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Chippa United attacking midfielder Thabiso Lebitso says they will stand a good chance of defeating Orlando Pirates if they show character on Saturday.

The Chilli Boys are set to welcome the Buccaneers at the 2010 Fifa World Cup third-place play-off match venue, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in a PSL encounter.

Lebitso and his teammates managed to frustrate reigning PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns in a league game that ended in a 0-0 draw at the same venue on August 24.

The 29-year-old stressed that they need to show a similar fighting spirit when they face a confident Pirates side which is coming off a win over Swallows FC in the Soweto Derby clash on Saturday.

“If we can have the same character we showed against Sundowns, the same way that we played, I think we can do well against Pirates as well,” Lebitso told Sowetan.

“We have to work hard because we are playing against a big team which I believe we can win against them."

The Chilli Boys are still licking their wounds after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Royal AM in their third league game of the season which was played on Saturday.

“We really have to put in more effort to win this game. We also have to fix whatever that went wrong [in their last game against Royal AM]," Lebitso continued.

"And we just have to go there with the same approach we have been showing before, the only thing we need to change is the character.”

The Chilli Boys have netted just once in three league games this term and Lebitso feels that they have to improve in front of goal. 

“The most important thing for us is to score goals. We have already netted one goal against Sekhukhune. We have to score more goals to win matches,” he said.

“Also, against Royal, we didn’t do well compared to games that we played against Sundowns and Sekhukhune, but I still believe that we can do more if there are things we did wrong in that game.

“I can’t be specific on what went wrong because the approach was the same. I think it might be decision-making.”

The last time Chippa defeated Pirates in a competitive game was in May 2016 with Joseph Molangoane and Buyani Sali scoring in a 2-0 win for the Chilli Boys in a league clash.

In many ways, overcoming challenges is nothing new for Qatar and it's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.

From the moment they won the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup, there have been difficulties that they have had to wade through to get his far. While one could categorize most of them as foreseen challenges, an unforeseen one came in the form a pandemic in 2020. 

It was no small obstacle, with the entire world grinding down to a semi-halt in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, sporting calendars gone for a toss and sporting events cancelled or postponed. But Qatar showed resilience to navigate a crippling pandemic and be on course meet deadlines for the 2022 World Cup. They have already unveiled four of the eight venues for the global showpiece and most of the work is completed on the rest. The remaining venues are set to be presented to the world towards the end of this year and early next year. 

And the infrastructural readiness have already been put to test with tournaments such as the Club World Cup, AFC Champions League and more. In November and December, Qatar will host a 16-team tournament, the Arab Cup, as a pre-cursor to the 2022 World Cup. It will feature six venues and will be a test of Qatar's readiness for the global event a year later. 

Qatar are counting down milestones for the 2022 World Cup and the SC leadership have driven the country's efforts towards the same. One pioneering figure who has played a big part in driving the SC's endeavours is Fatma Al Nuaimi, the Executive Communications Director of the organisation. She has been a key figure around the World Cup projects and Qatar's efforts to cater for fans from all over the world. 

Al Nuaimi explained how Qatar improvised during the pandemic to ensure the World Cup projects did not suffer. Interestingly, Qatar unveiled a World Cup venue - the Education City stadium - during the pandemic with the ceremony converted into a digital one where they paid tribute to frontline health workers during the pandemic. 

"Despite the world being hit by Covid-19, in the beginning, just like any other businesses, it took us by surprise. But we have actually managed to be on track for the World Cup. The inauguration of Education City stadium, we transformed it into a digital inauguration and we have actually attributed the stadium to the frontline workers around the world for the work they have done," she told Goal.

"We are also going to have the 'one year to go' milestone on November 21 where we are going to be celebrating some of the upcoming promotional milestones down the line. During this period, we have learnt a lot when it comes to hosting football matches during a pandemic. Qatar hosted the AFC Champions League (the East and the West zone matches) to assure that football can continue."

Football can continue, with fans, is definitely the message Qatar are sending out and the inaugural 16-team Arab Cup, set to be held later this year is very important. Al Nuaimi explains how the Arab Cup, replacing the traditional eight-team Confederations Cup, will give a taste of the World Cup to many teams and fans across the world. And more importantly for Al Nuaimi and the SC, it will be an early proof of the work they have put in over the years towards 'delivering amazing' for the 2022 World Cup.

