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Namungo FC coach Thierry Hitimana has revealed they will not fear Simba SC when they come face-to-face in the final of the FA Cup on Sunday.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi will be keen to seal a treble this season, having won the Mainland Premier League title and the Charity Shield Cup - as they come up against a Namungo side who finished fourth on the league table, at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.

Hitimana now says as much as they have respect for Simba, they will not fear them and will deploy the same tactics he used last season when they beat the giants 1-0 in a league match played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

“We have beaten Simba before and so there is nothing to fear about,” Hitimana told reporters ahead of the clash.

“We respect Simba, they are a big club but that does not make us change our usual format of play and we will use the same approach used in the league last season.

“What I want is to keep everyone in the squad fit because we will play in a final match and who knows, maybe the game will go all the way into the extra time.

“In games like this, it becomes difficult to stimulate players since they know themselves what to do especially considering the fact that most of my players are facing their debut match in the finals.”

His sentiments come just a day after Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck admitted it will not be easy against Namungo, and he will select his best team for the match.

“It will be our final match of the season and we will, therefore, field our best squad to finish the job,” Vandenbroeck told Goal on Saturday.

“I will not underrate [Namungo], they are not a team to look down upon and therefore, I have told my players what to do and what to expect in such a final, it will be difficult because they can also spring a surprise, so we must be ready to deal with them.

“I am happy we have been training for the last few days since we ended the league and all the players are fit to play, I will go for my best squad, to finish the job and give us another trophy.”

Simba defeated Yanga SC 4-1 in the semi-final to advance to the final, while Namungo narrowly defeated minnows Sahare All-Stars by a solitary goal.

With the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) taking a recess of more than three months, South African Football Association (Safa) chief medical doctor Thulani Ngwenya says he will breathe a sigh of relief once the first match gets underway next weekend.

The current campaign was forcefully halted because of the coronavirus pandemic in March but the games are finally set to resume next weekend with the Nedbank Cup, while the league will get underway a few days later.

Ngwenya also credited officials from the National Soccer League (NSL), such as Michael Murphy and Lee Pillay, describing the process to resume the games as strenuous.

“I will breathe a huge sigh of relief when the first match kicks off. It will not just be any sigh, but a sigh of great relief,” Ngwenya told NewFrame. 

“The whole process has been strenuous. It has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions and this process took a toll on my family and colleagues.”

Ngwenya recently revealed that he received messages threatening his life, where many believed he was the stumbling block regarding the resumption of the season.

“There has been a lot of misrepresentation, with people looking at me like I was the stumbling block. But everything we did, we did to ensure the safety of the players and everyone involved,” he added.

“It also must be understood that we were venturing into the unknown because this hasn’t happened before, there was not much to reference it with.

“I and my brother Lee Pillay from the NSL [National Soccer League] worked closely on this. It wasn’t just me working on this – it’s just that I might have been the ‘face’ of it.

“There were other people, including Lee Pillay and Michael Murphy.” 

Meanwhile, Bloemfontein Celtic is set to face Baroka in the first semi-final of the Nedbank Cup followed by Mamelodi Sundowns against Bidvest Wits, and the clashes will be staged at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Masandawana will, therefore, resume their league campaign against Orlando Pirates on August 11 while Kaizer Chiefs face off against the Clever Boys a day later.

Niko Kovac has outlined his blueprint for success at Monaco, insisting "defences win titles".

Kovac replaced Robert Moreno in the Stade Louis II hot seat on July 19, committing to a three-year deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.

The 48-year-old had been out of work since being sacked by Bayern Munich in November 2019 following a poor start to the season. Kovac's reign at Allianz Arena only lasted 16 months, despite the fact he led the club to a domestic treble during his first full campaign at the helm.

Questions were asked over his predictable tactical setup and selection policy at Bayern, but he has been given the chance to rebuild his reputation at Monaco.

