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U.S. women's national team legend Carli Lloyd is set to retire at the end of the NWSL season.

Lloyd will play four final friendlies with the U.S., two in September and two in October, to finish off her iconic national team career while ending her club career at the conclusion of NJ/NY Gotham FC's NWSL campaign.

The 39-year-old star will look to add to her tally of 128 international goals in 312 caps, giving her the second-most international appearances in football history.

What was said?

“When I first started out with the National Team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships.” said Lloyd. “Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game. I never wanted to take anything for granted, especially knowing how hard it is to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top for so long.

“I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for helping to provide the opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have represented the crest and to be able to play for my country for the last 17 years,” said Lloyd. “I will continue to support and cheer this team on and continue to find ways to help grow the game and inspire the next generation.

“To end my career knowing my family was able to be by my side and share this last chapter with me could not have been any more special. We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian, who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years. We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing, but I will most likely need to another outlet for my competitiveness! Perhaps that will be golf?”

More to come...

Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure has called for the review of the current four-year cycle of the Fifa World Cup, to raise the level of competition of African players.

The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder threw his weight behind the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick who defended Fifa's study on the impact of switching the men’s World Cup and the women’s World Cup to biennial competitions.

Toure echoed the points raised by Pinnick who is also a member of the 37-member Fifa Council, and he believes organising the tournament every two years will positively enhance the performance of African countries and players.

“Playing the World Cup every two years will help Africa to develop and it’s crucial for African players to compete more at the highest level to gain valuable experiences. I want to see African countries and players to achieve more at the biggest stage,” the four-time African Footballer of the Year tweeted.

During its annual Congress in May, the world football governing body agreed to have a feasibility study on holding the World Cup every two years after 166 federations voted for it and 22 voted against it.

Pinnick recently stressed that the review of the four-year cycle would lead to more development and experience for less developed nations.

“It’s a fact that competing at the highest level helps the less developed countries to raise their level,” Pinnick was quoted as saying.

“It increases their experience and helps them to learn from mistakes. It is also a key way to bring a country and its’ key stakeholders behind an objective; including the fans, the sports authorities, and also governments. When people can see that a result is achievable, that it’s realistic, and that everyone can commit seriously to it.

“It makes sense every way we look at it. The World Cup every two years will not lose prestige and global audiences will still stop to see the spectacle. People need to come out of their comfort zone. The world is moving at incredible speed and football needs to adapt. The quality and appetite for a great competition doesn’t come from the fact that it’s rare.

“The FIFA Confederations Cup was played every four years and it wasn’t really significant. On the other hand, we have the AFCON played every two years and Africa stops to see it with incredible passion. And we can still keep playing it every two years!”

Josef Zinnbauer has resigned as Orlando Pirates head coach after suffering a 2-1 loss to Moroka Swallows in the MTN8 quarter-final game on Saturday.

"I would like to thank the Chairman and management for the opportunity they have given me. Unfortunately, my time at the club has come to an end," said the 51-year-old German in a statement released by Pirates.

"I have enjoyed my time here and would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the supporters.  

"I have spent the last two years away from my family and, for this reason, I have decided to hand in my resignation. I would like to wish the club and its supporters all the best for the future."

He is leaving the Soweto giants after leading them to 35 wins, 20 draws and 13 losses and the Bucs wished him the best in his next move: "On behalf of the Club, we would like to wish Mr Zinnbauer all the best in his future endeavours," Pirates said.

Pirates have not announced who will take charge of the team either temporarily or on a permanent basis following the resignation of the coach.

Zinnbauer was appointed Pirates head coach in December 2019 and his arrival saw the club get stabilized, picked positive results, and ended up finishing fifth in the PSL that season. 

His full season with Bucs saw him end a trophy drought that had stretched to six years as he delivered the MTN8 title in December 2020 and also led the Soweto heavyweights to the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final.

Although the club has not given a way forward on how soon Zinnbauer's successor is going to be recruited, Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids, who worked as assistants to the German, are expected to be in charge in the meantime.

Swallows FC coach Brandon Truter has revealed Ruzaigh Gamildien could not accept what Kaizer Chiefs were offering him as well as the duration of the contract the Soweto giants were keen on, resulting in the striker's failed move to Naturena.

