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East Bengal's season got off to a disastrous start with a winless run of seven games. Kerala Blasters had a winless start that lasted six matches. These two teams couldn't be separated when they met for the first time ever earlier this season. And on Sunday, they'll both be at it again. 

Bakary Kone's own goal in the 13th minute gave the Red and Golds an early lead in their first game against Blasters. But a period of pressure late in the game helped the then 'home' team equalise in added time through a Jeakson Singh header. At the end of that game, Blasters were the happier team. 

But both these teams are heading into their next fixture with a different mindset. Yes, both teams are still some way off their desired position on the table but they have improved their displays in recent games. 

Blasters ended their winless run with a 2-0 win against Hyderabad but followed that up with back-to-back defeats. After being bossed around the field by Mumbai City and Odisha, they delivered an encouraging performance and a win against Jamshedpur which has set the fans up for an exciting fixture against ISL debutants East Bengal. 

East Bengal, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last three matches, which is a pretty big deal for a team that had gotten off to a poor start. They picked up their first win of the season against Odisha, then held FC Goa to a draw with 10 men on the field and defeated Bengaluru in their last game. 

Kibu Vicuna had struggled to find out his best XI players at the start of the season but is now closer than ever to what can be considered as the most effective lineup for his style of play.

Jordan Murray, who picked up a brace in their last game, has looked a better fit than Gary Hooper who has been struggling in the final third. Vicuna has also tried a system that accommodates both strikers and that could be the plan to follow for the Yellows. 

Sahal's role is still not well-defined but he remains a threat from the left flank and is encouraged to make runs inside. The standout performer for the Yellow Army, however, has been Argentinian forward Facundo Pereyra who has settled into his role in the team well. He has two assists to his name so far. 

East Bengal's 22-year-old January signing Bright Enobakhare has added a terrific new dimension to Robbie Fowler's attack which was blunt before he arrived.

Against Goa, he scored a solo goal which is arguably one of the best goals in the ISL and will be a massive threat against the Blasters defence. The Nigerian will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing the league's worst defence which was let in 19 goals already.

Kibu Vicuna and Robbie Fowler, from the outside, look like two managers who were under huge pressure but have turned things around. But they both need to keep picking up wins and a draw when they face each other is useless to both teams with the playoff spots in mind.

Playing for a draw does not really help both teams. Will the teams go all-out for a win or would they deem it too risky? 

Former U.S. women's national team (USWNT) goalkeeper Hope Solo says the team has a "very privileged, white culture", and recounted her experience of being bullied when she first joined the group.

Solo made her USWNT debut in 2000 and went on to become one of the greatest goalkeepers the game has seen, winning two Olympic gold medals and the 2015 World Cup while earning 202 caps in her career.

The goalkeeper was no stranger to controversy as well, seeing her U.S. Soccer contract terminated in 2016 after she called Sweden "a bunch of cowards" for their defensive style in their shock Olympic quarter-final win over the USWNT. 

Speaking on The Players podcast from BBC Sport and COPA90, Solo recounted the difficult experiences she had when first joining the USWNT. 

“We were bullied, let’s be honest," Solo said. "You’re supposed to be competitive, and you want to join the team and be the starter, but at the same time if you have that sense of confidence in yourself, it’s not always a good thing. You have to earn every step of it.

"When we grew up on the team it was cut-throat. People were not nice to us, people were not welcoming, they didn’t invite you to sit at the dinner table. It was really difficult growing up on the national team for me in a social aspect as well as learning the game. It is a much more open and welcome environment [now].”

Also appearing on the podcast was Carli Lloyd, who is still with the USWNT after a decorated career that has seen her win two World Cups and consecutive FIFA world player of the year awards in 2015 and 2016.

Lloyd concurred with Solo's experience coming through the team's ranks.

"Hope and I, coming through the international team, it was so hard," Lloyd said. "I would go home to my room and cry afterwards because people were kind of mean to me. It was just the competitive nature.

"When I was first coming into the team, I had the Jersey swagger a little bit. I’m like, ‘I don’t care who you are, or what you’ve accomplished or done, I’m coming for your spot’.”

Solo added that there was also a racial dynamic at play with the USWNT, as soccer in the United States is very often a sport more accessible for high-income communities. 

