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David Luiz dazzled in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final win against Manchester City - delivering a performance hailed as "fantastic" by Rio Ferdinand and Robin van Persie.

Former England centre-back Ferdinand and ex-Arsenal striker Van Persie saw David Luiz produce a series of priceless tackles, blocks and interceptions in a 2-0 victory for the pre-game underdogs.

The Brazilian made 11 clearances, Opta statistics showed, and looked rock solid as he, Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Tierney formed a resilient back three.

"He was the standout performer," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "Every cross that came into the box, he was the man on the end of it most of the time, heading and putting his body on the line.

"Defensively he didn't put a foot wrong. When he plays in a three at the back - he did it under [Antonio] Conte as well at Chelsea - he looks a much better player.

"You get the security of numbers in terms of having two other defenders immediately alongside you as a centre-back, and it decreases the space between you.

"So it is easier for him but you can't take anything away from him: he was fantastic today."

Ferdinand described defence as "the area where they've always let themselves down" and an "Achilles heel" for Arsenal in recent times.

If it was surprising that Arsenal should keep a clean sheet against a City side that beat them 3-0 in June, it was made more so by it being David Luiz setting the standards at the back - given his error-strewn showing in that previous encounter concluded with a red card.

Ferdinand said: "He's come in for a lot of criticism in the last couple of seasons and a lot of it rightly so at times. He's made a lot of mistakes and you get criticised for that. Today I think the way they set up helped him.

"Three centre-backs, they packed out the middle of the pitch, and they played with a defensive security. There was a stability about the way they played. They were composed defensively and they had a sharp edge on the counter-attack.

"When they went forward - minimal times over the course of the game because they were pushed back - they looked like a team who were very dangerous and capable of scoring and they got two very good goals."

Van Persie also found much to admire in David Luiz's game, having feared Arsenal faced "a tough evening".

"Tonight he put his body in front of the balls he was blocking," Van Persie said. "I think he headed away maybe 25 balls tonight. He was absolutely fantastic."

Pep Guardiola knows "it does not take a genius" to know Manchester City must improve if they are to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League.

City began this week with a significant victory off the field as the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned their two-year ban from UEFA competitions, finding allegations of Financial Fair Play violations to be either "not established" or "time-barred" under regulations set out by European football's governing body.

On the field, it has been a different story, with Guardiola critical of his players' performance in Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal.

Despite winning the EFL Cup in March, City's meek Premier League title defence in 2019-20 means their campaign will ultimately be judged on how the reformatted Champions League plays out.

They hold a 2-1 advantage over Madrid before the second leg of the last-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium on August 7.

The winner will progress to an eight-team straight knockout tournament in Lisbon the following week, taking on whoever prevails from the match-up between Juventus and Lyon – the Ligue 1 side 1-0 to the good at halfway.

Madrid have won 10 out of 10 since returning from lockdown to wrap up La Liga glory, while losses to Chelsea and Southampton have taken City's overall tally of Premier League defeats to nine this term.

"I don’t have to tell them. They know it, they feel it," said Guardiola, who also felt his players deserved to lose their 2-1 midweek win over relegation-threatened Bournemouth.

"We know the standards that we have to be on these kinds of stages, in these kind of competitions. Maybe we are learning, maybe not. We will see.

"The last game against Bournemouth was not good and today the first half was not good. We struggled to play at our level.

"It does not take a genius to realise we have to increase our standard against Madrid if we want to have any chance to go through."

Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez all went close to a second-half equaliser before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed his brace in the 71st minute.

Mahrez's effort, sharply stopped by Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez at his near post, was City's only attempt on target, but Guardiola felt the game was lost during a lacklustre first period.

"We didn't make a good performance," he said, after City failed to prevail in a domestic cup tie for the first time since February 2018.

"We can lose the game. My regret is we didn't play the first half like we played the second one.

"Sometimes it happens. It's an incredible run but sometimes you can lose. But the way we lost, particularly in the first half, we're sad about this."

David Luiz deserved all the praise that came his way after Arsenal's stunning FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City, according to head coach Mikel Arteta.

The Brazilian's defensive qualities have been often questioned after a series of high-profile and costly mistakes, but he was masterful at Wembley as Arsenal earned a shock 2-0 victory.

He made 11 clearances, four interceptions and a crucial block to deny Raheem Sterling in the second half, with Opta statistics showing he also won all four of his aerial duels and touched the ball more times than any team-mate.

David Luiz was praised after the game for his "fantastic" display by former England captain Rio Ferdinand, having formed a solid back-three alliance with Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Tierney.

It was apt that the Brazilian should produce his very best against City, having been widely pilloried for his display when Arsenal took on the same opposition and lost 3-0 in the Premier League last month.

On that occasion, David Luiz came off the bench as an early substitute, blundered for City's first goal and was then sent off when giving away a second-half penalty.

"This is part of football. I didn't have any doubts about David Luiz's reaction. He put his hand up after that game [against City], but he didn't have to do that," Arteta said.

"We all make mistakes. The way he has been training, helping each other and performing, it's been phenomenal. I am delighted that people can see this side of him now as well, and praise him because he deserves that."

Arsenal surprised many in the game by handing David Luiz a new one-year contract just days after the 33-year-old's calamity of a performance at the Etihad Stadium.

"What he needs is that we trust him, that we have no doubts in what he can do. The best way to do that is to make him play," Arteta said.

"He's had some difficult moments but he's also had some incredible moments. Big athletes go through those moments – I'm happy he's playing at the level he is now.

"I want him to perform on the pitch. He's doing that again now in a really good way, I'm really happy for him today."