The French outfit finished ninth in Ligue 1 after the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak in April. Monaco have fallen way off the pace in the top-flight since winning the title in 2016-17, and Kovac has identified a number of changes that will be necessary for a turnaround in fortunes.

"I believe in a rule: the scorers win the matches, the defences win the titles", the former Bayern boss told L'Equipe. "I saw that Monaco conceded 44 goals last season, not in 38 matches but in 28 matches. Reims [who finished sixth] allowed only 21. This is a key point that depends on all the players.

"We also want to play offensively, with aggression and speed."

Kovac added on his managerial approach on and off the pitch: "I am not a coach who stays off the field and observes, always looking upset.

"The game is my passion, and without passion, we do not achieve anything. I try to be close, I don't want the players to be afraid of me. We're not friends but we have to have a good relationship."

The Croatian admitted that it will take time for him to implement his philosophy at Monaco, but he is confident that the board have brought into his long-term vision.

"I signed a contract for three years, Paul Mitchell [the sporting director] for four, it shows that a process is taking place," said Kovac.

"You can't do everything overnight. I know that in football, you have no time, but in our case, we have it and we will show that it was the right way to do it."

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates midfielder Stanton Fredericks has revealed why he kept coming back to the PSL from Europe during his playing days. 

The now 42-year-old had three stints in Europe, with his first big break coming in 2000 when he joined Grasshopper Club Zurich in Switzerland. 

Fredericks said while playing for Grasshopper was a great opportunity for him, he had to return home after failing to agree to new financial terms with the club, and when he joined Amakhosi in 2001 he was recharging his batteries.        

"My first stint in Europe was a big learning curve," Fredericks told Goal.

"I went to Grasshopper Zurich which was a big club in Switzerland - a great opportunity for me but I think financially, it just didn't work out with the negotiations with my team.

"Now that taste of playing in Europe in a big team... coming back to Kaizer Chiefs, I always knew that's where I wanted to be. So, I had to come back to South Africa and work hard, and this when I managed to get into the national team and I was able to go back to Europe."

Fredericks would spend three seasons with the Glamour Boys before jetting off to Russia to sign for FC Moscow. 

However, he came back to the PSL again to sign for the Sea Robbers in 2006, and this time, he had different reasons, saying he desperately wanted to be part of the Bafana Bafana squad to represent South Africa at the Fifa World Cup finals in Germany.

Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the global showpiece, however.

Fredericks' final stint in Europe saw him move to Greece to sign for Pierikos, and this was after he was loaned out to SuperSport United by the Buccaneers.   

"Going back there, it's not like I wanted to come back [to the PSL] but there's one thing that made me come back just before the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I wanted to represent my country at the World Cup," he revealed. 

"So, being overseas in Russia, playing for FC Moscow, I wasn't selected for the national team and I really wanted to play at the highest level possible. So, that decision to come back, to have the coach look at you and again see your abilities and hopefully get back into the national team, was the reason for me coming back. 

"So, that was always the reason to try and knock on the door."

He stayed in Greece for three years before returning to South Africa a third time, this time to join Bidvest Wits, where he spent a further three years before finally hanging up his boots in 2013.

Without criticising the South African league, Fredericks concluded by saying he would choose Europe any day if he had an opportunity to turn back the hands of time. 

"If I had a choice to ride again, Europe is where you want to be and I am not slamming South Africa - the level is really getting better in terms of coaching and players - but Europe is where you've got to be," added Fredericks.    

Cesar Azpilicueta has reflected on Chelsea's 'painful' FA Cup final defeat, insisting they can have no excuses despite "a lot of 50/50s" going in Arsenal's favour.

Arsenal picked up the domestic cup for a record-extending 14th time on Saturday after securing a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley.

Christian Pulisic opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, producing an assured finish after latching onto a clever Olivier Giroud flick.

The Blues continued to dominate proceedings until Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's clever run just before the half-hour mark saw him sneak in behind Azpilicueta, who clumsily brought down the Gunners forward in the box while trying to track back.

Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the penalty spot and Aubameyang stepped up to convert expertly from 12 yards, which saw the momentum of the match swing in Arsenal's favour.

