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'Villa haven't done enough to keep him' - Petrov expects Man Utd target Grealish to move on

The Ghana and Nigeria stars came off the bench to turn around Sunday's league match in favour of John van den Brom's side

Joseph Paintsil and Paul Onuachu scored a goal each as Genk came from behind to beat Sint-Truiden 2-1 in a Belgian First Division A encounter on Sunday.

Onuachu turned up at the Stadion Stayen to rescue the Smurfs again, three days after he scored a stoppage-time goal that sealed their 1-0 win over Rapid Vienna in the Uefa Europa League.

The Super Eagles striker was introduced with Paintsil on the hour-mark with Genk trailing by 1-0 after they conceded a late goal through Yuma Suzuki in the first-half.

Onuachu replaced Nigerian descent Ike Ugbo for his sixth league appearances of the season while Paintsil came on for Luca Oyen.

The Ghana international scored the equaliser in the 73rd minute and Onuachu secured all three points for the visitors with his right-footed shot, 10 minutes later.

The Nigeria striker linked up with Japan’s Junya Ito again who assisted him to find the back of the net in Austria on Thursday and he has now scored at least a goal in each of his last three outings for the Smurfs.

Sunday’s winning goal was Onuachu’s 51st goal for Genk across all competitions since he moved to Belgium from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland in 2019.

Although they have a game in hand, Genk are third in the First Division A with 14 points from seven games and they trail leaders Club Brugge by three points.

Onuachu and his teammates will shift their attention to Wednesday's league trip to Royal Antwerp before they welcome RFC Seraing to the Luminus Arena on September 26.

Elsewhere in Liege, Cameroon international Collins Fai was shown a straight red card with six minutes left on the clock as nine-man Standard Liege suffered a 1-0 loss to Anderlecht.

Earlier the game, the hosts were dealt a blow after Ameen Al Dakhil was given marching orders in the seventh minute.

(Originally posted by Taiye Taiwo)
  201 Hits

Diego Lainez to join Tigres UANL for 2023 Liga MX Clausura

Academy stars to be given their first-team opportunities as the Catalan coach aims to mastermind record fifth successive League Cup success

An injury crisis at Manchester City will see Pep Guardiola turn to the club’s youth academy for their Carabao Cup clash with League One opponents Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday.

City are aiming to lift the trophy for a record fifth successive season with their last defeat in the competition back in October 2016.

However, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri, Oleksander ZInchenko and Zack Steffen were all missing from Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Southampton while Guardiola is set to rest a host of senior players with difficult trips to Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Liverpool coming immediately after the League Cup clash.

What’s been said?

“I don’t have any alternatives, we are going to play a few young players, some first-team players, but some will rest for the games we have ahead of us,” Guardiola said ahead of the third-round clash.

“A few players from the Academy are going to play because we have John, Ayme, Rodri, Oleks, all of them are injured. Ruben [Dias] and Joao [Cancelo] played all the minutes and I do not think they will be able to play in this game. We will see. 

“We don’t have four or five days [to prepare], we have three to make a good selection. It’s an opportunity for the Academy, that’s why they are there.”

Which young players could feature?

Highly-rated midfielder Cole Palmer made his Premier League debut in the 5-0 victory over Norwich earlier in the season and is expected to start.

With Laporte and Stones injured and Dias likely to be rested, centre-back Luke Mbete-Tabu could make his first-team debut, just three days after his 18th birthday.

Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia could also make his first start with Rodri injured and Fernandinho rested ahead of the three crucial away matches that follow.

England under-18 international Josh Wilson-Esbrand was also on the bench against Southampton while striker Liam Delap, who scored for City at the same stage last season, is available after recovering from injury.

Any senior players?

Dias, Cancelo and Jack Grealish have started each of City’s six Premier League and Champions League matches so far and are likely to be rested ahead of a trio of important fixtures.

That is likely to give an opportunity to Phil Foden to take another step in his recovery from injury after making just two substitute appearances so far.

Raheem Sterling made just his second start of the season against Southampton in the centre-forward role and while City drew a blank, Guardiola was impressed by his movement in the role.

“He was so active in terms of movement, but football depends a lot on how good we do the process in build up and when it happens our strikers and wingers play better and our attacking midfielders play better,” the City boss said.

“We struggled a bit and that is why he didn’t get many balls but he was always dangerous and ready to try to do it."

Further reading:

(Originally posted by Jonathan Smith)
  198 Hits

Utd beat Lens after Onana lobbed from halfway

The former Manchester United and Everton star joins as the latest legendary player to be part of EA Sports' popular Ultimate Team mode

Wayne Rooney is the latest icon announced for FIFA Ultimate Team in FIFA 22.

The former Manchester United and Everton star will receive playable cards in FUT representing different stages of his career. He is the fourth icon addition to this year's EA Sports title.

The annual football video game has beefed up its roster of legendary players in recent years, and for FIFA 22, it will also include a FIFA Heroes category.

Wayne Rooney announced as FIFA 22 icon

EA Sports unveiled the Premier League legend on Sunday with a video that pays tribute to his iconic derby bicycle kick against Manchester City.

Rooney's three cards are rated 91, 88 and 86.

What does it mean to be a FUT icon?

In addition to being some of the highest-rated players in the game, FUT icons are special because they have chemistry links to players from any league. They are the only FIFA Ultimate Team players who aren't penalised for playing alongside players in different divisions.

Who are the new FIFA 22 Ultimate Team icons?

So far, Rooney is joined by Robin van Persie, Iker Casillas and Cafu as new icon additions to the game.

Further reading

  223 Hits

Alarcon: Timbers didn't want to pursue Polo case

Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo said "a lot of things went wrong" in his side's second-half meltdown against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Blues scored all of their goals in a 3-0 victory in the final 45 minutes as Spurs "went to their limits" trying to slow the reigning European champions. Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger were responsible for the scoring in the derby romp.

Nuno has now seen his team lose consecutive matches by the same scoreline after a three-game winning streak to begin the campaign.

What has been said?

"A lot of things went wrong," Nuno told BBC. "Let's start with the first half - I think it was a good game, competitive. We were on the the front foot, started pressing high, creating problems and had chances.

