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Highlands Park Park coach Owen Da Gama is "expecting an interesting game" against Mamelodi Sundowns, while at the same time worried that his team is ill-prepared for the showdown at Dobsonville Stadium on Friday.

Da Gama's side are yet to play a match since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season resumed last Saturday and they come up against opponents who have been involved in two blockbuster fixtures so far.

Sundowns first eliminated Bidvest Wits from the Nedbank Cup on August 8, before Tuesday's 0-0 PSL draw with Orlando Pirates.

It is a situation which concerns Da Gama who feels the disparities in preparedness can work against his side.

“Going into the first match‚ I don’t think there is anyone who will say they are ready and I don’t think that we are prepared," said Da Gama as per Sowetan Live.

“We only started playing 11 versus 11 at training last week because we had to introduce the players gradually due to the health and regulations that we had to follow. I started training with four players‚ moved to six‚ eight‚ ten until we had 22 last week.

“Sundowns have two games under their belt already and they will be much more prepared than us‚ but in saying that there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to be as prepared as we can be.

“We have only played amongst each other at training because we can’t play friendly matches and we will see what happens on Friday."

What also concerns Da Gama is Sundowns' rich in depth as he feels his league-title chasing counterpart Pitso Mosimane can set up strong three teams from his squad.

But the Highlands Park tactician could, however, enjoy the advantage of arriving at Dobsonville armed with vital tactical data after deeply studying Sundowns in action against Wits and Pirates.

“But we have noticed in the match against Pirates on Tuesday‚ Sundowns were getting tired in the second half," Da Gama said.

“I am expecting an interesting game because they have beaten us twice this season and we are not happy about that. It is always very difficult to plan against Sundowns – who would have said that Lebohang Maboe will play right back [against Pirates].

“They can put three teams out there on any given day because they have a big squad and quality players. It is obvious that we will have to plan properly for them because they can introduce anyone from the bench at any time.

“You saw they made five changes against Pirates and they made a number of substitutions against Wits – they have enough depth and quality.”

Highlands Park are positioned eighth on the standings with 18 points off leaders Kaizer Chiefs and 11 above bottom-placed Black Leopards.

They face a Downs side seeking to atone for dropping two points against Pirates.

Lyon centre-forward Karl Toko-Ekambi has revealed his side will give their best when they take on Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Saturday.

The 27-year-old featured prominently as Rudi Garcia’s men stunned Serie A champions Juventus 2-1 in the round of 16 of the European competition.

Lyon have only played two competitive games, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de la Ligue and the Old Lady,  since the 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign was abruptly concluded due to the outbreak of coronavirus in March.

Toko-Ekambi admitted the Citizens are in good shape as the Premier League was only ended last month but promised his side will go all out against Pep Guardiola’s men.

“It goes in two directions. Maybe we are fresher but in the other sense, Manchester City maybe have more rhythm,” Toko-Ekambi told media.

“It will play a little bit on all aspects, like pressure and the mental side as well. You should not draw any conclusions yet. We will have to play by giving it all.”

Toko-Ekambi has made 13 appearances across all competitions since he teamed up with the French side in January from Villarreal, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent in June.

The forward started his career with the youth team of Paris FC before he was promoted to the senior side in 2010 and scored 21 goals in 67 games for the club.

His eye-catching performances earned him a move to Sochaux in 2016 and made a key impact with the ‎Stade Auguste Bonal outfit, scoring 25 league goals in 72 league appearances during his two-year stay with the side.

Toko-Ekambi played for Angers before moving to Spain to join Villarreal, where he featured 52 times for the La Liga club.

The 27-year-old forward has 30 caps for Cameroon and was part of the team that won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Toko-Ekambi will hope to help Lyon secure a place in the semi-finals of the European competition with a victory over Manchester City.

Barcelona-owned Philippe Coutinho is keen on a return to the Premier League, his agent, Kia Joorabchian has claimed, with the likes of Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham all reported to have an interest.

The Brazil international is currently on loan with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who will face Coutinho's parent club in the quarter finals of the Champions League on Friday, but the German side will not endeavour to make his move permanent.

As a result, the former Liverpool favourite finds himself in transfer limbo, with those at Camp Nou seemingly having no plans to give the 28-year-old a second chance to endear himself to the club after failing to impress in a Blaugrana shirt.

While Joorabchian insists his client would relish the chance to turn out for one of England's top clubs again, he admitted that the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic could ultimately see him back in the Barca squad next season.

