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It is no secret that ATK Mohun Bagan are struggling for goals. Antonio Habas' men have been churning out results but they have been made to work hard for the goals right from the first match against Kerala Blasters. Barring the game against East Bengal, where they had managed to strike twice, they have not been able to score more than once in 90 minutes.  

They got off the mark against Kerala Blasters, thanks to a miscommunication between Vincente Gomez and Sergio Cidoncha that allowed Roy Krishna to slot past Albino Gomes. Since then the Fijian has netted three of the four goals of his team which has been just enough to spare the blushes for Habas.

Even Krishna took five attempts to score that fortuituous goal against Blasters and in four matches, he has managed to get just five shots on target. It should be a cause of concern for the Spanish tactician that the conversion rates have not been great and the team looks heavily dependant on Krishna to provide the goods more often than not. 

The alarm bells should have rung when they were frustrated by Odisha for more than 90 minutes, a team whose defence has looked shaky and has conceded six goals in four matches. Once again thanks to the former Wellington Phoenix striker for popping up at the nick of time to notch up all three points for them.

Against Jamshedpur they were lucky that Krishna was not flagged offside for the consolation goal in a 2-1 loss, otherwise, the Mariners would have drawn a blank. 

Where is David Williams? 

In the previous campaign, the partnership between David Williams and Roy Krishna was scintillating in the opposition half. Their camaraderie off the pitch reflected in their on the pitch give-and-go. It seemed that they had telepathic communication in the way the duo found each other with little effort.

But in this season, Williams had featured only for 71 minutes. He came on for eight minutes against Kerala Blasters and played just over an hour in the next match with East Bengal. Surprisingly in the next two games, he has not even found a place in the matchday squad. Moreover, there has been a deafening silence over his exclusion from the Bagan camp. 

It is baffling that during a time when the team is clearly struggling to find more goalscoring options, a potent weapon in the form of Williams is not being used.

Without Williams in the fray, the onus has been on Edu Garcia to deliver the goods. But the Spaniard has also not been able to live up to expectations and is yet to get his name on the scoresheet. In 2019-20, Williams and Garcia contributed 13 goals cumulatively and in this season they are yet to open their account which is taking a toll on the team's attacking output. 

New signing Brad Inman is also yet to register his name on the scoresheet. 

This is where the exclusion of Williams throws up questions. With the Australian being ignored by Habas for two straight matchdays, speculation is on about his future at the club. If the manager continues to refrain from using his services, the forward might have to think long and hard about his options.

Will he feature against Hyderabad on Friday? The Mariners are waiting to find out with bated breath. 

Odisha FC is one of the few Indian Super League (ISL) clubs who have chosen to stick to their philosophy of promoting young Indian talent through thick and thin. Over the years, they have continued to back talented youngsters such as Shubham Sarangi, Nandhakumar Sekar, Vinit Rai, and others to the hilt with the trust that they will bloom sooner than later.

Sarangi even went to Qatar's famed Aspire Academy to hone his skills, making the most of a strategic partnership with the ISL outfit.  Since making his debut with Delhi Dynamos in 2018-19 he has played 30 matches clocking over 2100 minutes. It is his second season playing as a right-back and the youngster has often looked gullible in defence.  

Against Jamshedpur, he set Nerjius Valskis up on a platter with his feeble defensive header and the striker made no mistake to punish the blunder. He was not aware that the Lithuanian was lurking around and a momentary slip in concentration was enough to get exploited. 

In the next match against Mumbai City, his performance was at best mediocre. Apart from giving away a penalty, he had a torrid time while containing Bipin Singh and during the second goal, he was seen panting back to his position as he had galloped forward to press higher up the pitch. Once Mumbai broke through that resistance, Singh had all the time in the world to float in a cross inside the box for Rowllin Borges to head home. 

His teammate Nandhakumar Sekar is another player on whom the Odisha management has put a lot of trust. It is the fourth season for the 24-year old in the ISL but his performances have taken a consistent plunge instead of showing an improvement. In his first season in ISL, he had five goal involvements (one goal and four assists), which decreased to four (two goals and two assists) in the second and further dropped to two (two assists) in the third. 

