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Christian Eriksen says he never “wanted to escape” Inter after struggling to make an immediate impact at San Siro, but admits that his early difficulties in Italy were “annoying”.

The Denmark international midfielder completed a switch to the Serie A heavyweights from Tottenham during the winter transfer window of 2020.

A slow start was made to life in new surroundings, with a spark going missing in his game, and further exit talk surfaced as the Nerazzurri reportedly considered cutting their losses.

What has been said?

Eriksen maintains that a move was never on the cards, with the 29-year-old playmaker telling TV2 Sport: “It was the hardest and most demanding season of my career.

“It was like going up and down continuously, but now I feel like I have recovered well.

“Not because I wanted to escape, I really wanted to fight for my place and I always have. I was sure that if my chance came, I would probably try to grab it.

“It was mentally difficult. I came to Inter to play football and, when you aren’t allowed to do it, it’s annoying.

“Off the pitch it was absolutely fantastic. Milan is a beautiful city and the family is fine. It was only on the pitch that something was missing.

“Being an Inter player has always been nice, but the best moment is being able to play more. I’m having a great time, I was good at isolating myself and concentrating.

“For an incredible number of days, after training and games, I trained more. A free kick, a shot on target, I had the opportunity to train more because I didn’t play much.”

Eriksen added: “I understand many things in Italian and knowing the language helps me to understand what the coach wants.

“Honestly, I haven’t practised Italian too much. The 2020-21 season was suspended due to Covid and I have a child at home. I had to manage multiple commitments.”

Eriksen’s record at Inter

Eriksen saw just eight Serie A starts and 700 minutes of top-flight action on the back of his high-profile move to Milan.

He has only been included in Antonio Conte’s starting XI in nine league fixtures this season, but has started to show what he is capable of.

A match-winning free kick was crashed home in a Coppa Italia derby date with AC Milan in January, with that strike helping to raise Eriksen’s morale.

That remains his only domestic effort of the season, though, and the target has been found just five times through 50 games for Inter.

A man who established a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most prolific assist providers during his time at Spurs has also seen creativity in his game dry up.

Eriksen has only teed up three efforts for team-mates across 14 months at San Siro, but is on course to help the Nerazzurri to title glory in 2021 and a first medal of his career since leaving Ajax.

Further reading

Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt says one of the biggest challenges he's had this season is to find consistency in his striking department.

While some of Amakhosi's forwards have struggled for form, injuries have also been a major factor.

Samir Nurkovic, Chiefs' top scorer last season with 14 goals in all competitions, only returned to the side midway through the season, while Khama Billiat, the kind of player who can win a match with a moment of individual brilliance, has been missing since he cracked a bone in his leg in a league match against Maritzburg United on January 9.

Leonardo Castro has shown patches of promise this season but has also had some injury issues.

Happy Mashiane has recently added to the Chiefs attack with his pace and skill on the left flank, but the likes of Bernard Parker and Lebogang Manyama have not made the kind of contributions they are capable of. Right-wing Dumisani Zuma is another who has been held back by injury. Zambian striker Lazarous Kambole has barely contributed at all.

When asked by the media this week about the club's recent decision to part ways with midfield playmaker Siphelele Ntshangase, Hunt revealed he has bigger concerns in other areas of the pitch, namely up front.

“We’re speaking more about the strikers. That’s pretty much where the biggest concern is," the four-time PSL title-winning coach said.

Hunt was speaking ahead of the Glamour Boys' Caf Champions League Group C clash with Petro de Luanda at the  Estadio 11 de Novembro on Tuesday evening (6 pm kick off South African time)

“It will be very difficult‚ especially in the forward line where we haven’t had enough‚ certainly‚ with [Leonardo] Castro and [Khama] Billiat out," he said.

“Billiat’s been out half the season‚ Castro’s missed a lot of games as well‚ and then obviously Nurkovic missed most of the first round too.

