Looking for Soccer News?

Gor Mahia are targeting Mathare United coach Salim Ali to deputize for Portuguese Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto at the club.

The position fell vacant after former assistant coach Patrick Odhiambo left the position to serve Kakamega Homeboyz in the same capacity.

As a result, the reigning FKF Premier League champions had no alternative but to look for his replacement.

K'Ogalo have now set their eyes on the soft-peaking Ali, hoping to seal the deal soon.

"Salim is an experienced coach and he understands the game, he will complement Pinto well," a source close to the club told Goal on Sunday.

"We have agreed on many issues apart from a few which are minor. I believe we will be able to finalize everything next week."

When reached for comment, the former Ulinzi Stars coach confirmed contact has been made.

"Yes, they have contacted me over the assistant coach job at Gor Mahia," Ali told Goal.

"We will be having a final meeting which might as well determine whether the deal will go through or not.

"But currently, I am focused on my team and we are training for the league game on Monday [against Zoo FC]."

The 2008 league champions have so far played two league games, against Sofapaka FC and Gor Mahia, and ended up losing 4-2 and 3-1, respectively. 

"I am impressed with the playing unit but unhappy with the results," Ali told Goal earlier.

"For instance, against Sofapaka, we came down from 3-0 to 3-2 before conceding late into the game. When we played Gor Mahia, we went down 2-0 before scoring a goal. But again, we ended up conceding late and lost 3-1. It was a big effort from the guys.

"First game was an open game, we created many chances as compared to Sofapaka, only that we did not take them. Sofapaka did not create chances to score, but we gave them goals.

"It is the same case with Gor Mahia [on Thursday]; we donated goals.

"I am having a pre-season in a season which is a situation no coach would love to be in at the moment.

"Last season, we managed to prepare well for the season by playing some tournaments and competitive matches. This time around, that has not been the case.

"So I am using our first three or four games to prepare and after that, I think the team will be ready. The players are gelling and it does not happen automatically." 

Chennaiyin coach Csaba Laszlo believes that being compact will be key when his side faces East Bengal in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) on Monday.

The Marina Machans picked their first win in five games as they downed Odisha 2-1 last Wednesday and the Hungarian was satisfied that they scored twice since the 2-2 draw against East Bengal in the reverse fixture on December 26th.

"I think we have to sometimes be more compact. We talk about the chances that we don't score but in this (Odisha) game we scored two but I must also be honest that the opponent also had some good opportunities. We need a little more attention in midfield and defense. Generally, I'm satisfied with the performance of the team," he assessed.

The 56-year-old took account of East Bengal's new signings, particularly Bright Enobakhare, but added that Chennaiyin are well equipped for the challenge.

"East Bengal got some good new players in. They try hard in the offense but I also have some good defensive players. I think it's not very wise from my side to give you a direct tactic. Generally, we are strong in the midfield and we are also a team who stay compact. If we stay compact, I think we have enough quality to win the game against East Bengal," said Laszlo.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach youth coach has confirmed that Rafael Crivellaro's replacement in Manuel Lanzarote begins his 14-day quarantine on Sunday.

"We have players like Enes (Sipovic) and Eli (Sabia) who give stability to the young players. Lanza arrived today. He will need to go under quarantine. Rafa is out for the season and I think we need players who fill the gap. 

"Generally, my Indian players have enough experience in the ISL. We discovered Deepak (Tangri) and [Rahim] Ali who are doing very well. We also have German (Germanpreet Singh) and Edmund (Vanspaul) who are also waiting to show their talent. For this reason I think the atmosphere and chemistry in the team is good."

On an optimistic note, he concluded, "We had a lot of draws where we could have won games but I think we will come stronger in the second part of the season and I hope that the team will show not just their fighting spirit but that we can score more goals and win games."

Chennaiyin defender Enes Sipovic, reminded that he is going into the tie with a booking short of suspension, stressed that the statistic won't prevent him from playing his game.

"I didn't even know I had three yellow cards. Honestly, there is no strategy. I got some yellow cards that I didn't deserve but this (aggressively) is the way I play. I go for every duel without compromise. I will be careful not to make some stupid yellow cards but if you have a dangerous attack and stop someone at the price of a yellow card, I will stop him.