“At the moment, with Coutinho, he is so focused on getting through the next stage of the Champions League,” Joorabchian told talkSPORT. “He's got a massive game – the club that owns him against the club he is playing for. So he is in a massive situation at the moment.

“He is going to play Barcelona, he is looking forward to it. He is looking forward to winning the Champions League. I think Bayern have a side that has the potential to be there, definitely a potential to be there.

“I think after the Champions League is finished, and whatever happens, then we will sit down. I have even spoken to him about it actually. It could be that Barcelona is the ultimate destination.

“He loves the Premier League, he wants to come to the Premier League, but finances and the numbers and the situation of Covid-19 are all going to play a big part, because he is a big player with big numbers.”

Joorabchian also confirmed that another of his clients, former Chelsea attacker Willian, has found a new club – widely regarded to be Arsenal – and that the 32-year-old will soon reveal the outfit with which he will spend the next chapter of his career.

Robin van Persie has defended Manchester United's penalty record and hailed Bruno Fernandes as "world-class" from 12 yards.

United were awarded their 21st spot-kick of the season in their Europa League meeting with Copenhagen on Monday night.

The last eight tie went to extra time after a goalless first 90 minutes, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men ultimately needed help from referee Clement Turpin to make the breakthrough.

Turpin pointed to the spot when Anthony Martial went down under minimal contact in the box, with Fernandes stepping up to score his 11th goal for the Red Devils since joining the club from Sporting CP in January.

Seven of those efforts have come from penalties, and United broke the record for the most fouls won inside the area in Premier League history on the final day of the domestic season in July.

It has been suggested that the Old Trafford outfit have benefited from numerous contentious decisions over the course of the campaign, but Van Persie believes they have simply been rewarded for their direct style of play.

"If you get 21 penalties in a season, it shows you that you’re attacking a lot, you know?" the ex-Red Devils striker told 90min.

"Maybe a couple of them could or could not be a penalty, maybe a little bit tricky, but even then you’re attacking and in a situation where the referee can give a penalty. I think it’s a good thing that they’re getting so many."

Van Persie added on how United's penalty taker varies his technique from 12 yards to deceive opposition goalkeepers: "Bruno Fernandes has his very own unique style of taking them, but what I like is that he mixes it up.

"He’s not only doing that funny jump, it looks so strange to me because it’s not the way I used to take penalties, but he’s been doing it for so long. He hasn’t missed for four years.

"What I did like against FC Copenhagen is he changed his style – the keeper waited and he went fast. That shows you as well that he’s a world-class penalty taker, because you have to mix it up.

"You have to go left, you have to go right, he’s doing the jump, but to be able to adjust, even with penalties, it shows you that he’s a world-class player. You have to come up with something new and he’s doing that, and it’s working. As long as it works, perfect."

Amidst Paris Saint-Germain’s plethoria of high-profile, big name superstars, there were many contenders for the hero of the night as they took on Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Would it be Neymar, the pouting, preening megastar, who so often appears to be playing on a different plain from his teammates in the French capital?

Would it be Kylian Mbappe, returning from injury sustained in the French Cup final, as he stepped off the bench to help turn the tie in PSG’s favour?

Mauro Icardi perhaps? Keylor Navas?

Few, surely, would have predicted that the much maligned Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting would be the man to pop up in the second minute of stoppage time to net a close-range winner and send the French champions through to the final four.

By that point, the momentum was with PSG.

Outplayed during the first half, Atalanta were unfortunate to only be a goal up, and Thomas Tuchel’s side appeared increasingly devoid of ideas or inspiration during the second period as they toiled for an equalised.

The likes of Julian Draxler and Leandro Paredes were introduced to no avail, but a moment of excellence from Neymar set Marquinhos up to equalise in the 90th minute as the Italians failed to clear their lines.

In the immediate aftermath of the goal, Paris sought a winner as Atalanta—stunned by the goal—failed to reset, and Choupo-Moting turned home Mbappe’s cross after some more eye-catching invention from Neymar.

So impressive was the versatile forward, that Neymar even reportedly offered to donate his Man of the Match award to the 31-year-old.

Heading into this fixture, the forward’s most memorable contribution at the capital club appeared destined to be his horror miss against Strasbourg in April 2019, when he got in the way of Christopher Nkunku’s goal-bound effort, and ended up stopping it on the line after being caught in two minds.

It remains a bona fide contender for the worst miss of all time.

Indeed, heading into the final, Choupo-Moting’s main focus appeared to be his post-PSG future; his initial two-year deal ended this summer, and while the Central African penned a new extension to take him up to the end of the UCL campaign, a longer-term deal has not been forthcoming.

