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Sokratis has opened up on his "difficult" spell at Arsenal while describing Granit Xhaka as "one of the best" players he's worked with following the midfielder's error against Burnley.

Arsenal confirmed Sokratis' departure by mutual consent in January, with the centre-back subsequently returning to his native Greece with Olympiacos.

The 32-year-old appeared in 69 games for the Gunners over two-and-a-half years, but was exiled from Mikel Arteta's squad at the start of the 2020-21 campaign and has now offered an insight into his frustrations on the sidelines.

What's been said?

"It was difficult because I didn't have the chance to play because I wasn't included in the squad list," Sokratis told Football London.

"I had some offers to leave in the summer but it didn't happen in the end and I accepted that I had to be outside the list. I did my training and I gave my best for the team, I was professional until the end.

"It was also difficult because in all my career I have played regularly. I played almost 70 games for Arsenal in two years, but when you are in a team you have to put the team first and yourself after.

"I accepted this, I was professional and I didn't complain to anybody."

Sokratis' relationship with Arteta

Arteta only used Sokratis sparingly after being drafted in as Arsenal's new head coach in December 2019, with the defender restricted to just one Premier League appearance post-lockdown.

He is now preparing to come up against the Spaniard with Olympiacos in the first leg of a round of 16 Europa League tie on Thursday, but insists he won't be out to try and impress his former manager.

"I don't have to prove something to Arteta or anyone there. It was his [Arteta's] decision and the club's decision and I accepted it," said Sokratis.

"I had a lot of good memories at Arsenal. I reached the Europa League final, won two trophies - the FA Cup and Community Shield. They are the club which gave me the chance to play in the best league in the world."

Praise for Xhaka

Sokratis has also jumped to the defence of Xhaka in the wake of his mistake during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend.

The Swiss midfielder cost the Gunners points when he tried to execute a risky pass across his own box before seeing the ball deflect into the net off grateful Clarets striker Chris Wood.

Xhaka has not been the most popular figure among supporters at the Emirates because of his penchant for such moments of madness, but Sokratis has no doubt about his ability.

"Granit is one of the best team-mates I've had the pleasure of working with," he added. "He's a very important player for Arsenal and I believe that he's a good player who can be a leader in the team.

"When you make one mistake everybody will go against you, but I know Granit's character. Before the Burnley game he played five or six games where he was probably the best player in the team.

"I think he's one of Arsenal's best players and certainly one of the best midfielders that I've played with."

Further reading

Vipers SC coach Fred Kajoba has promised a quick response from his team when they take on SC Villa in a Ugandan Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Venoms suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Mbarara City in their last league assignment and it was also their first defeat of the season after 12 matches.

The defeat also saw Vipers surrender their position at the top of the 18-team table to Express FC but with the latter losing their match 1-0 against UPDF FC on Tuesday, the Venoms have a chance to reclaim the spot if they beat Villa at St Marys Kitende.

The veteran Kajoba has warned his players to be wary of their opponents but remained confident they will rise to the occasion and get maximum points.

“We know they will come with a lot of enthusiasm to face us, but we have the quality and character to get the best out of this game,” Kajoba told the club’s official website. “We hope the boys can rise to the occasion.”

On his part, captain Halid Lwaliwa stated: “We are not satisfied with our performance after falling to Mbarara City, we have to come back stronger and win, the positive thing is that our fighting spirit is not in doubt.

“We have to work to improve, that’s the only way forward.”

This will be the 31st meeting between the two sides in the history of the league with Vipers commanding a lion’s share statistically, having registered 12 wins, 11 draws, and seven defeats. The Venoms have scored 37 goals and conceded 32 in the previous 30 meetings.

In the corresponding fixture at the same venue, Vipers lost the tie 1-0 with the goal coming from their former player Bashir Mutanda, who now features for Mbarara.