"When you grow up on the national team, there was a mean girls club," Solo added. "It was a mean girls club. Most players have come from rich, white families. That is the culture of the United States women’s national team. It is a very privileged, white culture.

"I remember Carli and I always talking about the culture, ‘we have to change this culture’. Carli and I were very welcoming, we weren’t bullies. We were very nice to the young kids coming in, but I think it’s because we were bullied. We always wanted to change that culture, but ultimately I’m not sure we succeeded.”

Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says this weekend’s trip to Liverpool will be a “great test” of his side’s title ambitions after Tuesday’s win at Burnley saw them leapfrog their great rivals to the top of the table.

A 71st-minute strike from Paul Pogba was enough to earn United a gutsy 1-0 win at Turf Moor and put them three points clear at the summit.

It is the first time United have topped the table at this stage of a season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, raising hopes of a sustained title challenge.

Next up is a trip to Anfield, where Manchester United haven’t won since March 2016. Solskjaer, though, says his side can go there with confidence.

"We're looking forward to it, we enjoy being where we are at any time,” he told reporters.

“At the moment we are where we are, we go there knowing we're playing the best team in the country by a mile over the last year and a half, they are champions by right.

“We're looking forward to it and it's a great test of where we're at against a good team.

“We are getting better and better. We are almost half way through the season and it is a little bit of an indication of where we're at, but nobody will remember the league table on January 12."

Reflecting on the Burnley game, Solskjaer said he was pleased with the way his side showed spirit to battle their way to victory, particularly when some key refereeing decisions went against them in the first half.

"The frustrations were there for everyone to see and it affected our performances,” added the Norwegian. “We can't let that happen, we’ve just got to accept once in a while decisions go against us.

“I’d rather win 4-0 as it's so much more comfortable towards the end. At 1-0 you have to see out some big moments and we did. We were a bit fortunate, you expect that here at Turf Moor. They put bodies on the box, but we put our head in like Luke [Shaw] did. I'm very pleased with the spirit.”

Alex Iwobi ended his Premier League goal drought as Everton defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on Tuesday evening.

The Nigeria international inspired his team to victory at the Molineux Stadium as Carlo Ancelotti’s team stepped up their bid for the EPL diadem.

Six minutes into the game, James Rodriguez played a crossfield pass to Lucas Digne before sending it back to Iwobi who calmly fired beyond goalkeeper Rui Patricio from 20 yards.

With that strike, the former Arsenal man has now scored for the first time in 38 English elite division games. The last time he found the net was on September 1, 2019 as Everton laboured to a 3-2 win over Wolves at Goodison Park.

The hosts levelled matters through Ruben Neves in the 14th minute. Yerry Mina’s failure to clear Pedro Neto’s corner kick allowed Rayan Ait-Nouri to turn the ball back in the danger area, where the Portugal international volleyed past Jordan Pickford from close range.

Victory was sealed for the visitors in the 77th minute after Michael Keane powered home a brilliant header thanks to a cross from Andre Gomes.

Iwobi was in action from start to finish as his club now occupy the fourth position in the log having garnered 32 points from 17 matches – four points adrift of leaders Manchester United.

Shortly after the game, the Super Eagle took to social media to revel in his side’s win against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side: “ That three point feeling’s so sweet,” he tweeted.

Speaking after the game, manager Ancelotti praised his team’s flexibility in the away triumph.

“Great result. If you win here, you have to have a good performance. We played a good game, we were good defensively, we attacked well with good ideas on the flanks,” the Italian tactician told media after the game.

“After that the game was in the balance, at the end we won thanks to Michael Keane, who scored a fantastic goal.

“We perform better away because at home we don’t have the support of our fans at the moment, which is really important. When we played with 2,000 of our supporters against Chelsea we won.”

Iwobi would be hoping to take his scoring form to Villa Park where Everton are guests of Aston Villa on Sunday.

Paul Pogba would not be drawn on the VAR controversy during Manchester United’s victory at Burnley, saying he has to keep calm about decisions because “he is not the boss” on the pitch.

The incident occurred during the first half when Burnley defender Robbie Brady appeared to have fouled Edinson Cavani when he was through on goal, which would have been red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Referee Kevin Friend reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor, but wiped out Brady’s foul when he saw a late challenge by Luke Shaw in the build-up to the incident which resulted in the Manchester United man being booked instead.