"Of course, I analyse my opponent's game and as defenders you have to be aggressive because strikers are sharp and fast, sometimes sneaky. You have to use your weapons against them. You don't need to be scared but sometimes, you will feel my tackles," the Bosnian warned.

Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed there is Premier League interest in midfielder Morgan Sanson, who has been linked with Aston Villa and West Ham.

Sanson, 26, has made more than 150 appearances for Marseille since signing from Montpellier in the January transfer window four years ago.

He started on Saturday as Marseille were surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home to Nimes, a result which saw them drop to sixth in Ligue 1.

“We’ll see. The transfer window is open, Sanson is a player who is highly rated in England,” Villas-Boas told his post-match press conference. “Officially, we have not received any offers, unless it happened during the match. He is a boy who interests English teams because of his characteristics, and it is possible that something could happen.”

Sanson has previously represented France at under-19 and under-21 level, though he has yet to make his senior international debut.

Marseille’s defeat, coupled with a narrow win for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, means Villas-Boas and his side are now 10 points off the top of Ligue 1.

They have two games in hand over PSG but could find themselves further adrift of the top after Lyon play Metz on Sunday.

"Sorry to the supporters," the coach said. “It's a very heavy defeat, with the series of points we have lost. The supporters must have a lot of patience. We risk losing touch with the teams at the top of the table. Not enough desire, not a good frame of mind, I'm not very happy. I'm very disappointed, I don't recognise this team.”

Defender Alvaro Gonzalez, in the news once again during the week over his continuing feud with Neymar, was even more blunt in his assessment.

“We can't do the sh*t we did today,” he said. “We have to respect the shirt, and the least we can do is run, fight on the field. Today, we didn't do anything. Every day when we lose, we talk about the coach, something else… But that's not true, the people in charge are us [the players]. When we do sh*t, we lose, because all the teams are good in Ligue 1, as in the Champions League.”

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids is wary of the threat posed by Black Leopards in Sunday’s Premier Soccer League clash at Thohoyandou Stadium, but says they have to concentrate more on their own strengths than focusing on nullifying their opponents.

Four days after dismissing another Venda side Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivandila 3-0 at the same venue, fifth-placed Pirates are back for another victory as they press to keep close track of log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

That win ended a two-game winless run and high morale was restored in the Buccaneers camp.

Pirates appear to have identified veteran forward Rodney Ramagalela as their biggest threat in the Leopards team that anchors the log standings.

“A very good mood in the camp, especially after the win but the preparations are more focused on recovery and freshness rather than focusing on the fitness side of things. But we need to get that intensity in, then the energy out in the game,” Davids told Pirates’ media.

“They are a team that can play in a different set of formations whether with three midfielders or two strikers. Whether its Ramagalela playing on the right side but becoming a striker in the same situation.

"So we really have to be aware of their threat but also capitalise on our threat in terms of our attacking style.”

Pirates are bidding for a first league title since 2012 and despite being eight points behind Sundowns, they are still regarded as one of the title favourites.

That makes them strong favourites to claim victory at the Thohoyandou Stadium against a Leopards side that has gone for five straight matches without tasting a win.

Meanwhile, Pirates attacker Vincent Pule is set to make his 100 PSL appearance if he is fielded against Lidoda Duvha.

Since joining Pirates in 2018, Pule has featured in 59 league games to add to the 40 he played for Bidvest Wits.

If he manages to play on Sunday, he will join other Pirates players like captain Happy Jele, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Abel Mabaso who have reached the century milestone.

Pule has scored two goals in eight league appearances this season.

Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo is hopeful of getting his first FKF Premier League win of the season on Sunday away to Vihiga United.

Despite putting up some fine displays on the pitch, the Mailmen have not registered any wins in the seven games they have so far played.

They have managed to get six draws and lost just one match which came against leaders KCB.

The experienced coach is now anticipating a win against their hosts who have managed to get five points from the seven games played.

"This is another opportunity for me and my players to get our elusive win in the league," the optimistic Omollo told Goal on Sunday.

"It is quite unfortunate that despite playing well in our last six matches, we have not managed to get a win. Of the six games, we had, at some point, lost concentration in about three matches and as a result, we were punished.

"But I am hopeful on Sunday we are going to get a win and it will boost our confidence. Once we get one win, others will surely come."

The hosts have been having internal issues owing to financial constraints and last week, technical director Nick Yakhama and coach Sammy Okoth had expressed their intentions to quit.