Luiz himself responded to his critics after the match and stressed he's only worked even harder after making recent mistakes. 

At just 21, Alex Chidiac is no stranger to pressure, the young Matilda has been performing on the big stage since she was a teenager.

Chidiac made her debut for the national team when she was just 16 and has been playing competitive football for over six years. 

Yet in the last 18 months, she's faced some of the biggest challenges in her young career. And she hasn't been on the pitch for over half of it. 

Chidiac was the latest guest on Sporting News' Remember The Name podcast and spoke in-depth about her football life to date. 

In particular, she opened up about her dream move to Europe, the heartache of missing out on the 2019 Matilda's World Cup squad and coping with a serious injury during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

For the lifelong Chelsea fan, playing football in Europe has always been a goal for Chidiac. 

"Football from a young age is all I ever wanted to do," Chidiac said.

"I was a massive Chelsea fan growing up so I wanted to be like Didier Drogba. I was obsessed with the Premier League.

"I remember one when Chelsea won the Champions League and it went into extra-time and Drogba got the winning goal, I absolutely lost it. It was the best thing. Every year I'd get a Chelsea kit from London, so I had all of the kits growing up."

Every member of her family adopted a different team to support, creating a Premier League rivalry that would see them up at all hours of the morning watching football. 

But that translated on the pitch for Chidiac, with her family and coaches believing she had what it takes to become a professional footballer.

"When I was younger, I had the backing of everyone around me telling me 'you are going to be a professional footballer'," Chidiac recounted.

"At the end of the day, they saw this was something I was super passionate about and it's all I ever wanted to do."

With supportive parents pushing her every step of the way, Chidiac started rising up the levels of Australian women's football. 

She played for junior representative teams, made her debut as a 15-year-old in the W-League for Adelaide United and was handed her first national cap for the Matildas at 16. 

When she was 16, Chidiac had early discussions about moving to Europe with an Italian side. But in 2018, she took her career into her own hands and finally made her dream move happen. 

"It was something that I've always wanted to do is go overseas and play football," Chidiac said. 

"A lot of that was watching EPL, La Liga and all the leagues overseas and being like 'I want to do that'. As soon as I found out about that opportunity at that age I was like 'how do I make that happen?'"

Chidiac got in touch with an agent who specialised in big European moves and after looking at a number of clubs, Atletico Madrid eventually won her signature. 

At first, she didn't believe that Atletico Madrid were interested in signing her. 

"I remember getting the email at 3am," Chidiac said. 

"I looked at my phone, I don't know why I woke up...I looked at my phone and put it away and thought 'that's not real'. The next morning he [Chidiac's agent] called me and went, 'no, that's legit'."

After a couple of weeks that included getting the contract translated and negotiating with the Matildas to let her play in Spain, she was all set to move to Madrid. 

"I didn't know a lot of information about going over to Spain," Chidiac admitted. "It was more, I have to do it because I can't turn down Atletico."

Chidiac wasn't ever concerned about the move not working out because she knew at such a young age, the experience would only help her grow. 

But she definitely was pushed outside her comfort zone in her first few training sessions with Atleti. 

"I relied on two of my teammates, one from Italy and one from Portugal, if I didn't have them that season I would have exploded in some sense," Chidiac joked. 

"The first year, I'm not going to lie, it was too much going on that I couldn't focus on the football things, it was more survival. 

"I wanted to know what I was doing in the drill, I wanted to know what the tactics were but it was never clear. 

"Even going on the field, I didn't a hundred per cent know what position I was playing or where they wanted me to do, it was more like I just had to go on and play."

A testament to her perseverance and determined character, Chidiac studied and earned a Certificate II in Applied Language, so her Spanish has definitely improved. 

And don't forget the 311 days straight on Duolingo. While she was looking forward to putting that to good use, an ankle injury suddenly ruled her out of action. 

And it's been that way for the best part of a year. 

"It happened in September and it sucks because I was finally starting to gain a lot of momentum in training," Chidiac recalled. 

"The coaches were noticing how well I was performing and I felt really, really confident.

"I knew straight away there was something wrong with it, I always get up from tackles and I had never had an injury. 

"I was told roughly one and a half months, so it wasn't anything bad...but it ended up being nearly a full year now."

The innocuous challenge from a teammate capped off what had been a disappointing 2019 for Chidiac, and one she's still recovering from now. 

Earlier that year, Chidiac was the only fully-contracted Matilda to miss out on a place in their squad for the 2019 World Cup. 

"Being the only contract Matilda not to go, not to even be in the train-on squad leading up to it definitely hurt," Chidiac admitted. 

"Especially after the tough first season that I had in Spain. I feel like I could have made a decision there to just not give up, but I probably could have not worked as hard as I did to get back into a good state."

Thanks to Covid-19, Chidiac found herself back in Australia as she continued to recover from her ankle injury. 

Atleti even allowed her to spend some extra time here at home compared to the rest of the squad, knowing it would help with her rehabilitation. 

However, it wasn't the easy travel story you might associate with a player from a professional football club like Atletico Madrid. 

"There was no real precautions or anything happening in Spain," Chidiac said. 

"Out of nowhere, I remember one day where they're like, 'we're going to close schools now'. 

"Things were changing by the hour...and we were like 'what's going on?'

"[The club] said stay at home, they gave us a couple of dumbells and exercise bands and stuff to bring home with us, but we had no idea. 

"And then on Monday, that's when the full lockdown happened and we had to stay at home. The Army were patrolling the streets and the hospital that was packed, we lived across the street from it."

