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Sergio Aguero has denied reports that he wants to leave Barcelona following Lionel Messi's exit.

Aguero joined Barca on a free transfer earlier this summer after reaching the end of his final contract at Manchester City, where he had spent the previous ten years of his career.

The 33-year-old's desire to link up with fellow Argentina international Messi at club level was cited as one of the main reasons for his move to Camp Nou, but that dream has been dashed in the wake of the Blaugrana's failure to re-sign the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

What's been said?

Messi reached an agreement over a new five-year deal with Barca after dropping into the free agency pool in June, but the club have ultimately been unable to tie a prized asset down to fresh terms due to the current wage restrictions in La Liga.

It has been reported that Aguero reacted angrily to the news and has asked his representatives to review the terms of his contract.

However, the former City star rubbished any notion that he has taken such steps when arriving at Barca's training ground at the weekend.

"Don't worry, you have me all year long," Aguero told reporters.

The Argentine has also taken to social media to wish Messi well with the next stage of his career, posting an image of the pair on Instagram with the caption: "All the best in whatever comes my friend. And always with that smile. I love you."

What's next?

Barca president Joan Laporta has already explained why Messi has been unable to extend his stay at Camp Nou, but the 34-year-old will address the club's supporters for the final time and give his side of the story before their Joan Gamper Trophy final clash against Juventus on Sunday.

After the game, speculation over where the six-time Ballon d'Or will go next is likely to increase, with it reported that Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race for his signature after opening talks with his representatives.

Aguero, meanwhile, is in line to make his Barca debut against Juventus, and will be expected to shoulder the main goalscoring burden at the club in the new season in the absence of Messi.

Ronald Koeman's side will open their latest La Liga campaign at home to Real Sociedad on August 15, with further new signings Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia also likely to be in contention for minutes alongside Aguero.

Further reading

Harambee Stars and Montreal Impact midfielder Victor Wanyama is among the Kenyans who have praised gold medal winner Eliud Kipchoge for his heroics at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kipchoge displayed a dominant performance in the men's marathon on Sunday morning as he ran across the streets of Sapporo to retain the gold medal.

The world record holder - who developed a friendship with Wanyama since his time at Tottenham Hotspur - clocked 2hr 08min 38sec to win gold and he became only the third man to win consecutive marathon titles.

"The Greatest of all Time," Wanyama said in praise of the Kenyan marathon great.

"The Olympic dream is a special dream. For every athlete here it has taken a lifetime of preparation to get to this point," Kipchoge said after the race.

"Today I lived my Olympic dream. I always say that sport is like life, whereby you can win and lose. But today was a day where I won and got to say I successfully defended my Olympic title."

Kipchoge's winning margin of 1:20 is the biggest since American Frank Shorter's win in 1972 during the Munich Games in South-East Germany.

"He committed to retaining his Olympic title and has delivered the Gold Medal in an exemplary fashion, leaving the entire field in the distance. You've cemented your position as the greatest marathoner in the world. Congratulations, Eliud Kipchoge," Raila Odinga, who is Gor Mahia's patron, said.

Sunday's victory, Kipchoge's 13th in 15 marathons since he started competing 18 years ago, came after Peres Jepchirchir won gold for Kenya in the women's marathon.

Residents of Sapporo - a town that hosted the Winter Olympics of 1972 - lined the streets to witness the contests. 

Kipchoge has established himself as one of Kenya's high-profile sportsmen and has been a unifying factor as he continues to dominate his discipline.

"[Kipchoge] is an inspiration to the nation not only in the athletics world but also in the sports disciplines," Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa described the athlete when he ran the 42-kilometre distance in under two hours in 2019.

Teammates Lawrence Cherono and Amos Kipruto ran beside Kipchoge as he won the race to take Kenya's tally of gold medals to four. The East African country is the highest-ranked African nation as its athletes have collected a total of 10 medals.

