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The India U23 side is all set to begin their campaign in the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifying round from October 25. India will play their first match against Oman at the Fujairah Stadium, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

After winning the SAFF Championship with the senior side, Croatian coach Igor Stimac now has a tough task at hand with junior India boys as they go up against some of the top Asian teams. India are clubbed in Group E alongside Oman, Kyrgyz Republic and hosts UAE.

India does not boast of a very good record at the AFC U23 Asian Cup. In fact, they have never managed to go past the qualifying group stage and make it to the main tournament in the brief history of the competition. The tournament was started in January 2014 and so far, four editions of the competition have been held. 

India's best-ever performance in the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championship was in the inaugural edition of the competition where they secured seven points in the five games and had scored 11 goals in the tournament. In the 2016 and 2020 qualification rounds, India failed to secure any points. And in 2016, the Blue Tigers did not score a single goal in the group matches.

Stimac recently announced the final 23-man India squad for the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualfiiers. The manager has named five players - Dheeraj Singh, Suresh Singh, Apuia, Jeakson Singh, Rahim Ali - from the SAFF Championship winning senior team.

Here, we take a look at the number of minutes the India U23 players played during the 2020-21 season for their respective clubs in the domestic league and AFC competitions. Bengaluru FC's Suresh Singh played the most number of minutes (1954) in the Indian Super League (ISL) and AFC Cup 2021 followed by Lalengmawia Ralte or Apuia who played 1851 minutes for NorthEast United in the ISL. He won the Emerging Player of the Year award in the ISL last season and had also become the youngest player to captain an ISL side.

However, Prabsukhan Gill has not played a single minute last season while the likes of Vikram Partap Singh, Rohit Danu and Komal Thatal have played the least minutes. Nikhil Raj is the only player in the squad who did not play for a top-tier club last season. Raj plied his trade for Bengaluru-based club Kickstart FC and played in BDFA Super Division.

The Indian U-23 national team have already travelled to UAE (United Arab Emirates) to take part in the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers. 

The main event will take place in Uzbekistan from June 1 to June 19, 2022. 15 teams will make it to the final tournament from the qualification round and join the host nation. Then they will be divided into four groups and two teams from each pool will progress to the knock-out stage.

The Blue Colts are placed in Group E in the qualifiers alongside UAE, Oman and Kyrgyz Republic. India's matches will be held at the Fujairah Stadium in UAE. Igor Stimac has named a 23-man squad for the upcoming matches which include familiar names like Amarjit Singh, Lalengmawia. 

Although the tournament started to roll only in 2013 as the AFC U-23 Championship, it has been highly competitive as no nation has won the coveted trophy twice in its brief history. 

Who were the previous winners? Find out below. 

Iraq (2013)

Iraq became the inaugural champions of the competition after beating Saudi Arabia in the finals. A 33rd-minute strike from Abdul Raheem was enough to seal the victory. Iraq did not lose a single match in the competition and had conceded just two goals in six matches. 

Japan (2016)

Japan lifted the trophy in the second edition after they beat South Korea in a thrilling final that ended with a scoreline of 3-2. The Young Samurais were trailing by 2-0 but an inspired performance from Takuma Asano tilted the scales in their favour and they scored three consecutive goals to clinch the title. 

Uzbekistan (2018)

Uzbekistan emerged victorious in 2018 after triumphing over Vietnam in a hard-fought final. A 120th-minute strike from Andrey Sidorov broke Vietnamese hearts after the two teams fought tooth and nail throughout the match. 

South Korea (2020)

After coming so near to silverware in 2016, South Korea finally got their hands on the trophy in 2020 after edging out Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final. Jeong Tae-wook scored the solitary goal in the match in the 113th minute to hand the Green Falcons their second defeat in the finals of the competition. 

Stade Rennes coach Bruno Genesio has urged the Ghana winger to vary his game in his quest to reach the top level.

