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Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu FC and PSL clubs that still need to sign new players before deadline day

Some teams will be looking to do some last minute business before the current transfer window closes
Original author: Austin Ditlhobolo
  220 Hits

What happened to 2020's African transfer Deadline Day deals?

What became of the African stars who moved on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2020?
Original author: Ed Dove
  240 Hits

'Ronaldo breaks the internet' - Man United's Cristiano Ronaldo announcement is the most liked sports team post on Instagram

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(Originally posted by Ritabrata Banerjee)
  249 Hits

Cristiano Ronaldo's last match for Manchester United - Who were his teammates and where are they now?

The last time Cristiano Ronaldo donned the Manchester United shirt was on May 27, 2009 in the Champions League final against Barcelona...
Original author: Ritabrata Banerjee
  275 Hits

Maxwel Cornet: Burnley sign Olympique Lyon star

The Premier League side has confirmed the signing of the Cote d’Ivoire international from the Kids

English Premier League side Burnley have announced the signing of Maxwel Cornet from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon.

After six years at the Groupama Stadium, the 24-year-old Cote d’Ivoire international joins the Clarets on a five-year deal for a fee in the region of €15 million.

With this move, the former Metz star will remain at Turf Moor until 2026.

His presence in the English topflight side would serve as a major boost for Sean Dyche’s men who are hoping to impress in the 2021-22 campaign.

“I am excited to be joining Burnley in the Premier League and to play with and against many of the greatest players in the world,” Cornet told the club website.

“I have developed the greatest respect for Burnley and what the club has done. I welcome the challenge of hard work and am fully committed to doing what I can to contribute. I look forward to what we can achieve.”

After the international break – where he is expected to represent the Elephants in September’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Mozambique and Cameroon – the Ivorian is expected to link up with the Burnley squad.

Meanwhile, manager Dyche is pleased to have the attack-minded wideman in his team.

“The owners worked very hard on the Cornet deal. It was a tricky deal but they got there in the end,” he said.

“We look forward to him coming into the building and getting used to what we do and hopefully affecting what we do.

“We want him to come and enjoy his football with us and hopefully push us as well.

“We want him to settle in and get used to the area and get used to life on and off the pitch and we’ll see what he can bring to us.”

Cornet will be the first Cote d’Ivoire player to represent Burnley and he has been handed jersey no. 10.

He could make his debut when his new team travels to Goodison Park on September 13 for their league showdown against Rafael Benítez’s Everton.

The Clarets currently occupy the 16th position in the log having picked up just one point from three matches played so far.

(Originally posted by Shina Oludare)
  331 Hits

Comoros grab fairytale place at AFCON finals

Goal takes a look at the biggest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and around the world
  208 Hits

Man Utd Add Ismaila Sarr to List of Jadon Sancho Alternatives

The Manchester United youngster should have been heading to the Netherlands for the season

Amad Diallo’s potential loan deal from Manchester United to Feyenoord appears to be dead in the water.

The sheer volume of quality attacking players at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s disposal at Old Trafford had led to the suggestion that Amad could depart the club this summer on a season-long loan deal.

Those prospects appear to be over, however. A proposed move to the Netherlands has been called off after Amad suffered an injury.

What’s been said?

Speaking to AD, Feyenoord technical director Frank Arnesen said: "He got injured, it's cancelled. Too bad, everything was done. I've talked a lot with the people at Manchester United, but it's more sensible to let him recover at that club.

"It may be a while before he comes back."

There has been no indication from Manchester United what the injury may be or how long Amad could be sidelined for.

Amad at Man Utd

Amad joined Manchester United in January from Atalanta, though the deal had been tied up well before that.

He was introduced to the team gently in the second half of the 2020-21 season, featuring eight times in total, including three times in the Premier League. He scored one memorable goal against AC Milan in the last 16 of the Europa League.

With the likes of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo arriving to bolster Solskjaer’s offensive options this summer, though, the prospect of the 19-year-old featuring significantly this season, even in the lesser competitions is scant, and with that in mind Man Utd have been trying to move him on to given him experience.

A deal with Feyenoord had appeared to have been done before the injury blocked it.