He’s been the brunt of some criticism since arriving from Stoke City in a deal that was ridiculed at the time, but in fact made a lot of sense.

Here was an experienced player, a good professional, versatile and multi-talented; good enough to make a difference against Ligue 1’s lesser lights, and content to be a backup option for the biggest games.

For a modern super club like PSG, who sometimes operate in two entirely different spheres, playing Nimes at the weekend and Real Madrid in midweek, it was the kind of acquisition that could represent a valuable asset over the course of a campaign.

It’s the kind of logic that makes their reported interest in Swansea City’s Andre Ayew actually appear a lot more sensible than may first appear.

Choupo-Moting is the kind of player that still has a place at all of the major clubs; hungry, but reluctant to rock the boat, placing himself at the service of the collective and still possessing leadership qualities.

He is still the captain of Cameroon, after all.

"I thought when I was coming on, 'We can't lose, we can't go home like this'. I was confident in myself and the team,” he told BT Sport after the match.

"We had a good feeling in the team. We are enjoying good moments on and off the pitch. We won four trophies but this one is the most important.

"We believe in ourselves,” the forward concluded. “Everyone knows we have top quality individuals but we wanted to show team [work]. I'm very happy we did it today.”

Choupo-Moting’s goal can begin to compensate for what has been a tricky year at PSG, even before the coronavirus pandemic brought the curtain down on French football.

He only netted three goals over the courts of the Ligue 1 campaign—in which he made just five starts—and he enjoyed little over half of the playing time he enjoyed in the top flight in the previous campaign.

His has been a stop-start career, with relegation at Stoke quickly following a long—if unremarkable—tenure at Schalke 04 during which his qualities were somewhat underrated.

As PSG have had their own personal disappointments and frustrations—against Manchester United in 2019, against Barcelona in 2017—so Choupo-Moting has had his fair share of missteps and regrets.

Despite captaining the Indomitable Lions at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, he wasn’t present for their triumphant campaign at the 2017 edition of the tournament after abdicating from international duty for the tournament citing ‘personal reasons’.

Ultimately, he missed the crowning glory of his career, although after his heroics on Wednesday, sending PSG to the final four for the first time since 1995, he remains on course to become the fourth Cameroonian player to win Europe’s grandest prize.

It would be a fitting finale at the highest level for Paris Saint-Germain’s unlikely UCL hero.

Kaizer Chiefs striker Samir Nurkovic was unhappy with the outcome of their clash with Bidvest Wits on Wednesday evening.

The two Johannesburg teams resumed their 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign with a 1-1 draw at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

Nurkovic opened the scoring for Amakhosi with a header nine minutes before half-time, before Cole Alexander snatched a late equalizing goal for the Clever Boys.

The Serbian striker tormented Wits defence throughout the match and he was named man of the match at the end of the encounter.

The man nicknamed Kokota cut a disappointed figure as he admitted he was not pleased with a point as Chiefs failed to extend their lead to six points atop the PSL standings. 

"My job as a striker is to score as many goals as possible to help the team because we are all fighting for the same goals," Nurkovic told SuperSport TV.

"Me personally, I am not happy with one point but this is football.

"Sometimes you win, lose, draw. it doesn't really matter. All we have to do is focus on the next game."

Nurkovic, who is enjoying a dream debut season in South African football, has now netted 12 goals in the league plus one in the Telkom Knockout Cup.

His goals in the league have helped the Soweto giants maintain their charge for the PSL title which they last won in 2015 under British coach Stuart Baxter.

Chiefs restored their four-point gap which they had over second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns during the recent break, enforced by the coronavirus pandemic between March and August.

Sundowns played to a 0-0 draw with their Gauteng rivals Orlando Pirates at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday, before Amakhosi were held by Wits on the following day.

Both teams will be in action later this week with Sundowns set to take on Highlands Park at Dobsonville Stadium on Friday.

While Chiefs will travel to Loftus Versfeld Stadium where they are scheduled to face Polokwane City on Saturday.

Nurkovic, 28, and his Amakhosi teammates will be looking to avenge the 1-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of Polokwane in the first round of league action. 

Chelsea is the ideal next destination for Kai Havertz, according to Michael Ballack, who says Frank Lampard will help the Bayer Leverkusen star develop even further.

Goal reported last month that Chelsea had entered into negotiations with Leverkusen over a possible €76 million (£69m/$90m) deal for Havertz, who is expected to leave Bay Arena this summer.