The 19-year-old, who joined The Red and Blacks in July, has been in impressive form for his new club in the French Ligue 1, having netted four times in 10 appearances so far.

On Sunday, he made headlines one more time with a remarkable goal against Metz.

“We took the time to mature him because he came from a different championship to ours, with much more intense training than what he used to do in Denmark,” Genesio said.

“Today, he assumes and assimilates better and better with the training load, and to express in a match all his qualities of speed, technique and efficiency for which he was recruited.

“Obviously now it will be more expected. I talk to him almost every day, he's someone who likes contact, needs it, and because he's a young player who still needs advice, and listens to those who can give it.

“I'm happy because he's a boy who wants to progress, to learn. He may have to find other weapons than one-on-ones or duels. I know he is capable of doing it.” 

Kamaldeen has also registered a goal for Rennes in the Europa Conference League.

The teenager joined the club in a five-year deal in July after being linked with famous teams across Europe.

“I chose Rennes because when I came for the visit, I spoke to coach [Bruno Genesio] and I spoke to [technical director] Florian [Maurice] and the project was very interesting and was good for me, and I felt here was the right place for me,” the winger said after his move in July.

“With Rennes, I get to play in Ligue 1 which is one of the best leagues in the whole world, so that’s enough of my reason.

“And I think I chose here based on my playing time and I think there’s a better chance of me playing more here than any other place, and I’ll play against great teams here as well.”

Kamaldeen, who was in first half action for Rennes in Conference League action against Slovenian side Mura on Thursday, will look to continue his fine form against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Mbwana Samatta scored the opening goal for Royal Antwerp in their 2-2 draw against his parent club Fenerbahce in a Uefa Europa League encounter.

The former Genk striker returned to Belgium on a season-long loan in August after finding it difficult to impress in Vítor Pereira's team.

He initially joined Fenerbahce on loan from Aston Villa in September 2020 and it was made permanent at the end of the 2020-21 campaign after he scored six goals in 30 matches across all competitions.

Samatta has struggled to get goals in the Belgian First Division A this campaign and he is currently enduring a six-game goal drought, however, his form in the European championship has been inspirational for Royal Antwerp.

He has scored two goals in three Europa League matches so far, the first one came in their 2-1 loss to Olympiakos on September 16.

On Thursday, Samatta got the Belgian visitors off to a flying start at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium with his early goal in the opening two minutes.

The Tanzania star’s opener was also a disappointing record for Fenerbahce, being the earliest goal they have ever conceded in the Europa League history (1:48).

It did not take long for Pereira's team to respond as Ennner Valencia grabbed the equaliser in the 20th minute.

After missing a penalty in the 36th minute, Valencia made up for it by putting Fenerbahce in the lead after converting from the spot on the stroke of half-time.

After the restart, Pieter Gerkens ensured both teams shared the spoils with his 62nd-minute goal for Antwerp.

Samatta played the entire duration for the Belgian club while Nigeria's Alhassan Yusuf saw 63 minutes of action before his substitution.

Fenerbahce, on the other hand, had Anglo-Nigerian Bright Osayi-Samuel and DR Congo international Marcel Tisserand in action from start to finish.

The draw handed Royal Antwerp their first point in Group D, after defeats to Olympiakos and Eintracht Frankfurt in previous games, and they languish at the bottom of the table behind Fenerbahce who have two points followed by second-placed Olympiakos (six points) and leaders Frankfurt (seven points).

Mikel Arteta has warned that coaches could turn their back on their careers due to fears over the abuse they will receive.

The Arsenal boss has had his fair share of criticism in the past 18 months and has expressed his disappointment at some of the vitriol Steve Bruce was subjected to during his time in charge at Newcastle.

After being dismissed by Newcastle on Wednesday, Bruce revealed in a statement that the job could be his last football due to effect that abuse from supporters has had on both him and his family. And Arteta, whose side take on Aston Villa on Friday night, believes the issue could lead to more and more managers - both young and old - opting not to pursue a career in the game.