"In the second half, the set piece and goal changes the game. Then it becomes much harder, the game totally changed and Chelsea took control and were the better team in the second half.

"It's difficult, but I'm proud of the first half and of all the game because we had troubles in team and the players went to their limits." 

"We knew through the game that we would have problems [with fatigue], but the boys went and tried find solutions and tried to give energy with the subs. But it was a tough opponent in front of us. "

We know we have a lot of things to improve and are working to improve."

Next up for slumping Spurs

Tottenham visit Arsenal in another tense Premier League rivalry match next Sunday. The London clubs have trended in opposite directions, with Spurs slumping after a positive start to the season and the Gunners recovering from an abysmal opening three weeks to pick up momentum.

Before the derby, however, Nuno's men must face Wolves on Wednesday in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Further reading

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Awoniyi’s Union Berlin surrender unbeaten Bundesliga run to Borussia Dortmund

The Nigerian striker was on parade for the Iron Ones as they were silenced by Marco Rose's Black and Yellows on Sunday evening

Taiwo Awoniyi’s Union Berlin saw their unbeaten start in the Bundesliga come to an end following Sunday’s 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

The Nigeria international – who boasts of three league goals in the 2021-22 season – could do nothing to stop their rampaging hosts.

Having bowed 3-1 to Slavia Prague in Thursday’s Europa League encounter, Urs Fischer’s men travelled to Signal Iduna Park with the ambition of returning to winning ways.

However, that was not the case as they were subdued by Dortmund in the six-goal thriller.

Awoniyi was inches away from putting his team ahead after 30 seconds, but he had strayed a fraction offside despite firing into the bottom corner of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

After surviving the scare from Union Berlin, the Black and Yellows – who have won their last three games in all competitions – dominated ball possession and deservedly took a tenth minute lead courtesy of Raphael Guerreiro.

The Portuguese defender profited on a penalty box ricochet before drilling an unstoppable shot into the top right corner of Andreas Luthe's goal.

In the 24th minute, Marco Rose’s men doubled their advantage as Erling Haaland’s bullet header from Thomas Meunier’s cross sailed past a helpless Luther.

Although the visitors tried all within their ability to reduce their deficit, they went into the halftime break two goals down.

Seven minutes into the second half, the Berlin-based side leaked their third goal as Marvin Friedrich turned the ball into his own goal from Marco Reus’ square ball.

Five minutes later, Fischer’s side pulled one goal back from the penalty mark after Axel Witsel fouled Kevin Behrens in the box. Max Kruse stepped up and smartly sent Kobel in the wrong direction.

Nine minutes from full-time, the visitors got their second goal as substitute Andreas Voglsammer headed home a well-taken corner kick from Niko Giesselmann.

Their hopes of a comeback were dashed as Haaland completed his brace two minutes later after latching onto Mats Hummels’ long ball.

Awoniyi was subbed off for Behrens in the 55th minute, whereas his compatriots Anthony Ujah and Suleiman Abdullahi were not dressed for action.

Following this defeat, Union Berlin occupy the eighth spot in the German elite division log having garnered six points from five matches.

(Originally posted by Shina Oludare)
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Pulisic return 'doubtful' for Chelsea's Carabao Cup clash with Villa - Tuchel

The USMNT star tweaked his ankle on international duty and has yet to return to training

Christian Pulisic is unlikely to feature for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday as he continues to rehab an ankle injury, says manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel was asked about the U.S. men's national team star, who sustained his injury in World Cup qualifying earlier this month, after the Blues defeated Tottenham 3-0 on Sunday.

Because Pulisic has not participated in training yet, it's considered doubtful for him to be available before next weekend at the earliest.

What has been said?

"The game against Aston Villa is maybe too close, I hope I am wrong," Tuchel told reporters. "This is my impression with him not in training so far. Let's see tomorrow. Maybe he had a good progression today. Maybe it is possible.

"It would be super nice to have him but it is doubtful."

What happened to Pulisic?

The forward was forced out in the second half of the USMNT's September 8 qualifier against Honduras.

He had just returned from Covid-19 protocol when he suffered the knock.

Bigger picture

Chelsea's squad is stacked with high-quality attackers, so a first-team place was always going to be difficult to come by for Pulisic.

He scored in his lone Premier League appearance this year, but the Blues have since performed at a high level in his absence. The Carabao Cup would have been an ideal opportunity to reintegrate into the group but it appears he will now need to wait a little longer to return.

Further reading

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'We've planned for everything' - Qatar focusing on fan experience for the 2022 World Cup, says Fatma Al Nuaimi

The Kenya captain played a commanding role in the middle of the park as Wilfried Nancy's side secured back-to-back wins in the American top-flight

Victor Wanyama was in action from start to finish as CF Montreal defeated Chicago Fire 2-0 in Sunday’s Major League Soccer fixture.

The 30-year-old was dominant in the midfield with an interception and a clearance as two second-half goals steered the hosts to their 10th league win of the season.

Following a goalless affair in the first-half, Rommel Quioto broke the deadlock on the hour-mark and Carlos Teran's own goal in the 80th minute sealed the three points.

Just before the start of the second-half, Egypt's Ahmed Hamdi was introduced for Samuel Piette while Nigeria's Ibrahim Sunusi came on as an 84th-minute substitute for CF Montreal.

The Nigeria international could not add to his tally of two goals after 17 appearances in his debut MLS campaign.

On Thursday. the former Nasarawa United star came off the bench to seal his team's 4-2 victory over Nani's Orlando City.

Sunday's appearance was Wanyama's 22nd league outing for Wilfried Nancy's side this season, matching his tally for last campaign. He started each of the 22 matches and he has two goals to his name already.

Another African star who was on parade at the Stade Saputo was Nigeria striker Chinonso Nnamdi who played the entire duration for Chicago Fire but his contributions were not enough to stop the visitors end their winless run in the American top-flight.

The triumph moved CF Montreal up to the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference table with 37 points after 25 games while Chicago Fire sit in the 12th spot with 23 points from 25 matches.