Despite no decision being made on the Priméra Division season, a number of Atleti's international players decided they wanted to return home for their health and safety. 

"We technically couldn't [return home] because we were still contracted," Chidiac said.

"At that point, it was three or four weeks in that I was like 'I need to get home'. I was really annoyed because a few days before was the last normal flight, normal being 23 hours as opposed to 45.

"So when I booked that 45 [hours], I was like 'why am I doing this'. But obviously it was definitely worth coming home."

For Chidiac, at just 21 she knows she has a lot of her career ahead of her. 

But the resilience and perseverance she has learned in the last 12 months are set to be the trademark of her footballing style.

"To be able to bounce back to where I was before the injury, I was really, really happy with that," Chidiac said.

"I'm most proud of the way I've been able to take things and keep moving forward. 

"Obviously a lot of highs but I was kind of prepared that I was going to go through some lows."

The last 12 months has seen a string of high-profile Matildas make the move to Europe, just like Chidiac did back in 2018. 

Sam Kerr, Caitlin Ford, Lydia Williams, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter, the list goes on.

"It's strange now, everyone's coming to Europe...they can come hang out," Chidiac laughed. 

"After the World Cup, all the girls saw that we struggled against European teams and the way that they played. If we want to get better as a national team, we need to be put up against that a little bit more than what we've been doing before."

But it's Sam Kerr's move to Chelsea that has particularly caught Chidiac's attention and revealed a new, long-term goal. 

"There's a way for Australians now, let's go," Chidiac said on a potential move to Chelsea.

"That's definitely something I'm hoping for one day [playing for Chelsea], I'm not ready for it just yet.  I need to make sure I'm there at the perfect time where I can get the number 11, and everything has to fall into place. 

"I'm aiming for that as well. If I score a goal for Chelsea, honestly, it would be everything."

Frank Lampard made a “sensible” call in offloading “error-prone” David Luiz to Arsenal, says Chris Sutton, but centre-half is considered to remain Chelsea’s Achilles heel as they approach another transfer window.

The Blues sanctioned the sale of a Brazilian defender to Premier League rivals across London in the summer of 2019.

They were working under a recruitment embargo at that stage, preventing them from bringing in a replacement.

Chelsea did, however, welcome Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori back from loan spells at Everton and Derby respectively, while they already had Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on their books.

Lampard has had to keep faith with those at this disposal, but has seen leaks at the back prove problematic – with the Blues boasting the worst defensive record in the Premier League’s top-half.

Sutton believes those issues need to be addressed with a sense of urgency, with an in-form Manchester United side set to provide another stiff test of Chelsea’s credentials in an FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley on Sunday.

The former Blues striker told the Daily Mail ahead of that contest: “Frank Lampard was sensible enough to sell the error-prone David Luiz to Arsenal at the start of the season. But he hasn’t been able to nail down his preferred centre back pairing.

“We’ve seen Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen start together this season. We’ve seen Christensen and Kurt Zouma. We’ve seen Zouma and Fikayo Tomori. And so on. No club in the top 10 have conceded more goals than Chelsea’s 49. That’s their Achilles heel, and they need protection. 

“N’Golo Kante has missed their last three matches because of a hamstring injury. He’s set to miss this semi final, too, and you worry for Chelsea in midfield because of that. 

“Not only must they try to contain [Mason] Greenwood, [Marcus] Rashford and [Anthony] Martial, they have [Bruno] Fernandes raring to become a pain in their backsides, too. The standards of United’s play have increased since the Portuguese playmaker’s arrival. He’s raised the bar. 

“Special players can have that impact – it’s as if their talent is infectious. On Sunday he will be feeding United’s forwards with through-balls while also looking to test Kepa Arrizabalaga himself, most likely from outside of the box. 

“Chelsea will want to plan for that, but this isn’t Jorginho’s forte. Nor is it Mateo Kovacic's. This is a job for Kante, but he is not fit enough to play the part. So while Lampard has a problem to solve there, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer seems to have found a promising combination in his own midfield. 

“The partnership between Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic is thriving. The latter’s contribution might fly under the radar, but he is vital to Solskjaer’s way – hence why he was recently rewarded with a new three-year contract at the age of 31. 

“Often you will see Matic drop so deep that he is in between centre backs Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. But when on the ball in this position, watch his passes. 

“He looks to break through the opponent’s lines and often manages to do so, direct into the feet of Fernandes. Solskjaer has found a formula that is working for him at present. It is up to Lampard to throw a tactical spanner in the works.”

Diego Simeone has a clear vision on how Atletico Madrid can make upgrades during the upcoming transfer window. 

Atleti were unable to mount a title challenge this term but have guaranteed a top-four finish in La Liga, meaning a place in next season's Champions League. 

While Simeone does not anticipate any major transfers taking place ahead of the 2020-21 season due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, he already knows what new additions he wants at the Wanda Metropolitano. 

"We continually talk to Miguel [Angel Gil, CEO] and Andrea [Berta, sporting director] about what we need and what expectations we have," said Simeone. 

"We are clear about what we will seek. We have a growing team, new people who will serve as a base for the next season. 

"In this transfer window, where surely there will be no big moves, the one that gets a solid, strong base and can keep competing from one year to the next is the one that will continue to be in the fight for all competitions." 

One player who could be joining Atletico in the summer is Simeone's compatriot, Ajax and Argentina defender Nicolas Tagliafico. 

Goal  revealed on Saturday that the Spanish side are set to challenge Chelsea for Tagliafico's services and are preparing a bid to take him from Amsterdam .