Emmanuel Agbadou and Carlos Embalo grabbed a goal each as KAS Eupen roared to a 3-1 win against KV Mechelen in a Belgian Pro League match on Saturday.

It was Mechelen who took the lead after Vinicius Souza bundled home from close range but Stef Peeters levelled for Eupen before Agbadou added the second and Embalo assured them of maximum points with a stoppage-time strike.

The home started the game with a series of attacks but they had to wait until the 33rd minute for a goal when Souza linked up well with Rob Schoofs, and he turned around to smash the ball into the bottom corner past the advancing goalkeeper Nureeden Abdul.

Eupen then upped their game after going behind and they moved level through Peeters, who raced onto a cross from Belgian midfielder Joris Kayembe, to beat keeper Gaetan Coucke with a low effort in the 49th minute.

Eupen continued to look the most dangerous side in the second half and in the 85th minute, Ivory Coast defender Agbadou put them ahead for the first time in the game, after soaring high to head in a corner kick delivered by Julien Ngoy.

Thereafter the introduction of Embalo of Guinea Bissau paid off as the striker slotted home the third goal in the final minute of regulation time at AFAS Stadion.

The goal by Embalo sealed the first win for Wouter Vrancken's charges as they had drawn their first two matches - 1-1 at home against RSC Anderlecht and 2-2 against Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium.

Eupen have also moved third on the 18-team table with five points from three matches, one fewer than leaders Union Saint-Gilloise, who have six points.

Mechelen will remain in position 13 with three points from three matches.

The two teams will return to action with Eupen having a home game against Sint-Truidense V.V. while Mechelen will travel to take on KAA Gent on August 15.

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter says Percy Tau missed their final pre-season friendly game against Getafe due to “personal reasons” as rumours that the Bafana Bafana star is about to join Al Ahly gain momentum.

A week after an impressive friendly match outing against Luton Town which he capped with a sensational goal, Tau was expected to feature against Gefate and further plead his case that he deserves more game time.

But he was absent from Potter’s 23-man squad on Saturday on the backdrop of days of him being heavily linked with a move to Al Ahly.

“He was out for personal reasons. We will see how the weekend goes and go from there on Tuesday,” said Potter as per Brighton and Hove Independent.

Tau is said to have become a prime target of Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane, who is keen to have him in Cairo after the two shared a successful period at Mamelodi Sundowns.

Reports suggest that Tau has already entered talks with the African champions.

The 27-year-old struggled for game time at Brighton, where he arrived in January from loan stints in Belgium, and has a year left on his Seagulls contract.

He managed just three Premier League appearances and featured in the FA Cup as many times. 

Potter says he is not yet done on the transfer market and although he does not state areas he needs to beef up, the arrival of an attacker could mean a potential replacement for Tau.

“It's the boring answer but the truth. We have to keep looking until the window closes to see if there's anyone out there that can help the squad and the team,” Potter added.

“It's never straightforward with the window. I'm happy with what we have but always looking for ways we can improve.”

Reports linking Tau to Al Ahly come a few days after former Bafana and Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe urged him to fight for playing time at Brighton.

Radebe said he took one-and-half-seasons to find his feet at Leeds before going on to captain the team 

“I don’t think Percy must leave. I see no point in returning to Belgium because he’s been there before,” Radebe told Sowetan Live.

“He’s talented enough to play at Brighton. He must fight harder...show them he can do it. That goal [against Luton] will build his confidence.

"He must never look back. This season must be the season he shows the world that he’s a great player.”

Ghana international Jonathan Mensah found the back of the net but could not help Columbus Crew from losing 3-2 defeat against Atlanta United in a Major League Soccer match on Saturday.

It was the visiting side who started the game well as Ezequiel Barco put them ahead in the fifth minute and then added the second from the penalty spot in the 35th minute, before the Ghana defender reduced the deficit in the 37th minute.

However, Marcelino Moreno added the third goal for Atlanta from another penalty in the 65th minute before Pedro Santos pulled a late goal back for Columbus on the stroke of full-time at Lower.Com Field.