Vipers will be seeking a seventh consecutive home win this season as they command a 100% record out of the previous six league ties against Kitara FC, MYDA FC, Police FC, UPDF FC, BUL FC, and Soltilo Bright Stars FC.

Coach Kajoba will have a full squad to pick from apart from Denis Kiggundu and Abraham Ndugwa, who have been cleared to train but will not be named on the matchday squad due to lack of match fitness.

Meanwhile, Aziz Kayondo, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Ivan Asaba, Najib Yiga, and Richard Basangwa will not be rushed into the team after returning home from Mauritania where they played for the Uganda U20 national team in the Afcon finals.

The Federation of Uganda Football Association has handed a two-match ban to BUL head coach Arthur Kyesimira.

Kyesimira, according to the federation's judgement, made offensive gestures during their game against Malaba Youth Development Association in February which his side won 4-1.

"Disciplinary proceedings were opened against [Arthur] Kyesimira the head coach BUL FC who made the harmful, offensive, insulting, rude comments and gestures towards match officials hence expulsion from the technical bench on the Premier League match BUL FC vs MYDA FC played on the 26th February 2021 at Kyabazinga Stadium-Bugembe," Fufa's statement, obtained by Goal read.

"The statements and gestures made appear to be in contravention of the Fufa competitions rules Article 30(5)(a) in as far as threatening match officials which bring the game of football into disrepute.

"The decision by the Fufa competitions disciplinary panel suspends Kyesimira for two competitive matches and all football-related activities effective immediately as of 9th March 2021."

Kyesimira's suspension comes after the local FA banned referee Juma Osire for one month for a red card given to Police FC's Derrick Ochan during a Premier League match against Vipers SC on February 19.

Ochan was sent off after Osire judged the goalkeeper had handled the ball outside his area, a decision that was later overturned by the Premier League secretariat.

From an event in the same game, Fufa slapped Police FC chairman Asan Kasingye with a Ush2.5 million fine for his comments against the referees after the match.

After the Cops lost 3-2 on February 19, Kasingye claimed the Venoms have had influence over the matchday officials and went ahead to ask Fufa to punish him.

The chair was irked when Ochan was sent off by referees George Olemu who was deputised by Osire.

The suspension of the BUL head coach is set to be a blow to a side that is fighting hard to gain stability in the Premier League. Currently, they are 11tth with 13 points from 11 games.

The Jinja club, which had vowed to challenge the traditional bigwigs in the competition when the season began, has won just four games, drew in one and lost seven.

Kyesimira is expected to miss the game against Bright Stars on Wednesday and the home tie against Kitara FC on March 13.

Maritzburg United are set to welcome Kaizer Chiefs at Harry Gwala Stadium in a PSL encounter on Wednesday evening.

Coach Ernst Middendorp will be looking to mastermind another victory over his former side, Chiefs, this season with Maritzburg having secured a 2-0 win against the Soweto giants in January 2021.

Maritzburg have endured a poor campaign thus far as they find themselves in the relegation zone, but they are undefeated in their last two games having drawn 1-1 with Bloemfontein Celtic in their most recent match on March 6.

The Team of Choice will face a rejuvenated Chiefs side as the Glamour Boys breathed a sigh of relief when they claimed a convincing 2-0 victory over Petro de Luanda in the Caf Champions League game on March 6.

The victory snapped Chiefs' eight-match winless run across all competitions and coach Gavin Hunt will now be determined to ensure that Amakhosi return to winning ways in the PSL.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on and SABC 1 and SuperSport 4. 

Squads & Team News

Maritzburg central defender Clayton Daniels will be missing as the former Bafana Bafana international is suspended after being sent off in the clash with Celtic.

Middendorp is likely to recall experienced defender Nazier Allie to the starting line-up and striker Judas Moseamedi, whose brace inspired Maritzburg to a victory over Chiefs two months ago, is expected to start. 

A victory over Chiefs for the Team of Choice could take them out of the relegation zone if the other results go their way. 

