWSL and I don't care about performing.

“It was actually extremely, extremely difficult for me because I was having to find ways to train, often times in a hotel, run up and down hotel stairwells while I'm on appearances and juggle life, NWSL, national team, performing and then all my off the field opportunities. No one asked me that.”

Why is Lloyd retiring?

Lloyd also talked about her decision to retire, which was announced after the 2020 Olympic Games.

Having scored winning goals in the gold medal matches in 2008 and 2012, Lloyd came up big again, scoring twice in the bronze medal match in Japan. It continued fine form that the forward has shown this year, form that suggests she could carry on for several more years if she wanted to.

Asked why she chose to hang up her boots, rather than emulate NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who won his seventh Super Bowl this year at the age of 43, Lloyd said: “Well, Tom Brady doesn't have to have kids, that's the one thing for starters! My husband, Brian, and I are eventually going to start a family so the clock's kind of ticking on that.

“I don't think every athlete gets the opportunity to dictate when they go out, to dictate if they're happy or not, to dictate if they're on top or not. I've always wanted my career to be dictated on me making the decisions. This just felt time for me.

“It gets to be a little tiring, you know? Being away from home, the travel and, to be quite honest, having to stay at the top and prove people wrong. It is exhausting. It takes endless work, day in and day out and I'm just ready to kind of shift gears and start this next chapter and live my life and do a lot of things that I've put on hold for so many years.”

Further reading

The complete soundtrack for the upcoming FIFA 22 has been released and, much like previous editions of the annual EA Sports game, this year's playlist features a wide variety of music from all over the world.

Featuring the likes of Swedish House Mafia, DJ Snake & Malaa, Glass Animals, and Lorde, the total soundtrack for both the main game and FIFA's VOLTA mode include 122 songs from artists representing 27 nations.

Goal takes a look at which musicians and bands appear in FIFA 22, which is released on October 1, 2021.

When was the FIFA 22 soundtrack announced?

The complete FIFA 21 soundtrack was made available to listen to on Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music on September 20, 2021.

What songs are on the FIFA 22 soundtrack?

The game features two separate soundtracks: one for the main game and one for VOLTA.

The main soundtrack features 52 new tracks representing a wide variety of genres, while the VOLTA portion includes 70 songs that deliver a mix of hip-hop, grime and electronic music.

In addition, artists Swedish House Mafia, AJ Tracey, CHIKA and DJ Snake will all have kits included as part of the game's Ultimate Team mode.

You can see the complete soundtrack below.

FIFA 22 Volta soundtrack

Listen to the FIFA 22 Soundtrack

Listen to the FIFA 22 Volta Soundtrack

FIFA 21 soundtrack

The FIFA 21 soundtrack included tracks by a host of diverse international artists that dabbled between grime, indie rock and alternative, such as Tame Impala, Dua Lipa, LA Priest and Glass Animals.

Mali captain Molla Wague has stated Nantes are ready to release him for free if he finds a new club.

Wague has struggled for playing time in Antoine Kombouare's team and he is yet to make their matchday squad this season.

The 30-year-old joined Nantes from Udinese in July 2019 and his last appearance for the Canaries was in a 3-3 draw against Dijon in a Ligue 1 game in February 2020.

Having entered the final year of his contract and with Nantes not looking to extend his stay, he believes that his experiences in various competitions would benefit his next club as he continues his search for a new challenge.

“I am currently in Nantes, awaiting a challenge. I am under contract until 2022, but the club has made it clear to me that they will let me free if I find a club. This is the situation today,” Wague told Foot Mercato.

“I can come free, Nantes will let me go without compensation if a club comes. I am determined and ready to resume, to rediscover group life and especially the taste for competition, the public, because that is what makes us vibrate.

“I have experience, I participated in four Afcons, I played in Serie A, in the Premier League, in Ligue 1, I want to use all of this to help my next club and take up this challenge.”

Wague spent last season on loan at Amiens and he made 24 appearances in the Ligue 2 as they finished 10th in the table.

He recalled his contributions for the Unicorns before an injury ruled him out of the closing stage of the 2020-21 season.

“I am coming out of a season in Ligue 2, in Amiens, where I was an indisputable holder,” he added.

“I played 24 matches, due to an injury at the end of the season from which I have obviously recovered well. Out of these 24 matches, we made 10 clean sheets. I think personally, it's been a satisfying season, although I would have liked the results to be better collectively.”

AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy says if last week’s brush with SuperSport United’s Kaitano Tembo was “away from a football match" then it would have been a completely different outcome.

The two coaches traded words during their 0-0 Premier Soccer League draw at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium.