“So we haven’t really had much to find a way [to achieve consistency]. Certainly what they had last season was much more consistency in the team selection because of exactly what I’ve spoken about.

“Then you’re trying to find a way that suits the players you are playing with‚ and it hasn’t been easy - especially in the front line."

Hunt also revealed that Nurkovic is not fully fit, and with the Soweto derby on Sunday against Orlando Pirates ahead, he has a tough call to make regarding his starting line-up for the match in the Angolan capital.

The importance of winning one's home matches in the Caf Confederation Cup is the message ex-Bucs star Benedict "Tso" Vilakazi has for Orlando Pirates ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Nigerian outfit Enyimba at the Orlando Stadium.

The Buccaneers began their Group A campaign last weekend with a credible 0-0 draw against Algerian club ES Setif, a match which was played on neutral territory in Ghana (although it was counted as Setif's home game).

Now the Sea Robbers will be looking to go one better and register the first win of their Group A campaign, by beating a strong Enyimba side, who are top of the group after a 2-1 victory over Libyan club Al Ahli Benghazi.

And with tough away fixtures yet to come, Vilakazi has underlined the importance of Bucs winning on their own home turf in Soweto. He also believes that a good performance will be beneficial to Pirates ahead of the weekend - they face arch-enemies Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Sunday.

“The derby will be played at the weekend, but it’s time for the players to put their focus on the Confederation Cup. They must focus on it and use it to build confidence for the derby. Pirates have the quality needed to beat Enyimba," the former Bafana Bafana playmaker told the Sowetan.

"It’s up to the players how they will treat this game. They did well by taking a point away from home against Setif. The home game is a must-win for them. If you don’t win your home matches you won’t progress to the knockout stages."

Vilakazi has also highlighted that matches between Nigerian clubs and South African teams have over the years carried extra needle and are often of a high intensity.

“Bucs must aim for the three points. Bafana v Nigeria games are competitive and no-one wants to lose. Nigerian clubs do not like losing to SA [clubs] and SA [clubs] do not like losing to them," he said.

"It is a rivalry. It is going to be a physical contest, but Bucs have speed and enough quality and depth on the bench to win the game."

Fifa president Gianni Infantino is optimistic NFF president Amaju Pinnick will make a meaningful contribution to the development of football after his election as a member of the Fifa Council.

Pinnick clinched the highly coveted seat after defeating Malawian FA president Walter Nyamilandu during the 43rd Caf General Assembly in Rabat.

The 50-year-old, thus, became the third Nigerian administrator to achieve the feat after Oyo Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu.

Pinnick along with Egypt's Hany Abou Rida, Morocco's Fouzi Lekjaa, Mali's Mamoutou Toure, Benin's Mathurin De Chacus and Sierra Leone's Aisha Johansen will be representing Africa in the highest decision-making organisation of the world football governing body.

Infantino has praised the victory of the NFF boss and looks forward to working with him as he aims to take football across the world to a greater height.

“I would like herewith to reiterate my warmest congratulations to you for your election as Member of the Fifa Council, at the 43 Caf Ordinary and Elective General Assembly, held on Friday in Rabat,” Infantino said.

“I have no doubt that your experience, your knowledge, not to mention your passion, your sense of consensus and your personal qualities, will help you to meet future challenges at the service of the world football community.

“I am convinced that, as Fifa Council Member, you will make an important contribution to Fifa and, most importantly, to the development of our sport, which unites us all.

“Sending you my best wishes of luck, courage and success for all the challenges that lie ahead, I look forward, dear Pinnick, to working with you already at the next meeting of the Fifa Council, which will be held by videoconference this Friday, 19 March.”

Pinnick is currently serving his second term in office as president of the Nigeria Football Federation after he was re-elected in 2018.

The Delta-born administrator served as Caf vice-president Ahmad Ahmad's administration between September 2018 and July 2019, before he was removed.