Further reading

(Originally posted by Robin Bairner)
  227 Hits

Villarreal's Danjuma opens La Liga goal account in Atletico Madrid draw

The Nigerian descent came off the bench to open his goal account but it was not enough to secure victory for the visitors in Madrid

Arnaut Danjuma is off the mark in La Liga after scoring Villarreal's second goal in their 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

After making his debut in the Spanish top-flight last Saturday as an 86th-minute substitute, the 24-year-old started on the bench again at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.

He replaced Pervis Estupinan in the 63rd minute and he went on to score nine minutes laters as  the visitors regained their lead.

Atletico Madrid managed the most shots (24) but Manu Trigueros fired Villarreal into the lead in the 52nd minutes, after a goalless first-half. It did not take long for the hosts to respond with Luis Suarez converting Angel Correa's assist into the back of the net in the 56th minute.

A few minutes later, Danjuma restored the Yellow Submarines' lead with his maiden strike in the Spanish top-flight but it was not enough to seal maximum points for Unai Emery's side.

At the death of the encounter, Algeria right-back Aissa Mandi turned Saul Niguez's cross to the back of his own net with his head.

The stoppage-time goal denied Villarreal victory and it was their third straight draw in the Spanish top-flight since the start of the season.

They started their league campaign with a goalless draw against Granada followed by another goalless draw against Espanyol before Atletico Madrid held them.

With Villarreal's next league match against Alaves postponed due to the international break, Emery will hope to have recuperating Nigeria winger Samuel Chukwueze available for their Uefa Champions League opening fixture against Atalanta on September 14.

The Yellow Submarines sit 11th in La Liga table with three points from three games while Atletico Madrid are fifth with seven points after the same number of matches.

(Originally posted by Taiye Taiwo)
  361 Hits

Burnley striker Wood strikes landmark Premier League goal against Leeds

The New Zealand international opened the scoring against his old club and wrote his name into the record books in the process

Burnley striker Chris Wood made Premier League history with his opener in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Leeds United, as the Clarets attacker netted the 30,000th goal in the competition's history.

The New Zealand international opened the scoring against his old club, to put Sean Dyche's side on course for an apparent first league win at home since January.

Though Patrick Bamford's late equaliser ensured that victory was snatched from their grasp, it did not stop Wood from writing his name into the top-flight's record books.

What has been achieved?

With Tottenham having seized a first-half lead against Watford through Son Heung-min, in what was the only goal of their game, the honour of bringing up a new milestone score was up for grabs at Turf Moor.

Having started slow before rallying to get the better of their visitors, Burnley deserved their lead when Wood was on hand to snatch a close-range finish against the club he joined the Clarets from in 2017.

It means that he joins a rare band of players who have the distinction of breaking new numerical boundaries in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

Who has scored the other milestone goals?

In netting against Leeds, Wood has curiously ensured that the Whites have become only the third side to both score and concede such a significant goal in the Premier League, after Manchester United and Tottenham.

While Sheffield United's Brian Deane has the distinction of netting the first goal in competition history, Eric Cantona brought up the 100th when he scored for Leeds against Tottenham in 1992.

Other milestone finishes include Mike Newell's effort for Blackburn against Nottingham Forest (1,000), Les Ferdinand's score against Fulham while with Tottenham (10,000) and Marc Albrighton's goal when with Aston Villa, versus Arsenal in 2011 (20,000).

One bizarre incident is the matter of the 5,000th goal in competition history, netted in 1996 - but shared between Andy Townsend and Chris Sutton, who scored for both Villa and Rovers against Southampton and Leicester at the exact same time.

Further reading

  308 Hits

Gareth Bale gives fitness update ahead of World Cup

The Super Eagles duo could not stop the Garnets from conceding their second consecutive loss in the Italian top-flight

Simy Nwankwo and Joel Obi were in action as Salernitana were defeated 4-0 by Jose Mourinho's Roma in a Serie A encounter on Sunday.

Obi started the encounter in the middle of the park but he was later replaced in the 68th minute while Simy was introduced for Mali's Lassana Coulibaly in the 56th minute.

The first 45 minutes was a cagey affair with no goal scored and both teams settled for a goalless draw at the break.

Immediately after the restart, Lorenzo Pellegrini opened the scoring for Roma in the 48th minute and four minutes later, Jordan Veretout made it 2-0 for the visitors.

A few minutes later, Jose Mourinho's men ran riot with Tammy Abraham scoring his maiden goal in the Serie A after his permanent move from Chelsea earlier this month.