Moments later Harry Maguire thought he had headed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side into the lead only for Friend to rule it out for a foul on Erik Pieters.

Despite that controversy, United still managed to battle their way to a 1-0 victory courtesy of Pogba’s 71st-minute strike, with the three points lifting the Red Devils above Liverpool to the top of the Premier League ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday.

When asked about the decisions Pogba said he disagreed with the officials but admitted he had little choice but to accept them.

"Obviously it's hard but you have to be professional and we knew it wasn't going to be easy with the decision of the referee which I didn't agree with,” he told Sky Sports. “But I'm not the boss on the pitch so we just have to keep calm and keep focused and of course we scored and won the game.”

On Maguire's disallowed goal, he added: "It was a goal for sure - I don't know what happened. It was a beautiful goal and the referee decided that it was not. It was a strange decision but we got the result we wanted so we're happy.”

United have now won five and drawn one of their last seven Premier League games to top the table at this stage of the season for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Pogba, however, is not getting carried away and simply wants to focus on the next game.

"We know that the game today was very hard, very difficult and obviously we wanted to win. We know it's not easy to play here. We got the three points and we're happy for that but there's still a long way and now we focus again until the end of the season," he said.

"I'm always happy when I win - today we won and I'm happy we play well. Still a long way to go and we have big games to go so we have to focus on that."

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he had to calm his players down at half-time against Burnley after two major VAR decisions went against them. 

After taking in their manager's words, the Red Devils would eventually prevail 1-0 at Turf Moor through Paul Pogba's strike, sending them to the top of the table. 

United could have been a man up in the first half after Robbie Brady appeared to deny Edinson Cavani a goalscoring opportunity with a foul outside the box, but after a video review, referee Kevin Friend disregarded Brady's foul entirely and instead called United defender Luke Shaw for an earlier challenge, issuing the left-back a yellow card.

United defender Harry Maguire then appeared to score the opener with a header, only for the goal to be called back due to a controversial foul by the defender during his leap.

Solskjaer admitted that his players were upset with the referee's decisions and needed to be calmed at the break. 

"You've got to calm them down at half-time because emotions are running high because they disagree with the things that happen out there," Solskjaer told Sky Sports.

"So we have to take back control and we played really well in the second half and we held out at the end."

On the two incidents, Solskajer added: "I've not watched any of the decisions so I can't really say. Might've been a foul by Luke apparently so that's probably the right decision, definitely not a foul for Harry for his goal. If you can't jump and head it in like this, I don't believe that's anywhere near a foul. Delighted with the response after a bit of a tough first half-hour."

Pogba eventually found a winner in the 71st minute, with Solskjaer saying the France star is finding his best form after a difficult spell earlier in the season.

"I've always said Paul is a big player for us, he's a good character in the dressing room, he's someone the lads look to, he's a world champion," Solskjaer said.

"We're seeing the best of Paul at the moment – he's been injured and he's had Covid so it's natural to need to get back to fitness after that."

Solskjaer also said he was looking forward to Sunday's table-topping clash with Liverpool, who are three points behind his side in second place. 

"Of course we know we're going to the champions. They've had an unbelievable three seasons so we're ready for it," Solskjaer said. "But we're ready and we're excited, we're hungry for it and it's a test of character and quality again. We're in a good position going into it."

Milan booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia with a penalty shoot-out victory over Torino at San Siro following a goalless draw after extra time.

The Serie A leaders eased to a 2-0 win when the sides met in the league on Saturday but found it a lot tougher to break down their opponents - 28 points worse off in the league - in Tuesday's cup tie.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic squandered the best early opening on his first start since November 22 and Milan then dominated the second half, twice hitting the post and having a penalty shout turned down.

Neither side could find a way through in the additional 30 minutes, but it was the hosts who prevailed on spot-kicks to set up a tie with Fiorentina or Inter - Hakan Calhanoglu scoring the decisive penalty after Ciprian Tatarusanu had denied Tomas Rincon.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli made five changes to his starting line-up from the league clash between the sides, and it was one of the returning faces who went closest to scoring in an uneventful first half.

Ibrahimovic took advantage of Torino's lopsided defensive line, controlled Davide Calabria's pass over the top and fired a dipping half-volley over the crossbar from 15 yards.