However, his minutes on the pitch have increased exponentially with each passing season. Both the previous coaches, Miguel Portugal and Josep Gombau, handed him ample opportunities to prove himself but Kumar has failed to live up to expectations. The winger needs to work on his final product. His crosses are often wayward and his finishing has been extremely poor, especially when he tries his luck from range. 

Even Gaurav Bora, who was signed from Chennai City FC after a triumphant I-League season, has been struggling to find his feet in ISL. He had close to 800 minutes last season and in this campaign, it was expected of him to come of age. But the defender has not been able to produce the goods so far. Against Owen Coyle's team, he handed the ball inside the box which led to the opener and against Mumbai he was seen giving away possession cheaply in midfield.  

In this season, Odisha have roped in a few other youngsters as well in Premjit Singh, Hendry Antonay, Saurabh Meher, Thoiba Singh, and have even promoted two exciting talents in Akshunna Tyagi and Rishabh Dobriyal. There are also the likes of Thoiba Singh and Baoringdao Bodo (who has rarely featured in the last few seasons for Kerala Blasters) who are yet to make a mark for Odisha. 

But they are inexperienced and to expect them to fire right from their first season in new colours is likely to end in disappointment. Ideally, Sarangi and Sekar should have guided these newcomers into their fresh stomping ground. But for that, they themselves must notch up their level and lead by example. 

In Stuart Baxter, they have an experienced mentor and it is up to them to learn as much as they can. Showing glimpses of brilliance would not do anymore as they must show more consistency to pull up their side from a difficult phase. The club continues to rally behind them and now the time has come to repay the trust with actions on the pitch. 

Zinedine Zidane felt Real Madrid produced their most complete performance of the season as they claimed a crucial 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach .

Needing a victory to guarantee their place in the Champions League last 16, Madrid delivered at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, with Karim Benzema heading in the goals in the first half.

Benzema, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez all hit the woodwork, while goalkeeper Yann Sommer made flying saves to deny Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos to keep the scoreline down.

The result always seemed safe, though, as Madrid progressed through a 29th consecutive Champions League group stage, with Gladbach also advancing after Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk drew 0-0.

Failure to go through could well have seen Zidane's position become untenable, and the Madrid boss was delighted with the way his side performed under pressure.

"This was the objective: to finish first," he said, as quoted by Marca. "We played a spectacular game, from the first minute to the last. We interpreted the game really well.

"I think this was the most complete game of the season. I've been a player and it's impossible to play like this all the time. We try to, but every now and then...

"We don't only perform under pressure; we have played other good games as well. It's true this team has that [quality]: when the difficulties are great, it appears.

"I'm happy for the players because they are the most important thing. I'm fighting with them and I'm happy for them. It was a good game."

Benzema's pair of headers means he has been involved in 11 goals in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any LaLiga player.

The striker's double took his tally to 51 goals in the group stages, a figure bettered only by Raul (53), Cristiano Ronaldo (67) and Lionel Messi (71).

"It was a difficult game," Benzema said. "We started well, we were eager to win and to show we're the best and that we were going to work together to win this game.

"When we give everything on the pitch, we get goals and we could have got more. If we always play like today..."

Mohamed Salah is aiming to "make the gap bigger" between himself and Steven Gerrard after the Egyptian overtook the Liverpool legend as the Reds' Champions League record goalscorer.

Salah netted his 22nd goal in the competition – excluding qualifiers – for Liverpool in the opening minute of Wednesday's clash with Midtjylland.

It saw him surpass Gerrard's record of 21 , with the former Liverpool captain having won the Champions League in 2004-05.

Liverpool's opener was also the quickest strike in their Champions League history, with Salah having intercepted a loose back-pass to prod home after just 55 seconds.

Midtjylland fought back to draw 1-1 in contentious fashion , with the Danish side scoring from a penalty awarded after a long VAR check.

Alexander Scholz converted the spot-kick and thought he had scored a second when he finished from an acute angle, only for VAR to rule it out, with the technology then disallowing Takumi Minamino a winner at the other end.

Speaking to BT Sport at full-time, Salah was delighted to have cemented his name in Liverpool's record books, but is now looking to put distance between himself and the others on the list.

"It's a great feeling to be the top scorer for the club, it's something I'm proud of," said the 28-year-old.

"I need to keep going with that, score more goals, make the gap bigger between me and the others! I'm trying all the time to score goals to help the team to win games.