"There are upcoming milestones that we are having. We have the Arab Cup which we call it as the test event. Looking at the magnitude of it, it is actually replacing the Confederation Cup. There will be 16 teams and all the Arab nations are very excited and want to be a part of this. The first Arab compeition that is being recognised by FIFA and also this is the first World Cup in the Middle-East."

While there is excitement over the Arab Cup in the region, an inclusive feeling among all their regional neighbours is something Al Nuaimi and the SC want to inculcate. 

"It is giving an opportunity to a lot of Arab nations to come and get the experience of a World Cup. Even if some nations did not qualify for the World Cup, at least they get a chance to play in a World Cup environment and get the whole experience. It also shows our infrastructural progression. We already have 90 per cent of readiness. By the end of this year, we are going to have three new World Cup stadiums inaugurated and they will be tested at the Arab Cup."

And it's not just regional inclusivity that Al Nuaimi has on her agenda. The high-ranking SC official wants to make sure that the Qatari hospitality extends to each and every fan who wants to experience the World Cup, including from countries like India, China etc that tradiitonally do not qualify for the World Cup. Qatar, which has good flight connectivity to almost all corners of the globe is the perfect destination for football fans to come and enjoy a World Cup, she feels.

"The geographical location of Qatar is favourable. We can tap into millions of people. Qatar Airways is a FIFA partner and they have direct flights to a lot of destinations. I think this will facilitate a lot of fans even if their nation don't qualify.

"Qatar is a part of Asia and Qatar Airways is operating in a lot of destinations, I am confident that there might be even new markets from fans will come. For example, India and China and Turkey, North Africa etc. We have counted that in our plans and we hope to excite them to plan their trips to Qatar."

Given that the 2022 World Cup might be one of the very first global event to be held in the presence of fans since the pandemic began, the interest in it could be huge and proportionally challenging for the organisers. But with resourceful leaders, it is a challenge that the SC will take head on. 

Two teams on the back of highly impressive wins last week are set to face each other in the cauldron of Anfield, looking to continue building on their positive momentum.

Liverpool thumped Leeds United 3-0 last week with the irresistible Mohamed Salah notching up his century of goals in the Premier League to keep Jurgen Klopp’s side level on points with league leaders Manchester United.

While Crystal Palace themselves are coming off an incredible triumph by the same scoreline over the previous league leaders in Tottenham Hotspur as Patrick Vieira got his first ever win managing the South London club.

This eagerly awaited match can be viewed via LIVENow where 90 minutes of all-action football will decide if Vieira really has what it takes against the game’s foremost managers in Klopp.

Still without a defeat after the opening four matches where Liverpool have picked up three solid wins and a single draw, the Reds are looking close to reaching the same level they achieved enroute to winning the title two seasons ago.

With Virgil van Dijk back in the fold and already looking like he was never away, Liverpool are one of only three teams to have only conceded a solitary goal thus far in this 2021/22 season.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to purchase the online match pass for this match that kicks off on Saturday, 10pm for just S$10 and with no additional cost of monthly subscriptions.

It was a dream debut for Odsonne Edouard when he was sent on by Vieira in the 84th minute against Spurs and scored within seconds of being substituted into the game and promptly followed that up with a second, nine minutes later.

With LIVENow, you have the flexibility to stream this Liverpool vs Crystal Palace game on various devices from PC to Mac, Chromecast to dedicated iOS/Android applications and many more.

What Vieira will have is the advantage of having a week to work his players and prepare for this massive clash against the 2019/20 champions while Liverpool have a midweek clash in the Champions League against AC Milan.

But with the backing of the ferocious noise that is Anfield, Liverpool are still the favourites heading into this encounter and will be expected to come away with all three points despite Palace’s heroics last week.

CLICK HERE now to sign up and stream the Liverpool vs Crystal Palace and see for yourself which side will come out on top!

Brazil are the most successful team in the history of the World Cup with five titles to their name which includes a streak where they won three titles in four editions of the competition between 1958 to 1970.

The Selecao have reached the final on six occasions in history. Their only final loss came in the summit clash came in 1998 against Zinedine Zidane's France which they lost 3-0 where the talismanic midfielder scored a brace.