The 32-year-old forward was widely reported to be a top target for Amakhosi and Truter says the interest from Chiefs affected Gamildien’s form towards the end of last season.

“I think towards the end [of the season] when the interest broke in the media that he might be going to Chiefs, I think that disturbed his rhythm last season,” said Truter as per Sowetan Live.

“But the deal fell through basically because of the duration of a contract and what Chiefs were offering. Swallows came out and bettered the deal, and that brought stability. I think once the player is stable, the coach is happy with him and he is part of the family. A stable and happy player will perform like this and I’m happy for him.”

After scoring 11 Premier Soccer League goals last season, Gamildien appears to be starting the season in fine form after the forward grabbed a brace on Saturday when Swallows edged Orlando Pirates 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the MTN8.

Truter also pointed to the arrival of another forward Mwape Musona, who was recently signed by Swallows after a stint in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as helping keep Gamildien on his toes.

“Musonda is another reason Gamildien performs like this. The quality of Musonda is evident, but in terms of the conditioning he is still lacking,” Truter said.

“But what I can expect to see from him is 15 to 20 minutes when he plays. He also has issues surrounding his work permit because he did play outside the country. What we can control now is to try to get him to be match fit.”

Swallows now prepare to kick off their PSL campaign on Sunday when they host Bloemfontein Celtic. 

Raphael Varane says he is "very happy" to have linked up with Paul Pogba at Manchester United, with the £40 million ($55m) defender "ready to work hard" to deliver silverware at Old Trafford.

United spent £40 million ($55m) to bring in Varane from Real Madrid this summer, officially presenting the 28-year-old to supporters before their opening Premier League fixture against Leeds on Saturday.

Varane's arrival seemed to give the whole team a lift as they ran out 5-1 winners, with four of the goals set up by Pogba, who he is looking forward to playing with at club level after many years of success on the international stage.

What's been said?

The pair helped France reach the Euro 2016 final before playing key roles in their run to World Cup glory in Russia two years later, and Varane is hopeful their shared desire for success will help the Red Devils bring a four-year trophy drought to an end in 2021-22.

Speaking in his first in-house interview as a United player, the centre-back said of his relationship with Pogba: “I’m very happy. I’ve known him for a very long time, we started together with the French national team and he’s a great player. I think he’s ambitious and me too, so we are ready to work hard and to do all we can to win trophies.”

Varane added on Pogba's larger-than-life character: “I think Paul is very positive and he has a very good energy; he motivates players in the dressing room and on the pitch with his energy.

"We are different but we are very complementary, and it’s important in the team to have different types of leaders and characters.”

Why did Varane choose United?

Varane went on to explain why he chose to leave Real and take up a new challenge in the Premier League after a trophy-laden 10-year spell at Santiago Bernabeu.

“I think it was a good moment because of a lot of things, but I think the most important one is it’s a new challenge and it’s a big motivation to start in a new league in a big club like Manchester United," he said.

"This opportunity was amazing for me, so I chose this change for me and my family. They have come with me. You feel when things are a good moment and this was the right moment.”

Varane's Old Trafford role models

Varane, who won three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues during his time at Real, was also asked which former Red Devils stars he looked up to earlier in his career: “Of course, [Nemanja] Vidic and [Rio] Ferdinand were legends.

"I remember players like Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Ryan] Giggs and [David] Beckham also. They are legends and I’m very proud to be part of this family.”

Further reading

Dayot Upamecano is "shy" off the pitch but a "beast" on it according to ex-Red Bull Salzburg manager Thomas Letsch, who says the Bayern Munich star "became a machine" during his time with the Austrian club.

Upamecano has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the game in recent years, establishing himself as one of the top defenders at RB Leipzig before joining six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich.

Letsch is not surprised that the 22-year-old, who completed a €43 million (£37m/$51m) move to Allianz Arena earlier this summer, has come so far in such a short period of time, having first seen his unique talents up close at Salzburg between 2015 and 2017.

What's been said?

Upamecano spent one-and-a-half seasons with the Austria-based outfit before moving to sister club Leipzig in Germany, and Letsch says he stood out instantly despite being an introverted character in the dressing room.