The Nigeria national team has recorded a few successes since Pinnick has been in charge of the NFF, qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with ease and finishing third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Edinson Cavani has revealed that he could have ended up at Manchester United 10 years prior to his eventual arrival at Old Trafford in 2020, with the Red Devils expressing interest during his time at Palermo.

Back then, the Uruguayan striker was just starting out in European football and showcasing predatory instincts that have made him a prolific option for the likes of Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain.

A move to England was finally made after dropping into the free agent pool at 33 years of age, with a Premier League challenge taken on a decade after the prospect of making such a switch first materialised.

What has been said?

Cavani, who joined Napoli on an initial loan agreement in 2010, has told Inside United on past interest from Manchester: “Just imagine it!

“I can’t remember exactly what happened. I do remember there was talk about one or two different teams, but hey, if I’d had that opportunity [to join United], I would have taken it, of course I would, without giving it a second thought.

“I don’t remember definitively if that was the case. But what I do remember is that I was due to travel to the World Cup in South Africa, and during that tournament, I had a conversation with Napoli, and well, told them if they had faith in me and wanted me to go there, trust and confidence are worth a lot to me, and so I made my decision and after Palermo I made the move to Napoli.”

Cavani’s record in front of goal

The now 34-year-old frontman hit 37 goals for Palermo through 117 appearances, having made a move to Italy from Danubio in January 2007.

He would go on to find the target on 104 occasions at Napoli, earning himself a big-money switch to PSG in the process.

A record-setting spell in France delivered 200 goals in 301 games, with nobody to have graced the books at Parc des Princes able to better that haul.

Seven efforts have been added to his career tally since joining United, while 51 strikes have been recorded while earning 118 caps for his country.

The bigger picture

Cavani is sparking talk of another move being made at present, as no extension option has been taken up by United on the one-year contract that he penned upon his arrival.

Boca Juniors are being mooted as one potential landing spot, with there a chance that another fresh start will be embraced by an experienced performer.

Cavani has never shied away from a challenge and has seen that approach reward him with opportunities to turn out alongside some iconic figures.

He added on his exploits to date: “Yes, I’ve been lucky enough to have played alongside some great footballers. And when you do play with top players, it allows you to grow and improve.

“I’ve always had that desire to improve and develop my game, and to take things from one player or another. If I were to start listing each of their attributes, I reckon it would be an awfully long interview because they all have their own individual qualities.

“You had a player like Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] who was highly competitive. He was always up for the fight and he really hated to lose. None of us like losing but he has always shown that even more than most, through his character and how he is.

“I played with Ney [Neymar] also, as well as with Kylian [Mbappe]. Everyone knows about Ney, don’t they… he has magic in his feet. Kylian has huge skill and technique as well as great pace. They are really top-class players.”

Further reading

Matteo Guendouzi has refuted accusations of being a “bad boy” and claimed that he could still have a future at Arsenal despite being sent out on loan by Mikel Arteta to Hertha Berlin for the 2020-21 campaign.

The French midfielder endured a humbling tumble down the pecking order at Emirates Stadium as questions began to be asked of his attitude and ability to toe the line under a new coaching regime.

He is out of sight in north London for now, but is not out of mind and claims that the final year of his contract with Premier League heavyweights could be honoured as he returns to the fold from a stint in the Bundesliga.

What has been said?

Guendouzi has told France Football of his future: “I am focused on my season at Hertha Berlin. Then, we will make a point with my entourage and the people of the club to ask and discuss the future.

“I am still an Arsenal player. This summer will be a decisive deadline.

“I belong to Arsenal for another year. I am here [at Hertha] to improve.

“From the moment that I am playing for Arsenal, I will give everything for this club, for the fans, for the team, for the staff. I will work hard for the shirt as I have always done.”

How many games has Guendouzi played for Arsenal?

The fiery 21-year-old was snapped up by the Gunners from Lorient in the summer of 2018.

He was handed first-team opportunities by Unai Emery quicker than many anticipated following his arrival in England, with a debut made against Manchester City.