Meanwhile, Chiefs' camp has been hit by injuries with forwards Samir Nurkovic, Leonardo Castro, Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma all out injured, while young midfielder Darrel Matsheke is also suspended.

Hunt will once again look to the experienced duo of Bernard Parker and Lebogang Manyama to lead the Amakhosi attack and veteran midfielder Willard Katsande is likely to keep his place in the starting line-up.

Exciting winger Happy Mashiane, who netted against Petro de Luanda, could be key to an Amakhosi win over Maritzburg which would see 10th-placed Chiefs move closer to the top eight on the log.

Match Preview

Maritzburg have collected eight points from nine home matches in the league this season and they secured a 1-0 win over Black Leopards in their last game at Harry Gwala Stadium on March 2.

On the other hand, Chiefs have accumulated 11 points from eight away matches this season in the league and they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates in their last game on the road in January 2021.

In head-to-head stats since the 2005/06 season, Maritzburg and Chiefs have clashed in 29 league matches.

Amakhosi have registered 13 victories compared to seven for the Team of Choice, while nine matches have ended in draws.

Looking at Maritzburg's home record against Chiefs, they have registered three victories, seven draws and four defeats in 14 matches in Pietermaritzburg. 

Simba SC official Haji Manara has taken a swipe at their rivals Yanga SC after they fired the entire technical bench on Sunday.

The Jangwani giants sent Burundian coach Cedric Kaze and his backroom staff packing, shortly after they secured a 1-1 draw against Polisi Tanzania in a Mainland Premier League fixture.

After sacking Kaze, who left the team at the top of the 18-team table, it means Yanga have now fired two coaches within a single season, starting with Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, who led the team in five matches, won four and drew one.

On Monday, Yanga announced Juma Mwambusi as their caretaker coach as they continue the process of finding a permanent tactician who will continue with the team for the second round.

The outspoken Manara has now waded into the problems facing their rivals by stating they must accept their leadership is the big problem and must strengthen it before they can start thinking of immediate success.

“Your biggest problem is you want to compete with Simba whose team foundation has been built for a while, and you do not agree that Simba is twice as good as your team at the moment,” Manara said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“You do not agree we have a very strong management, [strong leadership] more than a hundred times what you have, you have never understood these, you still don’t have a leadership that can compete with Simba.

“You have also missed a leader or someone like Haji [Manara] who can come out in public, [people] to calm the fans when the situation is volatile, and all of that cannot be done in the short term as you want to believe or trust.

“Accept being under us for now and then form a team and don't trust the radio and headlines that believe you are the best because they are lying to you.”

Manara has also hit out at Yanga for signing up to 20 players each year, saying he has never seen such a thing happen anywhere in the world.

"You always sign up at least 20 new players every year, this never happens anywhere in the world, worse you start decorating them [new signings] even before they enter the stadium to play, you welcome them royally even though slavery is not worth it," he concluded.

Yanga are currently ahead of Simba with 50 points from 23 matches, but Simba who have 45 points, will likely eclipse them in the coming weeks since they have four matches in hand.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has warned his charges not to take anything for granted when they face champions Vipers SC in a Ugandan Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Jogoos will travel to face the Venoms at St Marys Kitende Stadium, a venue where they have a good record, as they have not lost to the home side since 2017.

Villa have managed to come out of Kitende victorious on the last two visits, winning the reverse fixture 1-0 and also in the previous season when they beat the home team 3-1.

As they seek to make it three wins in a row, coach Kaziba has cautioned his players to avoid looking at the past and get ready for a real battle against a very good side.

 “Last season, we won this exact fixture [away to Vipers] but that does not mean we take things for granted,” Kaziba told the club’s official website ahead of the match.

“We are surely building on our good record away to Vipers but we all know football is not static, we will deploy new tactics in order to neutralize new threats.”

Villa managed a 2-2 draw in their last league match and coach Kaziba has explained they have recovered well from the match and are looking in good shape to face the champions.