"Off the pitch, he was completely reserved and shy. He didn't get a word out and looked down rather than in your eyes," the former Salzburg boss has told Goal and SPOX. "On the pitch, however, he became a machine, a beast, a terrier. His speed, robustness and mentality were already very pronounced at the age of 16."

Pressed on Upamecano's most impressive performance with Salzburg, Letsch referenced his outing in the second leg of a UEFA Youth League second round tie against Besiktas in November 2015. 

"We lost 1-0 away and he wanted to win the second leg for us all by himself," he added. "He literally ate up the opponents in the duels and scored to make it 2-1 himself [the final score was 5-1].

"That was the first time he showed what kind of player he can be and what mentality he has. That was absolutely impressive."

Upamecano's record at Leipzig

Upamecano arrived at Leipzig for €10m in January 2017, and went on to feature in 154 matches across all competitions for the club. The Frenchman also contributed four goals and three assists, while helping them earn a regular spot in the Champions League and challenge Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga table.

How did Upamecano fare on his Bayern debut?

Upamecano made his first competitive appearance for Bayern in their opening league match of the new season against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.

The towering centre-back was criticised for his erratic display in the 1-1 draw, but has since received backing from head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

"I don't think the discussion about his performance is justified," the Bayern boss said in his latest press conference. "He's a young player who needs a bit of time to settle in."

Further reading

Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has confessed that his side did not play a good game despite beating AmaZulu 2-1 in the quarter-final of the MTN8 on Sunday.

Goals from Terrence Mashego in the eighth minute and Mduduzi Mdantsane in the 89th-minute handed the Citizens a semi-final slot despite Usuthu managing a goal courtesy of Lehlohonolo Majoro in the 54th minute at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Despite reaching the last four, Tinkler has said they did it in an ugly way to get the result.

What did Tinkler say?

“Ja, this was gonna be a tough game, and if there’s one thing that I’ve tried to introduce here at Cape Town City is that it’s not always about playing pretty football in terms of getting results, sometimes you got to play ugly football to get the result, and I think, to a degree, we did that tonight,” Tinkler told the media as quoted by idiskitimes.

“I thought we started the game very well, I thought the first 15, 20 minutes, we looked good. We were playing according to the plan and instruction, looking to get into the wide areas. create the combinations, look to switch. And we did that. And we created one or two little situations that ended up leading to a very, very nice goal scored by Terrence.

“But I think immediately after that we shut down, we seem to go in our shell, and then we started having to soak up a lot of pressure from them, they started to press us a lot higher, we struggled to get out of our build-up phase, once we got out of the build-up phase, in our second phase, our passing was was not great.

“And we kept giving the possession back to them. We tried to fix that at halftime explaining to the importance of obviously working very, very hard.”

Tinkler further said he was happy for not taking the game into extra time by stating: “Yes, we’ve played seven friendly matches during the preseason, but nothing compares to a competitive match like we saw tonight.

“I also think the intensity of the game was very, very high, because there was a lot of transitional phases, the team losing possession, having to recover and chase.

“So players worked harder today than probably they have in any of the friendlies that we played, so I explained to them at halftime, it’s going to be about who wants it more. And I think that’s what it was really, at the end of the day, we stuck in there, we, unfortunately, conceded the equalizer, but we kept going.”

How change of formation helped in second half

The former Bafana Bafana midfielder also explained how a change of formation in the second half helped his team to get the winning goal.

“We change the formation just to try and strengthen us a little bit more in the wide areas, allow our wingbacks to get forward,” Tinkler continued.

“And when we did that, we got the winner right at the death. And I think the timing was obviously very, very good. I’m actually happy that we didn’t have to go into extra time, because I think then we’ll be stretching the conditioning of the players.”

Liverpool starlet Leighton Clarkson is set to join Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan, Goal can confirm.

The 19-year-old trained with Rovers on Monday morning ahead of his official unveiling, and is eager to test himself at first-team level after impressing in pre-season for the Reds.

Clarkson is following in the footsteps of Liverpool team-mate Harvey Elliott, who took in a successful loan spell at Ewood Park last term, and will be expected to make a similar impact as Tony Mowbray's side fight for promotion from the Championship.