Guendouzi earned plenty of plaudits when taking in 48 appearances across his debut campaign and remained a prominent part of the Arsenal squad once Arteta succeeded fellow Spaniard Emery.

He has taken in 82 outings for the Gunners in total, but the last of those came against Brighton on June 20, 2020 when he became embroiled in a petulant post-game war of words with Seagulls striker Neal Maupay.

Will Guendouzi play for Arsenal again?

Arteta deemed Guendouzi to be surplus to requirements and has subsequently bolstered his midfield ranks by bringing in Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

It may be that a France U21 international is offloaded this summer, but a divisive character insists that he has no need to change his ways and has been unfairly portrayed as a difficult player to manage.

Guendouzi has added: “I’m not a bad boy, quite the contrary.

“If you want to succeed, you have to have a very good character, but also this personality to always want to be the best, always to want to win, to progress. It will differentiate you.

“There are a lot of very good players. Excellent people have failed to turn pro and, for these cases, the mentality has a very large part of the responsibility.

“My character and my personality have allowed me to do great things. It will still help me to go to the highest level.”

Further reading

Ugandan Premier League side Mbarara City have confirmed coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi to handle the side.

Mbabazi is making a return to the club for the first time since he left in May 2019 after coaching the side for one-and-a-half-seasons and the Caf B License and Uefa certified coach will take over from interim coach Sadiq Sempigi who will now take the deputy role.

The Mbarara-based club has confirmed the appointment of Mbabazi on their social media pages by stating: “East or West, home is the best.

“A new living-stone is back to the Den. Mbabazi Charles Livingstone will be our head coach for the next one-and-a-half-years.

“Welcome back, the Lion.”

Mbabazi's last station of work was at Kyetume FC, where he was fired following a string of unconvincing results, leaving after only eight months in office.

The Uganda Cranes assistant coach is expected to be on the touchline this Wednesday when Mbarara takes on BUL FC at Kakyeka Stadium.

At his first tenure, Mbabazi handed Ankole Lions their best league position finish ever, when they finished 4th in the 2018/19 season, but faces a huge mountain to climb to repeat the same.

The Ankole Lions sit 12th on the 16-team league table with only 13 points prior to the end of the league’s first round and have managed three wins, four draws, and lost seven matches in the process.

Besides Kyetume FC in both the Big league and Premier league, Mbabazi has previously coached Wakiso Giants, Onduparaka FC for two stints, Bright Stars, Lweza, Masavu, and the Somalia national team.

He also arrives at the team just four days after the Competitions Disciplinary Panel banned Mbarara fans from attending their league matches, and this came after the team violated the Fufa Covid-19 regulations during their game against champions Vipers SC on Saturday at Kakyeka Stadium.

According to the Fufa disciplinary committee, Mbarara allowed in more than 200 fans into Kakyeka Stadium without being authorized by Fufa and that most of the fans were also not wearing face masks. 

Thomas Partey is the "kind of player Arsenal have needed for quite a long time", according to Gilberto Silva, who says the £45 million ($62m) star makes Granit Xhaka and Co look better.

Arsenal triggered the release clause in Partey's contract at Atletico Madrid to lure him to Emirates Stadium in October, bringing a long-running transfer saga to an end in the process.

The 27-year-old has struggled to make a sustained impact due to a string of fitness issues, but he was back to his best during Sunday's derby win over Tottenham, leaving Gilberto convinced that he completes Mikel Arteta's midfield.

What's been said?

Asked if Partey is the best holding player Arsenal have had since he left the club in 2008, Gilberto told Astro SuperSport: "I guess so. In my opinion, I agree with you.

"He’s a good player. He’s the type of player Arsenal were missing, I’ve spoken a couple of times about it.

"They have good players in the [central midfield] position but not to sit and give Arsenal the stability they have.

"Look at the game [against Spurs] it was great to see how he managed his game, how he managed that position, helping [team-mates].

"You know what is very important about this particular position? This is a very particular position because not every time you get the credit you deserve.