But it was McCarthy whose touchline tirade was captured live on television as he called Tembo “broke” while promising to “get deep” with his Matsatsantsa counterpart.

“I said if he thinks he has any right to call me what he did, the next time I won’t be as kind,” McCarthy told Metro FM’s Ultimate Sports Show.

“We are in a sport where young people are watching so we have to be examples, but that was not an example. If it was anywhere else away from the football pitch with cameras, it would have been a completely different outcome. He would have known what was coming because my fists were itching. 

“People must understand, I am very calm. When I react it’s always a big problem.

“I’m very respectful to all the coaches in the league. Unless you overstep your boundaries and start saying things to me or about my players, then, of course, you are asking for me to intervene and I will gladly oblige.” 

McCarthy has given his side of the story about what transpired on that evening, explaining what made his volcanic temper erupt.

“There are certain things I don’t think you should ever say even to your worst enemy. In football, yes, we are angry and that,” said McCarthy.

“But if someone calls you a certain thing, that I would never ever say about players or coaches regarding their families, what was said to me, all that I did was react. 

“The SuperSport bench was putting a lot of pressure on the referee. When they started doing this, we were told to sit down but it’s okay for the opposition to do it. 

“Then I said to the opposition coach, ‘you can’t tell us to sit down when you guys are doing the same thing and you are pressing the referee for every decision to go your way and it’s okay we must sit back. Now we are also going to press him.’

“Then I was told to shut up you c***. For me, that was the ultimate [provocation]. Someone calls me a c*** which I’m definitely not. If someone calls me that, now it’s not about football, you are attacking the individual. 

“Of course I have every single right to stand up for myself and that’s exactly what I did. I am not going to be bullied by a coach or anyone else. People who know me, know that is the mother of all insults. I will never do wrong to anyone if you don’t do me wrong first.

“I stand up for myself and I am now made to be the villain, I'm the bad guy. And the person who started all this whole saga is the one in good light being called, ‘oh what a fantastic guy, what a marvelous coach, what a good example this and that.’ What example? You are not an example if you call me what you did. 

“I don’t care if I lose all the respect from people because I stand up for myself.”

Belgian top-flight side Genk have announced the extension of Paul Onuachu’s contract until 2024.

Thanks to his impressive displays for Danish side Midtjylland, the Nigeria international was snapped up by the Smurfs in August 2019.

His presence at the Luminus Arena has been a huge blessing – with his goals helping the club secure crucial wins. Onuachu also contributed a great deal to the club’s triumph in the Belgian Cup for the 2020–21 campaign.

“Our club has reached an agreement with Paul Onuachu on a contract extension for one season. He is now connected to KRC Genk until mid-2024,” a statement from the Genk website read.

“Our Nigerian phenomenon made his debut on September 1, 2019, for KRC Genk. In his first season, he scored 10 times, in his second the counter only stopped at a staggering 35 goals.

“It earned him the title of top scorer, and because Paul is much more than a goalscoring machine, he was also voted Professional Footballer of the Year.

“In the meantime, he has taken the 50-goal mark for our club. Last Thursday, Onuachu was again decisive with the winner in Vienna, yesterday [on Sunday], he did it again in the derby at Stayen.

“It brings its total in the current campaign to six goals. In his last 51 games as Genkie, Paul scored no less than 42 goals.

“As a club, we are very proud to still have Paul Onuachu in our midst. Together we will do everything we can to achieve our ambitions.”

Prior to this transfer update, Genk technical director Dimitri de Conde had urged Premier League outfit Liverpool to consider a move for the towering goal machine.

"Did you see Liverpool against Chelsea? Liverpool have the best strikers, but none with the same profile as Onuachu,” he was quoted by Het Belang van Limburg:

"He would have scored against 10 men.

"I'm not saying that Paul would play 90 minutes every week in Liverpool, but a club like that could really use him."

Onuachu was on target for Genk as they silenced Sint-Truiden 2-1 on Sunday. He is expected to lead John van den Brom’s attack in Wednesday’s league showdown against Royal Antwerp.

The government of Kerala has announced a collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to host an international women's football tournament in Kochi this year in addition to other plans to develop the sport in the state.

The government had earlier announced its plans to set up residential football academies across the state with the help of the Indian Super League (ISL) club Kerala Blasters and I-League club Gokulam Kerala.

The clubs won a government tender which sets in motion the plan to set up the government football academies.

What is Kerala's collaboration with AIFF about?

Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahman confirmed the news of the collaboration with All India Football Federation on multiple projects on Monday.

As part of the programmes, and in an endeavour to promote and encourage women’s football, the Government of Kerala along with the AIFF and KFA will also host an International Football tournament in Kochi in December 2021, ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 which is slated to be held from January 20-February 6, 2022.