How did the deal come about?

Goal has learned that Mowbray has been an admirer of Clarkson for some time, and his assistant coach Mark Venus was present to watch the teenager star for Liverpool in a 3-1 friendly win against Osasuna on August 9.

Clarkson grew up supporting Blackburn, having been born in Clitheroe, and the Reds have a strong relationship with the club after the Elliott deal, which showed that they are adept when it comes to the development of younger players.

Clarkson's rise to prominence

Clarkson graduated to Liverpool's first-team squad in 2019, and made his debut for the club in a Champions League clash with Midtjylland in December last year.

The talented midfielder has also appeared in the Carabao Cup, earning valuable experience in Jurgen Klopp's senior set-up that has held him in good stead at U23 level.

Clarkson appeared in 14 Premier League 2 games for the club last term, recording three goals and three assists, and it has been reported that some of the Anfield coaches have given him the nickname "Philipp Lahm” due to similarities in his style of play with the former Germany and Bayern Munich full-back.

He also appeared in Liverpool's 1-0 win against Mainz and 4-3 defeat to Hertha Berlin in pre-season, but will now have to get used to a new environment at Blackburn with a view to returning to Merseyside next summer and fighting for a place in Klopp's line-up.

Further reading

West Ham remain interested in bringing Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium, Stuart Pearce has confirmed, with a member of David Moyes' coaching team admitting that "the ball is in Manchester United's court" ahead of the summer transfer deadline.

The Hammers helped to breathe new life into an England international that had started to stagnate at Old Trafford when putting a short-term loan agreement in place back in January.

Lingard thrived in the capital, scoring nine goals in 16 appearances, and is seeing another move mooted as competition for places at his parent club remains as fierce as ever.

What has been said?

Quizzed on whether West Ham will look into agreeing another deal for Lingard, Pearce told talkSPORT: "We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year.

"The ball is in Manchester United’s court. He is contracted to them. We would like him with us, there is no doubt about that.

"He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him.

"His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad. You never know, but at this moment in time it looks like he is fighting for a place in the United line-up."

Will Lingard leave Man Utd?

Lingard has been giving little away when it comes to his future plans, although he has admitted to his West Ham loan allowing a "refresh button" to be hit.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been hinting that a role will be found for the 28-year-old within his plans this season, with the United boss telling reporters after seeing his side hit five against Leeds on the opening weekend with the likes of Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford still to slot back in: "Don’t forget Jesse Lingard.

"He has reinvented himself and he has come back the man that we know. With the quality he has, he is going to play a big part. I forgot him when I spoke about goalscorers."

That could spell bad news for West Ham, but the summer window will remain open until August 31 and there is still time for a late transfer to be pushed through if all parties open themselves up to talks.

Further reading

Bengaluru FC's 1-0 win over Club Eagles of Maldives in 2021 AFC Cup play-offs on Sunday have placed the Blues in the same group as ATK Mohun Bagan (India), Bashundhara Kings (Bangladesh) and Maziya S&RC (Maldives) in Group D.

The Group D (South Zone) matches will be held at the Maldives National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives, across three match days on August 18, 21 and 24  in a round-robin format, with the eventual group leaders advancing to the single-leg Inter-Zone Semi-Final.

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When are ATK Mohun Bagan in action in the 2021 AFC Cup group stage?

ATK Mohun Bagan got a direct berth in the group stage of second tier Asian club competition with Mohun Bagan's 2019-20 I-League title triumph, and following the merger between ATK and Mohun Bagan ahead of the last season wherein ATK Mohun Bagan plied their trade in the Indian Super League (ISL) as a new entity.

The Mariners are set to open their AFC Cup campaign against Indian rival side Bengaluru FC.

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When are Bengaluru FC in action in the 2021 AFC Cup group stage?

Jayesh Rane’s 25th minute strike in Bengaluru FC's playoff tie against Club Eagles of Maldives have earned them a spot in Group D of the 2021 AFC Cup.

After a third place finish in the 2019-20 ISL league stage handed them a place in the qualifiers of the competition, the Blues started off with a 5-0 win against Nepal Army back in April. Bengaluru now kick-off their group stage run with a clash against ATK Mohun Bagan.