Atleti are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions and have won seven of their 10 outings since LaLiga resumed in June. 

Their final domestic fixture before a Champions League quarter-final against RB Leipzig comes against Real Sociedad on Sunday. 

Asked if his squad is in the best shape it has been all season, Simeone said: "When the team wins the coach is very good, and when they lose he is very bad. When players are injured, the fault lies with the doctor and the coaches.

"The team prepared very well in quarantine. We came back in the best way, we were able to rotate in almost every game, especially at the beginning we changed six or seven players each game.

"Later we reduced the rotations because the players were able to respond to the demand, both when they were starters and when they came off the bench."

Yakou Meite found the back of the net but was unable to inspire Reading to victory as they lost 4-3 against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

The Ivorian was the star of the show when he scored four goals in the Royals’ 5-0 win at Luton Town a fortnight ago.

The Berkshire outfit lost at home to relegation-battling Middlesbrough in midweek and they started on the back foot with Blackburn racing to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Ben Brereton and Adam Armstrong. Reading however pulled one back via John Swift in the 15th minute.

It became 3-1 to the hosts 11 minutes after the restart after Joe Rothwell was assisted by former Tottenham Hotspur and Anglo-German midfielder Lewis Holtby.

Reading then tried to stage a comeback, starting with Sam Baldock in the 64th minute and then turning provider with a cross for Meite which the former Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate headed in to make it 3-3 four minutes later.

Sam Gallagher however crushed Reading’s efforts with the winner in the 87th minute.

Bar his goal, Meite had a rather quiet afternoon with just a total of three shots, his goal the only one on target. The 24-year-old also had 20 touches on the ball, seven accurate passes (70%) and won five of 12 duels.

He has a total of 17 goals in all competitions, 13 of which are in the Championship from a total of 44 outings. Aside from his four goals against Luton, Meite’s other notable performance came in a 3-0 home win over Derby County on December 21, 2019, scoring a goal and providing an assist.

Anglo-Nigerian players Tosin Adarabioyo and Oviemuno Ejaria were missing from the Blackburn and Reading matchday squads respectively, the latter out with an injury.

Both Blackburn and Reading are safe in the English second-tier as they sit in 10th and 15th places respectively with 63 and 56 points.

Rovers head into the final round of the Championship next Wednesday by challenging the relegation-trapped Luton at Kenilworth Road while the Royals will host promotion play-off hopefuls Swansea City at the Madejski Stadium.

Reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Mamelodi Sundowns have announced six players are currently nursing strains.

The Tshwane giants are currently in a training camp in Rustenburg with the current season set to resume soon, after having been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since March.

Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane revealed on the club's official Twitter account on Friday his side is experiencing many injury concerns.

The club has now released the following statement on Saturday evening as Masandawana look to clinch their third successive PSL title this term.

“It has been more than 10 days since the team gathered together in camp, and the squad has been put through their paces by the technical team to get back to full fitness."

“The last time the boys trained on the field was on the 17th of March as they were preparing for the mouth-watering clash against Orlando Pirates before the lockdown was instituted.”

“Since then, training has not been the same for the boys as they had to train individually in small areas which are as big as 3×3 meters as they adhered to the lockdown rules.”

“As the players ease back into training, some have experienced minor strains. Sammy Seabi: Hamstring strain, Anele Ngcongca (Hamstring strain), Aubrey Ngoma (Quadriceps strain), Tiyani Mabunda (Hamstring strain), Keletso Makgalwa (Back strain), Mosa Lebusa (Back strain),” the club statement read.

The sextet will be hoping to recover from their respective injuries before the season resumes in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) which is set to be hosted by Gauteng soon.

Sundowns were embroiled in an exciting PSL title race with their Gauteng rivals, Kaizer Chiefs before the current campaign was halted due to Covid-19.

Masandawana are placed second on the league standings - four points behind leaders, Chiefs, but the former have a game in hand.

The Tshwane giants still have tough matches against Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, who both defeated Sundowns in the first round matches.

Mosimane will be looking to become the second coach to win three successive PSL titles after current Bidvest Wits mentor Gavin Hunt.

Hunt achieved this feat during his time with SuperSport United as he guided them to three consecutive league trophies between 2008 and 2010.

The frustrated footballers who were stuck in Ethiopia due to the coronavirus pandemic have been evacuated back to Ghana after calling for help.

In June, a viral social media video showed over 20 players outside the Ghanaian High Commission in Ethiopia calling on the government of Ghana for evacuation after allegedly failing to get help from the Ghanaian consulate in Addis Ababa. 

The group was led by former Berekum Chelsea defender Lee Addy, who represented Ghana at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"Stranded Ghanaian footballers including national star Lee Addy have been airlifted home today, after an SOS message," Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Edwin Kurt Okraku posted on social media on Saturday.

"In all, 18 players and 12 others arrived at their quarantine base for Mandatory 14-day exercise.

"Thanks to the staff of the FA, my colleague FA President in Ethiopia, our Sports Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Security for a good job. Well done."

Former Asante Kotoko and Medeama goalkeeper Muntari Tagoe, Kweku Andoh, Latif Mohammed, Rahim Osman, Tuffour Frimpong and Aaron Amoah were among 22 players stranded in Ethiopia.

“We paid for our ticket cost but the government played a major role in terms of organization. We the senior players paid for some of the players who couldn’t afford the cost,” Addy told OTEC FM.

“Three players were left behind because they needed to negotiate with their clubs for contract renewals. We came straight to Prampram with some students who were also stranded in Addis Ababa and South Africa.

“We are pleased what the government and the GFA have done for us, in fact, we didn’t expect them to help us this way."