It did not end there as Pellegrini scored his second goal of the night, just before the final 10 minutes to wrap up the goal-fest.

Roma have now won their first two Serie A matches of the season and they are third in the table behind leaders Lazio and Inter Milan who have superior goal differences than them.

Salernitana, meanwhile, are 18th on the standings with no point after two games but Simy and Obi will be focused on their visit to Torino for their next Serie A fixture after the international break on September 11.

The Nigeria duo have not been summoned for next month's 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.

After scoring 20 goals in 38 league matches last term for Crotone, the Super Eagles striker is yet to open his goal account for the 2021-22 campaign.

(Originally posted by Taiye Taiwo)
  177 Hits

Why AS Roma's Jose Mourinho appointment might not be such a terrible idea

Paris Saint-Germain's leading players have said that they want the World Cup winner to remain at Parc des Princes

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino has hailed Kylian Mbappe after the forward scored twice in a 2-0 win over Reims in Ligue 1.

Despite links to Real Madrid, the France international started the match on Sunday, justifying his coach’s decision with a headed opener from Angel Di Maria's cross and following it up with a close-range finish on the back of Achraf Hakimi's break.

Nevertheless, uncertainty remains over Mbappe's future amid back-to-back bids from Los Blancos and with the end of his contract looming next summer - but now his coach has led a glowing tribute from staff and players alike after another match-winning performance.

What was said?

Speaking after the game, Pochettino told Amazon Prime: “He is our player. But you know the business, it's full of rumours. Our president and our director are very clear. He is here with us and we are happy with him. He is an important player, and it is a gift to have him with us.”

Marquinhos, who was making his first start of the season, added: “We don't even try to ask him about his future. He has his goals, but if we think about ourselves, we want him to stay. And if he stays, he will help us a lot. 

“Our attack is magic, but he does not make us forget the others. It is important to have an efficient team. The season is long.”

Similarly, Marco Verratti said: “Of course I want him to stay. We like to play with the strongest. We didn't discover Kylian today. He has been scoring a lot of goals for a few years. He is a phenomenon, we are very happy with him.”

Further Reading

(Originally posted by Robin Bairner)
  278 Hits

Defiant Bielsa insists Leeds won't abandon their style despite Man Utd thrashing

The Nigeria international maintained his fine start to the season with another effort that secured maximum points for the Black Sea Storm in Giresun

Anthony Nwakaeme scored the winning goal as Trabzonspor defeated Giresunspor 1-0 in Sunday's Turkish Super Lig match.

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a great start to the 2021-22 season, scoring at least a goal in each of the Black Sea Storm's first three league matches.

Following Thursday's 3-0 loss to Roma in the Uefa Europa Conference League play-offs, Nwakaeme got Abdullah Avci's men back to winning ways with his goal.

The Super Eagles attacker found the back of the net in the seventh minute, courtesy of an assist from Anastasios Bakasetas.

The opener separated both teams at the Cotanak Stadium as Trabzonspor sealed their third straight win in the Turkish top-flight.

Nwakaeme played the entire duration while Guinea's Fode Koita came on as a 75th-minute substitute after replacing Cape Verde's Djaniny, however, Ivory Coast's Gervinho did not make the  away trip as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Giresunspor, on the other hand, had a host of African stars in action including Mali's Fousseni Diabate, Senegal trio Souleymane Doukara, Younousse Sankhare and Ibrahima Balde.

Sunday's victory powered Trabzonspor to the summit of the Turkish top-flight standings with nine points after three matches but Giresunspor languish at the bottom of the table with no point and no goal after three league outings this term.

During the week, Nwakaeme was honoured for his contributions since he moved to Turkey in 2018 by his club faithful with a statue in the city of Trabzon.

The 32-year-old has made just an appearance for the Super Eagles which came during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Algeria in November 2017.

After next month's international break, Nwakaeme will turn his attention to Trabzonspor's next Super Lig fixture against Mbaye Diagne's Galatasaray on September 11.

(Originally posted by Taiye Taiwo)
  214 Hits

Camberos joins Angel City after online threats

The left-back has not made a competitive appearance since the 2020-21 Champions League final against Man City

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said Ben Chilwell is still getting up to speed with the Blues as the left-back looks to make his first competitive appearance since last season's Champions League final.

Chilwell was named in England's squad for Euro 2020 this summer but did not see the field as the Three Lions fell in the final to Italy.