However, Leverkusen are holding out for a figure closer to €100m (£90m/$118m), and sporting director Rudi Voller has promised that there will be no "Covid discount" for the midfielder.

Havertz's final appearance of the campaign came during a 2-1 Europa League quarter-final defeat to Inter on Monday, during which he scored to take his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions.

The 21-year-old is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, and fellow Germany international Antonio Rudiger fueled speculation over an imminent move when asked to weigh in on his colleague's future in July.

"He is a great talent and he had a very good season. He is also very young and we will see what happens," said the Chelsea defender.

Havertz has even been favourably compared to former Blues playmaker Ballack, who won the Premier League and two FA Cups during his time in west London.

The Germany legend, who also enjoyed a spell at Leverkusen in the early stages of his career, believes Havertz would be able to reach the next level under the stewardship of Lampard.

Ballack told Bild of the influence his old team-mate could have on the young forward at Chelsea: "I firmly believe that Lampard would be 100 per cent behind Havertz.

"He likes players who are very dangerous in front of goal and there aren’t many of those.

"Havertz is a player that Lampard would help further develop, not least because he himself was a midfielder with an eye for goal, who was always moving into dangerous areas, looking to finish off a chance."

The Blues have already signed another of the Bundesliga's most promising young talents in Timo Werner, who completed a £47.5 million ($62m) move to Stamford Bridge in June, and they have been tipped to challenge for the title if Havertz follows his compatriot to England in the coming weeks.

Joash Onyango has now left Kenya for Tanzania where he is expected to finalize his move to champions Simba SC.

The Kenya defender cut his ties with Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Gor Mahia. K'Ogalo had not paid the player for several months and he is demanding to be released for breach of contract.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi, who have been following the player for some time, capitalized on the situation and managed to get their player on a free. Everything has been verbally agreed and what remains is the signing and unveiling which will be done between Thursday and Friday.

"[Onyango] is on his way to Tanzania to finalize the move, but everything has been discussed and agreed," a source from Simba told Goal on Thursday.

"He is an experienced defender who will help the team perform well both domestically and abroad. He will further strengthen our defence and give us a better chance of performing well especially in the Caf Champions League."

The 27-year-old is set to take the position of ageing Pascal Wawa whose contract at the club has been extended by a year.

Last season, Simba managed to win the treble; Community Shield, FA Cup, and the league.

The Kenyan side confirmed they could not keep the player owing to financial challenges faced.

"Gor Mahia player Joash [Onyango] is close to securing a lucrative move to Tanzanian giants Simba as the club struggles to keep their star players due to the financial challenges they are facing," read the statement from the club.

"Joash [Onyango] was owed a lot of money by Gor Mahia and put in a demand letter to them that went unanswered. He then served a notice as required and started negotiations with Simba who have always been interested in his services.

"Simba have moved with speed to secure his services and he is expected in Dar es Salaam to sign the deal.

"Joash will thus join former teammates Francis Kahata and Meddie Kagere who played an integral part for the Tanzanian champions in the just-concluded season."

In an earlier interview, Onyango revealed he was ready for another challenge after his current contract with Gor Mahia expires. 

"To be honest my contract with Gor Mahia expires in December,” he told Goal. “I am ripe for another challenge; Gor Mahia have not approached me regarding my contract extension.

“So if any team approaches me with the intention to get my services, I will not think twice.”

Onyango joined K'Ogalo from Western Stima in the 2017 season and has gone on to help them win back-to-back KPL titles. He was part of the team that qualified for the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals in the 2018/19 season.

Barcelona are now "more dependent" on talismanic forward Lionel Messi "than they have ever been", according to Bernd Schuster.

Despite missing the start of the 2019-20 campaign, Messi finished the domestic season as the top scorer in La Liga, winning the coveted Pichichi award for a record-breaking seventh time.

The Argentina international has hit 31 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions, with his latest effort coming during a thrilling Champions League win against Napoli last weekend.

Messi jinked his way through the Italian outfit's defence and picked himself up from the floor before curling an unstoppable strike into the far corner of the net, with Clement Lenglet and Luis Suarez also getting on the scoresheet to seal a 3-1 victory at Camp Nou.

That result saw Barca progress to the quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate, and they are now scheduled to face Bundesliga champions Bayern in Lisbon on Friday for a place in the last four.

Schuster says his old club, who surrendered their La Liga crown to Real Madrid in July, have become far too reliant on Messi in recent times, and has warned that they will struggle to beat Bayern if the diminutive magician is off his game.

"Barcelona are more dependent on Messi than they have ever been," the ex-Barca midfielder told Bild.