Wamu Mohammed, Isaac Oduro, Bismark Oppong, Bismark Appiah, Fusieni Nuhu Mawuli Osei, Iddrisu Nafiu, Amos Acheampong and Frimpong Manso were also among the stranded party in Ethiopia.

The coronavirus has disrupted many football leagues around the world, and Ghana's has been no exception.

In June, the Premier League (GPL) and other domestic championships of the 2019-20 football season, after three months of standstill, were permanently cancelled by the GFA. 

Bright Osayi-Samuel is close to leaving QPR with negotiations at an advanced stage with a Belgian club, manager Mark Warburton has confirmed.

The 22-year-old was dropped for Saturday’s game against Millwall despite training with the rest of his teammates on Friday.

According to several reports, the Anambra-born winger is a target for Belgian champions Club Brugge after his fine performances in this campaign.

He has provided five goals and eight assists in 36 league matches for Warburton’s side so far.

Following QPR’s thrilling 4-3 victory at Loftus Road, the manager gave a transfer update on Osayi-Samuel who has been at the club since 2017.

“There’s very strong interest from a Belgian club,” Warburton was quoted as saying by West London Sport.

“Bright was training with us yesterday to start today. But talks are now at an advanced stage and it was a case of acting in everyone’s interests.

“No paperwork has been finalised but talks are certainly at an advanced stage.”

Osayi-Samuel left Nigeria at a tender age with his family for Spain but he later moved to England at the age of 10.

He started his professional career at Blackpool in March 2015 and he spent two years at the club before switching to QPR in 2017.

Since joining Rangers, the Nigerian winger has played 91 matches across all competitions with 10 goals to his name.

He is eligible to feature for either Nigeria or England on the international scene, however, they are yet to call on his services.

Players and officials of the Nigeria women's national team have received their share of the country's Women's World Cup prize money after a year waiting, Goal can exclusively confirm.

In France, Thomas Dennerby guided his team to the knockout stages of the global event for the first time since 1999.

For reaching the Round of 16, the West Africans were entitled to get one million US dollars, which was later slashed to 760, 000 dollars as a result of the team's extended stay after a sit-in protest.

In February, Goal confirmed the Nigeria Football Federation's receipt of the clubs' benefits payment worth US$ 194,031.57 and shared by 20 Nigerian clubs, but no news had arrived then on the prize money from Fifa.

To this end, Goal twice launched inquiries into the delays which Fifa in its responses, revealed it was in process of fulfilling its obligation in February before the payment confirmation in June.

However, the NFF could not access the funds at the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] until this month and Goal has now learnt that the team has received their 30 percent share on Friday.

Confirming to Goal, a Super Falcons player, who spoke on anonymity, said: "The majority of us have received our monies, while others are waiting to confirm from their bank account officers."

Goal also gathered the 21 players who featured at the 2018 Africa Women's Cup of Nations in Ghana, which was the qualifying tournament for the global stage, are receiving their dues.

One of the unnamed players at the Awcon 2018, who missed the World Cup, said, "We've also gotten our share of the money and do appreciate the team and the NFF for the gesture."

For the team's officials, a member of the backroom staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said:" We have received our share of the money."

Having fulfilled their obligations to the team, the Amaju Pinnick led administration will now shift their focus on the recruitment of a new substantive coach for the African champions in the coming weeks.

Randal Muani and Samuel Moutoussamy were among the goal scorers as Nantes brushed aside FC Stade Nyonnais 6-0 in Saturday’s pre-season encounter.

With the cancellation of 2019-20 French topflight amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Canaries have commenced preparations for next term.

As they continue to fine-tune their strategies, they hit six past the Swiss Promotion team.

Marcus Mawkus handed Christian Gourcuff’s side a seventh-minute lead after blasting past a stranded goalkeeper Dario Thurkauf.

Eight minutes later, Andrei Girotto gave the Yellow and Green a two-goal advantage thanks to his strike from a close distance.

In the 43rd minute, Ludovic Blas finished from the far post thanks from a well-taken corner kick from Kader Bamba.

The French topflight side continued with their massive attacking move in the second half and got rewarded with the fourth goal in the 57th minute through 21-year-old DR Congo prospect Muani who volleyed home an unstoppable shot.

Three minutes later, his compatriot substitute Moutoussamy poke home from close range after Thurkauf had repelled Mehdi Abeid’s initial free-kick. The rout was complete in the 69th minutes through Renaud Emond.

Nigeria international Moses Simon was handed a starter’s role, albeit, he was replaced at half-time as manager Gourcuff made eleven changes that included Mali defender Charles Traore.

Simon joined Gourcuff's team on a season-long loan from La Liga outfit Levante played an outstanding part in helping them finish 13th in the French Ligue table. He was Nantes’ highest goalscorer with nine goals across all competitions, including five Ligue 1 goals – that feat also earned him the club’s Player of the Season diadem.

To reward his impressive performances, the 24-year-old was rewarded with a permanent deal that will run through until 2024.

According to Get French Football News, La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau giants are keen to offload Moutoussamy from the team alongside Abdoulaye Toure, Kalifa Coulibaly and Molla Wague.

The 23-year-old joined on a free transfer from Lyon in 2016, making just 17 appearances in the 2019-20 French elite league. Also, the DR Congo international is keen to move on as he hopes for a move where he would get regular playing chances.

On the same day Leeds United wrapped up the Championship title, the club's chief executive Angus Kinnear has boldly declared they want to be a Champions League team in the years to come. 