“The team has recovered very well from the Police game,” Kaziba continued. “Luckily, we do not have any fresh injuries nor suspensions.

“My team is in good shape and has been boosted by the return of key defender [Derrick] Ndahiro, we are very prepared for tomorrow’s fixture.”

On the recent performance of his players, Kaziba stated: “During the game against Police, [Emmanuel] Wasswa impressed in defense but I think he is a better player in his natural position in the midfield.

“About Gavin [Kizito], he has had an impressive tournament in Mauritania [with Uganda U20 national team]. I will not slot him directly into the team since he needs some time to rest but we will evaluate him for the Sunday game.”

The Jogoos will look to build on the win against Kyetume FC and continue an impressive run of good form away from home.

Azam FC have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit for the Mainland Premier League title after striker Prince Dube suffered an injury which will keep him out of action for two weeks.

The Zimbabwean, who has been the key player for the ‘Ice Cream Makers’ this campaign, suffered a thigh injury during their league match against Mwadui FC and was substituted in the 25th minute.

The match played at Chamazi Stadium ended 0-0 but Azam have confirmed on their social media pages, their striker, who has so far scored eight goals this campaign, will not be able to kick to feature for at least the next two weeks.

“Our striker Prince Dube is expected to be out of action for a period of two weeks after he picked a thigh injury on his left leg,” read the statement from Azam.

“Dube was injured in the 25th and was forced out of the pitch when Azam played against Mwadui in a league match.

“Azam doctor Mwanandi Mwankemwa has confirmed the striker from Zimbabwe will have to rest completely in the first week as he undergoes treatment before he starts light training sessions in his second week of recovery.

“After completing those two weeks off the field he will be tested again to see if he is fit to return to competitive matches or he will have to wait again, but fans should not be afraid everything will be fine and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

This is the second time Azam have lost Dube to injury, the first one coming at the end of the first round of the league when he injured his left arm during their match against rivals Yanga SC.

The injury forced Azam to seek further treatment outside Tanzania with the striker travelling to South Africa and he underwent successful surgery in Cape Town to fix a broken ulnar bone on his left forearm.

The injury forced the player to stay out of action for six weeks and at that time, he had already managed to score six goals in the league.

Azam are currently placed third on the table with 41 points from 23 matches, 10 points adrift table-toppers Yanga SC, who have 50 points while champions Simba are second on 45 points but they have played four fewer matches.

NorthEast United and their head coach Khalid Jamil can be immensely proud of the performance they produced in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season despite not making it to the final in their second attempt in seven seasons.

It was the most memorable campaign in the history of the club as Khalid Jamil's side matched the big boys of the league toe-to-toe and came very close to have a fairytale end to their beautiful journey.

Alas! the journey had to come to an end in a cruel fashion as they went down 1-2 in the second leg of their play-offs tie against ATK Mohun Bagan. This was also their first defeat in 12 matches this season.

NorthEast United headed into the tie with great confidence thanks to Idrissa Sylla's last-minute equaliser in the first leg which allowed them to hold the Mariners to a 1-1 draw. The Guinean forward got rewarded for his equalising goal as he found himself in the starting lineup in the second leg tie.

In order to strengthen his attack, Jamil took the gamble of dropping Belgian defender Benjamin Lambot, who has been a star performer for the Highlanders this season, to fit in Sylla. Mashoor Shereef was fielded alongside Dylan Fox in central defence.

The former Chennai City man, who had an impressive debut season in the ISL this time, felt the pressure of a big game as he failed to keep a check on ATK Mohun Bagan's attacking duo of David Williams and Roy Krishna. He struggled to deal with the movement of Krishna, who was in his element and produced one of the best performances this season despite not being on the score-sheet.

After a disappointing draw in the first leg, Antonio Habas took a no-nonsense approach and went all guns blazing right from the off. Sandesh Jhingan and Tiri returned to the starting lineup as the Spanish coach went back to his preferred 3-5-2 formation.