"One of the most important goals. They played good, almost man-marked us. We scored the goal early, but they strike back, they played a good game.

"The most important thing is to qualify, it's a game to learn [from]."

SALAH'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS BY SEASON

2017-18 (10)

Salah's first goal for Liverpool in the Champions League proper came in a 2-2 draw with Sevilla on September 13, 2017. He followed that up with a further nine goals, taking his tally to 10 for the campaign from 13 appearances, while he provided four assists.

The former Roma star, who went off injured as Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the final, crafted 29 chances for team-mates, while converting 70 per cent of the big opportunities he was presented with, as per Opta data, averaging a goal every 92 minutes 54 seconds, and his maiden Champions League campaign with Liverpool remains his best on an individual level.

2018-19 (5)

Salah's output in Europe dropped off slightly in 2018-19, as Liverpool went on to win their sixth European Cup. He scored five goals and set up an additional two from 12 appearances.

All five of his strikes were from inside the area, with two of them from the penalty spot – including the opener in the final against Tottenham. 

2019-20 (4)

Liverpool's defence of their title was ended in March, when they slipped out at home to Atletico Madrid in the last 16, just before football across Europe was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Salah started in all eight of Liverpool's games and was subbed off only twice, clocking up a total of 731 minutes, while his four goals were shared equally between his left and right feet, with one coming from outside the box. His big chance conversion rate, so high in his first season, dropped to 30 per cent last term.

2020-21 (3)

Salah's conversion percentage when it comes to good chances has risen to 40 this term, having netted three goals from his six group-stage appearances.

He has created six chances, including one assist, with his strikes all coming from inside the 18-yard box – two with his imperious left foot, and the other with his right. Salah is yet to score for Liverpool with a header in the Champions League.

Italy's 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi has died two months after his 64th birthday following a battle with illness.

Rossi's passing was announced in the early hours of Thursday morning by Italian television channel RAI Sport, who he had been working for as a pundit in recent times.

The former Juventus and AC Milan attacker led Italy to World Cup glory at Spain 1982, with the striker winning the tournament's Golden Ball and Golden Ball with his six goals.

Rossi netted a hat-trick in the famous 3-2 win against Brazil, before scoring both goals in the semi-final against Poland and getting the crucial opener in the final versus West Germany, which the Italians went on to win 3-1 and clinch their third World Cup title.

In winning the World Cup title, Golden Ball and Golden Boot, Rossi became the first player to hold all three honours simultaneously - until the feat was equalled by Ronaldo Nazario in 2002.

Following the 1982 tournament, Rossi's extraordinary exploits across both international and club football were recognised when he was awarded the Ballon d'Or for that year.

Rossi's international career included 48 caps and 20 goals for his beloved Italy between 1977-1986

Having began his club career with Vicenza and then maturing with Perugia, Rossi confirmed himself as a star shortly after he joined Juventus in 1981.

Rossi, also known as Pablito, also played with Milan and Verona at the end of his career, as well as with Como at the beginning - the team he had made his debut in Serie A with.

He scored an incredible 134 goals in 338 club matches and is widely considered one of the best forwards of his time.

Rossi won the Serie A title on two occasions with Juventus in 1981-82 and 1983-84, and also lifted the European Cup with Old Lady in 1984-85.

Even after finishing his playing career, Rossi stayed involved in the game as a columnist and pundit.

"Such terribly sad news: Paolo Rossi has left us," RAI Sport presenter Enrico Varriale said when announcing the passing.  

"Unforgettable Pablito, who made all of us fall in love in that summer of 1982 and who was a precious and competent work colleague in RAI over recent years.

"RIP dear Paolo."

Antonio Conte hit back at criticism of his Inter side and claimed mistakes from officials also contributed to their Champions League exit after a goalless draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Nerazzurri crashed out of Europe on a wet Wednesday at San Siro as Real Madrid and Borussia Monchengladbach advanced to the round of 16 following a 2-0 win for Zinedine Zidane's side.

Lautaro Martínez hit the crossbar early on and missed several other chances, while Alexis Sanchez's powerful stoppage-time header struck Romelu Lukaku when it may have been heading for the back of the net.

That summed up Inter's night, which ended with them finishing bottom of Group B and Shakhtar having to settle for a Europa League spot.