The management managed to convince them to stay, but Omollo has, however, warned his charges against underrating their opponents.

"You cannot go to a battle overconfident of defeating your opponent because of a misfortune," the former Harambee Stars defender continued.

"That is just like planning to fail. We are looking at Vihiga the same way as Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, or Tusker FC. I have already told my players that this game needs all the seriousness it deserves."

Omollo has further shed light on what he has told the players ahead of Sunday's game.

"We are going for early goals; I am saying goals because at some point we have scored a goal and we end up conceding because the opponents know they have a chance," he concluded.

"But if we get two or three goals, our opponents will be frustrated and we will be in a good position to win."

Nigeria international Maduka Okoye conceded five goals as Sparta Rotterdam bowed 5-3 to PSV Eindhoven in Saturday’s Eredivisie encounter.

Fuelled by a second-half brace from Donyell Malen, the Castle Lords were humbled in their own backyard.

Henk Fraser’s men came into the game with the ambition of recording their first home win following back-to-back defeats, but the visitors had other ideas.

The hosts got off to a bright start in the fourth minute when Bryan Smeets unleashed an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo due to some shambolic defending by the PSV defenders.

In the 24th minute, the visitors levelled matters through Mauro Junior, who headed past goalkeeper Okoye thanks to a cross from Cody Gakpo, who is of Togolese and Ghanaian descent.

The score was 1-1 at the half-time break.

Two minutes into the second-half, Malen restored PSV’s lead – beating Okoye from close range owing to another piece of poor defending by the hosts.

In the 49th minute, England youth international of Nigerian descent Noni Madueke gave Roger Schmidt’s men a two-goal lead – tapping home a simple pass from Netherlands youth international of Congolese origin Jordan Teze.

Philipp Max made it four goals after beating the Super Eagles’ Okoye with a shot from outside the goal area.

Substitutes Danzell Gravenberch and Reda Kharchouch scored the second and third goals, respectively, for Fraser’s side in the 75th and 87th minutes, to set up a tense finale.

However, on the dot of 90 minutes, Malen completed his brace to wrap up the comprehensive win for the visitors at Het Kasteel Stadium.

Madueke, who has now scored six goals in 15 Dutch top-flight fixtures in the 2020-21 campaign, was substituted for Eran Zahavi with nine minutes left to play, while Cote d'Ivoire midfielder Ibrahim Sangare was in action from start to finish. Injured Gakpo was replaced by Malen in the 43rd minute.

Okoye saw every minute of action for his team, but Cape Verde duo of Lorenzo Fonseca and Jeffry Fortes were not listed for the game.

Even at the unsatisfactory result, Sparta Rotterdam remain ninth in the Dutch top-flight log having accrued 21 points from 17 matches.

Mumbai City 10-match unbeaten run in the seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) following a goalless draw against Hyderabad on Saturday. 

The result meant that the Islanders were denied a fifth win in a row. The draw doesn't spell too much trouble for Sergio Lobera's team who remain six points clear atop the league table but what it does is once again show the quality that the Nizams have in their team. 

Hyderabad had a difficult pre-season not only because of the Coronavirus pandemic but also since their plans had to be altered due to a late change in the head coach. The blueprint for the 2020-21 season of ISL was created with Albert Roca at the helm but the former Bengaluru gaffer left the club to join FC Barcelona as a fitness coach. 

But they still managed to assemble a strong squad and Manuel Marquez hasn't disappointed so far with his astute management of the squad. He had missed several foreign players at the start of the season due to injuries but the Indian talents have come to the fore. 

And it was the Indian players who impressed and helped shut the dangerous Mumbai City attack down. Hitesh Sharma delivered a solid display in midfield, Mohammed Yasir was always available to receive the ball and Liston Colaco had the flair that kept Mumbai City defenders on their toes. 

The most impressive displays came from Hyderabad's full-backs, Asish Rai and Akash Mishra. Both have made a name for themselves for their marauding runs into the final third under Marquez's fluid system and have also been solid at the back when they have had to deal with tricky wingers. 

The 19-year-old Mishra, in particular, was heavily involved in the game against the league leaders. He not only effectively dealt with Cy Goddard on the left flank but also gave Amey Ranawade a tough time during the 90 minutes. Rai, on the other side, kept Bipin Singh and Mandar Rao Dessai relatively quiet.