Next up for Wanyama and Sunusi's CF Montreal is a Canadian Championship quarter-final fixture when they battle HFX Wanderers on Wednesday before taking on Columbus Crew in the MLS on September 26.

(Originally posted by Taiye Taiwo)
  309 Hits

Mamelodi Sundowns player ratings after TS Galaxy win: Coetzee and Jali dominant

Goal rates the performance of the Masandawana players following the Tshwane giants' 3-0 win over the Rockets in a PSL game on Sunday
Original author: Austin Ditlhobolo
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LIVE: PSG vs Lyon

Lyon have defended well for the most part, with Lopes in fine form in goal, but they haven’t tested Donnarumma at the other end, with Slimani hardly touching the ball up front.

It’s goalless at the break between PSG and Lyon, but the hosts have gone close on a few occasions to opening the scoring, with Messi the key man for PSG so far. Lopes has twice been called into action to deny Messi, with the second a brilliant save with his legs to turn a shot around the post. However, the keeper just had to stand and watch as Messi whipped a free-kick towards goal from 30 yards out and it flew towards the top right corner of the net, but the woodwork saved Lyon that time.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: PSG 0-0 LYON

45' + 1' Lyon whip a low corner into the penalty area and it is met at the near post by Paqueta, but his shot lacks enough pace to beat Donnarumma, who makes a comfortable stop.

45' There will be a minimum of three minutes added time played at the end of the first half.

43' Lyon have won only once in their last 13 Ligue 1 away games at PSG (D2 L10) – though it was their most recent visit in December 2020 (1-0).

41' There isn’t long left to play before the end of the first half, can either side break the deadlock before the half-time whistle?

39' PSG are starting to increase the tempo now as we approach half-time in search of the opening goal. They've certainly gone the closest to scoring so far here.

37' OFF THE POST! Messi steps up to take a free-kick from around 30 yards out and he gets it up and over the Lyon wall and it appears to be heading into the top right corner of the net, with Lopes beaten. However, it clatters against the woodwork. So unlucky!

36' Brief stoppage as Neymar receives some treatment for an injury, but it looks like he will be fine to continue momentarily.

34' Free-kick to PSG in a very good shooting position after Neymar is tripped by Shaqiri around 30 yards out, before being clattered into by a team-mate. It looks like Messi is going to take the set piece.

32' CLOSE! PSG catch Lyon out at the back with Neymar breaking through after a long ball over the top and he sprints into the penalty area, before backheeling it to Messi, who only has Lopes to beat and he tries to find the bottom right corner of the net. However, the keeper makes himself big and produces an excellent save with his legs to turn it around the post. PSG should be ahead!

31' We’re past the half an hour mark now and it remains goalless between PSG and Lyon, with Messi going the closest so far, but his effort wasn't good enough to beat Lopes.

29' Slimani hasn't been able to get involved much for Lyon so far, the striker has had the least amount of touches on the ball for the visitors, even less than Lopes in goal!

27' The PSG medical team are on the pitch again to give some treatment to Donnarumma after he comes out to punch a free-kick and gets clattered into by Boateng, who also needs some attention. Hopefully both players will be fine to continue shortly.

25' Mbappe has scored eight goals against Lyon in Ligue 1, against no current top-flight team has he found the net more often. He scored his 100th Ligue 1 goal in his last game with Paris against Lyon back in March.

23' Decent effort! PSG counter quickly and the ball comes out to Di Maria down the right wing, he cuts inside and fires a curling effort towards goal. However, Denayer gets across and makes a great block to turn the ball behind for a corner.

21' Free-kick to Lyon now after Mbappe blocks a pass from Shaqiri with his arm and this hands the visitors a decent opportunity to get players forward and test Donnarumma in the PSG goal.

19' PSG are dominating possession at the moment, keeping it well in midfield, but Lyon are pressing them high up the pitch and not allowing them much time on the ball.

17' CHANCE! Excellent link up play between Messi and Mbappe on the edge of the penalty area, quick one touch football, which opened up the Lyon defence, with Mbappe laying it off to Messi, who fires a low effort towards goal. However, it lacked enough pace to beat Lopes, who makes a good save.

15' Mbappe tries to break away on the counter-attack, but he gets crowded out and goes down after flicking the ball past Boateng. It didn't look like there was much contact from the defender, but the referee awards a free-kick and surprisingly no yellow card.

13' Neither side are yet to test the two keepers, with much of the play in midfield and away from the final thirds, with nothing significant created in front of goal just yet.

11' PSG have started a Ligue 1 season with five straight wins for the third time in their history, after 2017/18 and 2018/19, going on to be champions in each of these campaigns.

9' Good effort! Di Maria finds time and space just inside the penalty area and works the ball onto his left foot, before drilling a low effort towards goal. However, the strike is too close to Lopes, who gets down quickly and makes a good stop.

8' Caqueret is now receiving some treatment after the challenge by Di Maria a few moments earlier. It looked like a painful one, but he should be fine to continue.

6' Almost! Messi takes a corner short for PSG and sends it out to Herrara around 30 yards out. The midfielder then chips the ball back into the box for Messi, who takes a touch and tries to get a shot away, but Denayer is quickly across to make the block.

4' Donnarumma is down receiving some medical treatment at the moment after Slimani accidentally stood on his hand as the keeper went to block a cross. However, it looks like he will be fine to continue.

3' Decent chance! Lyon work the ball well into the final third, but a low cross into the penalty area is well cut out by Marquinhos and the rebound falls to Caqueret on the edge of the box. However, his effort flies high over the crossbar.

2' The PSG supporters are in fine voice early on and are clearly enjoying themselves, but they've let a few flares off in the stands, which is making the visibility quite poor at the moment.

1' We're under way!

The teams are out on the pitch and kick-off is just a few minutes away, stay tuned for all the match action!

Meanwhile Lyon have made just one change to their starting line-up, with Shaqiri coming into the team, replacing Aouar, so Denayer takes the captains armband.

PSG have made five changes to their side that drew in the Champions League in midweek, with Navas, Hakimi, Diallo, Paredes and Wijnaldum all dropping to the bench and they have been replaced by Donnarumma, Kehrer, Mendes, Gueye and Di Maria.