It is the first time the Serie A side have come last in their Champions League group but Conte did not take kindly to questions about their desire.

He told a  Sky Sport Italia reporter: "These are your opinions that I respect, but I disagree.

"I think the team gave everything they had, it's unbelievable that we weren't able to score in 180 minutes [against Shakhtar]."

"The boys gave everything. We cannot make assessments now, there is much regret. I don't feel like there was a lack of determination. There was a lack of goals and if you don't score, you don't win. 

"We weren't lucky with referees and VAR throughout the Champions League, Inter were not respected. Go and see all the situations that have happened to us. We could have gone through."

Conte also defended his substitutions and disagreed with Sky pundit Fabio Capello's suggestion that he did not try a different approach with so much at stake.

"I introduced Alexis Sanchez with 20 minutes to go including stoppages. We would've been unbalanced with three strikers, but then I think Lautaro ran out of steam. In midfield, those were the players I had," the Inter boss said.

"It was either Alexis or [Christian] Eriksen for [Roberto] Gagliardini, but I preferred to add another striker and go for the win. When I saw Lautaro was out of steam, I introduced Eriksen."

He added in response to former Milan coach Capello: "Of course I have a plan B. We have it but we don't want to make it public, otherwise the opponents also prepare themselves for that."

Manchester City are driven to perform better in the Champions League after their past failures, said playmaker Bernardo Silva.

The English side completed the group stage with a crushing 3-0 win over Marseille at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, with the match a dead rubber after City had already been confirmed as group winners.

City are yet to win the Champions League despite competing in the competition on nine occasions in their history, with a semi-final defeat to Real Madrid in 2015-16 their best result.

In the last three seasons, City have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage, with Pep Guardiola's side favourites to win all three encounters before being upset by Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon respectively.

Silva said City are targeting at least the semi-finals and the club is pleased with their form in the competition - winning five of their six matches with a draw their only blemish.

"It was a good game. We knew we have already got first spot in the group and we are already qualified but it's always very good to finish the group stage with a good win, 3-0 at home," Silva told BT Sport. "On to the next one.

"It's a good start for us - we know it's not enough but it's a very good start. We're into the last 16 and our goal is to do better than we did in the last three seasons and that's what we will try to do."

Despite the comfort of the three-goal scoreline at full time, City went into the break with the match tied at 0-0, with Ferran Torres opening the scoring shortly after half-time.

On his return from injury, Sergio Aguero netted the vital second goal before Alvaro Gonzalez put through his own net in stoppage time to round out City's victory.

Silva revealed his delight at having Aguero back available for selection, and lauded the Argentine international for his career at Manchester City.

"Very happy [to have Aguero back], everyone knows how important he is for us," Silva said. 

"He is one of best players to ever play for this club, he's a goalscorer and a fantastic guy to have in the dressing room as well. [It's] good to have him back."

Manchester City are preparing for a crucial derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the former currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table, one point behind their rivals.

Silva suggested City's momentum will help them against the Red Devils but was under no illusion about the challenge that lay ahead.

"It's been a few games that we've been winning, when you win it's easier to go into the next game and win again and win again," he said. 

"So to have these games in a row winning of course it's very nice and we just want to keep the momentum going. We know we have a tough game against Manchester United at the weekend and we want to just keep winning."

Eric Choupo-Moting scored his first Champions League goal for Bayern Munich in their 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old was afforded his second start in the European competition and made the most of the opportunity to open his account for his side.

The Cameroon international teamed up with the Bavarians in the summer from French champions Paris Saint-Germain, and has been in fine form since joining the German Bundesliga side and reigning champions of the European Competition.

The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but failed to find the back of the net before the end of the first half.

After the restart, however, Niklas Sule broke the deadlock powering home a fine header beyond the reach of goalkeeper Guilherme. Choupo-Moting then doubled Bayern Munich’s lead with a perfect finish, his third goal for the club since his arrival at Allianz Arena.

The attacker featured for the duration of the game in his ninth appearance across all competitions for the club.

The victory ensured the German side reached the next stage of the Champions League without dropping a single point in the group stage.

Hans-Dieter Flick’s men secured 16 points from six games, finishing above Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Choupo-Moting will hope to continue his fine form in front of goal when Bayern Munich take on Union Berlin in their next league game on December 12.