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How to watch ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC's 2021 AFC Cup group stage games from India?

There is no telecast of the 2021 AFC Cup group stage games in India. However, updates will be available on the club's socials media handles while Bengaluru FC will also be streaming the games from BFC TV - the club's official YouTube channel.

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ATK Mohun Bagan: Team news and squad for 2021 AFC Cup group stage

Antonio Habas has included new signings in Amrinder Singh, Liston Colaco, Bidyashagar Singh and Hugo Boumous with the Frenchman completing ATK Mohun Bagan's foreign contingent for the competition, alonside Roy Krishna, David Williams and Carl McHugh.

The club's new signing in Finnish international Joni Kauko continues with his acclamatisation process in Kolkata. Sandesh Jhingan, too, has not traveled to Maldives, in anticipation of his transfer to Croatian top tier side HNK Sibenik.

Pranoy Halder, Prabir Das, Ravi Rana and Michael Soosairaj are also not named in the 21-man squad.

ATK Mohun Bagan squad:

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharya, Amrinder Singh, Avilash Paul

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose, Ashutosh Mehta, Sumit Rathi

Midfielders: Carl McHugh, Bidyananda Singh, Lenny Rodrigues, Engson Singh, Sheikh Sahil, Deepak Tangri, Ricky Shabong

Forwards: Liston Colaco, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Kiyan Nassiri, Manvir Singh, David Williams, Hugo Boumous, Roy Krishna

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Bengaluru FC: Team news and squad for 2021 AFC Cup group stage

Marco Pezzaiuoli handed full debuts to new signings Alan Costa, Sarthak Golui, Jayesh Rane and Rohit Kumar while the other two signings names in Bengaluru FC's 29-squad that traveled to Maldives, Danish Farooq and Bidhyashagar Singh got a few minutes coming off the bench.

Congolese forward Prince Ibara has been left out due to an infection, and with Edmund Lalrindika and Harmanpreet Singh nursing injuries, Ashique Kuruniyan also picked a knock late into Sunday's win over Club Eagles.

Four of the club's youngsters from the developmental side are also part of the squad.

Bengaluru FC squad:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Lara Sharma, Sharon Padattil

Defenders: Pratik Chaudhari, Wungngayam Muirang, Ajith Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Parag Shrivas, Yrondu Musavu-King, Biswa Darjee, Alan Costa, Sarthak Golui

Midfielders: Suresh Wangjam, Namgyal Bhutia, Jayesh Rane, Danish Farooq, Rohit Kumar, Muhammad Inayath, Ajay Chhetri

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Naorem Roshan Singh, Bidyashagar Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Akashdeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh

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West Ham United coach David Moyes cautiously lauded Algeria attacker Said Benrahma, who starred in the club's 4-2 win over Newcastle in Sunday's Premier League outing. 

The North African was in inspired form as he provided an assist and scored for the Hammers at St James' Park. 

The 26-year-old found the back of the net in the 53rd minute when he converted a Michail Antonio pass to make the score 2-2.

The Magpies had opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Callum Wilson headed in an Allan Saint-Maximin cross.

However, in the 19th minute, the visitors equalized when Pablo Fornals picked out Aaron Cresswell in the danger zone and the latter tapped the ball in from close range. 

Tomas Soucek scored the third goal for the Hammers, Benrahma put the icing on the cake after setting up Antonio four minutes later to score the fourth for the Londoners to ensure they won comfortably. 

"I think you can see a slight change in his play and his development, it can’t always be the Said Benrahma show it has to be for the team, that is what we’re interested in," Moyes said as quoted by HammersNews.

"At moments we need his individual ability to beat people, score us goals and make assists and he did that [on Sunday]."

Meanwhile, ex-England international Danny Murphy believes the Algeria international will score even more goals for his team this season.

"From minute one, he had intent about him. He had good feet, he got in great positions,” Murphy told Match of the Day 2. 

"You can tell he is a goal scorer. I know he only got one last year, but he scored loads of goals at Brentford and there’s no doubt in my mind, he’s got the ability to get double figures if he plays regularly in this West Ham side.