When the Green and Maroons go all out in attack and take the game to the opposition, it has been observed that they have usually been successful given the individual quality at their disposal. Be it against Bengaluru FC in the first phase, or Odisha FC in the second half of the campaign or even in the last Kolkata derby, Bagan kicked-off the proceedings with an attacking approach.

The Kolkata giants could or rather should have taken a bigger lead in the first 45 minutes had Javier Hernandez not squandered the easiest of chances. He also had one of his shots strike the NorthEast United goal-post.

NorthEast United were, to an extent, taken aback by the Bagan's firebrand approach and it took them nearly 20 minutes to settle into the game. With a goal down at half-time, coach Khalid Jamil changed his tactics and they went all guns blazing from the beginning of the season half.

The Highlanders missed Deshorn Brown's presence upfront all through the play-offs. The Jamaican did take the field in the second half of the second leg but he had too less time to make an impact. Several players in their team couldn't rise up to the challenge and contain the ATK Mohun Bagan attack. From the chances that they did create, V.P.Suhair was guilty of being wasteful upfront despite scoring a goal in the 74th minute.

In the end, the experience of the ATK Mohun Bagan players came to the fore as Habas has guided yet another team into the ISL final for the third time in his career. For Jamil, he can bow out of the competition with his head held high. 

The U.S. women's national team are known for their World Cup successes - winning their fourth trophy in 2019 in France - but they have been formidable on the Olympic stage as well.

The USWNT has won four Olympic gold medals. They first won gold in in 1996, the year of the inaugural Olympic women's soccer tournament.

They then won first-place medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012. The USWNT has won more gold medals than any other participating country in the Olympics.

The USWNT won their first gold medal after winning 2-1 against China in Atlanta during the 1996 games, where they were the host nation.

Their 2012 victory was awarded when they defeated Japan in the gold medal match, held in London.

Carli Lloyd scored both goals in the 2-1 victory, with Yuki Nagasato netting the consolation goal for Japan.

The USWNT's road to their gold-medal win included victories against France, New Zealand, Colombia and Canada.

Vlatko Andonovski's side will head to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (delayed a year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic) looking for redemption in the tournament, however, despite being crowned World Cup champions in 2019.

The USWNT had a disappointing turnout at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, losing to Sweden in the quarter-finals during a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 in regular time.

Alex Morgan equalised for the USWNT 10 minutes after Sweden netted their opener, but lost 4-3 on penalties.

Former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo infamously called Sweden, who went on to win silver, a "bunch of cowards" following the loss – criticising their approach to the game.

"I thought we played a courageous game," Solo said at the time."I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down, I’m very proud of this team.

"And I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today, I strongly, firmly believe that.

“They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game ... And they tried to counter with longballs.”

Youssef En-Nesyri’s second-half double in Sevilla’s 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund has seen him leapfrog Marouane Chamakh to become the highest-scoring Moroccan in a single Champions League season.

In the 2009-10 campaign, Chamakh scored five times during Bordeaux’s ill-fated campaign. That term, the former Arsenal striker found the net against Bayern Munich, Juventus, Olympiacos and Olympique Lyon over two legs.

Against the Bundesliga giants in the second round of the Round of 16 clash staged at the Signal-Iduna-Park, the 23-year-old accentuated his relevance to Julen Lopetegui’s squad by getting a brace.

Los Nervionenses needed a turnaround after losing 3-2 in the first leg, but it was the Westfalenstadion giants who took the lead in the 35th minute courtesy of Erling Haaland.

Nine minutes into the second-half, the Norwegian prodigy doubled the advantage for Edin Terzic’s men – this time from the penalty spot.

While the Spanish elite division giants looked already dead and buried, the Morocco international gave a glimmer of hope. First, he reduced the deficit in the 69th minute - smashing past goalkeeper Marwin Hitz from the penalty mark after Emre Can had pushed substitute Luuk de Jong to the ground.

