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New Yanga SC goalkeeping coach Razak Siwa insists it will not be difficult for him to settle at the club considering the fact that he has been an ardent follower.

The former Bandari staff member opted to join the 27-time Tanzania Mainland League champions after his contract with the Football Kenya Federation Premier League charges ended. He has since explained why it will be easier for him to adapt, pointing out why the club has developed well in the recent past.

"I have been closely following Yanga, there is no club game I did not watch from the Mapinduzi Cup, league matches, and the FA Cup; I watched every game so it will not be difficult for me to fit in," Siwa told Goal after the confirmation of his appointment. 

"Yanga, to be honest, is a quality team starting from the goalkeeper to the infield players. It is a better team as compared to my last time with the club. 

"The working environment is conducive for the players and everyone. The equipment is also there. I have been in many teams and what I have seen here is exceptional."

Siwa has now promised to give his best for Timu ya Wananchi at the same time insisting the Jangwani Street-based charges should focus on winning every match.

"I will definitely help the head coach on a few things but my main job will be in the goalkeeping department," he added. "There are a few mistakes I noted and it will be my pleasure to find a solution.  

"As usual, I promise my fans the best; my work is well known to the fans. If I would have done a bad job in the past, then I would not have gotten another chance to work with the team. Just like the old times, I will do my best to ensure the department has improved. By doing that, Yanga will have a better chance of winning their forthcoming matches.  

"The most important thing is to ensure we don't lose or draw, we should give our best and ensure we take maximum points from the games we play."

In many ways, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been a story of self-sufficiency amid quite a few challenges including an economic blockade and a global pandemic. 

The Middle-East nation has found ways to deliver world-class facilities, relying on its own resources and expertise, for the global footballing extravaganza. 

Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has already managed to unveil four of the eight planned venues for the World Cup. While work on the fifth stadium is complete, it is progressing on schedule at the remaining three. 

And playing a key role in the work at these stadiums is Qatari engineering firm Coastal, which incidentally is headed by CEO Nishad Azeem who hails from Kochi, India. Coastal, established in 1979, is a leading engineering firm in Qatar and has played a huge role in developing Doha into a sporting hub of the area, right from 2006 when the Asian Games was held there. 

For the 2022 World Cup, Coastal played a key role in the redevelopment of the Khalifa International stadium where they were involved in the fabrication, supply and delivery of secondary structural steel work and cladding. 

But more importantly, the firm installed premium hospitality seats and seats for the redeveloped accessibility areas in the stadium. This meant that SC, in 2017, tasked Coastal with the job of installing spectator seats for six more World Cup venues - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, Lusail Stadium and Ras Abu Aboud Stadium. 

And so far, the results have been spectacular.

“For Al Janoub, you see the sea waves, or at Ahmad Bin Ali, you have the lion’s head. All these colour patterns were developed by Coastal at a very early stage,” Coastal’s Project Manager, Emad Izmegna, told sc.qa in an interview. 

“We provided a few options to SC management and officials, and they selected the colour patterns you see now in the stadiums. We then manufactured the seats accordingly.”

They started from scratch and now have the capacity to produce 600 seats per day at the company's highly-sophisticated manufacturing facility. They were supported financially by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) inline with Qatar's National Vision 2030 in promoting local manufacturing. 

"When we were awarded the contracts, rather than become an agency for the seats or become a trader, we wanted to add value and do something that is made in Qatar. We wanted the fans to feel the pride of sitting in Made in Qatar seats. And when you export it outside to other countries, having the name Qatar on it was something we were excited about," said Nishad Azeem, the CEO. 

"Of course, it was a huge challenge. The manufacturing wasn't there, the eco-system wasn't there. A lot of people were laughing at us saying we don't have the technology, machinery or know-how. When we proposed the idea of building the seats in Qatar, we had huge support from the SC. The vision of the leadership to support and promote the local companies and contribute towards the growth of the country and the World Cup was commendable. 

"It was a brave decision from SC to give a company without a manufacturing capability the contract but we built that and we have delivered on schedule and hopefully, we continue to do that with the remaining stadiums as well."

And Coastal's manufacturing also takes care in implementing sustainable practices which sits in with SC's vision for Qatar 2022 as well. 

"We don’t waste anything from the plastic,” said Azeem. “Sometimes, we have rejections, or when we are changing colours, we have some seats that end up being mixed colours. All that is recycled and we have a team that does all that.”