Marcelo Bielsa's side officially ended their 16-year exile from the Premier League on Friday after a West Brom loss guaranteed their automatic promotion to the top flight. 

Leeds' season got even sweeter on Saturday with Brentford's defeat to Stoke ensuring they'll be returning to the Premier League as Championship winners. 

While a successful season for the club, Kinnear was quick to stress that he hopes this is just the beginning of the Whites' resurgence with the Champions League now in their sights. 

"Whilst we're celebrating, whilst we're all very excited, we've got back to where we belong. This really is base camp for Leeds United," Kinnear said.

"Leeds United shouldn't be a Championship side, they should be a Premier League side, so really the challenge starts now and it's about competing in the PL.

"Now it's going to be really about building on that and making sure that over the next few years we start to compete at the level Leeds should be competing in, which ultimately is the top six, and that's always been our aim.

"Leeds should have a Premier League team. Candidly, Leeds should have a Champions League team and that's the vision."

Bielsa has played a key role in securing Leeds' return to the Premier League but the Argentine manager is out of contract at the season's end with the club desperate to extend his stay at Elland Road. 

"Victor, Andrea and I will be straight in with Marcelo next week and talking about plans for next season," Kinnear said.

"He has a review, he knows the direction he wants to take the club in and it will go from things we need on the playing side, right through to changes he wants to be made at Thorp Arch and in the backroom staff, and obviously his own personal arrangements as well we need to resolve.

"The challenge with Marcelo is his intentions are always a bit of a mystery because he's always focused on the next game and you're a brave man to try to distract him from the task of the next match.

"I think he's fallen in love with the club. I think he's committed to it."

On potential transfers for Leeds over the summer, Kinnear added: "We know we need to strengthen. Targets have been identified. We're working on them already, we're working on them now - today it's started in earnest. And that recruitment is going to be the biggest challenge because the window is so short.

"With the TV money being fairly evenly spread other than the performance related element, it means we immediately have a competitive advantage if we can harness that fanbase and use those resources to compete in the transfer market.

"I think next year the team will go out every week and play swashbuckling, attacking football, will show absolutely no fear, will show no team any respect. We're not going to be scared and I think we'll give Leeds supporters another year they can be proud of."

Leeds will now finish their Championship campaign with a trip to Derby County before hosting Charlton on the final day of the season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took a step closer to a goalscoring statistic led by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

Profiting from a Nicolas Pepe assist, the Gabon international fired past goalkeeper Ederson Moraes to give Arsenal the lead against Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash.

Love that, Auba! ❤

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Following that effort, Mikel Arteta’s men went into the half-time break with a slim 1-0 advantage at Wembley. He completed his brace in the 71st minute with a close finish from Kieran Tierney’s assist.

That strike was Aubameyang’s 66th goal for the North London outfit since making his debut for Arsenal in February 2018.

Since joining Arsenal, he becomes the second-highest goalscorer in the English top-flight after Egypt and Liverpool’s Salah (68).

After leaving Borussia Dortmund for £55 million plus £5m in further add-ons, he has become a key figure in the club’s attacking line-up.

Last season, he shared the Premier League’s Golden Boot award with his African counterparts and Liverpool stars, Salah and Sadio Mane after scoring a brace in the team’s final league game of the season against Burnley to take his goal tally to 22.

This term, he has been productive in front of goal to achieve personal feats. Thanks to his strike against Leicester City on July 7, 2020, he became the second Arsenal player after Thierry Henry to score at least 20 Premier League goals in consecutive seasons.

Also, he became the sixth-fastest player in English top-flight history to hit the half-century milestone after scoring 50 goals in 77 league games.

That it arrived in fewer league matches than the likes of Sergio Aguero and Thierry Henry tells you just how prolific the Gabon international has been since his arrival from Germany.

Aubameyang's landmark goal, which arrived for Arsenal against Norwich City, is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he has not been playing in a particularly successful team during his time at Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners finishing sixth in his first season, fifth in his second, and starting the day in 10th as they faced the Canaries.

Should Pep Guardiola’s men fail to comeback, Arteta’s men would earn a place in the final where they face either Chelsea or Odion Ighalo’s Manchester United for the title.

Mikel Arteta overcame his former boss Pep Guardiola as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double saw Arsenal reach the FA Cup final with a 2-0 win over Manchester City.

Arteta left his role as assistant at City last December to take charge at Emirates Stadium, and while it has been far from straightforward for the Spaniard since, he could be on course to finish a topsy-turvy campaign with silverware.

Aubameyang was the hero as he struck twice at an eerily empty Wembley, sending his side through to face Chelsea or Manchester United on August 1.

City huffed and puffed throughout but were unable to blow Arsenal's well-constructed house down, suffering their first defeat at the national stadium since going out to the Gunners at the same stage of the competition three years ago.

Guardiola fielded the same starting XI that won 3-0 when these teams returned to Premier League action in June, when the master easily overcame his former apprentice in Manchester.

However, the cup holders never hit the same heights in familiar surroundings in the capital, failing to respond after Aubameyang converted Nicolas Pepe's cross with a half-volleyed finish in the 19th minute.

The Gabon forward had missed a glorious chance earlier in proceedings, shooting straight at Ederson when clean through, but made no mistake when stretching out to poke the inswinging right-wing cross back across the face of the Brazilian goalkeeper and in via the far post.

Shkodran Mustafi saw a header tipped over in the closing stages of a first half that saw a rather sluggish City fail to muster a shot on target.

Raheem Sterling carelessly missed the target soon after the break, but Emiliano Martínez was finally called into action to keep out a low attempt by Riyad Mahrez, while the goalkeeper was grateful to see a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick ripple the outside of the net.