Atlanta, who won their first league match away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in over 10 months, took the lead when Barco combined well with George Bello, with the latter setting up Barco to slam it past keeper Eloy Room.

They were 2-0 up after Moreno was brought down by Marlon Hairston inside the danger zone and the referee Allen Chapman pointed to the penalty spot, and up stepped Barco, who sent Room the wrong way for his second of the night.

Columbus pulled a goal back when Mensah, who is also the captain of the side, jumped the highest to meet a corner from Lucas Zelarayan and powered it home with a ferocious header past Brad Guzan to make it a 2-1.

The home team thought they had levelled matters in the 48th minute when Luis Diaz found the back of the net from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside after checks by VAR.

Moreno was then fouled inside the Columbus penalty area, and he took the initiative to convert the penalty and make it 3-1. Columbus then had another goal disallowed by VAR after Mensah delivered a header which was calmly slotted home by Derrick Etienne Jr.

Their pressure then paid off in stoppage time when Mensah was fouled for a penalty and Santos made it 3-2 from the resultant kick.

The Black & Gold will return to action against Chicago Fire FC from Soldier Field from August 15 while Atlanta will come up against Los Angeles Football Club also on August 15.

Mauricio Pochettino fuelled talk of Lionel Messi's possible arrival at Paris Saint-Germain after his team's Ligue 1 opener, admitting "every coach dreams of coaching the best".

Messi's 21-year stay at Barca officially ended last Friday after the club announced that they were unable to re-register the 34-year-old for the 2021-22 season.

The Blaugrana have said that "financial and structural obstacles" prevented them from tying Messi down to a new five-year deal, and PSG have already reportedly moved to try and capitalise on the situation and bring the six-time Ballon d'Or winner onto their books.

What's been said?

Parc des Princes is being touted as the most likely next destination for Messi as he looks to embark on the next stage of his career, and Pochettino has done little to play down the ongoing rumours.

Speaking after watching PSG open their latest domestic campaign with a 2-1 win at Troyes, the Argentine manager told reporters of his admiration towards his compatriot: "Messi is one of the best players in history and every coach dreams of coaching the best."

Pochettino added on whether the speculation surrounding Messi's future affected his team at Stade de l'Aube: "The players are professionals. Today, with social networks, everyone has access to information and saw that Lionel Messi would not continue at Barcelona.

"His name has been associated with different clubs. But I believe that the team is professional and has ignored that for this game.

"And that they will stay focused until the end of the transfer window."

Will Messi end up at PSG?

PSG are reportedly already in talks with Messi's representatives over a free transfer, but it is not yet known whether the French outfit will be able to finalise a deal that stays within the Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits.

The likes of Manchester City and Inter were also linked with the Argentina international earlier this year, with a potential foray into MLS or a return to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys also suggested for Barca's all-time record goalscorer.

However, PSG are being tipped to win the race for Messi at this stage, with his fellow countrymen Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes already on the books at Parc des Princes and former Blaugrana team-mate Neymar thought to be trying to persuade him to choose Paris.

Further reading

Nigeria international Frank Onyeka grabbed his first goal for promoted side Brentford as they came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The 23-year-old, who came on as a substitute at the start of the second half, scored the winner for the Premier League outfit after Ethan Pinnock had cancelled out Valencia’s 29th-minute opener courtesy of Diego Lopez at Brentford Community Stadium.

It was the visiting side who started the game on a high note and they took the lead in the 29th minute when Lopez evaded defender Kristoffer Ajer, who was signed from Celtic, before slotting the ball past Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.

Onyeka, who signed for the Bees from FC Midtjylland, was then introduced at the start of the second half, and it was at this point when they started to dominate the game and their push for a goal paid off in the 65th minute when Pinnock headed home to beat Valencia custodian Christian Rivero.

The Super Eagle then won the game for the home team in the 70th minute after he took advantage of a defensive mix-up inside the Valencia danger zone to slam the ball home past Rivero.