The 24-year-old then returned to Chelsea but has yet to play for the Blues this term with Marcos Alonso preferred at left-back.

What was said?

"For Ben Chilwell, it's very easy," Tuchel explained. "He came back with the latest group [after the Euros and holiday].

"When he arrived Marcos Alonso had five weeks in his legs from pre-season. He played the first competitive matches after a fantastic pre-season. He was simply way more ready physically which was natural because of the training session and his fantastic games.

"He played the Super Cup final and three Premier League games. Also, we only have three substitutions allowed and this is a huge problem."

The German continued: "Chilly needed his time in training to adapt to the intensity. He is ready now but now wasn't the time to push him into the cold water. 

"It is a bit sad because you have more tactical opportunities if you have five changes. I don't understand the arguments of the little teams that they have a disadvantage in this case. I was also a coach of a little team and I would have loved to have five players available.

"I would have made them run 16 kilometres against the top teams. I think it is a huge disadvantage in general in Europe but why do I complain?"

What's next for Chilwell?

Chilwell will not get the chance to play with the Three Lions next month as he was not called in for England's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw, Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker are among the full-back options at Gareth Southgate's disposal for the games against Hungary, Andorra and Poland.

After the international break, Chilwell will aim to make his season debut in Chelsea's match against Aston Villa on September 11.

Further reading

(Originally posted by Seth Vertelney)
  349 Hits

Lampard urges Chelsea stars to be 'role models' and avoid coronavirus risks as holiday period begins

The 28-year-old was given the marching orders as the Braves could only settle for a point at home against Goz Goz on Sunday evening

Nigeria international Olanrewaju Kayode was given the marching orders as Sivasspor secured a 2-2 draw against Goztepe on Sunday evening.

The former Manchester City striker was shown a straight red card by referee Burak Seker for a serious foul play with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Kayode’s expulsion cost his team dearly as they surrendered their lead to earn just one point at the Sivas Stadium.

The hosts came into the game on the back of four consecutive defeats which included a 5-0 defeat to FC Copenhagen their last time out.

Their impressive start earned them an 11th-minute lead through Dimitrios Goutas who headed Faycal Fajr’s cross past goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat.

In the 51st minute, the visitors levelled matters through Halil Akbunar who capitalised on a shambolic defending by Riza Calimbay’s men.

Goutas completed his brace in the 66th minute - heading inside an empty net after Kayode’s initial header had kissed the woodwork.

With the Nigerian sent off four minutes later, Unal Karaman’s side took advantage of their numerical disadvantage to level matters through Beykan Simsek in the 84th minute.

Morocco’s Fajr was in action from start to finish for Sivasspor while Nigeria’s Leke James was subbed off in the 52nd minute for Mali forward Mustapha Yatabare.

Elsewhere, Ghana’s Isaac Cofie was introduced for Cote d’Ivoire’s Max-Alain Gradel in the 73rd minute.

While Nigeria’s Obinna Nwobodo played all 90 minutes for Goztepe alongside Senegal’s Cherif Ndiaye, his compatriot Brown Ideye was an unused substitute.

Meanwhile, Sivasspor manager Calimbay has blamed fatigue and Kayode’s expulsion for his side’s draw against Goz Goz.

"We played in Copenhagen two days before this match. There was fatigue on our team,” Calimbay told the club website.

“Our pace of play was good until the 65th minute when we took a 2-1 lead but after that, Kayode was thrown out of the game and that was a huge disadvantage for us.

“With his expulsion, we had to make changes. After 65 minutes, the team was already exhausted. Still, we fought well after all.

“Of course, we're sorry we got a point on our home soil, but a point is good too. The national break came just in time for us as we will be able to rest and our injured players will be able to return.

“After that, we'll start the league nicely because our team needs rest first and foremost.”

(Originally posted by Shina Oludare)
  218 Hits

USWNT's reason for no longer taking the knee during the national anthem

Despite missing the services of their Nigerian import, Luciano Spalletti’s Blues recorded an impressive away win over the Griffin

Napoli made light of Victor Osimhen’s absence with a 2-1 victory over Genoa on Sunday to continue their impressive start to the 2021-22 campaign.

The Nigeria international was missing due to the two-game ban meted out on him following his dismissal during the Parthenopeans’ 2-0 victory over Venezia last weekend.

Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Andrea Petagna all found the back of the net for Luciano Spalletti’s men against their hosts, who handed Caleb Ekuban his maiden appearance.

The Griffin began the game on a positive note, however, their attacking forays were frustrated by Kalidou Koulibaly, who won several challenges for his team early on.

Most notably, the Senegal centre-back cleared a dangerous shot by Andrea Cambiaso – who made a darting run through the visitors’ backline.

In the 21st minute, Genoa’s Paolo Ghiglione found some space inside the box, before having his effort saved by Alex Meret.

Nevertheless, Napoli’s breakthrough came six minutes before the half-time break as Ruiz collected a pass from Matteo Politano before drilling an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box which left goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu with no chance to make a save.

After the break, Davide Ballardini’s men found more attacking resolve and in the 55th minute, they thought they had found the equaliser through a Goran Pandev effort, but it was chalked off after a lengthy VAR review due to a foul committed just prior to the strike.

They levelled matters in the 69th minute through Cambiaso, who buried the ball into the bottom left of Meret’s goal for his first goal for the club.

However, it was super-sub Petagna who had the final say with his header on the edge of the six-yard box with just six minutes left to play. 

Debutant Ekuban was subbed off at half-time for Alexander Buksa, while Sierra Leone’s Yayah Kallon was introduced for Stefano Sturaro in the 67th minute.

On the other hand, Koulibaly was in action from start to finish for Napoli as Algeria’s duo of Karim Zedadka and Faouzi Ghoulam were not listed for the showdown.

The result meant Napoli moved to third on the Italian top-flight log to keep in touch with leaders Lazio and Inter Milan.

Original author: Shina Oludare
  242 Hits

Man Utd monitoring Inter's finances amid Romelu Lukaku payment claims

Lionel Messi has made his Paris Saint-Germain debut, coming on for Neymar after 64 minutes in a clash against Reims.

It is the first time that Messi has played a competitive club match for a team other than Barcelona.

He arrived at PSG earlier in August after Barcelona were forced to release him for financial reasons.

Previously in the game, Kylian Mbappe had given PSG a first-half lead, with the forward netting despite rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid in the hours ahead. He had netted a second moments before Messi came on.

How long has Messi been at PSG?

Messi signed a two-year deal with PSG at the start of August after his 21-year stint with Barcelona came to an end.

The Argentine, though, was not initially in a fit state to play with his new club. He had been out of action for around a month when he joined PSG, having spent time on holiday in Miami and Ibiza following the end of the Copa America, in which he led Argentina to their first international title since 1993.

Messi has only been back in training for a couple of weeks and has been short of match fitness. This is the reason his debut has been delayed.

He will hope to make his first start for the club after the international break, when PSG play newly promoted by undefeated Clermont at Parc des Princes.

Further Reading

Original author: Robin Bairner
  213 Hits

Michael Edwards rejects immediate Chelsea move

It took the Anglo-Nigerian five minutes into his first appearance for the Smurfs to find the back of the net against the Purple and Whites

Ike Ugbo scored on his first Genk game to propel John van den Brom’s men to a 1-0 victory over Anderlecht on Sunday evening.

The former England youth international – who joined the Smurfs from Chelsea – was introduced for Paul Onuachu in the 82nd minute of the keenly contested encounter.

And with just five minutes of action, he handed his team all three points after firing past goalkeeper Hendrik van Crombrugge courtesy of a pass from Kristian Thorstvedt.

Having bowed 2-1 to Vitesse in their last encounter, the Purple and White travelled to Cegeka Arena with the ambition of returning to winning ways.

They showed their intent to win by threatening in the opening minute, albeit, they could not beat goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt who put up an impressive performance.

In the 20th minute, Genk had their first real chance, but Carel Eiting fluffed the opportunity. Another chance beckoned a few minutes later, albeit, Junya Ito could not take advantage of Kristian Thorstvedt’s pass.

On the other side, Jhon Lucumi dived into the path of a shot from Joshua Zirkzee and blocked an attempt from Benito Raman when he went alone towards Vandevoordt.

Genk stepped up their game in the second half, yet they could not find the breakthrough with Onuachu missing a couple of chances.

With the game looking destined to ended 0-0, Ugbo had the final say to send the home fans into wild jubilation.