After Brazil, the most successful teams in World Cup's history are Italy and Germany who have won the title four times each. Italy's World Cup triumph was in 2006 and Germany last won the trophy in 2016

Other than winning the trophy on five occasions, Brazil are also the only team in the World Cup's history to appear in every single edition of the competition, 21. Then there are Germany and Italy who have played 19 and 18 World Cups respectively. 

The Selecao's arch-rivals Argentina have appeared in 17 editions of the World Cup out of which they have won twice. They had finished second in the 2014 World Cup losing 1-0 to Germany in the final.

Among the Asian countries, South Korea appeared in 10 World Cups followed by Japan (6) and Iran (5). 

Let us find out find the top 10 national teams with the most number of appearances in the World Cup.

Despite Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Young Boys, Cristiano Ronaldo increased his goals' tally to 135 as he opened the scoring against the Swiss club on his second Champions League debut for the Red Devils on Tuesday.

Ronaldo is the all-time highest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League followed by his close rival Lionel Messi who has 120 goals to his name so far. Messi, despite scoring 15 goals less than the Portuguese, has superior goals per game ratio as the Argentine has played 150 matches compared to Ronaldo's 177.

The PSG star has the highest goalscoring ratio in the Champions League among the current lot of players followed by Ronaldo and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski who has 75 goals in 97 matches with a 0.76 goals ratio which is similar to Ronaldo's.

But the player who enjoys the highest goals per game ratio in the competition's history is Germany and Bayern Munich legend the late Gerd Muller. The forward scored 34 goals in 35 appearances in the Champions for Bayern Munich with a goal ratio of 0.97.

Muller is followed by former Real Madrid star Ferenc Puskas who scored 36 goals in 41 appearances. Messi has the sixth-highest goal scoring ratio in Europe's biggest stage followed by Ronaldo in the seventh position and Lewandowski in the eighth.

Here, we take a look at the top 10 players who have the highest goals per game ratio in the history of the Champions League.

The question of who is better between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has been the hottest topic of debate among fans in the world of football for close to two decades. The two legends boast of incredible statistics in both club and international football and are still going in their mid-thirties.

Among the younger crop of players, there are quite a few names who have already established themselves as stars. Amongst them, the two most promising ones are France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland. Both the young players have been in scintillating form in the past two seasons and look to be the sport's next big things. While Mbappe netted 42 goals for PSG in the 2020/21 season, Haaland scored 44 goals for Dortmund

It is safe to say that Mbappe and Haaland are currently competing to establish themselves as the future superstar of world football.

So who exactly has better statistics among Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland at present and which player can go on to become the future superstar of football? Let us find out.

Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland: Club goals

Both the stars started their professional career during the 2015/16 season. Mbappe played for AS Monaco in the Ligue 1 and Haaland played for Norwegian top tier side Bryne FK. In the past seven seasons, Mbappe has netted 166 goals for Monaco and PSG while Haaland has scored 115 goals so far for Bryne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.

The French attacker's highest-scoring season was the 2020/21 season where he scored 42 goals for Ligue 1 giants PSG. Haaland's highest-scoring was in 2019/20 where he netted a total of 44 goals for Dortmund.

Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland: Club assists

Mbappe once again enjoys a clear edge over Haaland in the number of assists provided in club football in his career so far. The Frenchman has provided a total of 80 assists in seven seasons so far, 48 more than his rival Haaland who has provided 32 assists.

The PSG star provided the most assists, 18 in the 2019/20 season while the Norwegian forward provided 12 in the 2020/21 season, his most assists in a single season so far.

Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland: International goals and assists

Mbappe made his international debut in 2017 for France and has appeared in 49 international matches for Les Bleus where he scored 17 times and provided 16 assists. Haaland, on the other hand, made his international debut in 2019 and has so far scored 12 goals and provided one assist in 15 games.

Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland: Club trophies

Kylian Mbappe has won four league titles and three major knock-out competitions in his career so far. Out of the four league titles, three came with PSG and one with AS Monaco. Haaland has won two leagues titles and two major cup competitions. The league titles which Haaland won was in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg.

Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland: International trophies

Kylian Mbappe plays for a much stronger national side in France when compared to Haaland who plays for Norway. Mbappe has already won a major international trophy in his career so far when he helped France win the World Cup in 2018. Haaland, on the other hand, is yet to win an international accolade with his national side.