Brentford could have added a third goal with three minutes left to the final whistle when Onyeka combined well with Pinnock, and the latter raced through to meet the inviting cross from the Nigerian but his header bounced off the post.

At the other end, Valencia almost levelled matters when Maxi Gomez unleashed a ferocious left-footed effort but it was blocked by Pinnock, and from the resultant goal-kick, Brentford launched another late attack but Rivero was quick to stop Bryan Mbeumo from tapping home.

With the goal, Onyeka will be hoping to get regular playing time and help the Bees, who earned promotion to the top-flight after 74 years in exile, keep their status for next season.

Brentford will kick off their Premier League season with a home game against Arsenal on August 13.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has explained the other part of the game Wilfried Zaha must work on to help the team perform well this season.

The Ivory Coast international was the star attraction during the team’s friendly against Watford as he scored two goals in front of their home fans to help snatch a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The 28-year-old, who was captaining the side, opened the scoring after winning a penalty and converting it himself before he completed his double in the 54th minute after striking home from the left side of the box.

Watford pulled one back through Troy Deeney, who replaced Nigeria’s Emmanuel Dennis, but Christian Benteke restored Palace’s two-goal cushion three minutes later.

While Vieira is happy with Zaha’s instinct to get the goals, he is concerned the Ivorian star is not drifting back to help other players defend when the team is under pressure.

“We know his strength and know he’s capable of scoring goals, creating goals,” Vieira told the club’s official website after the game.

“There’s the other part of the game he needs to work on and concentrate is work without the ball. How can we be a little more compact?

“How can he defend better with the rest of the players? But his work ethic has been really good since I’m in this football club. Scoring goals: we know that he is capable of doing it.”

Vieira is confident the team will score many goals in the new campaign because his midfielders and forwards will create opportunities.

“I think scoring goals will be about how we will perform, the way we want to play. I think midfielders and forwards will create chances,” Vieira continued.

“But if we want to score goals we have to play well, have to penetrate in a zone that will allow us to score goals and today [Saturday] we showed we are capable of doing it.

“However, there’s still a big part we need to keep working [on], keep insisting because this team can still improve a lot.”

Vieira will be hoping to keep Zaha at Selhurst Park since the player, who has two years to run on the five-year deal he signed in 2018, has on two occasions tried to force a move away to Arsenal and Everton, which did not happen.

After the resounding win against the Hornets in their final pre-season match, Palace will prepare to host promoted side Brentford in their first Premier League fixture on Saturday.

Leicester City are beginning to get a kick out of playing at Wembley.

On Saturday, they added the Community Shield to the FA Cup trophy they secured back in May, upsetting the odds once again in victory over more fancied opponents – this time, Manchester City.

The usual caveat applies, of course. It is a fixture of a mostly ceremonial nature, like an opening act at a concert: you are not what the crowd came for, but perform well enough and you get an ovation regardless.

Manchester City, by this point so used to being the main attraction, duly treated this like a friendly, at least in terms of their selection. Cole Palmer and Samuel Edozie certainly hold some promise, but they will not get any meaningful haul of minutes this season; Benjamin Mendy, Zach Steffen and Nathan Ake will, but they are by no means starters with everyone fit and available.

On the other hand, Leicester set their stall out, naming a squad as strong as they could knock together. The consequence of the leg-break suffered by Wesley Fofana (and the continued unavailability of Johnny Evans) was a change of shape for the Foxes, as the FA Cup holders reverted to a back four. This meant there was no place for Kelechi Iheanacho from the start, and Wilfred Ndidi could start in his favoured midfield role.

So began the cut and thrust, with Brendan Rodgers' side flying out of the traps and carrying the greater menace in the first half.

Most tellingly, the Foxes actually dominated possession for spells of that opening period, and carved out interesting opportunities for Jamie Vardy, who was twice foiled by Steffen.