Both these players are knocking on the doors of the Indian national team and it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least Mishra, who has played every single minute of Hyderabad's matches this season, don the Blue Tigers kit in the near future. 

Lobera chose to rest Hugo Boumous who has been stellar in recent matches but that cannot be an excuse for not creating enough clear-cut chances and not finishing them off when they did create such chances. Odei Onaindia and Chinglensana Singh, with the help of their full-backs, were able to clip Mumbai's wings and also keep in check the runs of Bartholomew Ogbeche and Adam Le Fondre.

Ahmed Jahouh dropped deeper than usual in search of space to ping balls forward and Hyderabad had a man tagging along with the midfielder whenever he tried to create room to make a pass. The gameplan worked.

Hyderabad did enough to keep Mumbai City away from their goal but the Islanders had too much quality to be defeated with just the good displays of the Indian players. They needed more from their foreigners to really be the dominant force against such a strong opponent but the goalless draw does offer confidence for the games to come. 

The best of Sahal Abdul Samad is yet to come, said Kerala Blasters boss Kibu Vicuna when 2021 kicked off. And going by the player's displays so far, supporters will be hoping he can bring out his best in the next few matches as Blasters eye a difficult but not improbable spot in the top four. 

The 2020-21 season of Indian Super League (ISL) is Sahal's stage to show that the hype is real and that he is not a one-season wonder. He had a breakout 2018-19 season under David James for which he won the AIFF and ISL Emerging Player of the Season awards.

Last season, only his second year at the top level, was one to forget as the Malayali midfielder struggled to nail down a first-team spot under Eelco Schattorie.

With Kibu Vicuna's backing ahead of the season and the attractive style of play that he promises, the stage is perfect for Sahal to shine. However, an injury forced him to spend time away from the lineup for nearly a month at the start of the season.

Sahal has managed to feature in seven (six starts) of the 11 matches Blasters have played this season and the numbers show that he has been decent but not the outstanding performer that he once promised to be.

A couple of points to be noted here is that firstly, he had to recover from an injury after a short pre-season, which is not an easy road. Secondly, he has rarely played centrally this season, in a role that he excelled in under David James. The 23-year-old has played four times on the left flank, twice on the right. The player has attempted five crosses from the flanks but only once has it reached its intended target. 

Sahal has created the third-most chances for the team, behind Facundo Pereyra and Jordan Murray. He has also been at the receiving end of two big chances when he has featured but has missed both. 

The drawback in Sahal's game was always the lack of a final product at the end of his eye-catching dribbles. He has attempted 29 dribbles in seven games, most by a Blasters player.

He has also had 31 touches inside the opponents' box, only fewer than Murray's tally of 49. Despite these numbers, he still has one assist and no goals to his name. 

One of the issues has also been his wayward shooting. Though not a designated forward, Sahal finds himself with a chance to shoot plenty of times during matches but his efficiency has been very poor. 

There is a clear lack of polish in Sahal's game that his former coach Schattorie had talked about more than once last season. There are no doubts about the player's potential and the club has put enough faith in him with a contract that runs till 2025.

It is just a matter of regaining his confidence and with a little help from his coach in terms of his positioning in the system, Sahal can succeed. And it is vital for the team's fight for the playoffs in the second half of the season. 

All the stats used in this article are from Opta (up to date till Kerala Blasters 1-1 draw against East Bengal on Jan 15)

Silas Wamangituka was VFB Stuttgart’s hero in Saturday’s 2-2 draw versus Borussia Monchengladbach.

The visitors came into the Bundesliga outing on the back of their 3-2 defeat of Bayern Munich at Borussia-Park. Against the Reds, however, they were only able to settle for a point.

Despite a cautious approach to the game, the hosts conceded a penalty in the 35th minute after Stefan Lainer was brought down by Borna Sosa. Lars Stindl stepped up to convert the resultant penalty to hand Gladbach the lead which they took into the half-time break.

Stuttgart were the stronger side in the second-half as they dominated ball possession in their quest to erase their deficit.

Luckily, they levelled matters in the 58th minute after Nicolas Gonzalez darted into the opposition’s goal area to head home Sosa’s perfectly weighed ball past goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

Their joy was short-lived as Denis Zakaria restored the lead for Marco Rose’s team shortly after restart.