Christopher Nkunku became the first RB Leipzig player to score a Champions League hat-trick having found the net thrice in the Bundesliga side’s 6-3 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night.

In the nine-goal thriller, the former France youth international of Congolese descent beat goalkeeper Ederson Moraes on three occasions as Pep Guardiola’s men hit the German elite division for six at the Etihad Stadium.

Nkunku also became the second player to score a treble against City in the tournament since Lionel Messi in October 2016.

Following back-to-back defeats to Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, Jesse Marsch’s men travelled to England hoping to put an end to their appalling form.

Nonetheless, they leaked the first goal in the 16th minute after Nathan Ake jumped above a glut of defenders to head home a corner kick from Jack Grealish.

Things got worse for the visitors eleven minutes later as France international of DR Congolese descent Nordi Mukiele headed the ball into his own net.

Four minutes before the half time break, Nkunku reduced the deficit for Marsch’s team - heading past City goalkeeper a cross from Mukiele.

On the stroke of half time, the hosts restored their three-goal advantage with Riyad Mahrez firing past Peter Gulacsi from the penalty mark following a handball in the visitors’ area.

With that, the Algeria international has now scored five goals in his last five Champions League appearances, one more than he had netted in his previous 29 in the tournament (four).

Nkunku found the net the second time in the 51st minute before completing his treble in the 73rd minute.

The reigning English Premier League kings confirmed their win as Grealish and Joao Cancelo registered their names among the goal scorers.

RB Leipzig got reduced to ten men with 11 minutes left on the clock as Angelino was given the marching orders for a second caution.

"The way we played in the second half was really good. If we had played like that in the first 45 minutes, we would have had a more open game,” Marsch told media after the game.

“To go into the break with 3-1 down is very difficult against such a good opponent. The differences were again in the final third today.

“In the second half we reacted well and were strong in duels, but it wasn’t enough for the calibre of opposition.”

The U.S. women's national team and U.S. Soccer have traded barbs over the federation's latest contract proposal, which it called "identical" to the contract it offered the men's national team.

On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer said it had offered the USWNT and USMNT identical deals after it had previously urged them to jointly negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

The USWNT Players Association slammed the offer as a "PR stunt," which prompted U.S. Soccer to accuse the team of a publicity stunt of their own with their recently released movie.

What was said?

"USSF's PR stunts and bargaining through the media will not bring us any closer to a fair agreement," the USWNTPA charged on Twitter.

"In contrast, we are committed to bargaining in good faith to achieve equal pay and the safest working conditions possible. The proposal that USSF made recently to us does neither."

U.S. Soccer issued a blistering response, saying: "An offer on paper of identical contracts to the USWNT and USMNT, and to discuss equalizing prize money, is real, authentic and in good faith. A publicity stunt is a 90-minute one-sided movie."

What is the movie?

The USWNT were prominently featured in "LFG," a documentary released this summer about the team's fight for pay equity.

The movie caused U.S. Soccer to charge that it featured a "concerning level of dishonesty."

What is the status of the team's pay equity battle?

The USWNT and U.S. Soccer are currently locked in negotiations over a new CBA, with the team's current agreement set to expire at the end of 2021.

In the meantime, the USWNT have filed an appeal in their ongoing lawsuit against U.S. Soccer after a judge ruled against their financial discrimination claims last year.

Further reading

Sebastien Haller’s four goals in Ajax’s 5-1 obliteration of Sporting CP has seen him match Marco van Basten’s 29-year-old Champions League record.

The Cote d’Ivoire international became just the second player to score four goals on his maiden appearance in the competition’s history.

Prior to the Ivorian’s heroics, Netherlands great Van Basten was the only player to achieve that feat – which he first accomplished in November 1992 against IFK Goteborg during his spell at Serie A side AC Milan.

Also, Haller’s heroics saw him become the first-ever African player to score four times in a Champions League match.

Overall, he joined Simone Inzaghi, Dado Prso, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andriy Shevchenko, Lionel Messi, Bafetimbi Gomis, Mario Gomez, Robert Lewandowski, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Josip Ilicic and Olivier Giroud in the ranks of players who have scored at least four goals in a match in the Europe elite club tournament.

The African star led the Sons of the Gods attack alongside Antony and Dusan Tadic while counting on support from midfielders Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis and Ryan Gravenberch.

Two minutes into the game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, he nodded Ajax ahead after Anthony’s shot deflected onto the post.