The second half saw Manchester City come into the game a little more, and edge proceedings, forcing their opponents deeper and deeper. Winger Riyad Mahrez was at the heart of most of it, and was the Citizens' best player on a day when they looked curiously flat for long periods.

The outcome of proceedings however turned upon the introduction of Patson Daka and, tellingly, Kelechi Iheanacho.

The latter, who came on with 11 minutes to play, looked incredibly sharp, forcing an error from Ake before being brought down inside the penalty area. He duly dispatched the resulting spot-kick for the victory, and in doing so proved three important points.

First: that his output in the 2020/21 season was no flash in the pan.

Even though his outrageously impressive per 90 goals record has been discussed extensively, there was a temptation to look on last season's return – and his influence on this Leicester team – as a bit of a fluke.

After all, he had never before managed that many in a single campaign, and the fact that the goals came in a mid-to-late season glut raised the suspicion that it could have simply been an extended purple patch.

The second concerns the impact a change of system would have on his performance levels.

For all that he seemed to finally find his place within the Leicester side, there was always a sense it was more incidental than anything else.

It required a change to a back three and a strike partnership, such a departure from Rodgers' preferred system that, at the start of a new season and with the benefit of a transfer window to fill in the gaps, the chariot would almost certainly turn back into a pumpkin.

If Saturday's match-winning turn showed anything, it is that even in a reduced capacity, the Nigeria international retains the ability to be decisive and affect outcomes favourably for Leicester.

Third, and finally, it was a showing that served to confirm the long-term stability of the club with a Daka-Iheanacho understanding upfront.

The Zambia international served notice already of the ridiculous pace that not only makes him such an intriguing like-for-like replacement for Vardy, but that will drive Premier League defenders to distraction.

While the plan is for him to, in time, take over from Vardy, with every appearance in Leicester blue Daka shows he is even readier than was previously imagined.

Beyond his own direct threat, however, he looks to have developed a useful connection with Iheanacho.

All-African strike partnerships have not been in abundant supply in the Premier League over the years, but we might finally have one in these two; the visual of Iheanacho releasing Daka into space is one we might have to get used to sooner than anticipated.

Pep Guardiola has insisted that Manchester City are prepared to "go without a striker" amid continued talk of a possible move for Tottenham's Harry Kane.

City are being tipped to add another centre-forward to their ranks ahead of the new season, having seen club legend Sergio Aguero depart at the end of his final contract in June.

Kane is reportedly top of Guardiola's list of targets, but the Spaniard is ready to continue with his current squad if the Premier League champions are unable to push a deal over the line.

What's been said?

Guardiola addressed whether City need to replace Aguero after seeing his side suffer a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the Community Shield final on Saturday.

"It depends if it is possible. If it is we do it, if not we go without a striker," he said.

"Tomorrow seven or eight players arrive back. That's why I guess at the beginning of the season we will try to get results without being at our best.

"We know we will not be at our best but the players will be better next Sunday. That is the process we have to do."

Can City lure Kane away from Spurs?

Goal understands that City are ready to table an opening bid of £100 million ($139m) for Kane, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly set to hold out for an amount closer to £150m ($208m).

Kane is thought to be eager to push through a move as he seeks to start winning the biggest prizes on offer in the game after another trophyless season with Tottenham in 2020-21.

However, the England international still has three years left to run on his current contract, and it remains to be seen whether City will be willing to break the British transfer record again having already forked out £100m to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.

Guardiola on Grealish

Guardiola handed Grealish his City debut in the second half of the Wembley meeting with Leicester, and was pleased with his overall impact on proceedings.

He expects the 25-year-old to get even better once the rest of his squad returns to Etihad Stadium following their summer holidays, as he added: "He was really good – aggressive, going against full-backs and every time he had the ball there were three players [around him]," said Guardiola.

"We will [get to] know him and step by step he will find the best [form]. How can he build a relation when his mates are not here? But it’s not a problem, he knows Kyle [Walker] and Raz [Raheem Sterling] and Phil [Foden] and they are back tomorrow.