LYON SUBS: Julian Pollersbeck, Henrique, Houssem Aouar, Rayan Cherki, Castello Lukeba, Bradley Barcola, Sinaly Diomande, Habib Keita, Damien Da Silva.

LYON (4-2-3-1): Anthony Lopes; Malo Gusto, Jerome Boateng, Jason Denayer, Emerson; Maxence Caqueret, Bruno Guimaraes; Xherdan Shaqiri, Lucas Paqueta, Karl Toko Ekambi; Islam Slimani.

PSG SUBS: Keylor Navas, Achraf Hakimi, Abdou Diallo, Leandro Paredes, Rafinha, Danilo Pereira, Georginio Wijnaldum, Julian Draxler, Mauro Icardi.

PSG (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Thilo Kehrer, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes; Idrissa Gueye, Ander Herrera; Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Neymar; Kylian Mbappe.

Meanwhile Lyon kicked their Europa League campaign off with a win, beating Rangers 2-0. However, they are only ninth in Ligue 1, but are unbeaten in their last three games and could move up to fourth win a victory today.

PSG suffered a surprise 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League, but return to Ligue 1 action today and are aiming to make it six straight league wins. They beat Claremont Foot 4-0 last weekend, to remain top of the table.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE match commentary of the Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon at the Parc Des Princes.

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Yanga SC chairman Msolla: We need to patiently motivate new players

The Brazilians were forced to shift the gear in the second half before notching three goals that handed them the win

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena feels their first-half display against TS Galaxy was not pleasing despite eventually emerging 3-0 winners in the Premier Soccer League fixture on Sunday.

The Brazilians struggled to find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes but they moved up a gear in the second period when goals from Mosa Lebusa in the 57th minute, Peter Shalulile in the 58th minute, and Thabiso Kutumela in the 84th minute handed them a win at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Mokwena has explained what helped to turn the game around and give them their third win of the season.

'It was a gallant win'

"First half we were not so happy with it where we made a lot of movements and sometimes you know you don't blame the players because they want to get rid of their markers," Mokwena told SuperSport TV.

“A team that does really well in their defensive scheme. When they rotate along the field and they go man to man sometimes the automatic reaction is to think that with a lot of movement you can lose your marker but the reality is then you compromise the structure of the team.

“And when you do that, we don't have the right sort of balance.

“We fixed it a bit at half-time and the players responded to the instructions.

“We kept a bit more simplicity with our movements. Our structure was fixed in and out of possession. And then we got the three goals. It was a gallant fight against a very aggressive and well-organised team.”

What did Mokwena say regarding the defence?

On the team’s defensive style of play, Mokwena said: Our defence is not really in relation to what we do out of possession.

"We work a little bit hard on our schemes when we are in possession. Our rest defence is critical and some counter-pressing and tactical fouls. But good, very good in the second half.

“A very very good performance. We're not too happy with the first half. Congratulations to Sundowns and to the team for a lot of good work throughout the week.”

The win pushed Sundowns top of the table with 10 points, two more than second-placed SuperSport United while Stellenbosch FC have dropped to third.

Original author: Dennis Mabuka
  314 Hits

Center back Purata nets hat trick in Atlanta win

The midfielder was key in what turned out to be a comfortable win for the Blues against their London rivals

Thomas Tuchel singled out N'Golo Kante for his impact in Chelsea's 3-0 win against Tottenham on Sunday.

The France international came off the bench to replace Mason Mount for the second half of the clash and helped the Blues recover from an underwhelming first 45 minutes.

Kante scored his side's second goal of the game and impressed the German coach with his overall performance.

What has been said?

"He played a huge part. N'Golo is N'Golo, he's unique, one of a kind and having him on the pitch makes such a huge difference to everything," Tuchel told BBC Match of the Day.

He added in a press conference: "He's a top player. If you have N'Golo, you have something everyone is looking for.

"He is a unqiue guy... He is fantastic."

Centre-back Thiago Silva also delighted the manager by popping up with the first goal, while Antonio Rudiger netted the third in stoppage time.

"It was nice that he almost scored twice. He was so strong. I am very happy for him that he was able to open the game for us," Tuchel said of the Brazil international, who turns 37 on Wednesday.

"His performance even in the first half was outstanding. It was a fantastic performance and well deserved."

Tuchel critical of Chelsea despite win

Although Tuchel was pleased to get the win, he saw enough evidence in the first half that proves his side still have a lot of work to do if they are to compete for major trophies. 

"I was absolutely not happy with the first 45 minutes," he said to Sky Sports .

"There were individual performances which were great in the first half from Kepa and Thiago Silva. Even more players were good but in general we lacked intent, energy and relentless in duels and 50-50 balls.

"I had the feeling we wanted to impress by pure skills but in derbies like this it is not always about just skills. It is about aggression, winning duels and performing better as a team.

"We spoke clearly about it at half time. In the second half it was a very good performance and a deserved win in the second half. It was a very good reaction so I am happy with the performance in the second half."

He added: "We are competitive and we want to be competitive. It is no excuse to say we are not ready. We want to produce results and we can. It's what we want at the club. We want to win.

"We are competitive in this level to win already but we still have things to improve. The first half was proof of that. It's good to have these hard situations now and to overcome them. We are able to produce deserved wins so it's a good basis to keep on going."

What next for Chelsea?

Chelsea are in action again on Wednesday, facing Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge.

Three days later, they will host Premier League champions Manchester City before turning their attention back to the Champions League with a trip to Juventus on September 29.

Further reading

Original author: Peter McVitie
  196 Hits

LIVE: Valencia vs Real Madrid

The two teams are on the field of play, and we are minutes away from kick-off, with the fans packed inside the Mestalla.

Valencia have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 18 matches against Real Madrid in LaLiga, their longest streak without keeping a clean sheet against Los Blancos in the competition since 1995.

Valencia winger Denis Cheryshev misses out due to a knee injury, while Cristiano Piccini is also on the sidelines for the time being. He and Gaya drop out, meaning Foulquier and Duro come into the starting XI. Ancelotti makes just one change to his team following the 1-0 win over Inter Milan as Hazard replaces Lucas Vazquez.