The former Leganes man completed his double in the sixth minute of added time by heading past Hitz a cross from Ivan Rakitic. Even at that, his team kissed the tournament goodbye as they were unable to get the all-important third goal.

Furthermore, he joins Chamakh, Hakim Ziyech and Medhi Benatia in the hallowed rank of players from the North African country to have scored in the Champions League’ knockout phase.

At club level, he is next to Wissam Ben Yedder in terms of most goals for Sevilla in a single campaign in the tournament. In the 2017-18 season, Yedder was on target eight times.

Following Sevilla’s elimination from the Champions League, they will now shift their attention to LaLiga in their quest to emerge as champions for the second time in their history.  They welcome sixth-placed Real Betis to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night.

With 48 points from 25 matches in the ongoing season, Lopetegui’s men occupy the fourth spot in the log - 11 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has said he is not fearing the sack despite watching his side crash out of the Champions League against 10-man Porto on Tuesday.

With the last-16 tie level at 3-3 on aggregate in extra time, Sergio Oliveira's free kick from long range went under a crumbling Juve wall, as Wojciech Szczesny was only able to palm the low drive into the back of the net. 

The goal meant Adrien Rabiot's late header was merely a consolation, as the Portuguese side stunned Juventus to reach the quarter-finals on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate result. 

What was said?

“I don’t know why [Maurizio] Sarri was removed," Pirlo told Sky Italia after the game. "I am the coach of Juventus, I was brought in for a more ample approach, a project that was always meant to develop over several years, so I am not concerned [about being sacked].

“I am not happy to be working with a full week, as I’d have preferred to stay in the Champions League.

"Now that we’re in this situation, we can work on various aspects in training, which we haven’t had time to do so far this season, and try to improve on those.”

Speaking about Oliveira's free kick, Pirlo added: “We choose the players to go in the wall. It had never happened before that they’d turn around, maybe they felt it was so far out that they didn’t sense the danger.

“It was a mistake, it usually doesn’t happen, the players didn’t feel it was a dangerous situation and conceded a goal.”

Why was Maurizio Sarri sacked?

Pirlo is in his first season as Juve head coach after his predecessor Sarri was sacked after just a single year in charge. 

Despite winning Serie A, Sarri was removed as Juve manager after his side crashed out of the Champions League to Lyon in the last 16.

Pirlo may struggle to even replicate Sarri's success, with Juventus currently in third place in Serie A, 10 points behind leaders Inter with a game in hand. 

Further reading

Cristiano Ronaldo was called out for turning his back in a wall on Porto's deciding free-kick goal, as Juventus crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday. 

Ten-man Porto secured a major upset in the last 16, losing the second leg 3-2 in Turin after extra time but advancing via away goals with a 4-4 aggregate result. 

The deciding moment in the tie came with just five minutes left in the second half of extra time, as Sergio Oliveira's free kick from long range went under Juve's wall and snuck past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

What happened in Tuesday's game?

After winning the first leg 2-1 at home, Porto grabbed a massive away goal in the 19th minute when Oliveira's penalty made it 3-1 on aggregate. 

But Juve struck back through Federico Chiesa, who scored two second-half goals on either side of a second yellow card for Porto's Mehdi Taremi. 

Though up a man, Juve could not find a winner and Oliveira's second goal of the night came when Juve's wall disintegrated – with Ronaldo guilty of turning his back and lifting his leg, allowing the ball to go through his legs.

Adrien Rabiot's late goal was only a consolation as Juve crashed out of the competition, ensuring Ronaldo's wait for European glory with the Italian side will go on.

What was said on social media?

Further reading

Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic was overjoyed with Erling Haaland's contribution after the Norwegian sent his side into the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Sevilla. 

Haaland netted both of his side's goals on Tuesday in the 2-2 draw, which meant Dortmund progressed 5-4 on aggregate. 