"As the game wore on, he got better and better and kept finding himself in goal-scoring positions."

Caf will conduct the draw for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on August 17 in Yaounde, Cameroon, where the 24 participating teams will be grouped into six pools, each of four teams.

Based on the Fifa world rankings released a few days ago, the teams will be allocated to four pots each of six teams for the draw.

Draw Procedure

The top four teams, based on the rankings, will be allocated to pot one, where Cameroon - the hosts - and Algeria, the defending champions, are also there. Senegal, Tunisia, and Nigeria have also been put into this pot.

The other teams will be in pots two, three, and four based on their ranking in a descending manner. Former champions Egypt, as well as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea are in pot two.

Cape Verde, Gabon, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and Guinea Bissau are in pot three, while Malawi, Sudan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, and The Gambia are in pot four.

The pots representing teams will be marked pots 1-4 while the pots for groups will be marked A to F. The Indomitable Lions will be fixed to position A1 while the remaining participants in pot one will automatically be drawn into position one of each group, B to F.

The same procedure will be undertaken for the remaining pots and each team pot must be emptied before moving on to the next pot.

Host Stadiums

The biennial tournament will be played across six stadiums in the central African country. In the capital, Yaounde, Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya Stadiums will host some games, Limbe Stadium in Limbe town, Japoma Stadium in Daoula, Bafoussam's Kouekong Stadium and the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua will host other matches.

The competition is scheduled to take place from January 9 to February 6 next year after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its calendar that would have seen it conducted in mid-2021.

Borussia Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl, who will take over as the club's new sporting director in 2022-23, claims the Bundesliga giants were always confident that Erling Haaland would stay put this summer.

Another window of intense speculation remains open in Germany, with the prolific Norwegian striker continuing to generate plenty of rumours after starting the new season with two goals and a couple of assists in a 5-2 mauling of Eintracht Frankfurt.

It is exploits such as those which have seen Haaland heavily linked with the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Dortmund have refused to waver in their stance that the highly-rated 21-year-old is not for sale.

What has been said?

Kehl says there was never any chance of BVB buckling, telling Viaplay of a long-running transfer saga: "There were a lot of rumours, a lot of discussions, but internally we were always clear with Erling, with his father, with Mino Raiola.

"For that reason, we were always very calm.

"[Haaland]'s here, you can see him, he's very motivated and very engaged, and he wants to play a great season for Borussia Dortmund."

Is Haaland happy at Dortmund?

A man who has now scored 62 goals through 61 appearances for Dortmund has offered no indication that he is looking for a move.

He is merely happy to be back playing in front of supporters, with Haaland adding to Viaplay after helping to down Eintracht: "Today, it was easy to be motivated.

"I had goosebumps when I went out on the pitch. It was amazing to play in front of fans today. It's free motivation, I've missed them a lot.

"It's a good feeling, I can't explain it. When I scored, it was amazing."

Will Haaland get even better?

Remarkable standards are being maintained by a frontman that still has much to learn after capturing the imagination of a global audience back in 2019-20.

Haaland has never been short on ability or confidence, though, and those at Dortmund expect his game to be taken to even greater heights now that an adoring fan base is back at Signal Iduna Park.

BVB director Michael Zorc told Kicker: "Erling is a phenomenon and a very emotional player.

"My feeling is that he will really benefit from the return of the fans."

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene has revealed a little argument he had with his Kaizer Chiefs counterpart Itumeleng Khune over Lyle Lakay's penalty at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

Khune stopped Lakay's penalty, but the ball seemed to have bounced over the line before the goalkeeper hurriedly cleared it. Mweene, who was Sundowns' hero as he saved four Chiefs spot-kicks during the shoot-out, said he told the Amakhosi goalkeeper the ball crossed the line before he cleared.

"No, he took it from the net, I was even telling him, 'Wait until you watch [the replay], then you'll see what I am talking about, because he put his hand inside the net, not on the line, no," Mweene told SuperSport TV.

The Zambian also explained why they struggled, especially in defence, allowing the Glamour Boys to fight back and ensured the game was decided from the spot after a 2-2 draw at full-time and in extra time.