"Messi can still win games on his own. He has the quality to score goals against Bayern and decide the game on his own.

"There are only two options for Barcelona this season, that Messi scores the goal or that they have a world-class day in the game without the ball."

Pressed further on the challenge Bayern will pose Quique Setien's men, Schuster responded: "The way they have played so far and won the championship, they are one of the favourites for me."

The 60-year-old went on to express his belief that Atletico Madrid, another of his former clubs, are well placed to reach the semi-finals of this season's Champions League at the expense of RB Leipzig.

"The final is definitely a size too big, but what they have achieved so far is excellent," Schuster added on the Bundesliga side's run to the last eight. "You have to see what a young and sometimes inexperienced team they have.

"And that is at the Champions League level! Atletico are old cannons who have been playing at the top level for years, and have been in the final twice.

"Leipzig also has the disadvantage of having lost Timo Werner in this situation."

Mesut Ozil says he was left disappointed by Arsenal distancing themselves from his comments over the alleged persecution of Uighur Muslims in China.

Reports have claimed that the Asian nation has detained up to a million individuals in so-called “re-education camps” designed to better integrate the minority group to the country's socialist society and reduce the chances of separatist violence.

Further claims of forced sterilisation have been denied by the Chinese government, but the country continues to be criticised for alleged breaches of human rights.

Ozil originally said: “They burn their Qurans. They shut down their mosques. They ban their schools. They kill their holy men.

“The men are forced into camps and their families are forced to live with Chinese men. The women are forced to marry Chinese men.

“But Muslims are silent. They won’t make a noise. They have abandoned them. Don’t they know that giving consent for persecution is persecution itself?”

In response, Arsenal released a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo, which read: “Regarding the comments made by Mesut Ozil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement.

“The content published is Ozil's personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”

And Ozil was not impressed with the reaction, pointing to the fact that they have involved themselves in the Black Lives Matter movement and called for more Muslim countries to do their part in taking China to task for their alleged injustices.

“Every human is equal,” Ozil told The Athletic. “It doesn’t matter what religion or colour you are - Muslim, Christian, Jew, black, white or anything else. We are all the same.

“What I said was not against Chinese people, it was against whoever is doing this to the Uighur Muslims and other people who are not helping them, such as other Muslim countries.

“I have given a lot to Arsenal, on and off the pitch, so the reaction was disappointing. They said they don’t get involved in politics but this isn’t politics and they have got involved in other issues.

“In America, we saw George Floyd killed and the world spoke up to say Black Lives Matter, and that is correct. We are all equal and it’s a good thing that people fight against injustice. There are a lot of black players and fans of Arsenal and it’s fantastic the club is backing them.

“But I wish people would have done the same for the Muslims because Arsenal have many Muslim players and fans as well, and it is important for the world to say that Muslim Lives Matter.”

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC) has revealed they will make sure new signing Jackson Nunda is free of injuries at the club.

The former KCCA FC player was unveiled on Wednesday as the first signing for the Tax Collectors ahead of the new Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season which will kick-off in October.

Nunda penned a three-year deal, which will keep him at the club until 2023.

URA coach Sam Ssimbwa has now explained the injury problems the player faced while turning out for KCCA and has promised to help the player have his peace of mind while with the club.

“He had a medical and we were assured he’d be fine. It seems he could not cope with the artificial turf at Lugogo,” Ssimbwa is quoted by Daily Monitor. “It is a difficult surface for many players to train on twice or thrice a day. He’s not the only one to struggle on such a surface.”

Ssimbwa is also confident the player will help them achieve their set targets for the new season.

“Even if he plays 20 games and wins 15 of them for us. That would be enough. I’m on the record being against players training on the artificial turf twice a day because of my coaching experience in Rwanda,” Ssimbwa continued.

Speaking after being unveiled, Nunda said he had signed for the club because he feels they are capable of going back to their glory days of winning trophies.

“I chose URA because it’s an ambitious team and I love the competitiveness in the club. Of course, I don’t expect it to be a walk in the park as I have to compete for a place in the team.

“I am here to win trophies and give 100% for my new home, URA.”

Nunda becomes URA’s first signing following his arrival from KCCA, where he has been for four and a half years while the club is also on the verge of unveiling Police left-back Arafat Galiwango in due course.

Meanwhile, Ronald Kigongo has renewed his stay with the Tax Collectors by a further three years after his contract expired in June 2020.

Selangor 2 head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner is pleased with his charges' recent performances, despite the results.