Tatarusanu was making just his fourth appearance for Milan since joining last year and made a good one-handed save to keep out Amer Gojak's curler seven minutes before half-time.

Ibrahimovic and Samu Castillejo were replaced by Jens Hauge and Calhanoglu after the interval and Milan looked a lot livelier in the early stages of the second period.

Rafael Leao, among the scorers on Saturday, failed to get the better of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic when played in by Brahim Diaz and then had a shot kept out by the Torino goalkeeper.

Milan's pressure looked to be telling as Diogo Dalot and Calabria hit the post in the space of two minutes.

But the home side's frustration soon started to show, with substitute Gianluigi Donnarumma issued a red card for dissent after a second penalty call went against Leao following a challenge from Milinkovic-Savic.

Diaz ballooned over the bar from 10 yards to signal extra time. These sides also needed extra time when they met at the quarter-final stage last season, Milan coming through 4-2 winners, but substitute Theo Hernandez's saved shot was the closest either side came to a breakthrough here in the additional 30 minutes.

Milan matched Torino in converting their first three penalties and visiting captain Rincon's saved effort towards the bottom-right corner proved decisive, allowing Calhanoglu to fire home and send his side through.

What does it mean? Milan still challenging on three fronts

Winning a first Scudetto in a decade will no doubt be the priority for Milan, who are three points clear at the Serie A summit after 17 matches, but they are also good value to go all the way in the Europa League and now the Coppa Italia after this slender win.

For a club of their pedigree, it seems remarkable that the most recent of the Rossoneri's five triumphs in this competition was back in 2003.

Pioli's men may have done things the hard way here, but the victory was ultimately deserved as they were the better side, getting nine shots on target to their opponents' three. They now wait to see who they will face in the last eight, with Fiorentina and bitter rivals Inter facing off on Wednesday.

Calhanoglu at his creative best

Not only did Calhanoglu score the winning penalty, he also proved to be Milan's most creative player despite only being brought on at half-time in normal time.

He created an unrivalled six big chances for team-mates, none of which the likes of Leao and Hauge could put away, and had four shots of his own.

Zlatan will need time

Ibrahimovic was brought on for the final five minutes on Saturday and was deemed ready to start this match on his latest injury return, but Pioli was only willing to use the veteran striker for 45 minutes. He had just one attempt during his time on the field - firing over from a promising opportunity - and created one big chance.

Milan looked a lot livelier when Leao shifted into a central position in the second half, suggesting Ibrahimovic has a battle on his hands to win back his place.

Key Opta facts

- Milan have reached the quarter-finals for a 12th consecutive season and have now won four of their last five Coppa Italia penalty shoot-outs.
- Tatarusanu has kept a clean sheet in three of his four games for Milan across all competitions.
- Milan have hit the woodwork 10 times in their last 10 games across all competitions.
- Centre-back Mateo Musacchio made his first Milan appearance for 325 days, having last featured against Fiorentina in February last year.
- Alessio Romagnoli is the only player to have started all of the five Coppa Italia games played by Milan during Pioli's reign.

What's next?

Milan resume their Scudetto challenge with a trip to Cagliari next Monday, while Torino are at home to Spezia on their return to Serie A action on Saturday.

The Premier League has clarified an incident during Tuesday's match between Manchester United and Burnley which saw a possible red card for Robbie Brady ruled out, and Luke Shaw shown a yellow instead.

United forward Edinson Cavani was bearing down on goal the first half when Brady took him down in a challenge just outside the box. The foul could have been a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, which sent referee Kevin Friend to the video review monitor.

However, after reviewing the footage, Friend disregarded Brady's foul entirely and instead called back United defender Shaw for an earlier challenge, issuing the left-back a yellow card.

In a statement provided to Goal, the Premier League clarified the events that resulted in Shaw being shown a yellow card and Brady getting away without even conceding a foul.

"In the 27th minute of Burnley vs Manchester United, Robbie Brady was shown a yellow card for a foul on Edinson Cavani," the statement read.

"On the recommendation of the VAR, referee Kevin Friend went to the Referee Review Area (RRA) to check for a possible red card for Brady for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity offence and a possible foul by Luke Shaw that was in the same attacking phase of play.  