"Look, I think it was a very tight game. We scored two and I think we could have done better when it comes to defending. But that did not bring us down, as we kept pushing," the experienced star said.

"You know, it was the first game of the season and we were not going to be perfect in everything. You could see that it was taking a toll on us, but we kept pushing, knowing that at the end of the day, if we did not score, let us try in penalties.

"Thanks to God that I had to save four penalties. Otherwise, it [trophy] is something that we have been looking at since I have been at Sundowns and it is either we have gone out in the first round or the second round.

"Well done to the guys, I know it was not easy, Chiefs are not an easy team and now we soldier on."

Mweene was hesitant to reveal what helped him stop the four penalties in Pretoria: "It is my secret," he continued.

"I was relaxed as it is one of the things that I am used to doing at training. There were a lot of new players, and so some of us had to take charge and take the pressure off the new and young ones."

Sundowns will face Golden Arrows in the semi-final.

Thibaut Courtois has signed a new five-year contract at Real Madrid until the summer of 2026.

Courtois joined Madrid from Chelsea in summer 2018 for £35 million ($48m), having previously spent three years on loan with their city rivals Atletico.

He helped them to win the Liga title in the 2019-20 campaign, so far his only major trophy at Santiago Bernabeu.

Courtois at Madrid

The Belgian goalkeeper's move to Madrid was long expected before he finally made the switch on the Premier League's summer transfer deadline day in 2018, and was not without controversy as he had previously won the Liga title with Atletico, whose fans were especially unhappy at the deal.

However, following that acrimony and a shaky start, Courtois has gone on to establish himself as clear No 1 for Los Blancos, making 130 appearances in all competitions and keeping 52 clean sheets.

As well as the 2019-20 Liga title - which Madrid subsequently lost to Atletico last season - Courtois also helped his team to the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, while also making 89 appearances so far for the senior Belgium national side, including all five games at Euro 2020.

Last season however was especially disappointing for the 29-year-old - not only did one former club beat Madrid to the Liga title, they were also eliminated from the Champions League by another old side, eventual winners Chelsea.

Speaking about facing his old side before the Champions League semi last season, Courtois told beIN Sports: "It will be very nice to see a lot of familiar faces and I wish there was public at Stamford Bridge because there was a lot of happy moments I had there.

"Even though maybe my departure wasn't in the best way, or it was put that way, that it wasn't the best way, I only have good memories."

Courtois played in Madrid's opening match of the Liga season on Saturday night, marking his 130th appearance for the club with a 4-1 win away to Alaves.

Further Reading

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has slammed his predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu while revealing the club's staggering financial losses.

Laporta was elected president at Camp Nou for a second term in March, replacing Bartomeu following his resignation at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Bartomeu left Barca in financial disarray as they ended up posting record debts in excess of €1 billion (£849m/$1.18bn) at the start of the year, and Laporta has now revealed the full extent of the mess he has been trying to clean up.

What's been said?

Laporta has issued a response to a letter sent by Bartomeu last week accusing him of failing to act quickly enough to address the club's sliding accounts at a crucial point during the coronavirus pandemic.

"When we took over the club we asked for a bridge loan of €80m (£68m/$94m) granted by Goldman Sachs because we would not have been able to pay the salaries of players and employees," he said at a press conference on Monday. "The previous board had received an advance of €79m (£67m/$93m) relating to 50 per cent of La Liga's television rights and the banks charged it at 9% interest.

“The reduction of wages by the previous board was not real. We have found those millions in different types of bonuses and variables included in the new contracts. We have found disproportionate payments to intermediaries, not agents, a transfer that cost €40m (£34m/$47m) and for a purchase premium we paid €8m and a sale premium of €2m. A person was paid €8m to find players in South America.

“The entity's controls were bypassed. Invoices were divided up, such as those of 'I3 Ventures' with 'Barcagate', invoices of 'Espai Barca' and of the debt contracted were also divided so as not to go through the Assembly.

“Bartomeu's letter is full of lies. It obeys an effort to justify management that is unjustifiable. It is an exercise in despair. We have a salary bill that represents 103% of the club's total income. It represents 20-25% more than our competitors.