His personal tally for the 2020-21 Champions League now stands at 10, four more than any other player involved in the competition this season. 

What was said?

"It's been turbulent. We are just happy. It feels really cool," Terzic told reporters after the final whistle. "It's not a matter of course for us to get this far. Now to be among the best eight in Europe makes us very happy. Erling Haaland is just outstanding."

Despite his disappointment, Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui joined his rival in praising Haaland, while pointing out that the Spanish side should be proud of their efforts.

“It wasn’t just dominance,” the ex-Spain and Real Madrid coach said. “We didn’t allow a team with spectacular players to play, they barely left their half, but they have a lot of individual quality and they showed it, and it wasn’t easy to deal with that. 

"Haaland? Yes, he’s one of the best players in the world and he’s punished us. We rowed hard to die on the shore at the end. We wanted to get through, and I think we deserved to. We played a great game.”

The bigger picture

Dortmund's Champions League exploits come as a welcome diversion from their toils in the Bundesliga.  A string of poor results led to the dismissal of Lucien Favre at the start of 2021, with Terzic appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season. 

They currently lie sixth in the German top flight, four points shy of Champions League qualification, but with Haaland on top form nobody will dare write off their chances either at home or in Europe. 

Further reading 

Porto overcame Juventus on away goals on Tuesday to progress in a Champions League knockout tie after winning the opening leg for the first time since triumphing in the competition in 2003-04 under Jose Mourinho.

They had earned a clean 2-1 win in the first leg against Juventus but needed to push past self-inflicted damage in the return fixture, breaking their 17-year drought despite allowing their Turin opponents back into the tie with a silly second-half red card.

Sergio Oliveira advanced Porto to the quarter-final with a free kick under the wall in the 115th minute.

What jinx has been broken?

Porto had failed to take advantage of a first-leg knockout victory since 2003-04 against Lyon in the quarter-final, when they put away an opponent featuring future Chelsea signings Michael Essien and Florent Malouda by following a 2-0 win with a second-leg draw.

Mourinho's side that year went on to defeat Monaco in the final.

Porto's experience

Porto's lineup on Tuesday was the second-oldest in their Champions League history (29 years and 16 days), behind only their match with Barcelona in March 2000.

Centre-back Pepe, 38, proved an instrumental part of their triumph, clearing several scoring opportunities.

Further reading

Andre Ayew’s first-half penalty proved crucial for Swansea City in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers.

The Swans conceded first against the hosts, albeit, the Ghana international levelled matters for Steve Cooper’s side at Ewood Park.

Swansea came into the game on the back of their 2-1 defeat of Middlesbrough at the Liberty Stadium – where Ayew found the net twice. Despite their recent impressive results, they fell behind in the 37 minutes thanks to Bradley Dack’s low strike from Tom Trybull’s assist.

Cooper’s men were given a chance to equalise four minutes later when Jay Fulton was fouled by Sam Gallagher in the goal area. Their Ghanaian star stepped up to score his 14th goal of the 2020-21 campaign, as goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski could not stop the strike down the middle.

In the second-half, Blackburn came out stronger, but they were unable to find the net despite pouring attacks.

The game ended on a no winner no vanquished note as Swansea now boast of 66 points from 34 matches: level with second-placed Watford with a game in hand.

While 31-year-old Ayew was in action for the Swans from start to finish, Namibia international defender Ryan Nyambe came in as a second-half substitute for the Rovers – replacing Joe Rankin-Costello in the 76th minute.

Even at their away point, manager Cooper is unhappy with his team’s performance.

“No, it was not the best of performances,” he told club website.

“I did not like us at all first half, that is not the team I want us to be in terms of our style and identity.

“If we are going to make mistakes, I want us to do it our way, and that was not the case.

“That needed addressing, because we were not good enough on the ball.

“The second half was a little bit better, but not brilliant, and it wasn’t a great game in the end.