"That’s okay, it’s fine, because you have to understand that. But this guy, when he understands the position like Partey, look at his game. He made the others a lot better.

"He makes Xhaka look better in the game, he made the defenders look a lot better and comfortable when the ball was against them.

"I think the way he manages games, the way he positions himself, is very important for Arsenal. He is the kind of player Arsenal have needed for quite a long time in my opinion."

Partey's record at Arsenal so far

Partey, who signed a five-year contract at Emirates Stadium when he joined the club from Atletico, has been restricted to just 21 appearances across all competitions to date this season.

The Ghana international has yet to open his scoring account for the Gunners, but has set up two goals for his team-mates.

Consistent minutes have been hard to come by for Partey because of various injuries, with a hip issue keeping him out for the longest period between December and January.

The bigger picture

Partey was colossal as Arsenal beat Spurs 2-1 at the Emirates on Sunday, and produced a similarly strong display when Arteta's side beat Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

He has proven that he can add a physicality to the Gunners' midfield which has been missing since the glory days of Arsene Wenger's reign, but must now show that he can maintain full fitness for a significant run of games.

The north London outfit can still mathematically finish in the Premier League's top four and they also have one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with Partey's continued presence likely to be crucial to their chances of achieving their goals come the end of the campaign.

Further reading

Confederation of African Football has dismissed a case filed by Simba SC seeking to have Al Merrikh punished for allegedly fielding ineligible players during their first-round meeting of the Caf Champions League.

The Msimbazi giants secured a 0-0 draw against the Sudanese outfit at Al-Hilal Stadium in Khartoum in their third match of Group A but later filed a complaint to the African body seeking to have the home team punished for fielding two players, whom they said were already banned by Sudan Football Federation.

According to Simba the two players - Ramadan Agab and Mohamed Bakhit Mahmoud Mohamed – were not supposed to feature in the game as they were serving a six-month suspension imposed on them by the local federation.

The two players were banned by the federation for six months for signing contracts with two different teams (Al Merrikh and Al Hilal], a penalty that is scheduled to expire in mid-April.

A source at Simba has confirmed to Goal Caf has already responded to their letter and told them the players were only banned from playing in the Sudanese top-tier league but were eligible to play in any tournament organised by Caf.

So according to the statement from Caf, the two players will be part of the squad that will face Simba at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Tuesday.

“We have received the response from Caf and they have told us the players were only banned from playing in the local league and it did not affect their participating in Caf tournaments,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Tuesday.

“As Simba, we are satisfied with the ruling from Caf and will move on, we are now ready to play against them on Tuesday as all we need is three points to increase our chances of reaching the quarter-finals.”

Simba are currently leading the group on seven points having won their first two games 1-0, against AS Vita Club of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Al Ahly of Egypt - and managing a 0-0 draw against Al Merrikh of Sudan.

Jamie Carragher sees Liverpool missing out on a top-four finish this season, but has urged Jurgen Klopp’s side to make those above them “nervous” in the final throes of a “freak” campaign.

A lot has changed at Anfield in the space of 12 months, as the Reds were easing their way to a record-setting Premier League title triumph at this stage last year.

The wheels have fallen off that wagon in spectacular fashion, with injury struggles doing the collective cause few favours, and Champions League qualification through their league standing may now be out of reach.

What has been said?

Carragher has told Sky Sports: “It's been a freak [season] and the other teams [they've lost too].

“At this moment, I still believe Liverpool will miss out on the top four.

“However, they need to make teams like Leicester and Chelsea nervous and see what they can do.

“With four or five games to go, they need to be in a position where they can jump on any mistakes the teams above them make.”

Where are Liverpool sat in the Premier League?

Klopp saw his side grind out a 1-0 victory away at Wolves in their latest outing, with Diogo Jota grabbing a match-winning goal against his former club.

That success has lifted the Reds into sixth spot and left them five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with nine games left to take in.

They are 10 points back on Leicester, who sit third, so it may be that there is only one Champions League berth left to fight for.