Joseph Paintsil (Ghana), Kelvin John (Tanzania), Eboue Kouassi (Cote d'Ivoire) and Stephen Odey (Nigeria) were not dressed for action by manager Van den Brom

On the other hand, Ghana’s Majeed Ashimeru was introduced for Morocco prospect Anouar Ait El Hadj with five minutes left on the clock, while his compatriot Dauda Mohammed was an unused substitute.

Thanks to this win, Genk now occupy the fourth position in the Belgian topflight log having accrued ten points from six points played so far.

Onuachu – who now boasts three goals in all competitions this season - is expected to fly down to Nigeria on Monday to join Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles who will face Liberia and Cape Verde in September’s World Cup qualifiers.

Original author: Shina Oludare
  237 Hits

Greenwood joins Rooney, Owen and Fowler in elite club with 20th Premier League goal

The Man Utd striker became the fourth-youngest player in league history to reach the milestone

Mason Greenwood’s strike for Manchester United against Wolves proved to be an historic one for the 19-year-old.

His winning goal, which arrived 10 minutes from time, was his 20th in the league for the Red Devils, pushing him into a historic club of players who have achieved that benchmark before they have hit their 20th birthday.

Previously, only Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney had completed such an achievement.  

What was said?

Speaking to Match of the Day, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said of Greenwood's goal: "It's special. To get the shot on target from that angle is good, of course the keeper maybe could have saved it but he hit it so quickly.

"The beauty of him is that he can go outside right foot and inside left foot, so it's hard for a defender."

Another Greenwood record

Furthermore, Greenwood has become just the second teenager to score in his side’s first three Premier League matches of the season, after Fowler did so for Liverpool in the 1994-95 campaign.

Greenwood proved United’s match winner at Molineux as he showed good composure to drill home from a tight angle while Wolves players were protesting about a possible foul from Paul Pogba on Ruben Neves in the midfield.

Previously, Greenwood had found the target against both Leeds and Southampton, scoring the second in a 5-1 victory and the equaliser in a 1-1 draw respectively.

Further reading

Original author: Robin Bairner
  453 Hits

LIVE: Reims vs PSG

35' Hakimi has hardly had any defending to do for PSG, with the right-back permanently camped inside the Reims half of the pitch at the moment, causing a few problems down that flank.

33' PSG have won their first three games of a Ligue 1 season and could win four in a row for the sixth time in their history and first time since 2018-19.

31' Free-kick to PSG in a dangerous position after Foket clatters into Neymar and brings him down around 30 yards out. Perhaps a shooting opportunity here, with Di Maria and Neymar standing over it.

29' We’re almost at the half an hour mark now and it remains PSG who lead 1-0 over Reims, thanks to Mbappe's header on 15 minutes.

27' PSG are dominating possession now, with Reims hardly touching the ball in the last few minutes as the visitors push forward in search of a second goal.

25' All of the noise inside the stadium is being made by the travelling PSG supporters, as the home fans don't have much to shout about at the moment.

23' Marquinhos rises high as a deep cross is whipped into the box from the right wing, but the PSG skipper can't keep his header down and it flies over the crossbar.

21' Stoppage in play here as Lopy is down with an injury after the Reims midfielder tried to stop Neymar and then quickly pulled up. However, it looks like he will be fine to continue.

19' Blocked! Wijnaldum nicks the ball off Reims deep inside their own half and then races into the penalty area, but he seems to get caught in two minds as to pass or shoot. In the end he opts to shoot, but his effort is well blocked.

18' The early PSG goal will be a blow for Reims, who had been playing well and were keeping the visitors at bay, while also looking dangerous themselves at the other end.

15' Reims have not won any of their last 11 Ligue 1 games (D7 L4), the longest current winless run in the top-flight and their longest one since going 15 games between October 2012 and February 2013.

13' Decent chance! Kebbal turns away from Gueye and plays an excellent pass behind the PSG defence for Toure to run onto and the striker gets away from Kehrer and fires a shot at goal. However, he gets his effort all wrong and it flies well wide.

12' This is better from PSG, they are playing the ball around the pitch a bit quicker, spurred on by the recent Mbappe chance that almost saw them open the scoring.

10' CHANCE! Lovely move forward by PSG, with Di Maria and Hakimi linking up well down the right wing and the latter then lays it through to Mbappe in the box, who goes for goal from a tight angle. However, he can't quite turn it towards goal and the ball strikes the sidenetting.