"We just need to provide him and let him express his quality. He didn’t come for 25 minutes, he came for five-six years."

Further reading

Fred Onyedinma is thrilled to have made a scoring debut in Luton Town’s 3-0 victory over Peterborough United in Saturday’s English Championship encounter.

The 24-year-old joined the Hatters for an undisclosed fee on 25 May 2021 following Wycombe Wanderers’ demotion to League One.

Onyedinma was named in the team’s starting XI, and he repaid Nathan Jones’ faith in him by contributing two assists and a goal at Kenilworth Road.

After assisting Elijah Adebayo and Harry Cornick for their goals, the Super Eagles prospect registered his name on the scorer’s sheet in the 71st minute.

Cornick teed up James Bree down the right touchline to whip in a wonderful cross which the African star met to rifle past goalkeeper Christy Pym at the second attempt.

“It was a dream debut and I’m just delighted for the win, it couldn’t have gone any better,” Onyedinma told the club website.

“We wanted to get the goals, not feel sorry for them and wanted to punish them, and I think we did that well.

“I’m not going to lie to you, even speaking to Gabe who had a brilliant game, I told him “one goal, one assist – that would be the dream start”. To go one better, I’m just delighted with that.”

Onyedinma played alongside Cornick, Adebayo as well as substitutes Admiral Muskwe and Carlos Mendes Gomes.

The quintet boasts power and pace. When asked how it is to be part of such an offensive threat, he said: “It’s exciting, and that’s the thing that pushes everyone, even in training.

“We’ve got quality in the attacking options and it’s just exciting to see.

“You are always looking to score, but as a winger, it’s there for me to create assists and I’m delighted with both, but I’ll say the goal (was special) as well.”

He was substituted for Mendes with eight minutes left on the clock as fans accorded him with a clapping ovation.

“I thought I was meant to come off earlier, but the ball was still in play and I just had to get on with it. He (Jones) just pushed me back on and told me to keep going,” he added.

“The fans and the atmosphere were brilliant. I’ve played here a couple of times and never been on the winning side.

“It was great from the first minute and I’m looking forward to playing here again.”

Eric Ebimbe has lauded Mauricio Pochettino for boosting his confidence after making his Ligue 1 debut for Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s fixture against Troyes.

The 20-year-old midfielder was introduced for Julian Draxler in the 76th minute as the Parisians secured a 2-1 comeback victory inside Stade de l'Aube.

Ebimbe, who is a product of the Parisians youth academy was sent on loan to Le Havre and Dijon in a bid to garner first-team experience.

However, his moment came against Laurent Batlles' men although the Parc des Princes giants were made to work hard for all three points.

In his post-match comment, the France youth international revelled in making his much-awaited bow, revealing the influence of the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.

"Everything is going very well for me. I’ve been lucky enough to play in a few matches in the preseason, nearly all of them, that was great,” Ebimbe told the club website.

“The coach has shown lots of confidence in me. I’m just making the most of this moment with the club.

“It’s a great source of pride to play my first Ligue 1 match for Paris Saint-Germain have come through the youth ranks here. I’ve waited so long for this moment.”

Following the completion of his loan spell at Dijon, Ebimbe returned to PSG, participated in pre-season, and went ahead to make his debut for the club in the 1–0 Trophee des Champions loss to Lille on August 1 2021.

“I went out on loan to progress, to come back stronger and be in the position I find myself today against Troyes and I’m very happy and I hope this isn’t the last,” he continued.

“It’s great to get the win. After the Trophee des Champions we really wanted to bounce back.

“We wanted to show that we are Paris Saint-Germain and we did that, and we return to Paris with the three points and that’s the most important thing."

Ebimbe would be eyeing his second appearance when the nine-time Ligue 1 champions take on Strasbourg in their next outing on August 14.