Luke Shaw has admitted he used to show Gareth Southgate and the England national team insufficient attention and has only recently come to understand the gravity of representing his country.

The left-back said he used to let his conditioning fall below acceptable levels and "pulled out of a lot of camps" amid a period of personal turmoil that saw him spend more than two years away from the Three Lions.

After keeping in touch with Southgate and improving his club form at Manchester United, Shaw has been called up this month for World Cup qualifiers and is fully embracing his second chance.

What has been said?

"I've a few massive regrets and I couldn't stop thinking of the mistakes that I made in the past, especially with England," Shaw told reporters. "I pulled out of a lot of camps.

"Around that time, I was maybe not in the best condition but I think over the last two years I've thought about it so much - that was my biggest regret.

"And yeah, of course, letting Gareth [Southgate] down. I tried to keep in touch with him just to let him know that things had changed.

"He's said he's picked me on merit and how I've been performing.

"The past is the past and hopefully we've forgotten about that now and can just focus on the future and I want to keep impressing him.

"I think playing for your country is a massive privilege and an honour and I think at times I took advantage of that.

"I didn't really think about it too much but of course now I just want to forget the mistakes I've made in the past and Gareth's done that so we're just focusing on the future and obviously what's happening now."

When do the Three Lions play next?

England will finish the international break on Wednesday with a World Cup qualifier against a Poland team missing Robert Lewandowski to injury.

Further reading

India will head home from Dubai with contrasting experiences from their two friendly matches which they played against Oman and UAE on March 25 and March 29 respectively.

While against Oman, the Blue Tigers showed character and fought valiantly to hold them to a 1-1 draw, against UAE they received a harsh reality check as they suffered a thrashing 6-0 defeat at the hands of the hosts.

Coach Igor Stimac, as expected, had made eight changes in the starting lineup against UAE as only Akash Mishra, Suresh Wangjam and Manvir Singh were retained from the team which played against Oman.

Right from the off, India were simply no match for UAE as Bert van Marwijk's side looked superior in every department, whether it be physical strength or technicality. Stimac once again fielded the team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Anirudh Thapa operating in the hole behind number nine Manvir Singh.

The UAE attackers simply toyed with the Indian defenders and India's strategy of playing a high-line defence with slow centre-backs helped their cause. Mashoor Shereef partnered Adil Khan at the heart of the backline and while the NorthEast United defender made his debut against Oman he had only come out on the pitch in the injury time. Shereef's inexperience and Adil's rustiness at the back hurt India's cause and the communication gap between the two was evident. 

The Croatian coach made quite a few changes in the second half in hope of turning things around a bit but UAE further held India by the scruff of their neck and score four more goals in the second 45 minutes.

In fact, he had gone on the attack, removing Lalengmawia and sending in striker Ishan Pandita.

After the Oman game, Stimac had mentioned that he was unhappy with his team's first half performance as they could control the game at the centre of the park and lost possession very easily. The performance against UAE showed that India did not learn their lesson as they could not string more than three passes throughout the game.

In the end, it was just a friendly match and Stimac was out there to experiment with a new batch of young players. The experience of playing against top teams for the youngsters was more important than the result and that is something the players got from this tour. But conceding 6 goals was still a bitter pill to swallow for Stimac's boys.

Before the friendly matches, the coach had mentioned that without playing against quality oppositions, the team will never learn and improve. Thus, the experience of playing against teams like Oman and UAE will give the young Indian players a fair idea of how challenging the international arena is compared to playing matches against weaker opponents. 

One thing Stimac would have learnt from this match is that he must handle youth and experience in a careful manner in his team selection for the future, with most of them lacking the composure to bring a semblance of calm to the proceedings.

The important thing now is that the Indian players build on this experience and instead of getting demoralised, they must come back stronger in June when they face Asian giants Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers and give a strong account of themselves.

Mohamed Salah has put his issues with centre-back Sergio Ramos in the past, at least publicly, as he prepares to face Real Madrid on April 6 in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The forward said he no longer thinks about his shoulder dislocation caused by a coming together with Ramos in the competition's 2018 final, which forced him to watch Liverpool's 3-1 defeat from the dressing room.

Instead of dwelling on what occurred in Kyiv, Salah has devoted himself to securing a better result against Real Madrid this time around.

What has been said?

"That game is in the past, so I don't think about [what happened with Ramos]," Salah told Marca. "I'm thinking about the team. Everyone is focused on their team and everyone wants to win... that's it.