SUBS: Eduardo Camavinga, Jesús Vallejo, Rodrygo, Miguel Gutiérrez, Luka Jovic, Toni Fuidias, Isco, Lucas Vázquez, Antonio Blanco, Marco Asensio, Andriy Lunin.

REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho; Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Vinícius Júnior, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard.

SUBS: Jason, Vazquez Alcalde, Toni Lato, Uros Racic, Marcos de Sousa, Koba Koindredi, Manu Vallejo, Hélder Costa, Yunus Musah, Jasper Cillessen, Mouctar Diakhab.

VALENCIA (4-4-2): Giorgi Mamardashvili; Thierry Correia, Gabriel Paulista, Omar Alderete, Dimitri Foulquier; Carlos Soler, Daniel Wass, Hugo Guillamon, Hugo Duro; Gonçalo Guedes, Maxi Gomez.

Valencia coach Jose Bordalas has managed to lift the mood in Valencia after another turbulent summer, but they will need to be at their best to get past Ancelotti's men in what is their toughest test of the new campaign.

Both sides have made encouraging starts to the season so far, with Atletico Madrid only one point in front of them, having also played a game more. Los Che have beaten Getafe, Alaves and Osasuna so far, while Granada held them to a draw. Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid also beat Alaves, while they have also enjoyed other wins over Real Betis and Celta Vigo, with Levante holding them to a 3-3 draw. 

Good evening and welcome to tonight's live coverage of the La Liga clash between Valencia and Real Madrid from the Estadio de Mestalla. This fixture sees third-placed Valencia entertain second-placed Real Madrid, with both sides on ten points after three wins and a draw from their opening four matches.

  331 Hits

Thiago Silva next to Drogba in Chelsea’s Premier League ranks

The Brazilian's effort against the Lilywhites saw him become the second oldest Blues player to find the net in an English top-flight game

At the age of 36 years and 362 days, Thiago Silva is the second oldest player after Didier Drogba to score a goal for Chelsea in a Premier League encounter.

The Brazilian centre-back capped an impressive display to inspire Thomas Tuchel’s Blues to a 3-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

In the entertaining encounter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the former Paris Saint-Germain star jumped above Dele Alli to head Marco Alonso’s corner kick beyond goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 49th minute.

Drogba holds the record at 37 years and 49 days after he found the net in the 3-1 defeat of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on April 29, 2015.

The reigning Uefa Champions League winners completed the rout of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side courtesy of goals from N’Golo Kante and Antonio Ruediger.

Senegal international Edouard Mendy was not named in the squad following a slight knock suffered in the club’s 1-0 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg during the week, with Romelu Lukaku netting the only goal.

Morocco international Hakim Ziyech and former England youth international of Sierra Leonean descent Trevoh Chalobah were unused substitutes.

Silva had expressed a desire to emulate the efforts of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini by playing on into his 40s.

"I hope I can do the same thing that Paolo Maldini did at Milan, playing until he was 40 or 41 years old,” he told the media earlier.

"That’s my plan for the immediate future. I have prepared myself for that and now at 36 years old I continue to play at a high level and that gives me a great deal of pride."

Chelsea now lead the Premier League log having accrued 13 points from five matches – although they are level on points with Liverpool and Manchester United.

For Tottenham Hotspur, they occupy the seventh position with nine points from the same number of outings.

Tuchel’s men – who are unbeaten in their last ten matches in all competitions – welcome Pep Guardiola’s Citizens to London on September 25.

Before then, they try Dean Smith’s Aston Villa for size in an English League Cup fixture three days earlier.

For the Lilywhites, they are guests of Arsenal in their next league fixture after locking horns with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup.

Original author: Shina Oludare
  330 Hits

LIVE: Tottenham vs Chelsea

That's all for now though, goodbye!

The result means that Chelsea go top of the formative table - although they're level on points with Liverpool and Manchester United. Tottenham remain in seventh. 

A brilliant second half display ensures that Chelsea seal an emphatic 3-0 victory. The first period was a tight affair: both teams were confined to chances on the break, but Son and Mount both squandered openings for either side. However, Chelsea clicked into gear after the break. First, Silva firmly headed in Alonso's corner to start the half. Then, Kante's 25-yard strike flicked wickedly off Dier to confuse Lloris, before rolling in off the post. From there, Chelsea had plenty of chances to make the scoreline look even more handsome. But after wasting plenty of chances, Rudiger made it three when he swept in Werner's cut-back. Tottenham will be disheartened by a poor performance, but for Chelsea, this is a statement three points.   

90' + 4' FULL TIME: Tottenham 0-3 Chelsea

90' + 1' Another save from Lloris! Lukaku slices through the Tottenham defence again - this time with a beautiful pass through to Kovacic. The midfielder has time to turn and get off a close range shot, but Lloris closes down the angle and blocks it behind.  

90' Four minutes of stoppage time are added on. 

89' Chelsea string a long spell of possession together to the delight of the away fans. 

88' Lukaku rides a challenge from Dier and advances into the box, but he can't quite engineer enough space to shoot and it's blocked away.

87' Chance! Rudiger gets forward down the left flank and whips in an inviting cross. Lukaku gets there ahead of Sanchez, but he can only direct his header straight at Lloris. 

85' Tottenham should be pushing to get back in this game, but right now a third Chelsea goal seems more likely.

82' Double save from Lloris! The Tottenham goalkeeper is keeping the scoreline respectable. Werner goes through on goal again after a clever pass from Kante, but Lloris rushes out to smother his shot! The ball bounces to Azpilicueta though, and he heads it back across goal where Werner is waiting for a tap-in. However, Lloris acrobatically palms it to safety!

80' Almost! Chelsea should really have had a third goal there. Lukaku shrugs off a tackle and draws the final defender in, before slipping Werner through on goal! However, Werner takes a poor touch, allowing Emerson to get back and poke it away.    

78' Romero thumps Alonso's next corner clear at the near post.  