What has been said?

When asked whether situations such as the one Bruce has gone through could put young coaches off, Arteta said: “Yes, a lot of people think like that.

“I have a lot of friends who are doing the courses, who doubt whether they want to take the hot seat, or whether it is better to be an assistant or something else.

“And people who have been managers already. Experienced managers are thinking about not doing it again.

“For me this cannot be the barrier, because you have fear about the treatment you are going to receive. I think the enjoyment as well is that big, that it should not stop you.

“But it is important that we take care a little bit of the environment and putting things in the right place. If not I don’t think it will get better.

“I think it will get worse if we don’t do anything about it.”

Arteta’s response

Arsenal’s manager says he has urged anyone who has raised concerns to him about the issue of abuse, to try and remain focused on why they wanted to pursue a career in coaching in the first place.

“You cannot lose the focus, the passion and the love. The reason why you made the decision in the first place to do that.

“If you are affected by every single opinion in life nowadays, with how easy you can read stuff about yourself, you are not going to be happy with whatever you do.

“You have to be able to deal with that. But obviously we can help to be able to deal with it.”

What else did Arteta say?

The Gunners boss says after nearly two years in charge of Arsenal, he now finds it a bit easier to brush off some fo the harshest criticism that comes his way.

“I think you adapt, you learn and you try to take things into perspective,” he said. “You agree or disagree.

“Criticism and opinions can you make you better and you have to listen to that when it comes from the right place. You need to have the right people as well.

“The key is where you put your focus. If you put your focus there you are going to be an unhappy man.”

Further reading

Victor Osimhen has become the second Napoli player to score in three straight games in a European competition in the 21st century after Dries Mertens.

Osimhen scored Napoli's second goal in their 3-0 thrashing of Legia Warsaw in a Uefa Europa League game on Thursday.

The 22-year-old started the encounter on the bench and he was introduced for Hirving Lozano, just before the hour-mark.

Both teams were tied for the majority of the game but Lorenzo Insigne broke the deadlock for Napoli in the 76th minute and his Nigerian teammate  doubled the lead, four minutes later.

Another substitute Kostas Manolas also registered his name on the scoresheet, five minutes into the stoppage-time.

Osimhen has now scored four goals in three Europa League matches this campaign and he also has a tally of five goals after seven league appearances for the Serie A leaders.

The former Lille talisman is the second-highest scoring player in the Europa League this season alongside Leicester City’s Patson Daka who scored four goals in a game after Cameroon’s Karl Toko Ekambi who has five goals for Lyon so far.

Senegal defender and captain Kalidou Koulibaly produced a solid defensive performance that helped the Parthenopeans keep a clean sheet and grab their first group win.

The Serie A leaders surged to the summit of Group C with four points after three matches but Legia Warsaw remain unmoved at the top of the table, despite the loss.

At the end of the match, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti urged his players to maintain the performance they showed at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

"Forward we have talented players and we know that the goal can always come,” Spalletti told the club’s website. “But we must always keep balance during the game so that we can then have the possibility of looking for success until the end.

"The intelligence of my men is fundamental. When a player plays for others, he knows that he himself can benefit. This group had a desire for redemption after last year and is proving its worth.

"We are all playing for the same goal and we want to lead the way in Europe. We need to win the next few races to be able to aim for first place in the group."

Leon Balogun scored his first Uefa Europa League goal in Rangers' 2-0 triumph over Brondby on Thursday night.

Balogun's breakthrough in the European competition came just a few days after he broke his international duck for Nigeria in a 2022 World Cup qualifiers against the Central African Republic.

The Super Eagles centre-back started the game alongside his compatriot Joe Aribo and they ensured Steven Gerrard’s side get their Europa League campaign up and running with a crucial home victory.

In the 18th minute, Balogun rose highest to find the back of the net with James Tavernier's cross and it was also his first goal of the season for the Gers.