Mikel Arteta's men pushed hardest for the winner, and were rewarded for their efforts when Aubameyang notched his second of the game in the 67th minute.

The Gabon international left Kurt Zouma with a delightful body swerve before dinking the ball over Willy Cabellero in the Chelsea net, sparking wild scenes of celebration in the Arsenal dugout.

Frank Lampard saw his side reduced to ten men when Mateo Kovacic was sent off for a second bookable offence moments later, and the Blues were ultimately unable to find an equaliser.

Azpilicueta questioned Taylor's decision-making post-match, but also admitted that Chelsea failed to maintain their usual high level throughout the entire 90 minutes.

"A lot of times there were 50/50s [that went in Arsenal’s favour] and we had the same in 2017 [when Taylor also refereed a Chelsea-Arsenal final and gave Victor Moses a red card] but we have to look further than this," the Blues captain told the club website.

"We have to look at ourselves. We know two weeks ago when we played against Manchester United, we really controlled it. We played our game, we were on top of them against a very good side but today we couldn’t do it for 90 minutes and, in the end, that makes the difference."

Azpilicueta had to be withdrawn ten minutes before the interval after tearing his hamstring, but he is already motivated to come back stronger and "learn" from the loss at Wembley.

"It’s my first time that it’s happened and it hurts a lot when that happens in a final like today," said the Spanish defender. "Sometimes it’s football and it’s life but it’s hard to take.

"Now we have to learn from the game, even if you always want to learn when you win and when you lift trophies rather than by losing these kinds of games. It’s tough but we have the next challenges that we have to be ready for."

Azpilicueta added on where it went wrong for Chelsea against Arsenal: "It’s painful and a tough one to take. Obviously when you lose a final, it’s always painful.

"We started the game well and scored an early goal which normally gives the confidence to build on but we didn’t capitalise on it. We dropped our level a little bit and we were punished. When you score an early goal, you have control of the game. We had a couple of chances after that to make it 2-0.

"It’s a final and we knew that we were playing against a side that has good attacking players and they can be dangerous. After this, we couldn’t get into our game as we wished."

Supporters are speculating that the Ghana national team could be aiming to persuade Eddie Nketiah to switch international allegiances after the African nation's football association sent him a congratulatory message after Arsenal's FA Cup final victory.

England under-21s striker Nketiah, who is of Ghanaian descent, won his second major title in two months as the Gunners beat Chelsea 2-1 to at Wembley on Saturday.

The 21-year-old saw eight minutes of action as a late substitute, after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double ensured a comeback victory, Christian Pulisic having given the Blues an early lead.

The title, which secured Arsenal a place in the 2020-21 Europa League, was Nketiah's second of the 2019-20 season as he spent the first part of the campaign with Leeds United, who ultimately won the English Championship to seal a comeback to the Premier League.

Born to Ghanaian parents in London, the forward looks to be on the radar of the African nation who could be hoping to convince him to play for Ghana at senior level after coming through the various youth sides of England, from U18s up to the U21s.

On Saturday night, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) appeared to indicate their interest in the player with a congratulatory social media message on his latest feat.

The tweet has generated a lot of reactions, with many Ghanaian football fans excited about a hot Premier League talent being added to their ranks, although others suggested Nketiah would be better swerving the Black Stars and sticking with the Three Lions.

Nketiah has impressed at youth level with England, scoring eight goals in as many appearances for the U21 international side.

At club level he has broken into the first team picture this season with Arsenal since manager Mikel Arteta took over at the end of 2019 and decided to recall the forward from his loan at Elland Road.

Nketiah made 16 appearances for Arsenal in the second half of 2019-20, scoring four goals. 

He has already turned down one approach from Ghana to be called up to their senior international side, pledging his allegiance to England in January 2019 when asked by former national team manager James Kwesi Appiah.

Express FC striker Eric Kambale believes he has a lot to work on to convince the technical bench he has what it takes to lead the team in the attacking department.