From three matches, the Premier League side has recorded two defeats and one win; a 2-0 defeat to UiTM FC, a 1-0 defeat to Petaling Jaya City and a 3-2 win over Pahang.

The German trainer, who is also his club's technical director, was only observing the progress shown by the reserve team.

"So far I'm satisfied with what my team has done in the three friendlies because the players have shown improvements, especially in the win against Pahang. It was a match against a tough Super League outfit, which was a good challenge for the boys before the league resumes.

"What they've done in training, including the individual training at home [during lockdown] has been translated well on the pitch, and we are ready to return to action," he told the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Now their attention turns towards another friendly encounter against a first tier side, Terengganu FC, on Friday, August 14.

"Winning against more experienced sides has not been easy for my young players. I just want them to make sure that they maintain their form, while avoiding injury ahead of the league resumption.

"We're taking one match at a time to ensure the best preparations, and I did not make any changes yesterday (against Pahang) because I want the other players to concentrate on Terengganu," added Feichtenbeiner.

Tanzania Mainland League side Namungo FC have completed the signing of midfielder Abdulhalim Humud from Mtibwa Sugar.

The 33-year-old helped the Sugar Millers escape relegation, and his experience is what has enticed the Lindi-based side to go for his services. With the club set for bigger challenges next season, they have decided to bolster their squad.

"Former Mtibwa Sugar midfielder Abdulhalim Humud has officially joined Namungo FC on a two-year contract," Azam TV confirmed on Friday.

"Namungo FC will represent Tanzania in the Caf Confederation Cup next season."

The team finished fourth in the league after getting 17 wins in the 38 matches played, 13 draws, and eight losses to finish the season with 63 points. 

They earned the right to play on the continent after reaching the finals of the FA Cup. Despite losing the game 2-1, Namungo qualified since Simba had won the league and were eligible to play in the Caf Champions League.

In that final game, Captain John Bocco and Man of the Match Luis Miquissone provided the vital goals that ensured the Dar es Salaam side head back home as the champions for the FA competition.

After 35 minutes of failed attempts to break an otherwise tight Namungo backline, Simba finally got a hard-fought opener through Miquissone’s strike.

The Mozambican, who has proved to be an undroppable figure for coach Sven Vandenbroeck, scored an important goal and further showed why his January signing was a masterstroke.

Shomari Kapombe delivered a swinging cross into the penalty box, but Bocco was denied the opportunity to strike as the opponents swarmed around him, but as Namungo focused on Bocco, the ball fell into Miquissone’s path and the winger slotted home.

Bocco added the second goal four minutes after Miquissone had registered the opener, heading into the net and ensured Simba headed into the break with a healthy 2-0 lead.

Namungo got their consolation in the 57th minute when Edward Charles Manyama managed to beat Aishi Manula in Simba's goal as the affair in Sumbawanga turned into an end-to-end encounter.   

It will be the first time the team is taking part in continental assignments. 

Romelu Lukaku "will want revenge" against Manchester United, according to Dimitar Berbatov, who says the Inter striker "would love" to knock the Red Devils out of Europe.

After two frustrating years at Old Trafford, Lukaku completed a £74 million ($97m) move to Inter last summer to join up with ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte at San Siro.

Despite scoring 42 goals in 96 games, the Belgian was the subject of intense criticism during his time with United, as his first touch and quality in the final third of the pitch were regularly called into question.

He left the club after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but has since managed to rediscover his best form in Italy.

Lukaku has hit 31 goals in his first 49 outings for the Nerazzurri, with his latest strike coming in a 2-1 Europa League quarter-final win over Bayer Leverkusen.

If Conte's men beat Shakhtar Donetsk in the last four, they could end up meeting United in the final, and Berbatov is wary of the threat the Serie A outfit could pose his old club.

The ex-Red Devils striker believes Lukaku will be determined to mastermind the downfall of Solskjaer's side alongside two more recently-departed Old Trafford figures, having rebuilt his damaged reputation at San Siro over the past year.

"Lukaku is a concern for me, he's scored 23 goals for Inter this season which is a great achievement," Berbatov told Betfair. 

"I always said I liked him as a player, that if he got chances he would score goals. He's very quick, and very strong, and his goal on Monday was spectacular. He's the main danger for whoever they play against.

"Inter also have Alexis Sanchez and Ashley Young, who will know United very well. If they play United in the final, these players will want revenge, to show United that they were wrong to let them go.

"Lukaku would love the chance to bang in some goals against the team that let him go. Lukaku took a lot of criticism in Manchester, and he was right to leave. Look at him now, he has been fantastic for Inter."