Shortly after the opening goal, Kemar Roofe made it 2-0 with his 30th-minute goal that sealed maximum points for the hosts at Ibrox Stadium.

The two teams struggled to find the back of the net after the restart but Balogun was replaced by new Super Eagles invitee Calvin Bassey while Zambia striker Fashion Sakala replaced Alfredo Morelos in the 71st minute.

Balogun made his first appearance in the Europa League back in November 2016 when he was at Mainz 05 and the encounter ended in a 6-1 loss to Anderlecht.

The victory came as a relief for the Premiership giants after they lost their first two matches to Lyon and Sparta Prague.

Mesut Ozil was left fuming following his second-half substitution during Fenerbahce's 2-2 draw with Royal Antwerp in Thursday's Europa League clash, with the ex-Germany star offering a public display of anger at the decision to take him off.

The former Arsenal playmaker kicked a clutch of water bottles at pitchside and threw his shirt off as he exited the game shortly after Pieter Gerkens had struck just beyond the hour mark for an ultimate match-saving point.

It meant that the spoils between the Super Lig side and the Belgian First Division A outfit were shared at Ulker Stadyumu - but it will be veteran star Ozil's actions that likely dominate discussion over the next few days.

What happened?

Having fought back from Mbwana Samatta's opener inside two minutes through an Enner Valencia double to lead, Fenerbahce were unable to find a third to put the game beyond reach before Gerkens tied things up again.

The equaliser came amid a poor performance for Ozil, who failed to register a shot, be it on or off-target, throughout the first two-thirds of the match, while the German also went throughout without providing a single key pass in attack.

Coach Vitor Pereira subsequently opted to hook him for Dimitrios Pelkas, prompting a furious response from the 33-year-old midfielder, who took his anger out on the water bottles as he exited the field, duly punting them before throwing off his shirt.

What has been said?

Speaking after the match, Pereira refused to condemn Ozil's actions, instead praising his performance in a game where his side struggled to hold onto the ball throughout, while conceding that he was unsure whether it was the right call.

"We needed more intensity and some fresh blood," he added. "Mesut did well today, he can do well on the ball but today we had difficulty in keeping possession. For sure I cannot know what would happen if we did not bring him off.”

The bigger picture

Ozil will hope that his outburst does not keep him from a starting berth when Fenerbahce get back to Super Lig action this coming weekend, when they face Alanyaspor.

Their draw in Group B however has left them facing an uphill task to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, with both Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympiacos more than three points ahead of them.

They could still yet prolong their continental exploits into the new year however, with a third-place finish set to see them transferred to the Europa Conference League knockout stages.

Further reading

Taiwo Awoniyi scored a goal as Union Berlin suffered a 3-1 defeat to Feyenoord in a Europa Conference League fixture on Thursday.

Awoniyi continued from where he stopped on Saturday when he opened the scoring for the Iron Ones in their 2-0 Bundesliga victory over Wolfsburg.

The 24-year-old has now scored two goals in the group stage of the European tournament, excluding the brace he scored against KuPS in a qualifying game back in August.

Feyenoord made a strong start to the encounter with Alireza Jahanbakhsh giving them the lead in the 11th minute, followed by another goal from Brian Linssen in the 29th minute.

Five minutes after the half-hour mark, Union Berlin responded and halved the deficit after Awoniyi met Christopher Trimmel's cross with a powerful header in the 35th minute.

The effort was Awoniyi's 10th goal for Urs Fischer's side this season as he continues to enjoy fine goalscoring form after his permanent departure from Liverpool in August.

The Super Eagles striker was later replaced in the 66th minute and their Dutch hosts went on to put the game beyond their reach with a third goal through Luis Sinisterra in the 76th minute.

Towards the end of the game, Nigeria striker Cyril Dessers made a cameo appearance for Feyenoord as he came on for Linssen in the 83rd minute.