The Wankulukuku-based side struggled in the abandoned 2019/20 Ugandan Premier League season and they are aiming at making amends in the coming one.

The 20-year-old, in particular, was not so much involved in the first half of the campaign but now he feels ready for the new season.

"It has been a start-stop for me," Kambale said as quoted by the Red Eagles official website.

"I missed the first round of last season because of personal reasons and that set me back a bit, but I know I have to work hard to earn coach [Wasswa] Bossa’s trust ahead of next season."

However, it will not be a walk in the park for the youngster, who scored just one goal last season which came in the Uganda Cup game against Maroons where the Kampala side won 3-2.

Kambele is aiming at dislodging Frank Kalanda, who was the team's lead scorer with 11 goals. 

The youngster broke into the limelight in December 2018, when he managed to get his name onto the score sheet in the 3-2 victory over then-unbeaten KCCA FC. Since then, he has been inconsistent for the six-time league champions.

Recently, goalkeeper Mathia Muwanga also revealed his intention to work harder and become Express' first-choice stopper.

The custodian was not involved in the first round of the abandoned 2019/20 Ugandan Premier League season owing to a back injury but made several appearances in the second leg. The custodian feels he is ready to oust his colleagues from the post.

"It has been tough on all the players but toughest for me, because I was nursing my back injury," Muwanga also told the club's official portal.

"But now I am ready and I can't wait for the season to start."

In the 2015/16 season, the 22-year-old impressed while with Sadolin Paints and went on to keep 16 clean sheets in the 25 matches played.

It was during the same season he was named the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) goalkeeper of the season.

The custodian revealed what helped him reach that level.

"For me, it is all about hard work and I guarantee you, I am well prepared and I will reclaim the number one jersey," the youngster concluded.  

The former URA shot-stopper managed to keep three clean sheets for Express in a handful of matches he played.

The Wankulukuku-based side finished in the ninth position having managed to collect 31 points in the 25 matches played.

The Red Eagles managed to collect nine wins, four draws and 12 losses in the process. 

Ugandan Premier League (UPL) side BUL FC have completed the signing of Ibrahim Mugulusi and Ibrahim Madoi.

Mugulusi has been signed from Busoga United while Madoi has been acquired from Wakiso Giants and both have signed two-year deals.

“We are glad and happy to unveil to you our new players. Welcome [Aggrey] Madoi and [Ibrahim] Mugulusi to BUL FC family,” the club announced.

Coach Arthur Kyesimira has now moved with speed to bolster BUL, who struggled last season.

Kyesimira replaced Peter Onen as the coach midway through the season and managed to win two of the six matches he was in charge.

Mugulusi is hopeful the Jinja-based side can enjoy good results, more than the previous seasons, if they work together.

“I want to first thank the coach for the opportunity and the faith he has put in me, I promise not to disappoint him,” Mugulusi is quoted as saying by Football256 after agreeing to ditch BUL’s crosstown rivals Busoga United.

“And I believe that when we work together as a team, we shall have a better season than the one the club had the previous season.”

Coach Kyesimira and Mugulusi worked together before at Edgars Youth Academy. The player has also played for Kampala University and former Premier League champions SC Villa.

Madoi has set his target of helping BUL win a title in his maiden season with the club.

 “I am happy to have joined BUL. I promise the fans that I will help the team perform well and at least win a title this season,” Madoi said.

“I also want to thank the coach [Arthur Kyesimira] for believing in me and I won’t let him down.”

The left-back has previously played for Vipers SC, Police FC and lately Wakiso Giants.

Kyesimira has revealed he has complete faith in the two players who have been signed.

“Of course, I am thrilled with the new players coming on board and I feel they will beef up the team to compete favourably and realise our goals for the coming season,” he said.

“I thank the management for the effort put in for this to happen.”

Premier League clubs are in races to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2020/21 season that is expected to start on October 17.

Renedy Singh advised his former club East Bengal to be more organised on and off the field in order to take part in the Indian Super League (ISL).