In what was the last attack of the encounter, the ball pumped into the Colt’s box and Sasa Kalajdzic went down under a challenge from Ramy Bensebaini while referee Felix Brych awarded a penalty to Stuttgart following the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Wamangituka converted the penalty as both teams ended the affair on a no winner no vanquished note.

With his latest strike, the Congolese has now scored nine goals in 16 outings in the 2020-21 German topflight campaign.

While Wamangituka was in action from start to finish, Guinean forward Momo Cisse was not listed for action by manager Pellegrino Matarazzo. For the visitors, Algeria’s Bensebaini saw every minute of action whereas Guinea’s Ibrahima Traore an unused substitute.

“We always believe that we’ll come away with something to show for our efforts, and that’s how we’ve managed to pick up a fair few points in the later stages of games this season,” Matarazzo told media per club website.

“The lads all showed a lot of commitment and got what they deserved at the end of the day. It was a good performance overall, and one that we can build on.”

Thanks to this result, Stuttgart occupy the tenth position in the log having accrued 22 points from 16 games, while Gladbach are seventh with 25 points from the same number of games.

Jesus Perez defended Kylian Mbappe after the Paris Saint-Germain star fired another blank as the Ligue 1 champions overcame Angers 1-0 to move top of the table.

Layvin Kurzawa's goal with 20 minutes remaining saw PSG edge Angers at Stade Raymond Kopa on Saturday, leapfrogging rivals Lyon in the process, though Rudi Garcia's side can return to the summit by topping Metz on Sunday.

PSG are six games unbeaten in Ligue 1, while the titleholders have kept 12 clean sheets this season – more than any other team in the top-five European leagues.

But Mbappe was a topic of discussion post-game after the reported Real Madrid target saw his scoreless run extend to four matches as he was withdrawn 10 minutes from time.

PSG assistant Perez, deputising in the absence of head coach Mauricio Pochettino due to his positive coronavirus test, praised the France international forward – who has scored 12 goals in 16 Ligue 1 appearances this term and 14 across all competitions.

"Kylian was instrumental in this victory," Perez told reporters. "He fulfilled his role. We changed his position during the match. 

"He then better attacked the spaces. He's less successful at the moment, but he has his share in that success. He worked hard for the team."

With Pochettino self-isolating, Perez took charge as PSG secured back-to-back league wins, having also claimed the Trophee des Champions during the week.

PSG duo Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes exchanged 72 passes against Angers, the highest tally for a midfield pair in Ligue 1 this season.

Asked about Pochettino and his absence, Perez said: "He had contact with the players by video before the game. We too had it before the match and then at half-time to exchange. 

"We continued to discuss what we did this week. We also talked about training for the coming week. We will take advantage of this week's macrocycles to focus on specific points during the session. We prepared everything with Mauricio."

"It was difficult but we took the three points," he added. "Angers are a very well-organised team which gave us some concerns. But we went for this victory."

James Maddison says he was trying to keep things light-hearted as he celebrated his goal in Leicester's 2-0 win against Southampton.

After opening the scoring in the first half of the Premier League encounter, the midfielder gestured to his team-mates to stay away from him and mimed handshakes with them.

Football players have been criticised for sharing hugs and handshakes in celebrations despite the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Maddison says he wanted to obey social-distancing rules after his goal but felt the need to poke fun at the situation.

"If little things like that are what we need to keep football going then so be it. We have been told to stop gatherings of people and I tried to make it light-hearted," he said to  BT Sport.

"Footballers, we get a lot of stick and it's nice to put a lighter note on it. I don't think you will find one person in the country who wants football to stop.

"I hope Gareth Southgate had his mask on - it's nice to have him here. I want more international football, I've had a taste.

"It was a good Premier League game, tightly-contested. The 9-0 always gets mentioned but we don't like it, we need to forget about it. We took three points off each other last season, they beat us here.

"It's nice to be second in the table but last year we petered off in the new year so the next few months will be tough."

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers praised Maddison for his creativity and hopes it lifted the mood despite the difficulty posed by coronavirus.

"[We're] trying to treat it as a positive by saying we can be creative. Instead of seeing it as a negative saying you can't celebrate - you can, just in a different way," he said.