Aubameyang, though, had no such issues locating the goal during a rare Arsenal attack in the 71st minute, running onto Kieran Tierney's lofted pass before slotting through Ederson's legs.

What does it mean? Gunners show their mettle

Having employed a rope-a-dope tactic to defeat Liverpool 2-1 in league action in midweek, Arsenal once again demonstrated a defensive toughness that has seemingly been missing for so long at the club. Arteta may want to play in a more expansive way in the future, but at least he has laid solid foundations to build on. A first win over City in eight attempts arrives thanks to a coach who used to be in the opposite camp.

Auba at the double

Playing in his first FA Cup game of the 2019-20 season, Aubameyang diligently worked hard for the cause when stationed on the left flank and, after an early sighter, showed the clinical edge Arsenal deserved as a reward for their stoicism.

Sterling fluffs his lines

The England international scored the opener against Arsenal at the Etihad last month, but this time his profligacy summed up City's poor showing, meaning there will be no domestic cup double for Guardiola this term. Sterling had four attempts at goal but failed to hit the target with any of them.

What's next?

Both clubs have two Premier League fixtures remaining, playing on Tuesday and Sunday. City are away at Watford before finishing up at home to relegated Norwich City. Arsenal also have the Hornets to come, though before that final-day encounter they travel to Aston Villa.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace for Arsenal against Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday at Wembley means that the Gabon international has equalled a club record.

In finding the net twice against the Citizens, Aubameyang became only the fourth player in the Gunners’ history to have scored at least twice in a competitive game at England’s football cathedral.

According to Opta, the first player to achieve this was Reg Lewis who found the net twice as Arsenal silenced Liverpool 2-0 in the final of the 1950 FA Cup final.

37 years later, Charlie Nicholas joined the hallowed ranks hitting a brace as George Graham’s men defeated Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool to lift the 1987 League Cup final. 

Before joining Manchester United and later Inter Milan, Chile international Alexis Sanchez wrote his name in the North London outfit’s history books having fired past goalkeeper Adam Federici to help Arsene Wenger’s team defeat Reading 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final. The team would take a step further demolishing Aston Villa 4-0 for their 12th triumph in England’s oldest football competition.

Auba, however, has emulated the trio’s achievement in his third season at the Emirates Stadium following a move from German topflight outfit Borussia Dortmund for a fee worth £55 million plus £5m in further add-ons.

The ex-Saint-Etienne man scored in Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat of arch-rivals Manchester United in the Fourth Round, before getting caged at Bramall Lane as Mikel Arteta’s men dismissed Sheffield United 2-1.

It is worthy of note that there were 18 passes made in the build-up to the Gabon international’s opener with 10 of Arsenal’s 11 players being involved in the move for the opener against Pep Guardiola’s side.

On the broader scale, despite his immense scoring record in the Premier League with 20 goals, the North London giants are ranked 10th in the league having accrued 53 points from 36 games - and will surely miss next season’s Champions League.

The 31-year-old would be hoping to add to his goal tally when his team travel to relegation-threatened Aston Villa Tuesday’s Premier League game before hosting Watford five days later in their last league game of the season.
 

David Luiz has accepted his recent Arsenal criticism is "part of football" as he looks to respond in the best way on the pitch. 

The 33-year-old, who recently signed a new contract with the Gunners, played the full 90 minutes as Arsenal defeated Manchester City 2-0 in their FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. 

Exactly one month ago, Luiz was sent off in a shocking cameo against Pep Guardiola's side in the Premier League, with many quick to question the Brazilian's future at the Emirates. 

Luiz has however responded strongly on the pitch over the past week and stressed he's always remained focused on working hard despite the criticism. 

"It is part of the football. I understood that football is about surviving. Every day you are going to defend the odd thing," Luiz told BT Sport post-match. 

"I was working hard every single day after my mistakes. I was humble to work more and to work more for the team.

"We have a final to play this season and we will try and win a title for this club because this club deserves to win a trophy."

The Gunners backed up from a midweek win over Liverpool to dispatch City in convincing fashion on Saturday with Mikel Arteta's side showing what they are capable of at their best. 

Luiz insisted Arsenal will remain humble despite their recent results with the club's redevelopment still a work in process. 

"It was a great result against one of the best teams in the world. We were humble, we understood the way we had to play and we took the opportunities to score," Luiz said. 

"We have to be mature, to understand what level we are at in the process. We have an amazing coach but we can't go from 0 to 100. We are improving. The spirit was great and I'm happy for the team because they deserve it.

"All the team defended, it is not just the last line. Everybody has to fight and play every ball 100 per cent. It's part of the process. We could do more of this in the game so it would maybe be easier.

"The other team is miles away in front of us but we were humble so when we play we can hurt the opponent and we did that."

Frank Lampard faces several selection dilemmas ahead of his Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final match with Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, including which goalkeeper to play.

Typically, Lampard has opted to use his No 2 goalkeeper Willy Caballero in the domestic cup competitions this season, with his 38-year-old having kept a clean sheet in the quarter-final win over Leicester City. However, Kepa did start in the game against Liverpool in the round earlier having briefly lost his No 1 spot to the Argentina international.

Lampard was cautious about revealing anything about his line-up ahead of such a big game.

"It’s a question that I know the answer to already," Lampard said, before admitting that he wouldn't reveal the answer.

He did confirm though that N'Golo Kante remains injured after picking up a small hamstring problem, but the Blues have a full squad at their disposal aside from youngster Billy Gilmour.