76' Brilliant save! It's almost a copy of the first goal. Silva meets Alonso's corner and plants a firm header across goal - but this time Lloris is able to push it over the bar!

74' Chelsea are comfortably seeing this one out currently, despite the vocal home support.

72' Kepa sails out to calmly claim Hojbjerg's deep free-kick.

69' Alli's long pass in search of Son drifts aimlessly out of play. The hosts need to find some inspiration from somewhere - and quickly.

68' Tottenham have managed just two shots in total since half time. It's going to take a special turnaround for them to rescue this game.   

66' Romero heads Son's corner against Kante and the hosts appeal for a handball and penalty. However, the referee remains unmoved. 

64' Chance! Kane advances towards a backtracking Chelsea defence, before fizzing a low shot from 25 yards that Kepa skilfully gathers at the first attempt.  

61' Ndombele blazes a wild effort high and wide from distance

59' Tottenham have it all to do now. They've looked flat since half time, and the visitors have taken full advantage. 

55' Chelsea have been superb since the break - they've already managed four shots from inside the box this half. Tottenham need to make sure they escape this spell of pressure with just the one-goal deficit.   

53' Off the line! Chelsea pour forward again and this time Alonso ghosts in unmarked to strike Azpilicueta's cut-back from five yards out! However, Dier manages to retreat to the goal line and contort himself to block Alonso's effort away at the crucial moment. Without Dier that would have been 2-0!

51' Chelsea started the half with real intent and they've got their reward. They swung in a number of crosses to force their corner, and Silva's expert header has punished Tottenham's hesitancy.   

48' Chance! Jorginho picks out Alonso's run in behind with a beautifully lofted pass. Alonso stretches to volley it from a tight angle, but Lloris manages to tip it over with an acrobatic save!

46' Tottenham get the second half underway.  

Tottenham will just about be the happier side after that half. Chelsea will be wondering how they can get Lukaku more involved in the second 45.   

It's 0-0 at the break after an exciting end-to-end affair. Both teams have played in a quick, aggressive manner today and it's surprising that it's still 0-0. Mount and Havertz squandered promising chances on the break for the visitors, while Kepa was forced into making an important save when Son went through on goal. Nevertheless, this game is now finely poised ahead of the second half.

45' + 2' HALF TIME: Tottenham 0-0 Chelsea

45' Two minutes of stoppage time are added on.

43' Ndombele requires treatment after colliding with Rudiger. It appears to be a minor facial injury and he should be okay to continue.

41' Mount forces a corner after Reguilon turns his cross behind. Alonso whips in an inswinging cross but Alli just about manages to scramble it clear.   

39' Both teams have started to slow down slightly as we approach half time.  

37' Tottenham would have been nervous about matching up with Lukaku before the match, but so far they've done an excellent job of keeping the Belgian striker quiet.   

35' Azpilicueta's cross misses Lukaku and Tottenham clear.  

33' Big save! Lo Celso sends Son through with a crisp throughball. However, Kepa anticipates the danger and rushes out to smother the shot!

31' Close! Chelsea begin to turn up the pressure. Kovacic squares it to Havertz inside the box, but the attacker has his 12-yard strike charged down. Azpilicueta gathers the loose ball and swings in a deep cross, but Havertz heads it wide at the back post.

29' Son looks to swivel and burst away down the left wing, but Silva bravely puts his head in to knock the ball away,

27' Lukaku shields the ball before feeding it to Christensen who proceeds to lash a 25-yard strike over the bar.   

25' This has been an exciting game so far. Both teams have managed three shots inside the box and it's surprising that it's still goalless.    

23' Chelsea send multiple crosses into the box, but Dier is equal to the pressure and clears each one. 

21' Brilliant block! Son draws in a number of Chelsea defenders before releasing Reguilon who has the freedom of the left flank! It looks as though Reguilon will continue towards goal before passing it around Kepa to set up a tap-in. However, Rudiger races back and recovers to cut the pass out and save a goal!   

19' Tottenham work a clever free-kick routine. Son chips an early pass into Ndombele and it catches the Chelsea defence out! However, Silva gets back to reel Lucas in and knock it behind. That looked like an offside against Ndombele and the Chelsea defenders are protesting furiously. 

18' Dier nods Reguilon's deep cross harmlessly into the arms of Kepa.

16' Chance! Mount and Lukaku kickstart a three-on-two with a rapid counter. Mount carries it all the way into the box before feeding Lukaku out wide. Lukaku gives it back to Mount in a prime shooting position, but Emerson executes a superb block to fend off the danger! 

14' Tottenham look determined to prevent Chelsea from enjoying possession inside their own half today. The hosts are pressing the Chelsea defenders hard, and it's already resulted in a few mistakes.

12' An intricate Chelsea move ends with Azpilicueta picking out Havertz with a neat header, but the attacker mistimes his volley and he misses it completely. 

10' This game has started with a frantic tempo. Both teams are pushing forward quickly - and with big numbers - and it's resulted in an end-to-end affair.  

8' The visitors spring a dangerous counter-attack, but Havertz's 20-yard strike flicks off Dier and hits Lukaku.

6' Jorginho gives away a promising free-kick on the edge of the box. Kane steps up to take it, but his strike flicks off the wall and goes behind. 

4' Close! Son has a 20-yard strike blocked, before he takes it to the byline and thunders a cross in. Silva hooks it away, but Emerson keeps the move alive with another cross. This time Silva nervously slices a clearance to Alonso who puts it behind for a corner. The resulting set-piece amounts to nothing.    

2' Chelsea immediately burst dangerously into the Tottenham box, but just as Lloris pounces on the ball, Lukaku is belatedly ruled offside.   

1' Chelsea get the first half underway.

The players emerge from the tunnel. A minute’s applause is held following the death of former Tottenham and Chelsea striker, Jimmy Greaves.

Chelsea are on the brink of history today. Chelsea have won each of their last five away league London derbies – they’ve never won six in a row on the road before in their league history.

Chelsea, meanwhile, make just three changes. The main news is that Edouard Mendy is injured and Kepa replaces him in goal. James and Ziyech also make way with Silva and Havertz coming in.