"Football brings such great joy to people. It's such a really, really hard time - off the back of Christmas. January is always a tough month for people. If they can get some sort of relief from a good competitive game and seeing players celebrating in the right way that's important."

Rodgers was delighted with his side's win, which lifts them up to second in the table, above Liverpool ahead of their clash with league leaders Manchester United.

"A great win for us. The first 25 minutes I thought we were socially distancing, we didn't get within two metres of them," he said.

"We were too passive, not aggressive enough which wasn't like us. But then we started to press the game better and it allowed us to sustain attacks more.

"Second half we were much better and should have scored more than two goals. At the same time we defended well."

Antonio Conte has plans to utilise Christian Eriksen in a deeper role for Inter, despite speculation linking the midfielder with a return to former club Tottenham. 

Eriksen looked poised to leave Inter after the club's CEO Giuseppe Marotta revealed he had been placed on the transfer list before the mid-season break. 

That followed a difficult start to the season for the Denmark international, which saw him start just four league games and fail to claim an assist. 

Reports suggest a reunion with Spurs, where he scored 51 goals in 226 Premier League matches, could yet happen during the January transfer window, but it appears there may still be a future for the 28-year-old at the Nerazzurri. 

Eriksen enjoyed a fruitful outing when he was deployed at the base of Inter's midfield for the Coppa Italia win over Fiorentina on Wednesday.

No player on the pitch made more than his four key passes, while he completed the most passes in the opposition half of any Inter player (45) and gained possession a team-high nine times. 

While Marcelo Brozovic is likely to return to that position for Sunday's Derby d'Italia with Juventus, Conte suggested he could look to use Eriksen there more frequently. 

"We must get the best out of our squad," Conte told a media conference. "It is inevitable to have him [Eriksen] behind Brozo [Brozovic] because we do not have this kind of player in the squad who can be a playmaker in front of the defensive line. 

"We are trying to get the best of Christian in that position, even if he played both as an attacking and an inside midfielder already. 

"It is good for the team and myself having the opportunity to use him in different roles in the midfield."

Second-place Inter go into Sunday's clash four points ahead of Andrea Pirlo's Juve, who are fourth. 

But Conte does not want to talk about his side’s chances of taking the Seire A title from their rivals this season.

“I don't want to talk about favourites, we must have great respect for a team that has dominated for nine years and wants to continue doing it for the 10th,” he said.

“We can look towards Juventus for what they do and have done. We ourselves shortened the gap towards them last year, we hope to be able to continue on this path this year.”

Paris Saint-Germain moved to the top of Ligue 1 as Layvin Kurzawa's solitary goal sealed a 1-0 win over Angers on Saturday. 

With head coach Mauricio Pochettino self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, assistant coach Jesus Perez took charge of the champions at Stade Raymond Kopa.

He looked set to oversee a frustrating draw before Kurzawa's first goal of the season 20 minutes from time secured back-to-back league wins following last weekend's victory over Brest. 

The result moved PSG two points clear of Lyon at the Ligue 1 summit, although Rudi Garcia's side can reclaim top spot if they overcome Metz on Sunday.

The hosts started in a confident mood and Pierrick Capelle forced Keylor Navas into a smart save after just two minutes. 

PSG belatedly woke from their slumber, with Kylian Mbappe clipping over after racing onto Neymar's pass before the Brazil international saw a close-range effort deflected into the side netting. 

Moise Kean then glanced a header wide as PSG ended the first half having failed to register a single shot on target. 

Mbappe flashed a strike into the side netting shortly after the interval, while Navas superbly kept out Lois Diony's diving header at the other end.

Paul Bernardoni diverted Mbappe's effort wide after the France star had been played clean through by Neymar, but the Angers goalkeeper could do little about Kurzawa's winner. 

Alessandro Florenzi's right-wing cross was deflected into the left-back's path and he powered home a fine volley from eight yards to secure PSG's 10th win in 11 games against Angers.

What does it mean? PSG give isolating Pochettino a boost

PSG were far from their fluid best but Pochettino, no doubt watching on from home, will be delighted his side followed up their Trophee des Champions triumph in midweek with another maximum points haul in Ligue 1. 

Angers carved out as many shots as PSG (11), but the champions will point to 61.6 per cent possession and 266 more passes as evidence they were good value for the win. 