The forward had previously featured for Hamburger SV, Mainz 05, Schalke 04 before moving to England to feature for Stoke City. He left the club to team up with PSG following their relegation from the Premier League and shone during his time in France.

Choupo-Moting is currently Cameroon captain and has made more than 50 appearances for the Indomitable Lions.

Brighton and Hove Albion technical director Dan Ashworth believes Ghana target Tariq Lamptey made the right decision in ditching giants Chelsea for the Seagulls.

Having developed through Chelsea's youth system since the age of eight, Lamptey took a brave decision to reject a contract extension at Stamford Bridge in his quest for regular first team football elsewhere.

The January move to Brighton has turned out to be one of the 20-year-old's best decisions as he has become a regular feature in Graham Potter's starting set-up at Falmer Stadium, churning out impressive displays week after week and becoming arguably the revelation of the season.

“I don't want to speak for Tariq, but I think it was a case of him wanting to go and play football, his pathway was blocked by a super, young player in Reece James who was in his position. Tariq thought he might need to look to play his football somewhere else," Ashworth said, as reported by his club's official website.

“We were lucky enough to take advantage of that and give him an opportunity to play.

“You can only play 11 people at a time, you can only give a pathway to a certain amount of people at a time and keep a certain amount happy," he continued. “This happens on a regular basis at all clubs, it just so happened that we had an opportunity where a couple of our right-backs were coming to the end of their contracts.

"[Ezequiel] Schelotto was out of contract and [Martin] Montoya was leaving," Ashworth added. “We had a space coming up and maybe we had a chance to give Tariq some games and exposure and he has taken it with both hands. You don't quite know what you have got with a young player until you chuck them in and give them a go."

Lamptey, who made his Premier League debut while at Chelsea, has so far made 10 appearances for Brighton this season, starting in all of the games, scoring once and providing one goal assist.

"I have known about Tariq from my England days. [Albion's head of recruitment and analysis] Paul Winstanley flagged him in the under-23s league. We knew that his contract was running down at Chelsea and we knew that they would offer him a new contract," Ashworth added, "but it was a situation where I guess he had seen Reece James who is a similar age, who is a top player by the way and an England right-back, blocking his path.” 

Born to Ghanaian parents in the UK, Lamptey's eye-catching performances have erupted an international tug-of-war between Ghana and England, whom he currently represents at U-21 level.

Thomas Partey has thrown his weight behind Mikel Arteta by stating the Arsenal manager is building something good with the players at the club.

The Gunners are enduring a four-game winless run in the Premier League and they currently occupy the 15th spot in the table with 13 points from 11 games.

Having qualified for the last 32 of Europa League, Arsenal are struggling to reciprocate their form in the European tournament in the English top-flight.

Upon his return from a thigh injury in Sunday’s North London derby, Partey was taken off at half-time as Arteta's men fell to a 2-0 defeat against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Black Stars midfielder, however, reiterated his commitment to the club amid their poor attacking form in the Premier League and he is aiming to bounce back from his latest setback.

Since he moved to the Emirates Stadium on the transfer deadline day in October, Partey has made six appearances for Arsenal so far, with five coming in the league.

“Being part of the Arsenal family is something incredible for me, since the day I arrived I have felt so supported,” the Ghana midfielder wrote on Instagram.

“The coach had a great influence in my decision to join this team and even though we had some bad results I know we are building something good together. I have had the bad luck to suffer an injury but I hope I can play again soon and fight for this team.”

Ahead of their final group game against Dundalk on Thursday, Arteta disclosed that Partey has suffered a thigh injury again and he will miss Arsenal’s ‘next few games’ with no specific timeframe for his return.

“He got injured in the same area,” the Spanish coach  said. “Not exactly the same spot, but similar as it was before.

“We MRI [scanned] him yesterday [Tuesday]. There was an injury there and he will miss the next few matches.”

Arteta also defended his decision to play the 27-year-old on Sunday after he completed two full days training ahead of Tottenham trip.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel applauded Neymar for turning down the chance to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot against Istanbul Basaksehir, with the Brazilian instead giving Kylian Mbappe the chance to end his Champions League scoring drought. 

Neymar had already scored twice against the Turkish side when PSG were awarded a penalty near the end of the first half. Rather than take it himself though, Neymar handed Mbappe the opportunity to end a goal-less streak in Europe that had reached nine games. 