United edged past Copenhagen to reach the semi-finals, and must now overcome an in-form Sevilla to set up a potential clash against Inter.

The Spanish outfit are unbeaten in their last 19 games in all competitions, and have recorded six clean sheets in their last seven, but Berbatov predicts that the Red Devils will end that impressive run. 

"Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui has had tough times in his career, and while it would be nice for him to win it, football doesn't work this way," the 39-year-old added.

"If it did, I would have had a fairytale ending in the Champions League. I got to the final three times but it was always unlucky for me.

"Life is hard, and that's just the way it is. European competitions, in particular, bring plenty of heartbreak."

John Obi Mikel has revealed he is open to return to England after holding sway for Premier League club Chelsea in the past.

The former Super Eagles captain is currently without a club after parting ways with Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor by mutual agreement in March.

Before his departure from the Medical Park Stadyumu, the 33-year-old made 27 appearances for the Black Sea Storm across all competitions.

The midfielder has been linked to newly-promoted Premier League side West Bromwich Albion and Championship club Stoke City.

"Yes, there are interested clubs and England is a strong possibility and why not," Mikel told BBC Sport.

"We are currently in talks with clubs and there is absolutely no hurry. I can only wait to see what happens."

Mikel made an indelible mark in England during his 11-year stay with Chelsea, where he featured in 249 league appearances.

The midfielder won a number of accolades during his time at Stamford Bridge, including two Premier League titles, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League among others.

The former Nigeria international also featured for Championship club Middleborough after leaving Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda in 2018. 

The midfielder had 91 caps for the Super Eagles before announcing his retirement from international duty after helping the West Africans finish third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Mikel also played a prominent role as Nigeria clinched the continental title for the third time in their history in 2013 in South Africa, under the guidance of Stephen Keshi.

He captained Nigeria to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio and was part of the Super Eagles squad at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments.

The midfielder will hope to secure a club before the commencement of the 2020-21 campaign.

Wazito FC have secured the services of former AFC Leopards forward Vincent Oburu.

The 22-year-old was a free agent and opted to extend his stay with the 13-time league champions. The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side has confirmed the arrival of the youngster.

"We are pleased to announce the signing of striker Vincent Oburu from AFC Leopards," Wazito confirmed on their official website.

"The former Lang’ata High School striker is expected to boost our attack ahead of the 2020/2021 FKF Premier League campaign.

"A full Kenyan international, Oburu was part of the Harambee Stars’ team that won the 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup title."

While at Ingwe, the winger managed to score 13 league goals in the three years he was involved with the senior team. He is delighted to join the 2018/19 National Super League champions saying it will give him an opportunity to improve.

"I am happy to join this team, it is a good career step for me because it gives me an opportunity to work hard and improve as a player," Oburu said after sealing a reported three-year deal.

"I want to work well with my coach and teammates so that we can achieve what the team wants which is winning titles.

"To the fans, I urge them to keep supporting the team and we the new players will help take the team to the next level." 

Coincidentally, Oburu will be working with Fred Ambani, brother to Boniface Ambani who introduced him at Leopards but for the junior side before he eventually won promotion to the senior team.

"I think Oburu needs no introduction," the Wazito FC coach said in his reaction to Oburu signing.

"He is a very good striker and he definitely adds quality to the team. One of our problems last season was failing to score goals and I think with him in the team he will help solve that problem." 

The forward is set to replace Derrick Otanga who is heading the opposite way after being released in the month of July.

Leopards are aiming at winning the league in the new campaign, same with Wazito who recently hired Babu Salim as the assistant coach.

Dimitar Berbatov says Gareth Bale "is too gifted to sit on the bench" and that "something is not right" with the Real Madrid outcast at the Bernabeu.

Bale hasn't seen a single minute of action since returning from lockdown, having been an unused substitute in eight of Madrid's final 10 La Liga fixtures.

The 31-year-old was also a surprise omission from Zidane's 22-man squad for last week's Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie against Manchester City, which the Blancos lost 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of that clash, the Frenchman explained that Bale had asked to be left out, but also insisted that he still enjoys "a relationship of respect" with the experienced winger.

Despite Zidane's comments, rumours of a rift in the dressing room have persisted, and Madrid are being tipped to cash in on the Wales international during the summer transfer window.

Berbatov has admitted to being perplexed by Bale's current situation, having seen him win four Champions League crowns and two La Liga titles since moving to Santiago Bernabeu from Spurs in 2013.