“No one is going to escape from those responsibilities. The economic situation is worrying and the financial situation is dramatic. Barcelona has a net worth of minus €451m (£383m/$531m) and a debt of €1.35bn (£1.15bn/$1.59bn)."

Laporta on the Neymar saga

Bartomeu also claimed that Laporta paid former Barca superstar Neymar money that he wasn't actually owed earlier this summer after a four-year legal dispute over a signing bonus following his world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Laporta insists that the blame lies firmly at Bartomeu's door, however, with the club's current struggles to reduce their wage bill deemed to have started when the €222 million (£188m/$261m) deal was struck with PSG.

"He talks about Neymar," he added. "He says that we have forgone €16.7m. Another lie, it is not true. And you could remind Bartomeu of the damage that the Neymar case did to the image of Barca. Because it was an infinity of lies. 

"When he sold Neymar for 222 million, they had already spent disproportionately. This triggered wages and amortisation."

Further reading

Paul Pogba registered four assists for Manchester United in their 5-1 mauling of Leeds, but Bruno Fernandes claims the World Cup winner is capable of contributing "five or six in one game".

Nobody has scaled such record-breaking heights in the Premier League before, but the talented 28-year-old has laid down an early marker to the rest of the English top flight regarding his intentions for 2021-22.

Pogba was unplayable at times against Leeds, as he pulled the strings that allowed hat-trick hero Fernandes to run riot at Old Trafford, and there is the promise of more to come from a player that continues to star against a backdrop of intense speculation surrounding his future.

What has been said?

Fernandes told MUTV of an eye-catching display from Pogba on the opening weekend: "Amazing. 

"He’s doing really well and he’s such a big player. Everybody knows that and I hope he can keep getting better and better, because I think he can still do so much more.

"I’m pretty sure Paul could do five or six [assists] in one game.

"Paul is a quality player; we all trust him, we all know his qualities. The point is making those performances and to help the team do better and I’m pretty sure Paul is here to do that."

Will Pogba stay at Man Utd?

If the Red Devils can drag consistency out of Pogba, then he could have a big part to play in the club's quest to land major silverware this season.

Questions are, however, being asked of how long he will be sticking around at Old Trafford.

Pogba has entered the final 12 months of his current contract, with no extension agreed as yet with the £89 million ($123m) asset.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes the return of fans to previously empty stadiums will help to convince the enigmatic performer to stay put, with the United boss saying: "The last 18 months have been strange, the only interaction have been through media, you have watched the games on telly so to be reunited with the fans like Paul and Bruno is important, this is the real Man Utd, this is how I sold Man Utd to Edinson [Cavani], you can't leave after one season with no fans.

"Will it help persuade him? In short: yes."

Further reading

Ex-Chelsea defender Ola Aina has slammed Torino fans for giving him a hostile reception during their Coppa Italia first-round clash with Cremonese on Sunday, insisting "haters will only make me better".

Aina made his first appearance for Torino since returning from a loan spell at Fulham in 2020-21 as they secured a penalty shootout victory over the Serie B outfit at Stadio Olimpico Grande.

The 24-year-old, who initially moved to Turin from Chelsea in 2019, was whistled and jeered from the home faithful throughout the 120 minutes, and took to social media to air his frustrations after the game.

What's been said?

"To all the Torino fans that were booing or whistling whenever I got the ball tonight, THANK YOU," Aina wrote on his official Twitter account. "Doubter and haters WILL only make me better, we move. As a club, we should always stay together no matter what."

The Nigerian full-back later deleted the post, and Torino have yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Aina's career

Aina began his career at Chelsea back in 2015, having spent the previous eight years in the club's youth system. He struggled for regular minutes, and went on loan to Hull City before Torino came calling in 2018.

The Italian club brought Aina in on loan before signing him on a permanent deal after an impressive debut season in Serie A, with the Blues receiving a £9 million fee.

The Nigeria international has since appeared in 69 games across all competitions for Torino, recording one goal and six assists, but he was loaned to Fulham last year to continue his development.

Aina made 31 Premier League appearances for the Cottagers, who ultimately suffered relegation to the Championship, before returning to Stadio Olimpico Grande to see out the remaining two years of his contract.

Further reading