Tottenham make nine changes to the side that drew in the UEFA Conference League against Rennes. The main headline there is that Son returns from injury to replace Bergwijn on the wing, while Lo Celso and Ndombele make rare league starts together.

SUBS: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Saul Niguez, Hakim Ziyech, N'Golo Kante, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Marcus Bettinelli, Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner.

CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Romelu Lukaku.

SUBS: Ben Davies, Matt Doherty, Oliver Skipp, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon, Dane Scarlett, Pierluigi Gollini, Harry Winks, Bryan Gil.

TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Hugo Lloris; Emerson, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Sergio Reguilon; Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dele Alli; Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Kane, Son-Heung Min.

Chelsea have made an even better start to the season. They’re unbeaten with 10 points from four games and they’ll be looking for a statement win in this London derby to consolidate their title credentials. 

Hello and welcome to live commentary of this Premier League fixture between Tottenham and Chelsea. The hosts enter this one following a solid start to the season where they’ve collected nine points from four games. However, the home fans will expect a response today after their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend.

  29 Hits

EFL Decide Against Delaying Fixtures 24 Hours to Allow Return of Fans as Soon as Possible

Tottenham and Chelsea applauded the former striker ahead of the Premier League clash on Sunday

Harry Kane paid tribute to late Tottenham and England hero Jimmy Greaves ahead of his side's match against Chelsea on Sunday.

It was announced on Sunday morning that Greaves had passed away at the age of 81 .

Spurs and Chelsea paid their respects to the former striker ahead of the Premier League clash in London and Kane called for his side to do him proud with a strong performance.

What has been said? 

Kane said: "First and foremost our condolences to Jimmy's family and close friends. It's a sad one but hopefully a day we can celebrate. He played for Tottenham and Chelsea and hopefully we put in a great performance in his honour.

"Jimmy was an incredible player and goalscorer and a legend for club and country.

"It's frightening really how good a player he was. For someone like me to look at his numbers and one day go on to break those numbers would be incredible. I got to meet him back in 2017 and like I say it's just a celebration of him today."

Both teams pay tribute to Greaves

Greaves represented both Chelsea and Tottenham. He started his career with the Blues before going on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup and two FA Cups with Spurs.

The teams paid tribute to him before kick-off with a minute's applause at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Several former Spurs players were on the touchline, including Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, Micky Hazard, Ledley King and Michael Dawson.

A statement on Tottenham's website announced Greaves' death, saying: "We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of the great Jimmy Greaves, not just Tottenham Hotspur’s record goalscorer but the finest marksman this country has ever seen. Jimmy passed away at home in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 19 September), aged 81."

Chelsea also expressed their condolences with a statement that read: "Chelsea Football Club mourns the loss of a truly remarkable player and one of our own. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Jimmy Greaves’s family and friends at this time of their sad loss.

"Those who witnessed Greaves effortlessly breeze through a defence with the ball at his feet, before passing it beyond the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, universally acclaim him as the finest goalscorer to play for Chelsea FC. They normally go further too, and describe the east Londoner as the best finisher English football has ever seen."

Further reading

Original author: Peter McVitie
  165 Hits

Caf Champions League: Hearts of Oak leave it late to beat Kamsar in Accra

The Phobians are through to the first round of the continental inter-club championship following a home win

Two late goals secured Hearts of Oak a 2-0 home win over Guinean side Club Industriel de Kamsar in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League round on Sunday.

When things got tough, substitutes Kofi Kordzi and Salim Adams showed up to spur the Ghanaian champions to victory in the fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium.

A one-off showdown owing to a political instability-induced cancellation of the first leg away fixture in Guinea, Sunday’s match has seen Hearts qualify for the first round of the competition where they face a tough encounter with Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.

Attacking sensation Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, who earned his first senior Ghana call-up for the 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Ethiopia and South Africa last month, was unsurprisingly trusted by coach Samuel Boadu to lead the hosts’ attack, alongside Isaac Mensah, Emmanuel Nettey and Frederick Ansah Botchway.

Kamsar, meanwhile, had former Ghana and Asante Kotoko defender Amos Frimpong in their starting set-up, with another Ghanaian, Martin Antwi, also formerly of Kotoko, on the bench.

The visitors did well to hold the Phobians to a goalless draw in the first 45 minutes and appeared on course to do the same in the second stanza before things took a late dramatic turn.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Hearts broke the deadlock seven minutes to full-time when Kordzi, who was making a return to the club after a spell away in Qatar last season, curled a beautiful free-kick from outside the box into the net.

It was a huge sense of relief for the Phobians, who were beginning to show signs of frustration as the game headed towards full-time.

Boadu’s outfit were not done just yet as they added one more goal in stoppage time, this time by a thunderous Adams strike from outside the box.

The goal effectively dashed every hope of Kamsar for a late comeback as Ivorian referee Patrick Tanguy Jean Philippe Vle shortly whistled to bring an end to proceedings.

Hearts are set to face Moroccan champions Wydad Casablanca in the first round next month for a place in the group stage.

Original author: Prince Narkortu Teye
  286 Hits

Auditor General Gathungu questions KPA's Ksh17m payment for Bandari 'cheering squad'

The African stars found the back of the net in the second half as they also registered a clean sheet on home turf in the pick of Sunday's matches

Senegalese attacker Bamba Dieng and his Moroccan counterpart Amine Harit were on target as Marseille picked up a 2-0 win over Rennes during Sunday's Ligue 1 game at Orange Velodrome Stadium.

Dieng scored in the 48th minute before Harit - who came on in the 59th minute for Konrad de la Fuente - added the second in the 71st minute.

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast international Ismael Traore scored for Angers in a 4-1 defeat to Nantes in their league game at Raymond-Kopa Stadium.

The 35-year-old scored in the 10th minute after Nantes had claimed a 2-0 lead courtesy of Andrei Girotto and Ludovic Blas' third and sixth-minute goals. The away side went ahead to score two more goals when Kolo Muani struck in the 23rd minute before Blas grabbed a brace in the 79th minute.