The battle for that looks set to be intense, with Liverpool aware that rivals as low as Arsenal in tenth are still looking to force their way into contention.

Who are next up for Liverpool?

The Reds now have the best part of three weeks in which to prepare for their next Premier League outing.

Another international break has been reached and they will not be in action this weekend having already bowed out of the FA Cup.

A trip to Arsenal will be taken in on April 4, in what promises to be an intriguing contest.

Of their nine remaining games, Manchester United are the only side that Liverpool are due to face that currently occupy a standing above them in the English top-flight table.

Further reading

Police FC coach Abdallah Mubiru has explained the reason they must beat Express FC when the two sides face off in a Ugandan Premier League match on Tuesday.

The law enforcers will host the Red Eagles in their final match of the first round at Omondi Stadium in Lugogo and the fixture comes after they managed to stop free-scoring KCCA FC to a 1-1 draw during their last league assignment.

Mubiru, who doubles as the assistant coach for Uganda Cranes, has explained their target of being competitive and winning the title at the end of the season has not changed hence the reason they will fight to get maximum points from the visitors.

“Our target was to be competitive, we’ve tried to keep up with the pace,” Mubiru told the club’s official website ahead of the match.

Police are currently placed fifth on the 16-team table with 25 points from 14 matches, eight fewer than table-toppers URA, who are on 33 points while second-placed Vipers are on 30 points.

Police opponents Express are one place above them on 29 points and it is the reason Mubiru feels they must win their game to remain in contention for the title.

“[Tuesday’s] game is very key towards our target of the season because if we lose then we’ll be down by 11 points if the table leader URA wins against Onduparaka FC, that will be a disaster to our campaign.

“So we are going all out tomorrow [Tuesday] so we can keep close to the teams that are up so that we remain competitive.”

The last time Police came up against Express at the same venue, the Soldiers ran riot with a 6-1 victory courtesy of goals from Pius Kaggwa (a brace) who has since joined Wakiso Giants.

Police will welcome Kakooza, who is available for selection after returning to training from national team duty where he led Uganda U20 to reach the final of Afcon and scooped the top scorers' award while Samuel Kayongo, Mubaraka Nsubuga, Fahad Kizito, Musa Matovu are all still out injured.

Tanzania head coach Kim Poulsen believes his charges were punished for a slow start in the 2-1 defeat against their hosts Kenya in an international friendly at Nyayo Stadium on Monday.

Erick Kapaito and Abdalla Hassan scored to ensure the Harambee Stars registered a second consecutive win after beating South Sudan 1-0 in the initial friendly. Ayub Lyanga scored the only goal for the Taifa Stars, who have engaged in their first test game ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Danish believes the game exposed his team and as a result, he knows where he will be working on. 

"Thanks Harambee Stars for the game, they gave us a good fight," Poulsen told Goal .

"For me as a coach, it was an interesting game because it gave me a clear picture of areas to work on. It was very clear, the way we started the game was very slow especially for the first 25 minutes. We were very passive; I wanted us to be more active.

"The headline was on the way we defended, we made so many individual mistakes. So we have some work to do to strengthen our defence; the backline gave away too many chances and I cannot complain about Kenya winning because it was well deserved."

The 61-year-old insists the team is preparing for the upcoming matches against Equatorial Guinea and Libya and he is still analysing his players. 

"It is good because we are still in preparations and we are analysing who can cope with this level and who cannot," Poulsen added.

"Some of these players will join the team for the Afcon [qualifiers] but a number of them will not be there because we are expecting Simba SC players and foreign-based ones to join us.

[The game against Kenya] was a good picture, now we have something to work on and in two day's time we will be ready for Harambee Stars again."

The Taifa Stars are in Group J for the race to Cameroon with four points from as many matches and need maximum points in their remaining games to seal their place in the finals. 

Leaders Tunisia have already sealed their place in Afcon after collecting 10 points from the four games they have played.