"Let's just say that I have special motivation to win the tie and go through to the semi-finals. What's going to happen now isn't going to change the result of the final in Kyiv. That's in the past.

"I think we're both strong. Both teams have won their last two games in the Champions League. Both teams are prepared. It's a special competition and both teams are doing well in it."

Bigger picture

The incident between Salah and Ramos will no doubt be talked up as one of the most intriguing sub-plots of the quarter-finals, regardless of how the players try to minimise it.

They remain central figures to their respective sides even as so much has happened in the interim - Liverpool have gone on to win the Champions League and Premier League and Real Madrid have won La Liga and several domestic cups since their 2018 meeting. Positionally, of course, they will be locked in a direct battle.

But the stakes entering the first leg of the quarter-final are far greater than gaining ground in a personal feud.

"I hope to be doing the same thing that I've been doing in recent years," Salah said. "Winning trophies, scoring goals, helping my team win trophies... That's the most important thing for me."

Further reading

Riyad Mahrez scored a goal as Algeria thrashed Botswana 5-0 and they ended their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign without losing a match.

After missing the Desert Foxes' 3-3 draw with Zambia on Thursday, the 30-year-old returned to Algeria's starting XI at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium on Monday.

Although the reigning African champions already secured qualification for next year's tournament in Cameroon, the victory stretched their dominance in Group H as they comfortably sit atop of the table and it also stretched their unbeaten run to 24 matches since losing to Benin in October 2018.

They ended their qualifying campaign with 14 points from six matches - four wins and two draws, and Zimbabwe picked up the second qualifying ticket in the group after gathering eight points from the same number of matches.

Real Betis right-back Aissa Mandi started the party in Bilda with his opening goal in the 24th minute which separated both teams until the 58th minute as Botswana tried to hold the hosts back.

After the restart, Galatasaray star Sofiane Feghouli doubled the lead for Algeria two minutes before the hour-mark and Mahrez made it 3-0 with his strike from the penalty spot in the 64th minute.

Baghdad Bounedjah also found the back of the net alongside Metz's Farid Boulaya who opened his goal account for Algeria to complete the rout in the 88th minute.

Monday’s victory was the second time Algeria defeated a team 5-0 in Group H, after their win against Zambia in their first qualifying game two years ago.

The Desert Foxes are also the highest scoring team in the 2022 Afcon qualifying series with 19 goals in total after six games and they conceded six goals.

Elsewhere in Harare, Patson Daka continued his fine goalscoring form for Zambia with a brace which gave them a 2-0 victory over hosts Zimbabwe.

His contributions were not enough as the 2012 African champions could not qualify for Cameroon 2022 after they picked up seven points from six matches. Last Thursday, the RB Salzburg striker scored two goals as Chipolopolo held Algeria to a 3-3 draw in Lusaka.

He is the top scorer in Group H with five goals followed by Algeria duo Bounedjah and Mahrez with four and three goals respectively.

Mohamed Salah has declined to pledge his future to Liverpool, saying a potential move elsewhere as soon as this summer is "not up to me".

Though still prolific in front of net this campaign, the 29-year-old has endured his most difficult stretch with the Reds as the club has dropped to seventh in the Premier League, and perceived friction from that experience has led to speculation about a possible exit.

Salah has at times appeared at odds with Jurgen Klopp, most recently showing disdain at being subbed off against Chelsea three weeks ago. The Egyptian, who has netted 17 league goals this year, described his relationship with the manager as "professional" but stopped short of a full endorsement.

What has been said?

Salah spoke to Marca ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash with Real Madrid and answered questions related to his future with the Reds.

"It's not up to me [whether I stay]," Salah told the publication. "We'll see what happens but I prefer not to talk about that now.

"[My relationship with Klopp] is a normal relationship between two professionals. That's how I'd describe it."

Near the end of the interview, Salah left the door open to a potential Spain move, however he didn't suggest such a switch was imminent.

"I hope to be able to play for many more years," Salah said. "Why not? No one knows what's going to happen in the future, so... maybe one day [I will play in in Spain], yes."

Further reading

Roberto Firmino is under consideration for Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal after returning to training.

The Brazil international has been absent from Liverpool’s past three games on account of a knee injury.

However, he was pictured taking part in a team session at Liverpool’s training ground on Monday.

Liverpool’s update

The Reds’ club snapper was in excellent form, as he caught Firmino in prime shape during training.