“Credit to Blackburn, I thought they played well on the night. I know we need to play better, but I will also be focusing on the positives.”

Swansea City travel to Kenilworth Road for their next outing against Luton Town on Saturday.

Erling Haaland set another Champions League record with his second strike of the evening against Sevilla on Tuesday - but the phenomenon was made to work harder than usual for the goal. 

The Norwegian beat Bono from the penalty spot to put Dortmund 2-0 up, in the process taking his own tally to 20 in the competition. It took Haaland just 14 games to reach the mark, meaning he made it quicker than any other player in history. 

Dortmund were pegged back on the night as the match ended 2-2, however they won the tie 5-3 on aggregate and have reached the Champions League quarter-finals.

Another night of records 

Having scored twice in the last-16 first leg in Seville as Dortmund ran out 3-2 winners, Haaland was back among the goals on Tuesday. 

He opened the scoring 35 minutes into the first half, extending his run in front of goal to six consecutive Champions League games. At 20 years and 231 days of age, he is the youngest player to achieve such a feat in Europe's premier club tournament. 

Better was to come for the Norway international, however. In the second half he extended Dortmund's aggregate lead to 5-2 with a penalty and set a new benchmark with his 20th Champions League goal. 

Tottenham's Harry Kane was the previous owner of the record, reaching the figure in a comparatively sluggish 24 games. 

He is also Norway's top scorer in the Champions League, overtaking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who netted 19 times in the competition.

Third time lucky

Haaland's second, though, was not without incident.  In fact, the 20-year-old had three opportunities to net before finally getting back on the scoresheet. 

First, he steam-rollered his way to goal before shooting past Bono, only to see referee Cuneyt Cakir bring review the action for suspected foul play. 

It was deemed that Haaland had committed an infraction on Fernando on the way to goal, but VAR brought play back even further to spot a previous push on the forward by Jules Kounde. 

He took the penalty himself and saw Bono save both his first effort and the rebound, although the goalkeeper's joy was short-lived as Cakir ordered a retake as he had strayed off his line.

Haaland was in no mood to give Sevilla another reprieve and converted his kick to finally claim the record - also earning a yellow card for his troubles due to squabbling with Kounde in the aftermath of the initial passage of play.

Further reading

Ben Foster has backed Dean Henderson to succeed at Manchester United, saying the goalkeeper has the right mentality to make the grade at Old Trafford.

Henderson has been forced to back up David de Gea at Old Trafford this season, but has still managed to make 16 appearances in all competitions.

Watford goalkeeper Foster, who played for United between 2005 and 2010, has praised Henderson while warning that either he or De Gea will eventually be forced to leave the club.

What was said?

"Dean is a proper goalkeeper. You ask anybody in football nowadays that has watched him play and you can just see that he has got it. He has got the ability," Foster told Sky Sports News.

"The main thing with playing for a team like Manchester United is having the mentality. When I was at Manchester United all those years ago, I felt like I had the ability, but I definitely didn't have the mentality. I wasn't ready for it but with Dean, nothing seems to faze him.

"Dean Henderson wants to play first-team football. He is coming off the back of last season with Sheffield United where he was incredible, really outstanding.

"He just needed to carry on playing first-team football. He signed a new contract. David de Gea got the nod ahead of him but David is in the same boat. He wants to play first-team football.

"When you have got a situation like that it is never going to end nicely. Somebody is going to have to leave and somebody is going to stay and play."

The bigger picture

After starring on loan with Sheffield United last season, Henderson returned to his parent club with the intention of taking over as the team's No 1. 

That has not happened so far this season, with De Gea holding on to his position after a season during which he was not at his best. 

De Gea's form has put Henderson's future with the club in doubt, with Sky reporting that Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund would be keen on the 23-year-old should he decide to leave. 

De Gea, has also been linked with a move away. The 30-year-old has been rumoured to be interested in a move back to his native Spain, which could hand Henderson the chance to establish himself as United's starter.

Further reading