Equatorial Guinea are placed in second position with six points while Libya sit bottom of the table with three points.

Express FC captain Enock Walusimbi has stated they have worked on their strike force and will score goals when they face Police FC in a Ugandan Premier League match on Tuesday.

The Red Eagles will look to wrap up the first round of the top-tier when they make the short trip to Lugogo to face the law enforcers and will be keen to bounce back to winning ways having been held to 0-0 draw by Kyetume FC in their last assignment at home.

The draw against Kyetume came after they had suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 1-0 to UPDF FC, and it means they have now gone for two matches without finding the back of the net.

Walusimbi has explained they have concentrated on the finishing factor during their training sessions ahead of the trip to face Police and they will score goals.

“We are much prepared for our last game of the first round, everyone of us knows the Police game [on Tuesday] is a must-win,” Walusimbi told the club’s official website.

“We have concentrated on finishing having gone two games back to back without scoring and we’re hopeful we’re going to score on Tuesday.”

In a previous interview, Walusimbi slammed Kyetume for going for a draw during their fixture at Muteesa II Stadium Wankulukuku.

“I am happy we picked up a point at home,” Walusimbi told the club’s official website after the game. “Kyetume seemed to be interested in the point but as a team, going forward we shall have to convert our chances and I am sure we shall.”

Against Police, coach Wasswa Bbosa will miss the services of left-back Arthur Kiggundu and forward George Senkaaba who are nursing long-term injuries.

Bbosa’s charges have recorded their best first-round performances in a while if not the best ever in the club’s history, eight wins, four apiece (home and away) along with five draws and one defeat with 21 goals scored and seven (the least in the league) conceded in 14 games.

The two teams have met 22 times in the history of the league with Express managing nine wins while Police have six wins, with seven draws among them.

Police have won three of their last four meetings against Express with the visitors’ last win coming on October 4, 2019, but the Red Eagles have kept four cleans sheets in their last five outings.

The seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is over with Mumbai City being the undisputed champions of India as they won both the League Winners Shield and the ISL title. 

Both their titles came after beating second placed ATK Mohun Bagan. While in the final league stage match, the Islanders trumped the Mariners to top the league stage and bag the Shield, in the ISL final once again they got the better of the Kolkata club to bring home the coveted title. 

Mumbai City became the first team ever to win both titles in the same season. It was indeed a memorable season for Sergio Lobera’s side who were without a doubt the most dominant side in the competition and for that, the team management deserves utmost credit. 

From accumulating a strong squad with a mixture of quality local talent along with a formidable foreign contingent to appointing a coach of Sergio Lobera’ pedigree, the new management of the City Football Group has done a commendable in their very first season of taking charge of the club.

It is no secret that foreigners make a difference in Indian football and this has been the norm for more than two decades. However, at Mumbai, Lobera did manage to bring a few low profile players like Bipin Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and Amey Ranawade shine. 

Signing quality foreign players is essential as much as having a decent bunch of Indian contingent as well. However, foreigners are expected to hit the ground running given that they are at least on paper 'expected' to be better than the local players.

And as far as foreign player recruitment is concerned, Mumbai City have been miles apart this season. They have fulfilled the entire criteria of seven foreigners pretty early in the season and each and every foreign player have played a key part at some point in the season for the team.

In the striker’s department, along with recruiting Nigerian forward Bartholomew Ogbeche who had scored 27 goals in the last two seasons of the ISL, they also got hold of English forward Adam Le Fondre who was the second-highest goal scorer (20) in the A-League in 2019-20 season. 

Lobera generally plays a lone striker in his preferable 4-2-3-1 formation but the Spanish manager ensured both strikers received enough game time and contributed in key matches. And in some cases, he even started both of them together.  

Ogbeche started in only nine matches this season but he featured in every single game. He also scored eight goals and provided three assists. Two of his eight goals came against ATK Mohun Bagan in the league stage and one of his three assists came in the final for Bipin Singh’s winning goal. 