Haller completed his brace seven minutes later after tapping Anthony’s assist past a stranded goalkeeper Antonio Adan.

In the goal-laden first half, the hosts pulled one back through Paulinho who put Matheus Luiz’s pass beyond goalkeeper Remko Pasveer to give Ruben Amorim’s men a flicker of hope. 

Steven Berghuis restored Ajax’s two-goal advantage after converting a fine pass from Ryan Gravenberch six minutes before the end half time break.

Antony’s lovely pass to Haller in the 51st minute saw the former West Ham United grab his first-ever hat-trick. He wasn’t done yet as he netted Ajax’s fifth goal three minutes after the hour mark thanks to an assist from Noussair Mazraoui.

He was on parade from start to finish while Mazraoui was substituted for Devyne Rensch in the 70th minute.

For Sporting Lisbon, Morocco international Zouhair Feddal played for all 90 minutes while Cape Verde star Jovane Cabral – who was named in the starting XI – was subbed off for Pablo Sarabia in the 46th minute.

Jurgen Klopp admits he was shocked that a 'proper offer’ did not arrive for Liverpool striker Divock Origi this summer.

The Belgian made his first appearance of the season, and his first start since January, in the Reds’ 3-2 Champions League win over AC Milan on Wednesday night.

He marked it in style, too, providing a sumptuous assist for Liverpool’s second goal, scored by Mo Salah, before departing shortly after the hour mark with cramp.

What did Klopp say?

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Klopp expressed surprise that no clubs had sought to buy Origi during the transfer window, and paid tribute to the 26-year-old, who had not even been on the bench for Liverpool in their last three matches.

"People forget how good he is,” Klopp said. “It's difficult to get in this team. In the summer transfer window we all thought there would be a proper offer, but obviously people don't watch football enough!

“Div is a sensational striker and did really well today."

Klopp’s gamble pays off

Klopp had raised eyebrows with his team selection for the Reds’ opening Group B match.

He left out both Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane, with Joe Gomez brought in for his first competitive start since November 2020, and Origi a surprise inclusion in the forward line.

The rotation was a necessity, said the Reds boss.

"It's difficult to tell everyone warming up tonight why they aren't playing,” he said.

“But we need to be sensible. Players are coming back from injuries. [Naby] Keita started, [Jordan] Henderson played a super game, Fabinho too. Origi? An outstanding striker. He did well tonight."

Asked what Origi had shown him in training, Klopp added: “Nothing really special. He's a great guy. He'll be seen as a legend when he leaves.

“He could have left in the summer but football is a crazy place and people forgot how good he is. We have to decide the positions. He did nothing wrong."

Further reading

Mohamed Salah equalled Steven Gerrard's Liverpool record for most Champions League/European Cup goals at Anfield with his strike against AC Milan on Wednesday.

Salah netted in the 48th minute of the Champions League encounter, levelling the match at 2-2 after finishing an assist from Divock Origi.

The goal was Salah's 14th in the Champions League at Anfield, going level with Reds legend Gerrard.

Salah's CL record at Liverpool

Salah had scored just three Champions League goals in his career before moving to Liverpool from Roma, but he's since become a serial scorer in the competition.

The Egypt star now has 26 Champions League goals for Liverpool, with more than half of those coming at home.

One of his most memorable tallies came away from Anfield, as he opened the scoring in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham with a penalty in the second minute. 

Salah produces rare penalty miss

Usually so reliable from the spot, Salah produced an uncharacteristic miss early in Wednesday's game.

With Liverpool already up 1-0 in the 14th minute, Salah saw his penalty saved by Milan keeper Mike Maignan.

It was just the second time Salah has failed to convert from the spot in 19 Liverpool attempts, and the first time since 2017.

Further reading

Former Ghana Football Association president Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe believes three days is not enough for the current administration to find a worthy coach for the national team.

The West Africans are in the hunt for a new trainer following the dismissal of CK Akonnor for poor performance on Monday.

In a publication on their official website, the FA had said in intended to announce a replacement within 72 hours.

“The FA itself is confused, totally confused,” Nyaho-Tamakloe said, as reported by Citi Sports.

“The three days they gave these three gentlemen to look for a new coach doesn’t make sense to me.

“Either they already have a coach in mind, or these gentlemen can never get us a good coach within that period. Mark my words.”