The result was Union Berlin's second loss in Group E and they find themselves at the bottom of the table, even though they have registered a win.

The Bundesliga club is level on three points with Slavia Prague who suffered a 1-0 loss to Maccabi Haifa on Thursday while Feyenoord are at the top with seven points.

Before they host Feyenoord for their next group fixture on November 4, Awoniyi and his Union Berlin teammates will be focused on extending their three-game winning streak in the German top-flight when they travel to Stuttgart on Sunday.

Union Berlin sit in fifth spot on the Bundesliga table with 15 points after eight matches – four points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

One of the most anticipated games in club football is here this weekend. El Clasico history continues as Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou in Sunday's La Liga fixture.

Barcelona's 3-1 win over Valencia and the recent 1-0 result against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League has eased down the pressure on Ronald Koeman just ahead of the big spectacle. 

Carlo Ancelotti's side are starring at the summit position as they come into the tie on the back of a 5-0 thrashing metted out to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, before which they defeated Espanyol in the domestic circuit.

Here's how to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid in 2021-22 La Liga from India.

Contents

What time does the 2021-22 La Liga game between Barcelona and Real Madrid start?

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How to watch El Clasico on TV & live stream in India?

Viacom18 Media have won the rights to broadcast La Liga in India. 

The El Clasico can be streamed live on Voot in India. 

MTV, the flagship channel of Viacom18, will also air the El Clasico.

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Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Team news & key stats

A bunch of players from either sides are set to miss the game they wouldn't want to, with Barcelona reeling over a muscle injury to Pedri and a knee injury to Martin Braithwaite while Ronald Araujo and Ousmane Dembele are yet to be given a return date. 

However, there is a lot of talent on show with Sergio Aguero recently bagging some minutes since joining Barcelona, as Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati should feature in attack. Eric Garcia returns from suspension.

Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale are expectedly ruled out till November with an ankle and a knee injury respectively until November. Dani Carvajal, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Isco are also unlikely to make it to Camp Nou.

The front pair of Karim Benzema and Vinicius is one to definitely look out for, at the Real end.

Key Stats:

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Caf president Patrice Motsepe believes Ghana are capable of winning the World Cup at senior level.

Despite successes at youth stage, the West Africans have only qualified for the senior World Cup on three occasions, their best performance being a quarter-final finish at the 2010 edition in South Africa.

The Caf boss is currently in Ghana on a two-day working visit.

“Ghana has produced some of the best footballers in the world,” Motsepe said at a press conference in Accra on Thursday.

“This country has the talent and resources to produce a national team that can win the Afcon, but also win a World Cup.

“African football is one of the best in the world. We are confident African nations will do very well at the World Cup in Qatar [next year].

“We must stop being excessively pessimistic and negative (about the World Cup), there is no continent that has succeeded by dwelling on its failures. An African team must win the World Cup in the near future.”

Ghana made their World Cup debut at Germany 2006, making it out of a group containing eventual champions Italy, the Czech Republic, and the USA to the Round of 16 where they bowed to defending champions Brazil.

In 2010, the Black Stars went one step further, reaching the quarter-finals where they lost to Uruguay on penalties. At a point in that fateful game, Ghana were a penalty kick away from making history to reach the last four of the competition but Asamoah Gyan wasted the last-gasp opportunity.

Ghana made it to the global showpiece again in 2014 in Brazil but this time around suffered a first-round exit from a group that included Portugal, Germany and the USA.

“Very soon Ghana will be dominant on the African continent. Ghana must always be at the apex of the sport,” Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku said at Thursday’s press conference.

In 2018, Ghana missed out on qualification for the World Cup, losing the ticket to Egypt.

The Stars, now under new coach Milovan Rajevac, are currently in the running for a possible spot at next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Former Cape Town Spurs midfielder Brent Carelse says he was "disappointed” when Khama Billiat joined Kaizer Chiefs from Mamelodi Sundowns.