Mbappe duly converted from the spot and would go on to add another goal as PSG clinched top spot in Group H with a 5-1 win, with Neymar eventually completing his hat-trick anyway in the second half. 

Tuchel was happy to see the gesture from the Brazilian, saying the move would do wonders for Mbappe's confidence.

"It's a great gesture," Tuchel said in his post-game press conference. "He gave that ball away that would've been a hat-trick.

"It is also not usual for Ney to score three goals in the same game. He gave the ball to Kylian to end his long streak without scoring in the Champions League.

"Neymar's heart is very big. He always thinks of his team-mates. He knows very well how important it is for forwards and for Kylian to score."

Wednesday's match began 14 minutes in, after the game was originally started on Tuesday and then postponed following allegations of racism against the fourth official.

Basaksehir initially walked off the pitch after the official identified their assistant coach Pierre Webo as "the black one" and were then followed in solidarity by PSG's players. 

Tuchel said he was proud of his players for their actions on Tuesday.

"They made a strong decision, they showed solidarity with the opponent," Tuchel added. "They had a lot of courage. In the locker room, it was clear that they wanted to show that reaction.

"They are adults, they know what they are doing. I didn't understand the whole situation, I didn't hear the words on the pitch, but in the dressing room everything was very clear to us. It was necessary that we show this solidarity."

East Bengal are set to play their fourth game in the 2020 Indian Super League (ISL) when they face Jamshedpur FC at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, on Thursday evening.

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

East Bengal Possible XI:   

Injured - Danny Fox, Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Loken Meitei
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Anthony Pilkington, Jacques Maghoma    

Jamshedpur FC Possible XI: 

Injured - David Grande, Narender Gahlot, Joyner Lourenco, Nick Fitzgerald
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Nerijus Valskis, Jackichand Singh      

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt was stunned by the defensive mistakes which were committed by his players in their clash with Black Leopards on Wednesday.

The Soweto giants had to dig deep as they fought to back to hold Lidoda Duvha to a 2-2 draw in a Premier Soccer League match which was played at FNB Stadium.

Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune gifted his former Chiefs teammate Ovidy Karuru Leopards' first goal with an awful mistake a few minutes into the match

Karuru, who was making his debut for Lidoda Duvha, then doubled his side's lead when he scored with a free header after the Amakhosi defence failed to track his run in the box.

"We gave them a start. Let's be honest. We gave them a start. Unbelievable errors," Hunt told SuperSport TV. "There's not much I want to say, but you can't give a start like that.

"Mistakes, big mistakes from big players, so you don't expect that, but it's been happening since I've been here.

"You got to get through it and stick together and get through this."

Hunt made two changes prior to the start of the second-half as he introduced strikers Lazarous Kambole and Bernard Parker, with Leopards having dominated the first half.

Parker, who grabbed an assist, changed the complexion of the match as Amakhosi started playing with aggression and they created goalscoring opportunities following his introduction. 

"Disappointing. I thought there were a lot of opportunities in the second half. I mean, last play of the game, [Siphelele] Ntshangase, trying to flick it just had to play it simple and we would have scored," Hunt added. "So yeah, disappointed, but we gave them a start.

"What we've been doing all season. Certainly an area of the team that we work on on a daily basis but basic things like that we can't have."

Chiefs are now winless in their last four league matches and they are placed 12th on the PSL standings - two points above the relegation play-off spot.

Amakhosi will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday, December 15. 

Istanbul Basaksehir boss Okan Buruk has urged for all racism to end after the incident against his assistant manager Pierre Webo during the first part of their Champions League match against PSG in Paris.

Webo was sent off for his reaction to alleged racial abuse from fourth official Sebastian Coltescu during the game on Tuesday evening, with Basaksehir striker Demba Ba confronting the Romanian official before leading both teams off the pitch in the 14th minute.

UEFA reversed the decision to send Webo off, allowing the Cameroonian coach to be present as the match was restarted at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening, with PSG running out 5-1 winners to top their group ahead of Leipzig.

Speaking in his press conference after the match, Buruk confirmed Webo was saddened by the incident and issued a rallying cry for all hurtful words to cease.

"Webo was really, really sad," Buruk said.