A three-man committee, comprising of GFA vice-president Mark Addo, Upper East regional football association chairman, Alhaji Salifu Zida and executive council member Randy Abbey has been tasked to find Ghana’s new boss.

Akonnor’s sack came on the back of a 1-0 away loss to South Africa in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, a result which dropped the Black Stars from first to third on the table in Group G.

The team had opened their campaign with a slim 1-0 home victory over Ethiopia three days earlier.

The former Wolfsburg campaign was appointed Ghana coach in January last year, taking the place of James Kwasi Appiah.

On taking up the position, the 47-year-old was tasked to secure qualification for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals and go on to win the title.

Again, he was mandated to help the Black Stars secure a ticket for the World Cup after the team’s failed attempt in 2018.

His reign has, however, had to be cut short after winning 40 per cent of matches, losing another 40% and drawing 20%.

Ghana have less than a month to prepare for their next international assignment successive clashes against Zimbabwe in the World Cup qualifiers next month.

For the Afcon in Cameroon next year, the four-time champions have been drawn against Morocco, Gabon and Comoros.

Two records tumbled for Adama Traore as FC Sheriff defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 in Wednesday’s Champions League fixture.

Alongside Dimitris Kolovos, Frank Castaneda and Jasur Jakhshibaev, the Mali international was named in Yuriy Vernydub’s starting XI for the encounter against the Ukrainian Premier League outfit.

He put the Moldovan top-flight side ahead in the 16th minute having been teed up by Cristiano da Silva.

Cristiano’s lung-busting run from left-back saw him complete his part in the goal with an inch-perfect cross for Traore, whose acrobatic volley rippled goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov’s net.

In the process, he wrote his name in the history books by becoming the player to score Sheriff’s first-ever goal in the Champions League, with what was the team’s first shot on target in the tournament.

Also, the 26-year-old became the first-ever Mali-affiliated player to score on their Champions League debut.

The victory was sealed two minutes after the hour mark through Guinean star Momo Yansane.

With the hosts soaking up immense pressure, Sheriff sprung a run forward thanks to the dogged determination of Cristiano to keep the ball in play, before composing himself and curling in another accurate cross for an unmarked Yansane to head home from 10-yards.

The Moldovans sat deep and allowed the Ukrainians to attack without conceding any clear-cut chances, perhaps, it was Vernydub’s side who came closest to scoring the third goal of the night, but Frank Castaneda’s effort was well saved by Pyatov.

Traore was in action from start to finish, while Ghana’s Edmund – who was handed a place in the starting XI – was replaced five minutes from full time by Addo Stjepan Radeljic.

Elsewhere, Charles Petro (Malawi), Nadrey Dago (Cote d’Ivoire), and Moussa Kyabou (Mali) played no part in the match at the Sheriff Stadium.

For the Ukrainians, they had Burkina Faso international Lassina Traore in their attack from start to finish.

Shakhtar Donetsk would be aiming to bounce back when they welcome Serie A outfit to the NSC Olimpiyskiy on September 28.

Before then, they take Mariupol and Veres Rivne on the domestic scene.

Jude Bellingham surpassed a record held by Kylian Mbappe by scoring in Borussia Dortmund's Champions League win over Besiktas on Wednesday.

The teenager opened the scoring before providing an assist for Erling Haaland just before half-time as the Bundesliga outfit held on for a 2-1 victory.

With his goal, Bellingham became the youngest-ever player to score in consecutive Champions League appearances.

Bellingham's record

Bellingham's most recent Champions League appearance before Wednesday came in last season's quarter-final second leg against Manchester City.

The midfielder opened the scoring for Dortmund in the first half, before City stormed back with two goals in an eventual 4-2 aggregate win.

By scoring against Besiktas in Dortmund's 2021-22 Champions League opener, Bellingham, at 18 years, 78 days, broke Mbappe's record set in March 2017 with Monaco when he was 18 years, 85 days.

Additionally, Bellingham became the youngest-ever Englishman to score an away goal in the Champions League, a record previously held by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (19 years 10 days in October 2017 vs Maribor).

What's next for Dortmund?

After getting their Champions League campaign off to a perfect start, Dortmund are back in domestic action on Sunday against Union Berlin.