Along with Ogbeche, another player who came off the bench in the majority of the matches was Japanese Cy Goddard. The Japanese can play both as a number 10 and as a winger. He scored one goal and provided three assists in the 19 matches he played. Out of those 19, he started in 11 matches. 

The fact is that despite coming on from the bench often, Ogbeche and Goddard have been very influential in key games and that has what set them apart from the other teams including second-placed ATK Mohun Bagan. 

Rest of the five foreign players - Ahmed Jahouh, Hernan Santana, Hugo Boumous, Adam le Fondre and Mourtada Fall - obviously were starters. 

The Mariners have struggled with their seventh foreigners for most of the season. At the beginning of the campaign, they had Australian midfielder Brad Inman in their squad but the former Brisbane Roar man failed to make any impact.  

At Bagan, Inman had appeared in only seven matches out of which he started in two games and had hardly any impact. In fact, coach Antonio Lopez Habas was so unhappy with him that in some matches, he had even fielded four foreigners even though Inman was there in the matchday squad. 

He was loaned out to Odisha FC in the January transfer window and Marcelinho was brought in on loan from the Kalinga Warriors. The ace Brazilian player initially made some impact as he scored two goals (Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC) in his first three appearances for the Mariners. 

But as the season progressed, the Brazilian’s performance graph started to take a dip and his influence was less and less with each passing game. In fact, Marcelinho was benched in the club’s last two matches against NorthEast United in the second leg of the play-offs and against Mumbai in the final. 

With Edu Garcia out injured for almost half of the season, ATK Mohun Bagan needed their seventh foreign player to deliver just like how Ogbeche and Goddard filled into the shoes of Hugo Boumous when he was suspended for four matches at the business end of the season, which did not happen.

While it was not the sole reason for Mumbai City's excellence, it certainly contributed. This also showed how good their recruitment has been. The management trusted Lobera to find players that fit his philosophy and the manager, in return, ensured everyone of his foreign players had a role to play in the season. 

Little things like that go a long way in ensuring a successful season and that is exactly what Mumbai City enjoyed.

Ali Elmusrati scored his first Primeira Liga goal as SC Braga were held to a 2-2 draw by Famalicao, in the process ending a two-year wait to find the back of the net in the Portuguese topflight.

Boasting of victories in their last three games in all competitions, the Arsenalists travelled to Estadio Municipal de Famalicao with the ambition of picking all points at stake, albeit, they ended the encounter all squared.

Famalicao made a strong start as Anderson put them ahead in the 18th minute thanks to an assist from Srdjan Babic.

In the 36th minute, Ricardo Horta levelled matters for the visitors – beating goalkeeper Luiz Junior from the penalty spot after he was brought down in the goal area.

Three minutes later, Elmusrati put his team ahead after appearing in the right place to fire Vitor Tormena’s assist past Junior who could do little in stopping the ball for sailing into the net as they went into the half-time break with a slim advantage.

Three minutes before full time, it was substitute Heriberto Tavares who proved to be the Azuis e Brancos hero after drilling home the equaliser to the ecstasy of Ivo Veira’s team, as Braga were made to pay for their extravagance in front of goal.

The 24-year-old midfielder was in action from start to finish for his team who extended their unbeaten streak to five.

In his post-match comment, Braga boss Carlos Carvalhal confirmed that he knew the game that turned in four goals would be tough.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Carvalhal told club website.

“Famalicao are in an uncomfortable situation, has a new coach and has good players. We lost 1-0 and had the ability to turn the result around.

“The intention in the second half was to make the 1-3 and 'end' the game. There's a good reaction from Famalicao and our team has lost pressure. Famalicao ended up justifying the tie because he made a second half better than ours."

With this result, Braga occupy the third spot in the Primeira Liga table having amassed 50 points from 23 encounters - 11 points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Elmusrati joined the Arsenalists on July 31, 2020 on a four-year contract after leaving Vitoria Guimaraes.