Under the caption, "Bobby being Bobby", Firmino is seen looking the other way while executing a perfect nutmegged pass.

Klopp in high spirits

It’s been a tough season for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, whose side have mounted a miserable defence of their Premier League title.

Injuries have not helped, with star defender Virgil van Dijk absent since October with a knee injury, but the Reds remain in the hunt for the Champions League and he looked upbeat during the session.

The German had time to share a joke with goalkeeper Alisson, who returned to training without his customary beard - but the moustache remained - drawing comparisons with legendary Reds striker Ian Rush.

Big week ahead for Liverpool

The Reds have an outside chance of securing a place in the top four, they trail Chelsea by five points, and cannot afford a slip up against Arsenal on Saturday.

Following the trip to north London, Liverpool face Real Madrid away in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Further reading

Marcus Rashford has described Jadon Sancho as his favourite player in the Bundesliga, but sidestepped an attempt to lure him into acting as an agent to sign the Borussia Dortmund man for Manchester United.

With a lull in club football due to the international break and Rashford absent from England duty due to injury, he opened up a Q&A on Twitter.

The United star answered questions on a range of topics, and split the nation on his views on where he keeps his tomato ketchup, with Dortmund forward Sancho featuring on a couple of occasions.

What was said?

When asked if he would like to play with Sancho, Rashford replied: “I do with England.”

In answering so diplomatically, Rashford shot down any chance of setting off a Rashford-makes-effort-to-lure-Sancho-to-United media storm.

But it appears Rashford has been keeping an eye on his fellow England international, as in response to being asked who is his favourite player in the Bundesliga, he said: “Sancho.” 

Rashford's thoughts on Aguero

In light of the news that Sergio Aguero would be leaving Manchester City this summer, Goal asked Rashford where he ranked the Argentine among the Premier League greats.

Rashford responded: “Very close to the top. Just look at his record.”

Rashford responds

Rashford was asked a range of questions, some better than others. 

Here’s a snapshot of the best of them:

Further reading

Sergio Aguero's announcement that he will leave Manchester City after the season has prompted an outpouring of reactions from players and fans around England.

The 32-year-old has left such a bold mark on the Premier League that even rivals have recognised his impact, with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford saying on Monday that he is "very close to the top" of all-time great forwards in the division.

Aguero ranks fourth on the Premier League goalscoring list and has banged in shots at the most crucial times, including a dramatic, league-winning strike in 2012. He can add to his legacy before he exits by helping the Citizens push for their first Champions League trophy.

What are people saying about Aguero?

What has Aguero said?

“A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole ten seasons - unusual for a professional player in this day and age,” the forward wrote on social media.

“Ten seasons with major achievements, throughout which I was able to become the top historic goalscorer and forging an indestructible bond with all those who love this club - people who will always be in my heart.

Further reading

The likes of Norway and Germany were involved in protests directly related to Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup during their March 2021 international qualifying matches, taking a stand in support of human rights.

So why are they protesting Qatar, which other teams were involved and what's the situation been like? Goal takes a look.

Why are teams protesting Qatar?

Teams are protesting to speak out against alleged human rights violations taking place in the country due to host the 2022 World Cup.

There have been multiple reports of violations against migrants in the country, with The Guardian revealing in February that over 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died since Qatar won the bid to host the tournament in 2010.

They found that Qatar's intense summer heat and the intense working conditions are likely to have played a significant part in the deaths.

Though the report states that death records in a country are not categorised by occupation, Nick McGeehan, a director at FairSquare Projects (an advocacy group that advocates for labour rights in the Gulf) stated that there is a very high possibility that the workers who died had been working on building for the 2022 World Cup.

“A very significant proportion of the migrant workers who have died since 2011 were only in the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup,” McGeehan said.

Which teams have staged protests?

Norway, the Netherlands and Germany were involved in protesting Qatar's human rights record before their World Cup 2022 qualifiers in March.

Norway started the protest against their match against Gibraltar on March 24, wearing shirts in the warm-up which read: "Human rights on and off the pitch" before they faced Gibraltar and Turkey in World Cup qualifying.

Germany donned t-shirts that spelled out "Human Rights" before they clashed with Iceland.

Norway coach Staale Solbakken revealed the reasoning behind his team's protesting, saying that the goal was to "pressure on FIFA to be even more direct, even firmer with the authorities in Qatar, to impose stricter requirements".