"When the referee was at the screen, he was first shown the challenge by Shaw on Johann Berg Gudmundsson. He determined that this was a foul and was part of the phase of play that led to the challenge by Brady.

"The restart was a Burnley free-kick, with Brady’s yellow card rescinded, and a yellow card issued to Shaw."

The decision is the latest controversial call involving VAR in the Premier League this season, with the use of the technology proving divisive among players, managers and spectators.

United would eventually win the match at Turf Moor, as Paul Pogba's second half winner gave his side a 1-0 victory – the third Premier League win in a row for the Red Devils.

With the win United go top of the Premier League table, taking a three-point lead over defending champions Liverpool. The two sides are now set for a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday, when United travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp's side.

Atletico Madrid extended their lead at LaLiga's summit to four points as they saw off Sevilla 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday.

Sevilla could have become the first team to draw three successive away games at the Wanda, but Atletico produced a vintage display of clinical finishing and resolute defending as they improved their position at the top of the table.

Atletico edged an even first half and went ahead through Angel Correa's clinical finish with just over quarter of an hour played, though Sevilla did trouble Jan Oblak through Ivan Rakitic and Youssef En-Nesyri.

The visitors dominated proceedings in the second period but struggled to find a way through Atletico's famously shrewd defence, who ultimately claimed an 11th clean sheet in LaLiga this term as Saul Niguez put the game beyond Sevilla in the latter stages.

Sevilla looked bright in the opening exchanges as Rakitic tested Oblak early on, but they found themselves trailing in the 17th minute – Correa picking out the bottom-right corner with a snapshot on the swivel that caught Yassine Bounou unsighted in goal.

Atletico were fortunate at the other end soon after.

Oblak initially rushed out to thwart En-Nesyri and the ball fell kindly to Marcos Acuna, but the left-back shot wide of the empty net with the hosts' goalkeeper stranded.

Luis Suarez then threatened before the half-hour mark, but his close-range volley was well blocked by Bounou.

En-Nesyri tried his luck from a tight angle early in the second half, but Oblak had little issue making the save.

But while Sevilla saw much of the ball, that En-Nesyri effort was hardly the start of an onslaught and Atletico picked them off 14 minutes from time.

Marcos Llorente found space behind Acuna and Oscar Rodriguez failed to intercept his cutback, which came to Saul and he swept in from 20 yards to seal the points.

France legend Jean-Pierre Papin has heavily criticised Mauro Icardi, saying he has “great doubts about his personality” and questions whether the Paris Saint-Germain forward likes competition.

The Argentine hit 20 goals for the French champions last season, with his form prompting PSG to turn his loan from Inter into a €50 million (£45m/$56m) permanent deal.

He even took the No 9 shirt in place of the departing Edinson Cavani, but has struggled to match the heights he reached last term, with injuries and loss of form limiting him to just three goals in six appearances so far.

In Icardi’s absence, summer signing Moise Kean has taken his opportunity, scoring 11 goals in 18 games since his loan move from Everton.

Icardi did manage to find the back of the net coming off the bench in Maurcio Pochettino’s first game in charge against Brest on Sunday, but Papin has not been impressed with what he has seen of the Argentine.

The former France international wonders whether the 27-year-old struggles playing alongside star players like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, when previously he has been the star player himself.

Papin told France Football: “When I watched him play for a year, I didn’t get the impression that he wanted to bring the house down. How is it possible?

“In his body language, I didn’t see the urge. From what I have seen of him, I have great doubts about his personality.

“I feel he doesn't like competition. At Inter he was very impressive but he was the undisputed star and captain. In Paris, he is a ‘normal’ star and is behind Neymar, Mbappe and a few others.”

Papin did have some kind words to say about the striker, praising his predatory instincts in front of goal.

“He is a pure goal hunter,” added the former Ballon D’or winner.

“He knows how to position himself in front of goal. He senses where the ball will bounce, which is ideal when you are surrounded by team-mates who have such vision as Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria - though he does not care to defend.”

PSG are next in action on Wednesday night when they face rivals Marseille.

Paul Pogba volleyed in the winning goal as Manchester United moved top of the Premier League by winning 1-0 at Burnley.

United only needed a point on Tuesday to move above champions Liverpool ahead of the two teams' crunch clash at Anfield this weekend.