The former India international suggested that to play in an organised league like the ISL, the Red and Golds need to put their house in order.

“East Bengal badly want to get into the ISL because of their fans and their legacy. East Bengal are a great club but due to my association with Kerala Blasters and FC Pune City in the past, I know how organised ISL is," Renedy said during a webinar on the club's centenary celebrations with SportStar.

"East Bengal needs to work really hard to match that level of organisation. They need sponsors to do that. To make the players and coaches comfortable on the pitch things need to be sorted off the field and East Bengal currently are not organised. They have to have youth structure and several other things to be in the ISL. As a former captain, I would love to see them in the ISL.”

On Friday the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) had sent a letter to the AIFF and urged them to include East Bengal in the ISL, without the knowledge of Renedy who is the organisation's president. Renedy later though sent another letter to the Indian FA and suggested that it was wrong on the association’s part to back one particular cause.

The former JCT winger once again clarified the matter and said, “As a president, I have to look at all clubs and all players. Personally I want them in ISL but as the president, I cannot speak about one particular club. It is not our duty to write a letter. We are here for the players.

"If we write about East Bengal tomorrow other clubs will ask us to help. It was a mistake on one of our officials' part. It is up to the club, All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). It is a matter that only they can sort it out and not the FPAI.”

Kolkata giants East Bengal have been in the news lately with regards to their bid to participate in the Indian Super League (ISL). However, the ISL as of now, have no plans of adding more teams.

But former East Bengal star Bhaichung Bhutia is confident that the historic club will play in the ISL someday but claimed that there is still a lot of work to be done before taking the leap.

Quess Corp Limited, who had majority stakes in the club until recently parted ways with East Bengal after a protracted saga that involved the transfer of sporting rights back to the club. The Red and Golds are still searching for an investor in the midst of a pandemic.

The former skipper urged the club to learn from its past mistakes and work in such a way that they are unaffected by the ever-changing situations in the footballing world.

“I think you have to learn from the mistakes Quess and East Bengal's joint venture ended up making. It was not a happy ending and it was not a good development for either Quess or East Bengal. We have to make sure that this does not happen in the future. The club gets a very bad reputation in the corporate world and that isn’t good,” he said during a webinar on East Bengal's centenary with SportStar.

“Changes happen both on and off the field and East Bengal need to get used to it. When I played there, the situation was different and now times are different."

Bhaichung believes East Bengal inclusion in the ISL is a win-win for both parties. However, he opined that the club must ensure that they will be in a position to sustain themselves financially. With the promotion-relegation model replacing the existing structure in a few years, he believes that the Red and Golds must think long-term.

“It is very important for ISL to have East Bengal in the top tier. It is important for East Bengal as well. East Bengal is one of the biggest clubs in India. The problem is if an investor asks for majority stakes in the club, will the officials be ready to concede that?

“As a player and fan of East Bengal, I want the club to play in ISL. But will they be allowed to play in ISL this year? It is difficult.

"East Bengal will definitely pay in ISL either this year or next but the club must get organised in order to sustain themselves in the top league.

“If you are not organised and cannot sustain there, then entire idea of playing the ISL makes no sense," he said.

East Bengal’s assistant general secretary Dr. Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta assured the club enthusiasts that they will do what it takes to play or compete at the highest level.

Dr. Dasgupta suggested that the officials are doing their bit to make sure East Bengal play in the Indian Super League (ISL) but he refused to give a time frame on that. It must be noted that ISL, which is the top division league, will only have 10 participating teams in the 2020-21 season which effectively rules out East Bengal participating in the ISL this season.

“Whenever it is possible, we will play in the ISL. But we cannot say when we can join ISL. It is a legacy club and it has its heritage. But we have to change ourselves a bit and we are trying to reach that point and when that happens we will join ISL. But we cannot say when it will happen,” said the Red and Golds official during a cht show with SportStar.

The club official further said that the club will undergo all the necessary changes that are required in order to establish a professional culture at the club.