"We supported him, but it was not him who must have felt bad. The culprit is the person who said these words. He's the one who must be feeling bad.

"We showed that we were all together with Webo. We must stop this, live together. Demba's words were sacred too, very important."

With the match resuming at 0-0 in the 14th minute, Basaksehir struggled to match the intensity of their French opponents, having already been eliminated from the competition.

It only took the Parisians seven minutes after the restart to take the lead, with Neymar continuing his extraordinary form to net the opener with a brilliant effort into the top-right corner.

The Brazilian maestro doubled PSG's advantage in the minutes before half-time and when Kylian Mbappe scored his first Champions League goal for a year before the break from the spot, the Ligue 1 champions were set to cruise to victory.

Neymar and Mbappe both added to their goal tally in the second half, with Mehmet Topal securing a consolation goal for the overwhelmed Turkish side.

PSG will now progress to the Champions League knockout stages as group winners, where they will attempt to go one better than last season when they lost to Bayern Munich in the competition's final.

Sergio Aguero returned to action with a goal as Manchester City closed out their triumphant Champions League group campaign with a routine 3-0 win over Marseille.

Ferran Torres brought the game to life after a goalless first half, continuing an impressive vein of form in Europe's top competition with a smart 48th-minute finish.

Aguero, who has struggled with the after-effects of meniscus surgery over the early months of the season, came off the bench to seal the points 13 minutes from time, offering Pep Guardiola a timely reminder of his qualities ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Another substitute, Raheem Sterling, completed the scoring for City, who were already through as group winners and can now boast their best-ever Champions League haul of 16 points.

Marseille bow out of continental competition in 2020-21 after five defeats from six outings.

Ilkay Gundogan delivered a wonderful out-swinging free-kick from the right in the 13th minute and Aymeric Laporte should probably have done better than heading over under pressure from Alvaro.

Marseille grew into the contest and, shortly after Eric Garcia's knee injury forced City into a defensive change, Dimitri Payet had a deft finish with the outside of his right foot ruled out for a clear offside.

Garcia's replacement, John Stones, made a vital sliding challenge to deny Valere Germain after Florian Thauvin skipped past Nathan Ake with ease.

Guardiola's attacking half-time change, which saw Sterling replace Gundogan and Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden drop into central attacking midfield positions, paid swift dividends.

Silva drove forward after picking up Stones' pass to play in Mahrez, who laid on Torres for a composed close-range conversion.

Foden twice went close before the hour - scuffing wide on the end of a move he started before shooting too close to Steve Mandanda, who kept out a stinging 65th-minute drive from Kyle Walker.

Torres was unable to convert the rebound on that occasion but Mandanda must have know what was to follow when he parried Ake's firm header from Foden's corner and saw the arch poacher Aguero lurking.

It was Sterling's turn to smuggle the ball home in the final minute when the unfortunate Mandanda could only push Torres' cross onto Alvaro.

What does it mean? Guardiola to go back to the future in Manchester derby

During a forgettable first half, City lined up in a now-familiar 4-2-3-1 and, not for the first-time this season, provided limited goalscoring threat. The half-time rejig, stationing Fernandinho as a lone holder behind energetic and creative runners from midfield, gave the hosts far more teeth. Plenty has changed since Guardiola's tried and trusted 4-3-3 helped City to accrue 198 points across two title-winning seasons and the manager's concerns over vulnerabilities to the counter-attack are valid, especially when considering the threat United will pose.

But when he took the handbreak off - albeit in an admittedly meaningless match - it was easy to wonder whether attack remains the best form of defence for a team now on a run of five consecutive clean sheets.

Torres continues to grow in stature

A close-season signing from Valencia, Torres can reflect on a fine adaptation to his new surroundings. He has only started five of City's 10 Premier League games to date but made it four goals in five Champions League appearances. A winger by trade, the 20-year-old again impressed in a central attacking role. Throw in his Nations League hat-trick in Spain's 6-0 rout of Germany last month and you have an impressive body of work.

Foden fails to make derby case

There is surely no player in Guardiola's squad who would revel more in a winning goal in front of the Stretford End than boyhood City fan Foden. The England playmaker did okay here, attempting five shots and creating two chances, but probably did not do enough to force his manager's hand for the weekend.