But the resurgent Pogba converted Marcus Rashford's cross with 19 minutes left to ensure United moved three points clear of their great rivals.

Burnley defended well but did not manage a single shot on target, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had a first-half goal Harry Maguire goal disallowed.

The hosts went close early on when Eric Bailly made a key block to divert Chris Wood's effort away from David de Gea's goal.

Anthony Martial fired off target when a presentable chance was given to him by Nemanja Matic before VAR took centre stage.

After a long review, Robbie Brady's foul on Edinson Cavani just outside the area was rescinded and Luke Shaw was booked for a foul on Johann Gudmundsson earlier in the move, with Burnley calling for a red.

Maguire impressively headed in a Shaw cross only for a foul to be awarded for his duel with Erik Pieters. Nick Pope then impressively kept out a Martial curler to ensure the first half ended goalless.

A golden opportunity went begging after the break when Cavani scuffed a close-range effort straight at Burnley keeper Pope after Martial had squared into his path.

Rashford had been enduring a quiet evening out on the right until he picked out Pogba at the edge of the penalty area just as it began to look like United would have to settle for a draw.

Pogba latched on to it and superbly volleyed in, with a deflection off Matthew Lowton ensuring Pope was powerless to keep it out.

There were a couple of late scares for United, with James Tarkowski squandering an opportunity and Maguire not penalised amid claims of handball, but they held on with only late injuries to Martial – who had a last-gasp shot saved by Pope - and Nemanja Matic dampening the mood.

What does it mean? United rolling into Anfield

The Liverpool match will be a huge test for United, but they go into the game on top of the table with their superb away form – seven wins and one draw from eight top-flight games – continuing.

Their sixth straight win at Turf Moor was hard fought, but deserved. Maguire's first-half goal was harshly ruled out, while United, who were thwarted by the impressive Pope six times, had the chances to have put the game to bed before Burnley's late flurry.

The last time United were top at this point of a season was 2012 in Alex Ferguson's last season, which ended in title glory.

Pogba revival continues

United have had Pogba back closer to his best since his spectacular goal against West Ham in the comeback win on December 5.

His goal was excellent here, too, while his 104 touches, 70 completed passes and five clearances were all outright game highs. The World Cup winner also added two created chances and won 12 of his 14 duels.

Disappointing return for Cavani

Ahead of the match, Solskjaer insisted Cavani was raring to go as he returned from his three-match suspension.

But the veteran striker struggled to get involved (finishing with just 30 touches in 90 minutes) and missed a huge chance to open the scoring with what proved to be his only attempt on target.

If Martial is injured, Cavani could get an immediate opportunity to improve against Liverpool.

Key Opta Facts

- United have kept their first away clean sheet of the season in the Premier League, conceding 11 goals in their previous seven matches on the road in this campaign.
- Burnley have scored just one goal in their last 10 home league games against United, compared to 20 in their previous 10 games versus the Red Devils at Turf Moor.
- Burnley have won just one of their last 26 Premier League home games against the “big six” sides (D4 L21), a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in February 2019.
- Pogba's last seven Premier League goals have come away from home, including each of the last three in a row.
- Rashford has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances (6 goals, 5 assists).

What's next?

United have that huge trip to Liverpool on Sunday, while Burnley are away to West Ham on Saturday as they sit five points clear of the bottom three.

Nigeria U17 have qualified for the semi-final of the 2021 Wafu U17 championship taking place in Togo.

The Golden Eaglets had bowed 1-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in their opening Group B match courtesy of Charles Mezia’s 77th minute strike. In their next fixture against Ghana, they took the lead through Joseph Arumala before their arch-rivals equalised to ensure the game ended 1-1 – a result that put them on the brink of elimination.

Even at that, Fatai Amoo’s boys scaled through as the Black Starlets crumbled 3-1 to Les Petits Elephants at the Stade Municipal, Lome.

With this result, the five-time world champions are through to the last four of the competition alongside the 2013 African U17 champions.

To reach the final, Nigeria must negotiate their way past Group A winners Burkina Faso on Friday, while Cote d’Ivoire must get past Niger Republic on the same day at the Stade Kegue.

Hosts Togo got disqualified from the championship on Sunday after two of their players failed the Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests (MRI).