Another Bundesliga match with Borussia Monchengladbach will follow before Marco Rose's side return to Champions League play against Sporting CP on September 28.

Further reading

Sebastien Haller has been handed his Champions League debut as Ajax face Sporting CF on Wednesday night.

The 27-year-old joined the Johan Cruyff Arena giants from West Ham United on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a fee in the region of €22.5 million, which will keep him at the Dutch elite division side until 2025.

In a 4-3-3 formation, Haller will lead the Sons of the Gods attack alongside Antony and Dusan Tadic, while counting on support from midfielders Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis and Ryan Gravenberch.

He has scored four goals in four Eredivisie matches in the 2021-22 campaign since joining from the London Stadium. And manager Erik ten Hag will be banking on him to get the job done against the Portuguese top-flight outfit.

Elsewhere, Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui will start in the defence alongside Jurrien Timber, Daley Blind and Lisandro Martinez.

Ghana international Mohamed Kudus (ankle injury), Morocco’s Zakaria Labyad (injury) and Cameroon star Andre Onana (suspension) will play no part in Wednesday’s showdown.

On the other side, Morocco’s Zouhair Feddal will marshal Sporting Lisbon’s backline alongside Luis Neto and Goncalo Inacio.

Whereas manager Ruben Amorim has handed Cape Verde international Jovane Cabral his maiden appearance in the European club championship.

Amorim told the media that he is wary of the threat from the Dutch giants while disclosing that his team would cope without the presence of captain Sebastian Coates and Pedro 'Pote' Goncalves: "The clubs have a similar philosophy. Ajax rely on youth and are known for creating great players, just like Sporting.

“But we are at different stages. Just look at the current Ajax side, the investment and experience.

“They were in the Champions League semi-finals recently and they have important players who are still there, like Tadic.

“Others have been sold but new talent has emerged. That's what Sporting want to do.

“We cannot hide the significance of Coates and Goncalves absences.

“We are talking about the league's best player last season and the best scorer.

“Coates is a leader, on and off the field, and has a lot of experience.

“More than the result, I want to see where the team is and we need great opponents. Ajax are a great team and that's what we're going to try to do: be competitive."

Kenya head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee has resigned from his position after recently leading Kenya in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Uganda and Rwanda.

In the qualifiers, the Harambee Stars picked up two draws - a 0-0 against the Cranes and a 1-1 result against the Amavubi in early September.

Mulee has reigned alongside two of his assistants; Twahir Muhiddin and Haggai Azande.

"Football Kenya Federation and Harambee Stars head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee, his assistant [Twahir] Muhiddin, and the goalkeeping coach, [Haggai] Azande have reached a decision to part ways on mutual consent, effective immediately," a letter from FKF obtained by Goal read.

"Assistant coaches Ken Odhiambo and William Muluya will remain in the team as the federation works out to restructure the Harambee Stars technical bench ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Mali scheduled for October 6, 2021, and October 12, 2021 home and away respectively.

"FKF is immensely grateful to coach Mulee and his departing members of the staff for their dedicated service and workmanship. This federation wishes them all the best in their future endeavours. The search for a new national team head coach is already underway and an announcement will soon be made in that regard. 

"There will be no further comment from FKF until a new appointment is made."

When Mulee - a Cecafa Club Championship winner with Tusker - was appointed in October 2020 to replace Francis Kimanzi, he embarked on a restructuring process that saw big names dropped from the national side.

Victor Wanyama, Ayub Timbe, Erick Johanna, and Johanna Omollo were players who were dropped by Mulee who built his team - especially the midfield department, where the big stars operated - around Keneth Muguna and Lawrence Juma.

Recently, he confirmed that Wanyama is no longer the captain and picked Al Duhail SC's Micahel Olunga to fill the leadership position in the team.

The Kenyan tactician was unable to help Kenya qualify for the 2022 African Cup of Nations finals when they lost crucial points in the qualifiers against Comoros both in Nairobi and in Moroni in November 2020.
 
The World Cup qualifiers journey started with a dull 0-0 against Uganda - who are under a new head coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic, before going on to pick up a 1-1 draw against Rwanda in Kigali on September 2 and 5, respectively.
 
Mulee is the latest coach to have served under Nick Mwendwa's FKF reign after Stanley Okumbi, Paul Put - who won the 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Machakos - Sebastien Migne and Kimanzi.