Neymar shines for visitors

He did not get on the scoresheet but Neymar was comfortably PSG's brightest spark. The Brazilian superstar made a team-high four key passes and would have ended up with at least one assist to his name had Mbappe been more ruthless in front of goal. 

Mbappe's struggles continue

Having started the season by hitting nine goals in as many games, Mbappe has now only scored twice in his last eight games in all competitions. He had three shots - more than any other PSG player - but failed to play a single key pass before he was substituted with 10 minutes remaining. 

What's next? 

PSG host Montpellier on Friday, while Angers are away to Bordeaux a week on Sunday.

Ajara Nchout bagged a brace and an assist on her debut as she and Rasheedat Ajibade helped Atletico Madrid to a maiden Spanish Supercopa title after a 3-0 victory over Levante on Saturday.

The 28-year-old teamed up with the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium based outfit earlier this month after turning down a chance to extend her stay with Norwegian champions Valerenga.

The forward spent two years with Valerenga and helped the club to maiden Champions League qualification in 2019 before a historic Norwegian double, grabbing a top scorer gong last December.

While Nigeria's Ajibade was left on the bench, Nchout was handed a starting role against the Granotes and wasted no time to announce himself in Spain with her display in Almeria.

Levante, for their part, had Nigerian-born Spanish forward Andrea Okene in the squad, but the 19-year-old recently promoted to the senior team was left on the bench in a wait for her maiden appearance.
 
To reach the final, Atletico required a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win to pip Barcelona after 1-1 draw in the regulation time, while Levante claimed a 3-1 semi-final triumph over Logrono.

The Cameroon international combined well with Venezuelan star Deyna Castellanos to open the scoring in the 18th minute.

Nchout doubled Atletico lead with her first goal in Spanish football thanks to a fine assist from Ludmila da Silva four minutes later.

The Cameroonian and Brazilian combined well again to seal the win of the visitors, with the former's second goal in the encounter.

The result means Atletico are Spanish Supercopa champions for the first time, having beaten inaugural winners Barcelona in the semi-final.

Nchout featured for 82 minutes before giving way for Ajibade as she celebrated her third silverware in Europe following her domestic double with Valerenga.  

While Ajibade, who saw the last eight minutes of the match won her first honour in European football just two weeks after arriving in Spain from Norwegian side Avaldsnes.

Nchout will aim to continue her outstanding displays when Atletico take on Sevilla in their next Iberdrola game on January 24.

For Levante, Okene could not also taste the first-team action as her side settled for a runners-up spot at Mediterranean Games Stadium.

She will hope for an opportunity when they travel to face Sporting Huelva in their next league fixture on the same day. 

Al Duhail have confirmed the signing of Kenya international Michael Olunga on a three-year contract from Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol.

The Qatar Stars League club swooped for the 26-year-old striker following his goalscoring exploits in Japan where he scored 28 goals in 32 J1 League matches last season.

Following his switch to the Middle East, Olunga joins former Morocco captain Medhi Benatia in Sabri Lamouchi's team as they compete for the top-flight title.

“The club's management have succeeded in signing a contract with the top scorer in the Japanese League, with a professional contract for three seasons, coming from Kashiwa Reysol,” the club statement read.

Al Duhail are second in the league table with 27 points from 14 matches, and they trail leaders Al Sadd by 11 points.

During the week, Olunga made his Qatar Stars League debut in Al Duhail's 3-1 loss to Al Sadd and he played for 67 minutes with Algeria star Baghdad Bounedjah scoring a hat-trick in the fixture.

On Saturday, Al Duhail were guaranteed a spot in the Fifa Club World Cup for the first time in their history following Auckland City's withdrawal due to coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand.

The tournament will kick off in February while the draw will be staged in Zurich on January 19.

Olunga will be targeting his first victory in Qatar when Al Duhail visit Qatar SC for their next Stars League fixture on Tuesday.

Jamshedpur (13 points) are just a point above NorthEast United when the two teams face each other in the first of Sunday's Indian Super League (ISL) fixtures.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

Jamshedpur Possible XI:   

Injured - None
Doubtful - None  
Suspended - Alex Lima

Key Players - Nerijus Valskis, Jackichand Singh   

NorthEast United Possible XI: 

Injured - Kwesi Appiah    
Doubtful - Deshorn Brown
Suspended - None

Key Players - Khassa Camara, Luis Machado