Billiat signed for Chiefs in July 2018 after a successful stint at Chloorkop but has not won a single piece of silverware since joining Amakhosi.

His former Cape Town Spurs teammate Carelse says the 31-year-old Zimbabwean has underachieved at Naturena.

“I think he underachieved to be honest because when I was with Khama at Ajax, I understood his move to Sundowns because nothing was happening for him in terms of Europe,” Carelse told Goal.

“Khama was hoping to get a European move which obviously didn't materialise. But when he went to Sundowns he did extremely well. He was their talisman. I always say this to everyone that was disappointed when Khama went to Chiefs because I thought from Sundowns he would be going to Al Ahly or Zamalek or teams like that and not another local team.

“Sundowns was already the best local team. Maybe he went to Chiefs for financial reasons, which is fine and at the end of the day, it is his decision. But I think I would have loved to see him going to Europe in the big leagues or one of those big teams in Africa like Zamalek because that boy is so talented.

“I have seen him do things that I have never seen any other players doing. He can win matches. I am sure that is why Kaizer Chiefs got him and have kept him. I would have loved to see him at a bigger club continental wise or in Europe playing Uefa Champions League. I’m not saying Chiefs are not a big club.”

With Billiat having struggled to recreate the form which saw him helping Sundowns to the 2016 Caf Champions League among other trophies, he faces possibly another season where Chiefs are struggling.

Amakhosi have been blowing hot and cold this season in the Premier Soccer League. They thumped Chippa United 4-0 last weekend.

Carelse feels Chiefs should not get carried away by that huge victory which he says does not mark an improvement in their fortunes. 

“I don’t think it’s a turnaround as yet. If you look at last season they picked up some points but the performance was not the best,” said Carelse

“A lot of people complained about how they played but they picked up some points. If you look you will see that 60 percent of that team is still there with Stuart [Baxter] using most of them. Billiat and Dolly’s combination and chemistry is coming back slowly but surely. 

“I saw Stuart saying he was the last coach to win something with Chiefs. But Chiefs and Pirates supporters want instant results. I don’t think it's unfair for them to ask for that because those are old clubs.”

Chiefs now prepare to visit SuperSport United for Sunday’s league game.

Goalkeepers may not get the same share of the plaudits as attackers do, but they are no less crucial to a team's fortunes in football.

As in real life, having a shotstopper who can pull off important saves is vital in FIFA 22 and it's usually a good idea to snap up a young talent or two to make sure you are covered in that position.

To help you on your way to glory in FIFA 22 Career Mode, Goal takes a look at the best young goalkeepers to buy on the game, ordered by their Potential Rating.

PO. = Position(s)

CR = Current Rating

PR = Potential Rating

VA. = Value

*Clubs listed are the clubs the players are assigned to in FIFA 21 Career Mode, while ages shown are the age at the start of Career Mode

FIFA 22: Best Young Goalkeepers

Genk's Maarten Vandervoordt was second only to Ilan Meslier in FIFA 21, but the Belgian is the best young goalkeeper in FIFA 22, with a potential rating of 87 in the game.

Cypriot goalkeeper Charis Chatzigavriel is not far behind Vandervoordt with 84 potential and he is available on free transfer in the game so could prove a shrewd investment.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is the most expensive of the best young goalkeepers on the game, but he is more or less ready for first-team action - as his involvement in the Valencia squad attests.

It should be noted that many of the high-potential goalkeepers in our list have relatively low current abilities, so they will need appropriate training and experience in order to improve.

However, on the flip side, many are valued at around £1 million or under and they can be loaned out in order to ensure they reach their potential.

Manchester City youngster Gavin Bazunu (potential ability: 83) is already a senior international with the Republic of Ireland and is among a select few who can claim to have saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

Atletico Madrid's Alejandro Iturbe is 17 at the beginning of the game and is valued at £750k, which is a bargain for a goalkeeper with a potential rating of 81.