The Blues also benefit from an extra day of rest, with the starters from the win over Norwich having had Wednesday off as a recovery day, while on Thursday they had a light session. They then conducted two full sessions ahead of the match at England's national football stadium.

Lampard denies that a win in the cup can help his side finish above Manchester United in the league, as the two clubs battle for Champions League football next season alongside Leicester City, with two spots available in the top four.

"I generally think it has no bearing," Lampard added. "This is a competition in itself. We all know what's at stake and what's at stake is a place in the final. The next two games will come very quickly after that and each of us will deal with it in our own way.

"Obviously, there's the physical demands of the game will have a small effect maybe on the Wednesday game that we play next week. We will have to deal with that and get on with it. Other than that, I am not sure it will have much bearing.

"We all know their front three are playing very, very well, the amount of goals they've put together has been amazing. So we have to understand that and work against that.

"They do have a strong team throughout, their midfield is functioning very well now, the introduction of Bruno Fernandes gave them a huge boost in January, I think everyone's seen that. So we need a complete performance to challenge Manchester United."

Chelsea have already played Man United three times this season in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, and they have lost all three matches.

Lampard has complained about the impact of VAR and felt some of the matches were harsh scorelines on his side, but he has ended up losing the matches by an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.

Indeed, conceding goals too freely has been a more general problem for Chelsea, as their 49 goals allowed is the worst among the top 10 in the league. Lampard is aware of the issues and he is aware that they need resolving against Man United.

"We are working on it, we always work on it specifically," he concluded. "There is never a neglect in the game and it always has to be constant and repeated constantly.

"A big problem of ours this season is that we have been committing individual errors in games, and sometimes in games where we have been in good comfort, but a counter-attack or a cross into our box, where we haven’t really been having to defend our box that regularly necessarily through the season.

"Certain games have been different to that. Like Sheffield United, where we just didn’t play well as a team. We have had individual errors in big moments which have changed the face of the results slightly. It has been too regular, no doubt.

"I look at it, as it’s my responsibility, individually where can we improve? It can only come on a training ground. This is what it is, and collectively how can we improve as well.

"We will always take responsibility as a whole, I always work on it and we will have to be very much on top of ourselves when it comes to the quality of the opposition we have on Sunday.

"Because no matter what they can always hurt any defence or any team with the individual quality that they have. So it was good to get a clean sheet against Norwich, but this will be a different animal and we will have to defend very well."

Mame Thiam scored a brace as Kasimpasa settled for a 2-2 draw against Gaziantep on Saturday.

The former Juventus and Inter Milan forward grabbed two first-half goals to put the visitors ahead at the Gaziantep Stadium which took his tally to 11 goals after 24 outings in his debut Super Lig season.

Thiam who joined Kasimpasa in June 2019 on a two-year deal, has had a nomadic career with spells in Italy, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Belgium.

Seven minutes after Muhammet Demir opened the scoring for the hosts, Thiam equalised for Kasimpasa in the 13th minute.

Towards the end of the first half, he found the target again and fired the Apaches ahead in the 37th minute but his goals were not enough to secure maximum points as Alexandru Maxim's 78th-minute strike denied them victory.

Thiam was in action for the entire duration and Ivory Coast's Gerard Gohou played for 62 minutes before he was replaced by Ricardo Quaresma. Guinea's Fode Koita watched from the bench as an unused substitute.

Nigeria forward Olanrewaju Kayode was missing in action for Gaziantep while Senegal's Papy Djilobodji and Cameroon's Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik featured for the hosts but Ghana's Raman Chibsah was an unused substitute.

Kasimpasa moved to 10th in the Super Lig table after the draw with 40 points after 33 matches, three points behind eighth-placed Gaziantep.

Next Saturday, Gaziantep travel to Malatya for their final league match for the 2019-20 season against Yeni Malatyaspor while Kasimpasa host Super Lig champions Istanbul Basaksehir on the same day.

Pep Guardiola was left to lament an off-key performance from his charges as Manchester City were sent crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Arsenal. 

The holders of the trophy were considered favourites for Saturday's semi-final clash at Wembley, with Guardiola fielding a near-full strength side against former protege Mikel Arteta. 

But the Gunners followed up their defeat of Liverpool midweek with another impressive result, downing City 2-0 with a goal in each half from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

That defeat means last season's double winners are left with just the Carabao Cup from 2019-20, although they remain active in the Champions League when the competition resumes in August. 

And Guardiola was in no mood for excuses, admitting that their display, particularly in a muted first half in which his side failed to muster a single shot on target, was simply not good enough. 

"We didn't make a good performance, we were not ready enough," the coach confessed to  Match of the Day  after the final whistle. 

"If you don't play for 90 minutes in a semi-final this can happen. We didn't play good, we are human beings. The opponent played good, sometimes it happens.

"The only regret is that we didn't play the first half like we played the second one. We had to change the set-up but we couldn't do it."

City looked sharper after the break, and came close to levelling when Riyad Mahrez was denied by Emiliano Martinez. 

Guardiola explained that he called on his charges to show more intensity during his half-time talk, while playing down the importance of his side's individual errors in the outcome. 

"I said we have time, we can do it," he said of his message in the dressing room. 

"We changed something, the mentality, be aggressive. Be aggressive.

"Mistakes? It happens, it's football. Mistakes in front of the goal, it happens. Today that is not the reason."

City, who are already assured of second place in the Premier League and a spot in next season's Champions League following Monday's favourable CAS resolution, continue their campaign with a visit to Watford on Tuesday, before playing their final league clash of 2019-20 the following Sunday at home to Norwich City.