8' Good ball over the top of the PSG defence by Gravillon and Toure latches onto the end of it, catching the visitors defence out. However, the flag goes up for offside.

7' The attacking trio of Neymar, Di Maria and Mbappe have hardly touched the ball so far for PSG, with the hosts doing a good job of keeping them quiet and preventing the visitors from getting into their final third.

5' This is a good start by Reims, they are keeping the ball well in midfield and keep trying to catch PSG out down the right, but Foket has just been caught offside.

3' Reims are playing a high pressing game, not allowing PSG much time or space on the ball and this is highlighted by Munetsi charging into the back of Gueye and giving away a free-kick.

1' Diallo plays a risky ball all the way back to Navas and it only just has enough pace on it to reach the keeper, who rushes out and smashes it into the stands before Toure can get there.

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!

The hosts have made two changes to their starting line-up, with Konan and Cafaro missing out and they have been replaced by Lopy and Mbuku.

The big PSG team news is that Messi is on the bench and Mbappe keeps his place in the starting line-up. Mauricio Pochettino has made three changes from the side that beat Brest, with Kimpembe, Ander Herrera, Mauro Icardi dropped, and they have been replaced by Marquinhos, Neymar and Di Maria.  

REIMS SUBS: Mathieu Cafaro, Ghislain Konan, Alexis Flips, Hugo Ekitike, Valon Berisha, Mitchell Van Bergen, Fode Doucoure, Yehvann Diouf.

REIMS (3-4-2-1): Predrag Rajkovic; Andreaw Gravillon, Wout Faes, Yunis Abdelhamid; Thomas Foket, Moreto Cassama, Marshall Munetsi, Dion Lopy; Nathanael Mbuku, Ilan Kebbal; El Bilal Toure.

PSG SUBS: Arnaud Muinga, Leandro Paredes, Danilo Pereira, Eric Ebimbe, Julian Draxler, Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Presnel Kimpembe.

PSG (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Abdou Diallo, Thilo Kehrer; Georginio Wijnaldum, Idrissa Gueye, Marco Verratti; Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Angel Di Maria

Reims are also unbeaten so far, but are yet to pick up a win, having drawn all three games, including a 1-1 draw against Metz last weekend.

PSG have won all three Ligue 1 games so far this season, including a 4-2 victory over Brest last time out, can they make it a fourth before the international break? Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are set to feature, with Messi potentially making his PSG debut and we could see them play together for the first and last time in a PSG shirt, as Mbappe is heavily linked with a move away to Real Madrid.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE match commentary of the Ligue 1 clash between Reims and PSG at the Stade Auguste Delaune.

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'Flick must commit himself to something' - Beckenbauer wants clarity from Bayern Munich coach

Wolves players protested to the referee after the Red Devils netted the decisive goal but it was allowed to stand

Paul Pogba denied fouling Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves in the build-up to Manchester United's winning goal on Sunday.

United sealed the three points thanks to an 80th-minute strike from Mason Greenwood, the only goal of a 1-0 win for the Red Devils.

But the home side complained to the referee that the goal should have been ruled out after a challenge between Pogba and Neves.

What did Pogba say?

Pogba insisted there was no contact between the two players and the goal was fairly awarded.

"I didn’t touch him," he said to Sky Sports. "This is the Premier League, it was a 50-50, every weekend that is happening.

"We win the ball and we scored."

What did Neves say?

Neves, however, claimed the contact was blatant and he even had the marks on his leg to prove it.

"Everyone saw it, everyone saw my leg, we always do meetings and everything with referees about VAR, I don’t know why [the foul wasn't given]," the Portuguese midfielder said.

"They said before the season started they will look for contact – if the contact is strong enough, they will give the foul. I showed them my leg.

"I think maybe because last game it was a foul before the Southampton goal, maybe now they did the opposite. I showed my leg to the ref, I showed to the assistant ref, I cannot say anything more.

"After the game he said ‘you both go to the ball’ and I said ‘yes, we both go to win the ball but I was the one who touched the ball’. It’s a foul, a clear foul."

Meanwhile, Wolves coach Bruno Lage pointed out that there was a similar incident earlier in the game and that his side stopped the game on that occasion.

He said: "Same situation, 30 minutes in the first half, we have a good transition for us, same place and [Nelson] Semedo put the ball out because Pogba told him to.

"The image is very clear."

Further reading

Original author: Peter McVitie
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