“This decision is made in accordance with article 27.4 of the regulations of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations which stipulates that “if after having carried out the age eligibility test (MRI) for a participating team and a player ‘is revealed ineligible, the participating team will be disqualified,” a statement from the organisers read.

The regional tournament serves as qualifiers for the 2021 Africa U17 Cup of Nations billed for Morocco. There, Africa’s four representatives for the Fifa U17 World Cup in Peru would be determined.

Golden Eaglets finished fourth at the 2019 U17 Afcon hosted by Tanzania. At the global fiesta held in Brazil, the team led by Manu Garba crashed out after the Round of 16 following their 3-1 defeat to the Netherland with Misjonne Hansen finding the net on three occasions inside Estadio Olimpico, Goiania.

Nigeria are the most successful country in the world at this level of competition having won the U17 World Cup for a record five times. Their last triumph was achieved at the 2015 edition when they silenced Mali 2-0 in the final thanks to second-half strikes from Victor Osimhen and Funsho Bamgboye.

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores  has reached its semi-final stage, as the delayed 2020 competition nears its end.

Tuesday will determine the first club to reach the final, as Palmeiras look to see out the second leg at home to River Plate in Sao Paulo.

The Brazilians shocked their hosts last week with a 3-0 victory to take the upper hand in the semi-final tie.

And while the 2018 winners are still dreaming of a miracle comeback, the odds are firmly stacked in Palmeiras' favour in this return clash.

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores quarter finals can be watched through Fanatiz  with a 7-day free trial . 

The streaming platform offers the option to watch each game in the US..

How to watch Palmeiras vs River on US TV

What has happened to Palmeiras and River so far in the 2020 Copa Libertadores?

Palmeiras hold the distinction of being the only surviving team yet to lose a single match in this Libertadores campaign. The signs were there from the start that the Verdao would prove tough customers, as they advanced from Group B in top spot with five wins, a draw and just two goals conceded in a formidable opening to the tournament.

Ecuador's Delfin proved no match in the last 16, falling 3-1 at home before suffering a 5-1 thrashing to bow out of their first experience of the Copa knockout phase. 

Libertad pushed the Brazilians a little harder, but still to no avail: a tough-fought 1-1 draw in Asuncion was followed by Palmeiras running riot in the second leg to win 3-0 and book only their second semi-final berth in the competition since 2001.

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River's quest began in subdued fashion with a 3-0 defeat away to Liga de Quito in Group D, but Marcelo Gallardo's charges quickly rediscovered their best form.

Peru's Binacional were thrashed 8-0 and 6-0 while the Millonario also picked up four points against a Sao Paulo team featuring Dani Alves, pushing the Brazilians into third place and the Copa Sudamericana while River qualified in first. 

In the last-16 stage River dominated over Athletic Paranaense, racking up 39 shots over two legs to their opponents' 14. Goals proved hard to come by, though, and after tying the first leg 1-1 in Coritiba a single strike from Nicolas de la Cruz saw the Argentines over the line. Uruguay's Nacional were then put to the sword, with River's 2-0 home win followed by a 6-2 thrashing in Montevideo to produce an emphatic aggregate victory for the Millonario.

Palmeiras and River team news and preview

Palmeiras will have to do without star striker Gabriel Veron. The 18-year-old, who had recently returned from injury, was forced off at the weekend and is ruled out for the second leg having been an unused substitute in the opener.

Midfielder Patrick also misses out due to suspension, but Palmeiras will be able to count on the services of Raphael Veiga, who has shaken off a knock sustained against Sport to resume regular training.

Jorge Carrascal picked up a red card in last week's opening match and thus will be suspended for River as they seek to come back from behind in Sao Paulo.

Coach Marcelo Gallardo may be able to field Fabricio Angileri, who has been unavailable  through injury but is now available for selection.

Probable Palmeiras XI:  Weverton, Gabriel Menino, Luan, Gómez, Vina; Danilo, Ze Rafael, Raphael Veiga; Gustavo Scarpa, Rony, Luiz Adriano.

Probable River XI:  Armani; Montiel, Robert Rojas, Paulo Díaz, Pinola, Angileri; Zuculini, Perez, De la Cruz; Suarez, Borre.

When does the 2020 Copa Libertadores finish?