Born in Stains to Cameroonian parents, the youngster has represented France at U20 and U21 levels. Even at that, he remains eligible to represent five-time African kings Cameroon at senior level.

Paul Onuachu registered his first goal of the Belgian topflight as Genk secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Kortrijk on Saturday.

Having missed the Smurfs’ 4-3 defeat KV Oostende in their last outing, the towering striker was included in the starting XI by manager John van den Brom.

He did not disappoint as he inspired the Champions League campaigner to their first away win of the 2021-22 season.

Luka Elsner’s Guys came into the league fixture having won their last two games. It took them just 18 minutes to go in front at the Guldensporenstadion thanks to Teddy Chevalier.

The Frenchman was well-positioned to head Lucas Rougeaux’s cross past goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt

Citing the dangers ahead, Genk quickly regained ball possession and probed their hosts’ backline, but they were unable to score as Onuachu and Theo Bongonda were denied by impressive goalkeeper Marko Ilic.

Bryan Heynen presented Kristian Thorstvedt with a chance to score but the Norwegian midfielder fluffed the opportunity – which was the visiting side’s best chance of the first 45 minutes.

Genk came out stronger in the second half and got the leveller through their Nigerian import, Onuachu in the 52nd minute. The 27-year-old’s headed home a well-taken corner kick from Mike Tresor past Ilic.

Victory was sealed in the game’s closing seconds Daniel Munoz tapped in a ball from close range after a corner from Tresor.

With that, Van der Brom’s men secured their first three points of the ongoing campaign.

After an impressive shift, Onuachu was substituted for compatriot Cyriel Dessers with three minutes left on the clock while DR Congo Bogonda was in action from start to finish.

Whereas, Kelvin John (Tanzania), Eboue Kouassi (Cote d'Ivoire), Joseph Paintsil (Ghana) and Stephen Odey (Nigeria) were not dressed for action.

Comoros’ Faiz Selemani played all minutes for Kortrijk with Ghana's Eric Ocansey replacing Marlos Moreno in the 66th minute. However, Pape Habib Gueye (Senegal), Muhammed Badamosi (Gambia) and Sambou Sissoko played no role in the game.

Lifted by this result, Onuachu and his teammates would travel to Ukraine with the ambition of shocking Shakhtar Donetsk in Tuesday’s second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round.

The first leg played at the Luminus Arena ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Belgians.

There is no such thing as a friendly match when Jose Mourinho is involved, and the Roma boss proved as much by receiving a red card when tempers boiled over in Saturday's pre-season clash with Betis. 

The well-travelled manager has never been afraid to share his opinions, but this time, his forthrightness landed him in hot water when he was sent to the dressing room alongside Lorenzo Pellegrini for storming onto the pitch to contest a refereeing decision.

Roma finished the match down to eight men in an eventual 5-2 defeat.

What happened? 

Roma and Betis were tied at 2-2 when Alex Moreno handed the Spanish side the lead in bizarre circumstances with just under an hour played. 

Moreno found himself with the goal at his mercy after Roger Ibanez accidentally diverted a cross onto his own crossbar, but Moreno slipped as he went for the ball and ended up rolling it over the line in a prostrate position using an assorted selection of body parts. 

One of those, Roma contended, was his left arm, and the referee's refusal to disallow the effort caused the Italians to swarm around him; followed by Mourinho who hurried over to join the commotion. 

Pellegrini and the manager were both expelled, the catalyst for a dramatic Roma collapse. 

Two further players, Gianluca Mancini and Rick Karsdop, also saw red to leave the Italians with eight on the pitch, while Betis took full advantage to net two further goals and thrash their adversaries 5-2. 

Incredibly, Saturday's fracas was the third on-pitch confrontation Roma have sparked in their last two games, suggesting that a lot more fireworks can be expected once the real action begins. 

'He only jokes off the pitch' 

Mourinho received a rousing reception upon taking the Roma job early this summer, with fans hoping he can restore Champions League football to the Stadio Olimpico after finishing a lowly seventh in 2020-21. 