Netherlands boss Frank de Boer said similar sentiments and even addressed the question of whether or not his side would protest the human rights violations even further by simply refusing to participate in the 2022 tournament.

"A lot of attention is now focused on whether we should go there if we qualify," he said after the game.

"It is right to ask that question. Everyone knows that what is happening there is not good.

"Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have said that if we go there, we can better promote the cause."

What have FIFA said?

A spokesperson for FIFA said in a statement, along with evidence: “With the very stringent health and safety measures on site … the frequency of accidents on FIFA World Cup construction sites has been low when compared to other major construction projects around the world."

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has offered his support for under-pressure England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd after the squad lost its first two matches of the European Championship group stage.

The Young Lions couldn't manage a shot on target in their 2-0 defeat to Portugal on Sunday, having lost their opening match to Switzerland last week.

England can still advance with a win by two goals over Croatia in the final match, but they need Portugal to beat Switzerland in the other Group D match.

Unless that happens, the tournament campaign will rank as a major disappointment for a team featuring players from Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

What has Nketiah said?

Having been named captain by Boothroyd ahead of the tournament, England Under-21s record goal scorer stepped up to take the press conference in difficult circumstances.

"We knew Portugal were a great side and that Switzerland were a good side but we were well prepared and it is down to us," Nketiah told reporters.

"We know we have the quality and it is just about producing it and the little details that are missing for us. That care and detail in the passing and creating is all a bit slow. We have got to look at ourselves and take chances in the transition when we have them.

"We have to learn, improve and try to finish strongly. The one thing we can all agree on is that we know what it means to represent your country. It wasn't for lack of trying. We just lacked that bit of quality when creating.

"Aidy has done brilliantly for all of us. When we were winning in qualifying, there wasn't as much attention on him. As players, we have to all look at ourselves first and foremost. We all know the quality that we have and we haven't lived up to that or played to the best of our abilities, either individually or collectively."

What has Boothroyd said?

"We do have players playing in the Premier League, Championship, Eredivisie and Bundesliga," Boothroyd said in Ljubljana. "I think we have players in all kinds of games. There might be something in the number of games they play [which is why they underperform] which I think is valid to come at me.

"They play Europa League, Champions League and it may be a bridge too far for some in terms of physical output. We don't take it too lightly in terms of the preparation and trouble that goes into it. Any tournament we go into, we want to reach the latter stages as that's where we learn most.

"I don't think any of our lads or staff are taking it lightly. We haven't got time to sulk or moan. We haven't created or scored anywhere near enough in the last two games. We have to get to the bottom of that. The last game is vital to show we can perform and we can win a game.

"When pressed over his future, Boothroyd added: "The only answer I can give is that I have been fortunate to have some massive highs and lows. I have had that in the rest of my career like losing in Play-Off finals, this is right up there with that and it does hurt because you always want to win.

"I have to do my job and pick the lads up, the staff up and if we can't go through, we want to finish on a high. Whilst there is still hope, we have to have a go."

Does Boothroyd deserve criticism?

Not only is Boothroyd being criticised for the 2021 campaign, but he also fell short in 2019 where a team with Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Tammy Abraham, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Maddison also exited at the group stage of the Euros.

England have become excited about the latest generation of footballers emerging from the country but that hype hasn't translated into success at the U21 level.

Further reading

Marcus Rashford has revealed that he considers Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane to be the best African player he's encountered in the  Premier League.

Taking to social media on Monday evening, the Manchester United forward asked his 4.3-million strong followers to suggest questions for him to reply to during a Twitter Q&A session.

Goal Africa duly responded, and grilled the Red Devils hitman on which African player in the top flight has been the greatest that he’s faced since making his Prem debut in 2015.

“I think there’s some great African talent in [the] league at [the] moment,” Rashford wrote on his @MarcusRashford handle. “Mane particularly.”

It’s remarkable acclaim for the Senegal forward, particularly considering some of the African talents that Rashford has crossed paths with in the top flight.

Since his Premier League career began in 2015, he’s overlapped with some of the continent’s all-time greatest players including Yaya Toure, Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but it’s Mane who got the nod in Monday's Q&A.

Certainly, the former Southampton man has been an overwhelming success in the top flight—and indeed, one of the league’s outstanding players—in the six years since Rashford made his bow in the Prem.

During that period, 28-year-old Mane has won both the league title and the Champions League with Liverpool, while clinching the Prem’s Golden Boot in the 2018-19 season when he scored 22 goals.