“This is a demand of the day and we have to change. Just because we have a legacy, we cannot live with just that. We have to change. But it will not happen in a day. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, our plans got disrupted. But we are trying our level best to make changes. We need to abide by the rules of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). We have to discuss everything with the authorities.”

Dasgupta mentioned that the club was not pleased that their former investors Quess Corp decided to end the Joint Venture as they did not want to continue the association with the club. .

“Before we had Kingfisher as a sponsor. I don’t think we will ever have a sponsor like that. They helped us greatly during the ASEAN Cup (2003). We hoped Quess will also behave in the same way. Unfortunately, the relationship ended with them. We wanted to continue the association but they didn’t want to. In future, we will try to follow the right path. I am sure we will get a new investor soon and keep serving Indian football like in the past.”

While the club officials are willing to hand over majority stakes of the club to new investors, Dasgupta also mentioned that the club will never give up 100 per cent stake to another party in order to protect the legacy of the club.

“We can give 100 per cent stake but it is about the legacy and prestige of the club. You cannot just lose your presence. We will do what will be the right thing for the club and we will do everything for the benefit of the club.”

It must be noted that in ATK Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan have only 20 per cent stake while ATK have 80 per cent. East Bengal, as of now, are not willing to enter into such an agreement.

The General Secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kushal Das urged East Bengal to undertake a more professional approach and evolve with time to meet the changing demands of Indian football.

He maintained that the Bengal Giants who turned 100 on Saturday are an integral part of Indian football and expressed his optimism that they will continue to add on to their legacy.

During a live event with SportStar, Kushal Das congratulated the club on reaching the historic milestone.

“I think it is a great achievement. I must congratulate the club. They are an integral part of Indian football. I hope they can continue with the history and legacy and I am sure they will go places from here.

“I want to say nothing is impossible,” he replied when asked if the Red and Gold will play in the ISL this season.

Das then spoke about how East Bengal must work on opting for a more professional approach with regards to their running the club. He stressed on the importance of the club having a dedicated department to manage the relations with any potential investors. This suggestion came after Bengaluru-based service provider Quess exited their Joint Venture with East Bengal following an acrimonious relationship.

“What steps East Bengal should take – I think it is very important that you have to change with time, you have to get professional people. You have to have different departments. You need to have a sponsor servicing department. The fact that Quess and East Bengal had to part ways was not a good thing,” he said.

Das was asked about the role AIFF will play to help East Bengal play in the ISL some day. He claimed that the federation will not do anything that is not in accordance with the roadmap, given they will then be answerable to Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

"There was roadmap which was agreed by all the stakeholders. This roadmap is approved by the AFC and we are simply following that roadmap. If we don’t follow the roadmap, AFC will question us,” he concluded.

Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta will miss Chelsea's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich after limping off in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal.

Captain Azpilicueta pulled up with a hamstring injury five minutes after giving away a penalty that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted to kickstart Arsenal's comeback.

And Pulisic, the scorer of Chelsea's early opener at Wembley, also made way four minutes into the second half with an identical issue sustained as he was charging through on goal.

Pedro then suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder late on and Frank Lampard has all but ruled the trio out of next Saturday's last-16 second leg with Bayern, which Chelsea will start trailing 3-0 on aggregate.

"I don't know the full extent of the injuries, but I know its the hamstrings with Azpi and Christian," he said at his post-match news conference.

"They have to be scanned and assessed over the next few days. They clearly won't be fit for next week."

Pedro, who was given oxygen as he was stretchered off the field, is expected to join Roma on a free transfer when his Chelsea contract expires later this month.

"I believe it could be a dislocated shoulder but don't go too soon on that," Lampard said when asked for an update on the forward's condition.

"I've not seen him yet as he was whisked away so it's a disappointing end as that's probably going to be his last game for Chelsea.

"He's been an incredible servant and I'm disappointed for him."