Karsdorp is one of the Special One's new charges, and insists that despite his larger than life public persona he is taking his role very seriously indeed. 

“In the world of football, everyone knows the Special One. But I only knew him from TV and interviews,” the defender said to Il Romanista.

“Now I can say that I like very much how he works, how he makes us train: the sessions are hard, but I like them so, they make me stronger.

“I like the way he talks. When I returned from the holidays, I wondered how he was, I was curious: I had only seen it on TV.

“He is a person who likes jokes at the right time. And this is very important for the group. But it only happens off the pitch. When we work, he is always very serious.”

Further reading 

Former Chelsea and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has reacted to the news of Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona.

The 34-year-old is set to bring an end to his 21-year stay in Catalonia after the club failed to hand him a new contract due to financial and structural obstructions.

“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish La Liga regulations on player registration,” the club announced on Thursday.

"As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.”

The news came as a surprise to Essien who faced Messi during his playing career and he wishes there’s a change of decision from the management.

“I am not a Barcelona fan but I still can't believe Leo will leave Barca, Leo is Barca and Barca is Leo. I hope there will be a U-turn somehow,” the 38-year-old tweeted.

Messi, a six-time Ballon d'Or winner, has so far spent his entire professional career at Barcelona and he scored a total of 672 goals in 778 matches across all competitions.

He won 10 La Liga titles, four Uefa Champions League trophies and three Fifa World Cups amongst others with the Blaugrana.

He initially joined Barcelona Academy in 2000, before rising through the club's youth ranks and he eventually made his first-team debut in a friendly match against Porto at the age of 16 in November 2003.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman and ex-teammate Cesc Fabregas have already paid tribute to Messi which signal the end of his era at the club.

Meanwhile, the Argentine is expected to hold a press conference at Camp Nou on Sunday where he will likely answer questions on his future.

Back in June, Essien – who joined the coaching crew of Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjaelland last September – extended his deal until the summer of 2023.

Noni Madueke netted a brace as PSV defeated Ajax 4-0 in Saturday’s Dutch Super Cup fixture.

The 19-year-old who is eligible to represent Nigeria at international level beat goalkeeper Remko Pasveer twice in the first 45 minutes as the Farmers strolled past Erik ten Hag’s men who had a player sent off.

Defending champions Ajax came into the encounter on the back of splendid form that saw them play 17 matches in all competitions without losing.

For PSV, they silenced Midtjylland 3-0 in their last outing on Tuesday evening in a Champions League qualification showdown against the Danish Super League side.

Two minutes into the encounter, Madueke put PSV ahead after unleashing an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box past Pasveer after navigating his way past his markers.

That early setback was a reality check for the Sons of Gods who attacked massively in search of an equaliser.

Cote d’Ivoire international Sebastien Haller leveled matters in the 13th minute, however, it was chalked off for offside after VAR replays claimed there was an offside in the build-up to the goal.

Man-of-the-match Madueke doubled PSV’s lead in the 29th minute after receiving a delightful pass inside the box from Eran Zahavi.

Ajax’s ambitions of launching a comeback suffered a heavy knock as Nicolas Tagliafico was given his marching orders for serious foul play by referee Bjorn Kuipers.

In a bid to rescue the situation, manager Ten Hag threw Devyne Rensch, Danilo and David Neres into the fray, yet, that yielded no results.

Roger Schmidt’s men sealed victory in the 76th minute thanks to Yorbe Vertessen who slammed Cody Gakpo’s pass into the bottom right corner of goalkeeper Pasveer.

Mario Goetze sealed the victory with an 89th-minute finish as PSV picked the title for a record 12th time.

After an impressive display, Madueke was substituted for Armando Obispo in the 73rd minute, while Cote d’Ivoire’s Ibrahim Sangare was brought out for Davy Propper a minute after the hour mark.

For Ajax, Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui was in action from start to finish with Haller coming off for Neres in the 61st minute.