The 2020 Copa Libertadores was originally scheduled to conclude with a single final in a neutral ground, the system which replaced the old format of home and away legs last year, at the end of November. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the tournament suffered almost six months of interruption, meaning that the final phases had to be pushed back into the South American summer months of late December and January. 

The last quarter-final tie between Boca Juniors and Racing Club concluded on December 23 with the former advancing to meet Santos. The second leg of that tie takes place just under 24 hours after Palmeiras and River lock horns in their decider.

The final proper is scheduled to be held at Rio de Janeiro's landmark Maracana Stadium on January 30.

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Luka Jovic is close to an end to his horror spell at Real Madrid and will be allowed to depart the club on loan this month and return to former club Eintracht Frankfurt..

The Serbian striker's agents are working with Real to secure him a loan away from Santiago Bernabeu, with AC Milan and Wolves having been among the clubs credited with an interest.

However, he will go back to Frankfurt, the club from where he moved to Madrid in 2019.

Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic confirmed the talks on Tuesday night, telling Sky of Jovic: "If everything works out, he will be with us again soon."

Bobic said only details like the medical are to be done ahead of the official confirmation. The loan will be until the end of the season, but Bobic also did not rule out a purchase option for Jovic.

He said: "We will see next summer. We can still think about everything what will happen in the summer."

Jovic is not part of manager Zinedine Zidane's plans, and while Goal has learned that he is not happy about being forced out of Madrid and feels he can still prove himself and work his way into the first-team picture, the boss is set on getting rid of the Serbian and has no interest in keeping him even as a squad back-up option.

Injuries, off-field problems and a lack of opportunities have hampered Jovic at Real, and his time with the club looks to be over - at least until the end of the season.

Having joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2019, Jovic made only eight starts and played just 806 minutes in total during the 2019-20 campaign, scoring a meagre two goals and assisting twice more.

The 2020-21 campaign has scarcely gone any better, the forward making only three starts and playing a total of just 208 minutes. He has not scored nor created an assist this season.

Goal can confirm that Real only want to loan Jovic out and are not interested in a permanent sale at this point, giving some hope that he could have a successful career at Santiago Bernabeu at some point. For now, though, this looks unlikely.

He joined Real in a €60 million (£53.5m/$73m) deal but has not come close to justifying that investment. A strong showing on loan, however, could allow Real to recoup a large amount of that fee should they sell him in the summer.

Jovic will be going back to Germany with Frankfurt, the club where he caught the eye between 2017 and 2019 and earned his move to Madrid. He scored 36 goals in 75 appearances in all competitions, again during a loan spell, on that occasion from Benfica over two years.

With Frankfurt he won the DFB-Pokal in 2017-18 and helped them to the Europa League semi-finals the following campaign, only losing on penalties to eventual champions Chelsea.

Arsenal have been boosted by the news that Gabriel Martinelli’s ankle injury is not as serious as first feared and the Brazilian could return to training in the next few days.

Martinelli went over on his ankle during the warm-up before Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie against Newcastle. The 19-year-old was due to start the game but had to be replaced in the XI by Reiss Nelson, with Martinelli watching the game from the stands wearing protective boot.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was downbeat about the injury when asked for an update after the game, saying the initial signs did "not look good" and revealing that the Brazilian was in tears as he was being assessed in the medical room.

Martinelli only made his first-team return last month after six months out with a knee injury and there were fears he faced yet another lengthy lay-off.

However, scans have revealed no serious damage and the club is hopeful he will be back in training within days, meaning he could feature against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Thursday.

“Gabi turned his right ankle during the warm-up against Newcastle United on Saturday and was subsequently taken out of the starting line-up,” Arsenal said on their club website. “Gabi has progressed very well and we’re hoping that he will return to full training with the squad in the next few days.”

There was further good news on the fitness front for Arsenal with confirmation that Thomas Partey fit again after a month out with a thigh injury.

The summer signing from Atletico Madrid has not featured since limping out of the north London derby defeat against Tottenham on December 6.

Injuries have limited the Ghana international to just six appearances for the Gunners this season, but he could make a return against the Eagles on Thursday.

Defender Gabriel is also available after completing his period of self-isolation following a positive test for coronavirus. The 23-year-old has not featured since the Carabao Cup defeat against Manchester City on December 22, missing wins against Chelsea, Brighton and West Brom over the festive period.