Chelsea got off to a flyer through Pulisic's fifth-minute strike but Aubameyang added to his penalty with an impressive second to take Arsenal's record tally of triumphs in the competition to 14.

The Blues' hopes of scoring an equaliser were dented by a controversial second yellow card shown to Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Granit Xhaka.

Replays showed Kovacic barely made contact with his opponent and Lampard questioned referee Anthony Taylor's decision to reach into his back pocket but conceded the Gunners did deserve their spot-kick. 

"The penalty was rightly awarded, but it wasn't a sending off, that was pretty clear," he said.

Chancel Mbemba scored twice as Porto defeated rivals Benfica 2-1 to lift the Portuguese Cup on Saturday.

The victory at the at Estadio Cidade de Coimbra completed a domestic double for Sergio Conceicao's men after they secured the Primeira Liga trophy in July.

After a goalless first-half and with Porto winger Luis Diaz sent off in the 38th minute following a second yellow card, Mbemba scored his two goals within 10 minutes in the second half while Carlos Vinicius reduced the deficit for Benfica with his 84th-minute strike from the penalty spot.

The DR Congo international broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 47th minute after converting a loose ball in the penalty area with his looping header, and he later doubled their lead with another header in the 57th minute, thanks to Otavio's assist.

Mbemba, who joined the Dragons from Newcastle United in 2018, was on parade from start to finish and he ended the 2019-20 season with five goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.

Mali's Moussa Marega was also in action for 90 minutes for Porto while Senegal's Mamadou Loum was introduced as an 88th-minute substitute for Mateus Uribe.

Cameroon star Vincent Aboubakar was an unused substitute as he ended what was a frustrating season in which he played just eight games for Porto with two goals to his name. He only featured in two league outings since Portuguese football restarted in June after the coronavirus hiatus.

For Benfica, Morocco's Adel Taarabt did not start the match but he was introduced for Chiquinho on the hour-mark.

Saturday's triumph was a big win for Porto who also dominated Benfica in the league title race with a five-point gap between the sides.

Former Nigeria and Enyimba striker Victor Ezeji has urged FA Cup winners Arsenal to prioritise signing a defender before Atletico Madrid Thomas Partey, and sees Leicester City's Caglar Soyuncu as the ideal man to improve the Gunners' backline.

The Ghana international is regarded as one of the best in his position in Europe and has been constantly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium with his buyout clause set at €50 million. There has been confirmation of talks between both parties but no deal has yet been struck.

Ezeji acknowledges the importance of having a player of Partey’s quality in the Arsenal team, but believes a defender needs to be top of the list to solve some of the club’s long-existing woes.

“The problem of Arsenal has been in defence," the two-time Caf Champions League winner told Goal. "It’s very difficult for you to predict that Arsenal will not concede a goal because of the way their set-up has been.

“Going forward they can score goals with the likes of [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, [Alexandre] Lacazette and [Nicolas] Pepe," he added. "They can score as many goals as they wish to in any game but their problem has been defensive and I think if they can bring Partey there will stability in midfield and he will also shield the backline.

The Gunners conceded 48 goals in the Premier League last season with the defence exposed on many occasions, although Ezeji also believes that Partey would contribute to their overall defensive work.

“Partey is a good buy no doubt, but Arsenal must do something to their defensive line," he added. “If I’m to suggest they should go for a defender because their defence is very porous at the moment, [then] going for a player like Soyuncu is not a bad idea but that is if Leicester City are ready to let him go.

"David Luiz is not that bad, but his mistakes are very costly so they need someone that can put him on his toes. Sometimes players relax and don’t really have that motivation, but once they see competition they know if they flop, somebody else will take over from them, so they will put in their best.

“He will complement Luiz," the ex-forward added. "He has proven over time that he’s a very good defender. If Arsenal can go for him, he will definitely step up his game even more.”

A bad start to the season under Unai Emery meant the north Londoners were far off the top four and even though things improved under new boss and former player Mikel Arteta who lifted the FA Cup as a player with the Gunners, and repeated the feat as a coach on Saturday. 