Furthermore, Kerala will host the final round of the 75th Santosh Trophy National Senior Football Championship, the minister said. The next junior and sub-junior national football championships for boys and girls will also be held in Kerala. 

AIFF Deputy General Secretary Abhishek Yadav was also present on the occasion, as was Kerala Football Association (KFA) Executive Committee member Dr Reginald Varghese.

On behalf of the AIFF and the Kerala Football Association (KFA), Abhishek expressed gratitude to the honourable Sports Minister, and the secretariat. “The initiatives being taken by the Government of Kerala will inspire and provide an ideal platform to boys and girls from the state to progress to professional football, and also the National Teams,” he averred.

The AIFF and the KFA will also support the organisation of Golden Baby Leagues as well as the Youth Leagues from the local level to the state level.

Meanwhile, AIFF will take the lead to train football coaches. Assistance will also be provided for training for referees, and special focus will be placed on development of female coaches and referees. There have also been talks to set up a National Team camp in Kerala in the near future.

What about Kerala's football academies? 

The academies, which were announced earlier this week, will have opportunities for the U-14, U-17 and U-20 categories of both boys and girls. will be based out of Kannur, Ernakulam and Trivandrum. It has been learnt that the Malabarians will operate the academy for girls in Kannur and Blasters will run the academies in Thiruvananthapuram as part of a five-year deal. 

The scouting for these government academies will be done across Kerala and the project was announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijaya via video conference on Thursday. "Not so long ago, Kerala had good women's teams in football. We aim to return to the glory days. The government also plans to promote girls' football at school and college levels,” said Vijayan.

He further added, "It is encouraging that several private football academies are sprouting out throughout the state. But, it has been found that some are not doing justice, their greed is destroying the careers of players and that must not be encouraged."

The Kerala CM has also revealed that the government is planning to ready playgrounds under all local bodies. He said, "The process of developing basic sports infrastructure is ongoing in the state. Once complete, the state will have 40 new football grounds."

Kerala Blasters are currently preparing for the eighth season of ISL which will be held behind closed doors and inside a bio-secure bubble in Goa.

Gokulam Kerala will have their men's and women's teams play in Asian tournaments this season. Both the men's teams of the two Kerala clubs are currently in West Bengal to take part in the Durand Cup. 

Leicester City’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion was ‘more than frustrating’ after they had two goals disallowed by VAR, admits Ademola Lookman.

With the Foxes trailing 2-1, Lookman and Wilfred Ndidi had their goals canceled for offside by the Video Assistant Referee in the second half.

Prior to the incidents, Jamie Vardy's 61st-minute effort halved the deficit for the visitors after Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck put Brighton in front.

The result was Leicester City’s second straight loss in the Premier League, however, Lookman believes they can bounce back to winning ways when they travel to Millwall for their League Cup game on Wednesday before they host Burnley in the Premier League on September 25.

“We pushed and we pushed, to try and get a result out of the game,” Lookman told the club’s website.

“It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get the three points for the fans here. It was definitely frustrating on the pitch for us, when you put the ball in the net twice and it gets disallowed. It’s more than frustrating.

“We’ve got to bounce back. We go again on Wednesday in the cup, and we’ll look to win that game to progress to the next round. From there, we’ll keep on building.”

The game was Lookman’s second appearance for Leicester City since his season-long loan from RB Leipzig and he disclosed that he is gradually settling down to life at the King Power Stadium.

“I think they’ve seen glimpses,” he continued. “I think there’s still more to come from me, there’s a lot more to my game. Obviously, with the minutes I’ve got now, we’ll just keep building and keep on working hard during training to keep on progressing.

“I feel good. I’m getting stronger every single day, and that’s the most important thing. I look forward to every single game. I love playing football.”

Manchester United are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with once again in the Premier League and are being tipped to at least challenge for the English title again this season.

Having signed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho over the summer, adding to established stars such as Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, big things are expected from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men.

So, what are the Red Devils stars' player ratings in FIFA 22? Ahead of the game's release on October 1,  Goal  has everything you need to know about how the players have been scored.

Chelsea FIFA 22 player ratings

As many will have predicted, Cristiano Ronaldo tops the charts with a rating of 91, followed by star attacking midfielder and Portugal team-mate Bruno Fernandes with 88.

Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho share a rating of 87, with new centre-back recruit Varane closely behind them with 86.

FIFA favourite Marcus Rashford, well known for his pace and trickery in game, is rated at 85 - the same as Edinson Cavani.

Harry Maguire, David de Gea and Luke Shaw all rock up at 84.