The Bulgarian, who also enjoyed a spell at Tottenham at the height of his career, wants to see the Welshman back on the pitch as soon as possible, with his considerable talents going to waste while he remains on the sidelines.

"When I heard that Gareth Bale didn't want to play, I was surprised and even more surprised that Zidane revealed it to the media," Berbatov told Betfair. 

"Something is not right over there with him. If he's fit, it is awful that he doesn't play. When a player refuses to do that, it confuses me a lot.

"Gareth, I want to see you play football! He is too gifted to sit on the bench."

The ex-Spurs star did, however, go on to to defend Zidane in the wake of Madrid's Champions League exit, with a 4-2 aggregate loss to City in the round of 16 considered nothing more than a "blip". 

Berbatov added: "People are so fickle. Zidane has won the Champions League three times in a row, Real had never been eliminated under him until their defeat to Manchester City.

"Now all of a sudden one blip and people are going crazy. People will build you up just to crash you back down again and it's very wrong.

"It's not the end of the world that they got knocked out of the Champions League in this crazy year. City are a very strong team, if you make mistakes you will get punished against them, that's life."

FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon has hit out at the "disgusting" boos that could be heard as his team were joined by Nashville in taking a knee during the United States national anthem on Wednesday.

Despite the global pandemic, Major League Soccer has allowed some teams to permit a limited amount of fans into their stadiums, with around 3,000 supporters gathering at the Toyota Stadium for the clash.

A portion of those fans turned on the players, however, vocalising their frustration at perceived disrespect for their country as the players knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

"How disgraceful is that?" Cannon said, as per the BBC. "You got fans booing you for people taking a stand for what they believe in. 

"Millions of other people support this cause and we discussed with every other team and the league what we're going to do and we've got fans booing us in our own stadium. I think it was absolutely disgusting."

The match, which ended 1-0 to Nashville, was the first major sporting event to have fans present since MLS was suspended in March due to the coronavirus, with widespread protests having taken place in the US during the months of downtime.

Following the death of George Floyd, the protests have brought the subject of racial inequality to the fore and Cannon has been left hurt by the fans' ignorance.

The USMNT man added: "I'm sorry for our fans because we had someone chanting 'USA' when they don't understand what kneeling means. They don't understand why we're kneeling - they can't see the reason, they just think we're the ignorant ones and it's incredibly frustrating.

"When we decided to kneel I knew it was going to happen. That should tell you something. I knew we were going to have some negative pushback from having a unified response over what's going on. That's a problem.

"It hurts me because I love our fans. I love this club and I want to see the support that the league has given us - that everyone has given us - from our fans. As soon as I heard that boo I tried to play on and I knew what to expect. 

"We'll take it one day at a time and again we're unified in this response and everyone stands together."

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp has explained why Itumeleng Khune was absent from the team's match-day squad against Bidvest Wits on Wednesday night.

The club captain was a noticeable absence from the Soweto giants' team as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a stubborn Clever Boys side in a PSL match at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. 

Nigeria international Daniel Akpeyi started in goal as he remains the club's first-choice goalkeeper, while Bruce Bvuma is being named on the bench as the reserve shot-stopper. 

Middendorp revealed that Khune’s absence from the squad was not due to injury since the experienced player had struggled with injuries this term.

The German tactician explained Khune missed a few training sessions in the last few weeks without revealing reasons why. 

“He missed some training sessions for different reasons in terms of having a challenge," Middendorp told the media after the encounter.

"I don’t want to put too much in, we are not discussing any injuries, during the entire time we haven’t spoken about any injury.

"It is simple and easy, there were a number of training days where he couldn’t make it," the former Bloemfontein Celtic and Maritzburg United head coach continued.

"And good, you decide and today it was Daniel Akpeyi and Bruce and let’s move forward to the next game."

Khune has fallen out of favour under Middendorp this season with Akpeyi having impressed as Chiefs' first-choice keeper.

Bafana Bafana international Khune has made only four appearances across all competitions including two league matches against AmaZulu FC and Baroka FC in which he kept two clean sheets.

It remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old shot-stopper will return to Amakhosi's matchday squad when they take on Polokwane City at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday.

The Soweto giants are sitting at the top of the league standings and they will be hoping to extend their gap over second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand.

Chiefs are currently four points above Sundowns with the latter set to take on Highlands Park at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on Friday. 

The quarter-finals of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League is up and running after the Covid-19 enforced break. PSG managed to reach the semifinals last night after a stunning victory.

Watch all the highlights right here:

Paris Saint-Germain produced a stunning late turnaround to beat Atalanta 2-1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1995.