While Mane finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2019, he was named African Footballer of the Year in that same year, eclipsing Salah.

On four occasions since 2015, Mane has made the Confederation of African Football’s Team of the Year, while he was also named in the Pfa Team of the Year in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

This year, for the first time since 2018, Rashford’s United appear primed to finish ahead of Mane and Liverpool in the Premier League table.

With nine games to play, the Red Devils sit second on 57 points—14 behind leaders Manchester City—while Liverpool are down in seventh on 46 points.

It's been a disappointing season for the reigning champions, but Mane has nonetheless demonstrated his qualities on occasion this term.

He currently has seven goals in 26 league outings so far, and has also weighed in with four assists.

Jeremy Sarmiento is on his way out of Benfica, with the player’s father confirming a pre-contract has been agreed with a Premier League club.

The winger was on Charlton’s books as a teenager, before making the move to Benfica in 2018.

He has had little chance to shine under Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, which has angered the player’s father, and a move to a Premier League club awaits.

What has been said?

"We’ve signed a pre-contract with a Premier League team,” Leonel Sarmiento told Record.

Sarmiento senior has been unimpressed with how Jesus and Benfica have handled his son’s career, who he feels has had a wasted year.

“As is well known, there are many players at Benfica, the coach Jorge Jesus does not give opportunities to youngsters in training and it is better to leave," he said. 

“A Premier League team wanted Jeremy in the winter transfer window, paying the amounts related to the deal and offering Benfica 20 per cent of a future transfer. I don’t know what happened, but Benfica didn’t accept it. 

“They said Jeremy would have to stay until June. We will be out of play for about a year. 

“We have to wait until June. When it’s over, we’re going to England.”

Sarmiento’s career path

At 18, he has plenty of time to forge a successful career but things have stalled at Benfica.

The speedy winger was tipped for big things, having been tracked by the likes of Manchester City while he was at Charlton.

It appears Sarmiento, who has represented the Three Lions at Under-17 level, is on his way back to England and will hope for better fortune than he’s had in Portugal.

Further reading

Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has sent a stern warning to Arsenal and Real Madrid with two goals against Comoros.

The two-time African Player of the Year found the net twice in the first half as the Pharaohs silenced Les Coelacantes 4-0 in Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

With both teams already through to Cameroon 2022, they took to the Cairo International Stadium for national pride as well as to determine the winners of Group G.

Fuelled by the barrage of criticism that greeted their lacklustre 1-1 draw in Kenya on Thursday, Hossam El Badry’s men produced some fine attacking play to down the Afcon debutants.

Fifteen minutes into the encounter, Mohamed Elneny put his side ahead after the Arsenal midfielder collected a pass from Mohamed Magdy at the edge of the box, and rolled a beauty past a stranded goalkeeper Ali Ahamada.

Two minutes later, Magdy turned provider for Al Ahly’s Mohamed Sherif who gave Egypt a two-goal advantage.

In a goal-laden opening 45 minutes, Salah made it three for the North Africans in the 21st minute after drilling a left-footed shot past Ahamada courtesy of Sherif’s pass.

Four minutes later, he completed his brace. This time, it was Magdy who supplied the assist as Salah slotted the ball home after rounding the goalkeeper.

Thanks to his efforts against Amir Abdou, he is now Egypt’s second-highest goalscorer of all time. With 43 goals from 69 games, he surpasses Hassan El Shazly's tally of 42 for the national team.

Nonetheless, he is 25 shy of Hossam Hassan’s 68 goals – a feat achieved in 176 outings between 1985-2006.

Egypt, as a result of this victory, finished as Group G winners with 12 points from six games, while Comoros are runners-up with nine.

Salah would be hoping to reproduce this form when he leads the attack of Jurgen Klopp’s side in their Premier League encounter with Arsenal on Saturday, April 3 at the Emirates Stadium.

The reigning English kings are seventh on the log after accruing 46 points from 29 matches in the 2020-21 campaign.

Three days after taking on the Gunners, they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid – a game where the Egypt international is likely to be one of the key protagonists.

Manchester City have announced that striker Sergio Aguero will leave the club at the end of the season.

The Argentinian is out of contract in the summer and the club have confirmed that he will to sign a new deal.

Aguero, who joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, is sure to attract the interest of a number of top clubs with Barcelona and Paris St-Germain linked with potential moves for the 320-year-old.

More to follow