Saint-Etienne's appropriately named goalkeeper Etienne Green is, like Mamardashvili, very close to first-team football calibre despite his relative youth and valued at just under £4 million.

More FIFA 22 news & updates

One supporter at Old Trafford on Wednesday got a little too carried away by Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics in a 3-2 victory for Manchester United over Atalanta, with the pitch-invading fan being wrestled to the ground after grabbing hold of the Portuguese superstar’s shirt.

A five-time Ballon d’Or winner was celebrating a thrilling success for the Red Devils on home soil, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side battling back from two goals down to claim three points in a morale-boosting success.

Ronaldo was once again the man to step up when inspiration was required on a continental stage, having already snatched a dramatic winner this season against Villarreal, and he was left lapping up more acclaim after producing a typically decisive display.

What happened?

Ronaldo helped to complete United’s turnaround when he powered home a towering header in the 81st minute.

At the full-time whistle, he was happy to express emotion to those in the stands and tuning in from afar.

While in the midst of those celebrations, a fleet-footed supporter broke through security and made a beeline for Ronaldo.

He just about reached the 36-year-old, getting a handful of his famous No.7 jersey, before being bundled to the turf – with Ronaldo shrugging off the incident and keeping his smile for the cameras.

Perfect response to critics

United had been questioned as a collective heading into their home date with Atalanta.

Ronaldo and Solskjaer had come in for criticism, with the latter said to be clinging to his job in the wake of a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Leicester in the Premier League.

The Red Devils were, however, to show that they still have plenty of fight left in them, with Ronaldo putting in the kind of energetic performance that some had said was now beyond him.

Solskjaer told reporters afterwards: "As a centre forward we asked him to run the channels, drop in, press more because we're at home, of course. We want to get the crowd behind us.

"Even he was down inside his own six-yard box towards the end defending, you could see him sprinting. He did everything a centre forward should be doing, leading the line and defending.

"If anyone wants to criticise him for work-rate or attitude, just watch this game. Watch how he runs around.

"And of course the goal is just what he does better than most. The header is not on a par with his Roma one but he's still got a leap and timing like no one else."

Further reading

Asisat Oshoala’s ambition in the Fifa technical advisory group is to ensure that African football gets to the ‘next level’.

The Nigeria and Barcelona star headlines the list of heavyweights set up by the football ruling body concerning the growth of the women's game globally.

Their discussions will include topics around competitive balance, increased opportunities for underserved nations, a Fifa Women's Club World Cup, the Fifa international windows and the possibility of a biennial Fifa Women's World Cup, which has generated contrasting arguments recently.

In a no holds barred chat with Goal, the four-time African Women’s Player of the Year gushes about her inclusion in the group that will be led by former two-time World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis.

More importantly, she reveals what her roles would be and what she intends to achieve, having found a ‘bigger platform’ where her voice will be heard.

“As a young player growing up, I went through a lot of things because of my environment regarding women’s football,” the 27-year-old told Goal.

“I have always been a person who likes to make things right which was why I set up my foundation as well without being noticed.

“I am really happy to be a part of this technical group, I am really happy to share my ideas and what I feel is happening in Africa as it concerns football.

“At the end of the day, it is to bring forward the errors and what is making us stay back with the ambition of making things better. The goal is to make African football get to the next level.”

“When you stay in some certain communities, sometimes you need the bigger platform to raise your opinion, to lay your complaints so that people can actually come in and help you,” she continued.

“I have a good relationship with Caf committees and all that, but I feel this Fifa [committee] is a bigger one.

“I didn’t ask for this neither did I apply, so for them to contact me to ask me to be a part of this, they would have seen a thing or two about me and what I have been doing so far.”

Most probably the greatest African women’s footballer of all time owing to her trophy-laden career, Oshoala who represented Liverpool and Arsenal, has been an exponent on empowering girls football in Africa.