Angelo Fulgini and Thomas Mangani of Angers were yellow-carded in the 24th minute and in the fourth minute of added time of the first half, respectively. Nantes also had two players booked: Pedro Chirivella and Nigeria's Moses Daddy-Ajala in the 25th minute and in the second minute of the first half, respectively.

Elsewhere, Tunisia's Yoann Touzghar scored for Troyes as they picked up a 1-1 draw against Montpellier in their respective league game at de l'Aube Stadium.

With an assist from Burkina Faso's Issa Kabore, the Tunisian struck in the 37th minute to give the home side a lead that lasted until the 87th minute when Teji Savanier equalised for Montpellier.

Montpellier's Matheus Thuler was shown a red card in the 79tth minute after receiving a second yellow card while Jordan Feri and Savanier were only cautioned for the away side.

Troyes' Xavier Chavalerin, Tristan Dingome, Tanguy Banhie-Zoukrou and Gerson Rodrigues were cautioned with yellow cards.

Finally, Marshall Munetysi of Zimbabwe was shown a yellow card in the 12th minute before he came off for Valon Berisha as Reims drew 0-0 against Lorient at Auguste-Delaune.

Ivory Coast's Stephanie Diarra was cautioned in the 90th minute - in the same game - after he had come on for his Lorient teammate Thomas Monconduit in the 70th minute.

Original author: Kiplagat Sang
  181 Hits

Argentina's representatives face tough Copa challenge against Brazil's giants

The Nigerians were on target against the Seagulls, nonetheless, their potential goals were chalked off as the Foxes bowed to Graham Potter’s men

Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman were left disappointed by VAR's offside decisions as Leicester City lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion in Sunday’s Premier League encounter.

The duo thought they had scored for City but their potential goals ultimately didn't count. The Seagulls have climbed to third in the English elite division log having claimed their first Premier League win over Brendan Rodgers’ men.

Heading into the fixture, Leicester had settled for a 2-2 draw against Napoli in Thursday’s Europa League encounter. Even at that, they were aiming for a positive result having silenced Norwich City 2-1 in their last away encounter.

Both teams put up a good fight from the very blast of referee Stuart Attwell’s whistle. However, it was the hosts who took the lead in the 35th minute through Neal Maupay.

With the referee adjudging Jannik Vestergaard to have handled Shane Duffy’s goal-bound header, Maupay was presented with a golden chance from 12-yards to fire Brighton into the lead, which he duly converted by sending goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the wrong direction.

Rodgers’ side put up an impressive attacking display, yet they were unable to level matters – heading into the half-time break with a goal deficit.

Five minutes into the second half, Brighton doubled their advantage as Danny Welbeck rose highest to flick home Leandro Trossard’s pacey cross.

However, the Foxes reduced their deficit a minute after the hour mark as Jamie Vardy turned in an assist from Youri Tielemans.

That goal fuelled the attacking intent of the King Power Stadium giants as they swamped Brighton’s backline in numbers.

In the 67th minute, Lookman thought he had leveled matters from Ryan Bertrand’s corner kick, but VAR ruled that out as Harvey Barnes – who was in an offside position - was adjudged to have blocked the sight of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Even at that, Leicester remained resolute. Five minutes before full-time, Ndidi’s header from a corner was disallowed for offside against Barnes again.

Ndidi was in action from start to finish, whereas, Zambia international Patson Daka was an unused substitute while Kelechi Iheanacho was introduced for Boubakary Soumare in the 75th minute.

The reigning English FA Cup kings are guests of Millwall in Wednesday’s League Cup encounter.

Original author: Shina Oludare
  180 Hits

Ibrahima Niane’s brace powers Boye’s Metz past Reims

Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 TS Galaxy: Shalulile fires warning to Orlando Pirates in Masandawana win

17:51 BST 19/09/2021

Peter Shalulile, Mamelodi Sundowns & Ibrahim Seedat, TS Galaxy, September 2021

Mamelodi Sundowns secured a 3-0 win over TS Galaxy in a PSL match on Sunday afternoon

Original author: Austin Ditlhobolo
  233 Hits

'We were too slow' - Nagelsmann admits RB Leipzig deserved Champions League elimination by Liverpool

The Zambia international opened his goal account for the Gers, however, they were held at home by the visiting Steelmen

Fashion Sakala scored his first goal for Rangers in Sunday’s 1-1 Scottish Premiership encounter with Motherwell.

The 24-year-old had featured for Steven Gerrard’s men in three league games without success in front of goal. Against the Steelmen, he got his act right to give the Gers an early lead.

Still steaming over their 2-0 defeat to Olympique Lyon in Thursday’s Europa League game, the reigning Scottish kings welcomed Graham Alexander’s men to Ibrox Stadium with the ambition of bouncing back to winning ways.

Just 12 minutes into the game, the hosts took the lead through the Zambia international.

Having received a pass from captain James Tavernier, he set up Nigeria international Joe Aribo, who in turn teed up Sakala to glance the ball over goalkeeper Liam Kelly and into the roof of the net.

On a rainy day, Rangers continued to dominate ball possession, but the condition of the field did not favour them as that slowed their pace while they missed a few goalscoring opportunities.

In the closing stages of the first half, Tavernier forced a save off Kelly, while Scott Wright sending the rebound outside the field of play.

Motherwell started the second half on the front foot, but it was Aribo who curled his effort well wide with the first shot after the break.

In the 50th minute, the Super Eagle set up Sakala whose effort sailed wide from a tight angle.

Six minutes after the hour mark, the visiting side restored parity through Kaiyne Woolery. Benefitting from a loose ball from the Rangers backline, Mark O’Hara set up the English forward who nipped the ball past goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

The game ended on a no winner, no vanquished note with no goals in the remaining minutes of the keenly contested affair.

While Aribo was in action from start to finish, Sakala was subbed off for Juninho Bacuna in the 76th minute. Leon Balogun was an unused substitute as his compatriot Nnamdi Ofoborh was ruled out due to injury.

For Motherwell, Uganda international Bevis Mugabi played all 90 minutes for Alexander's Steelmen.

Even at the result, Rangers occupy the summit of the Scottish topflight log having accrued 13 points from six games.

Original author: Shina Oludare
  216 Hits

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