There has been a lack of stability that saw them crash out of the Europa League on away goals to Olympiacos and finish outside the European places in the Premier League in eighth position, although their cup success over Chelsea ensures continental competition next term.

Stanton Fredericks has broken his silence about the sale of Bidvest Wits, who were purchased by Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivandila (TTM) boss Masala Mulaudzi and will relocate to Limpopo ahead of the 2020-21 PSL season. 

The Students were going to celebrate 100 years of existence in 2021, and this, coupled with how the management handled the sale, is what makes it very difficult for Fredericks to accept that the club will not exist beyond the current campaign. 

Reports that Mulaudzi was close to buying Wits surfaced in early June but the management dismissed it as a rumour until the middle of the month when everyone working for the club was called to an urgent meeting, including coach Gavin Hunt. 

Subsequently, the club released an official statement confirming the news and Fredericks believes the club's hierarchy handled it badly.  

"A very difficult decision [to accept], especially for myself because I grew up with Bidvest Wits... it was Wits University back then. I played for the junior team, I made it my debut there and I eventually came full circle and I retired there," Fredericks told Goal.

"The difficult part is that this is a team that's going to be 100 years old... I think just the way the sale was announced, it's difficult to accept because it has downplayed Wits as a football institution.

"You know the history of development... look at world football, you have Ajax Amsterdam that would feed the world with quality," he said.  

Fredericks, who had two stints with Wits during his playing days, feels the club didn't only sell its PSL status but a rich history where generations of players were produced. 

And he questioned the seriousness of those in charge of clubs in preserving the history of football in South Africa.   

"If you look at South Africa, that's Wits University and eventually it became Ajax Cape Town. The institution of football in this country that has been sold for next to nothing and it's really difficult to accept and how serious is football being take in our country," continued Fredericks.  

"Tomorrow, we'd find out that the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are sold, it's generations that are being erased.

"So, for me, I might come across a bit emotional but it's certainly impacting me personally. I am not happy, it's not sitting well with me."

Kenya international Michael Olunga has revealed why he did not celebrate scoring against Nagoya Campus as Kashiwa Reysol maintained their winning run in the J1-League with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

Olunga found the back of the net in the 71st minute with an assist from Ataru Esaka as Kashiwa Reysol picked up their fourth win in the last five matches.

However, the former Gor Mahia striker could not celebrate his latest success since he had collided with Nagoya custodian Mitch Langerak before he bundled the ball to an empty net to score his ninth goal of the season.

“It was great to be on the scoresheet again,” Olunga told reporters after the match. “But I could not celebrate because I feared a concussion for my friend and great keeper [Langerak], I am glad he was okay.”

On how he scored the goal, Olunga explained: “It was a good scene, because it was a good ball from Ataru [Esaka], and we knew we will get some space behind and of course it was a difficult ball because when the ball was travelling I saw the goalkeeper was coming so I knew I had no time and either way I had to connect the ball with one touch.

“It was going to bounce so I tried and connected with a plant of my foot and it was unfortunate with a collision the goalkeeper and I tried to see first if he was okay because health is more important than the goal and at the end of the day it gave us three points.”

On the game, which gave them a fourth straight win in the league, Olunga explained: “The game basically was a difficult one, [Nagoya] is a very good team and they were playing at home and they had not lost at home, and we knew it was going to be a difficult game, full of contact but honestly it was a good result to us, taking a 1-0 win here, we have a lot of positives and negatives to take back but the most important thing is to try and improve.

“At the end of the day when I score it is teamwork, of course, I scored the winning goal but it was teamwork and especially we have to give credit to our defence, they were really solid at the back, they absorbed pressure from the first minute and wish to thank all the players for sacrificing and making us win four matches in a row.”

Saturday's win enabled Olunga and his teammates to rise on the log and are now fourth on the log with 15 points from eight games.

Olunga will have another opportunity to try and add more goals when Kashiwa Reysol face Shonan Bellmare on August 5.