Key Opta Facts

- Manchester City have progressed as group winners in each of their last four UEFA Champions League campaigns, amassing 16 points in 2020-21 – the joint-most among English sides in a single group stage in the competition (along with Arsenal in 2005-06, Man Utd in 2007-08 and Tottenham in 2017-18).

- Marseille have lost eight consecutive UEFA champions League away games for the first time – a run that stretches back to 2012.

- Ferran Torres has scored four goals in five UEFA Champions League games for Man City, twice as many as he netted for Valencia in the competition (two goals in nine appearances).

- Among Spanish players, only Raúl (8) scored more Champions League goals before turning 21 than Man City's Ferran Torres (6, level with Cesc Fàbregas).

- Man City’s Ederson is the first goalkeeper to keep five or more clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League group stages for an English team sine Pepe Reina for Liverpool in 2005-06.

What's next?

City make the short trip to face Manchester United on Sunday, needing a win to leapfrog their neighbours in the Premier League table, while Marseille will target a sixth consecutive Ligue 1 victory when they host Monaco.

Misfiring Inter and Shakhtar Donetsk missed out on the Champions League round of 16 following a goalless draw on a miserable Wednesday night at San Siro.

All four sides in Group B started the final round of matches with a chance of progressing and it was Real Madrid who advanced along with Borussia Monchengladbach after a 2-0 victory for the LaLiga giants.

Lautaro Martinez struck the crossbar early on and missed several other chances of a frustrating evening for Antonio Conte's side, who could not fashion a winner to put them through and ended up bottom of the group.

Injury-hit Shakhtar posed more of a threat in the second half but were similarly unable to make it count, though they do have the consolation of a place in the Europa League.

Inter started strongly and they were almost in front when Martinez rattled the crossbar from eight yards out after Nicolo Barella squared the ball from the right just six minutes in.

Martinez then turned sharply and blazed over and Stefan de Vrij was unable to finish from close range when Shakhtar failed to deal with a corner.

Vitao was substituted after seemingly picking up an injury, having been fortunate to escape with a yellow card for a cynical foul on Romelu Lukaku, and Martinez headed straight at goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin late in a first half dominated by the Nerazzurri.

Trubin produced a fine reflex save to keep out Lukaku's glancing header early in the second half and Martinez sliced an effort wide as Inter's anxiety mounted.

Milan Skriniar's strike deflected just wide of the far post, but Shakhtar could have snatched an opener on the break, with Mateus Tete's shot palmed away by Samir Handanovic and Maycon firing off target following up.

Substitute Alexis Sanchez nodded a great chance over in the closing stages and then rose to meet a corner but saw his powerful header hit Lukaku, which summed up Inter's night, and Trubin tipped over Christian Eriksen's drive as both sides bowed out.
 

Atletico Madrid battled to a 2-0 win against Salzburg thanks to a goal in each half from Mario Hermoso and Yannick Carrasco to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stages.

Diego Simeone's side beat Salzburg 3-2 in the reverse fixture - their only Group A win prior to Wednesday - and needed just a point from the trip to Austria to advance.

Salzburg started strongly as they went in pursuit of the win needed to progress at Atleti's expense, but Hermoso's header against the run of play proved the game's big moment.

Mergim Berisha and Enock Mwepu hit the post either side of that effort, while Dominik Szoboszlai squandered a glorious chance, but Carrasco volleyed in a late second to ensure Atleti will join Bayern Munich in Monday's last-16 draw.

Berisha cut inside Stefan Savic and curled a low shot against the base of the post 113 seconds into the game as Simeone's men survived a number of early scares.

Sekou Koita was played in behind but failed to beat Jan Oblak with his weak attempt, and the visiting goalkeeper did well to turn Szoboszlai's precise shot past the post.

The chances kept on falling Salzburg's way, with Patson Daka firing over at the end of a counter, but Atletico soon grew into the game and led after 39 minutes.

Carrasco sent in a flat inswinger and Hermoso flicked the ball on, the final touch coming off the defender's shoulder for his first goal since March 2019 when still an Espanyol player.

A Salzburg leveller would have made for a tense finale but Szoboszlai placed the ball wide of the post after being played clean through on goal and Mwepu hit the upright from a long way out, the visitors restricted to shots from range by that point.

Atleti then wrapped things up with four minutes to go as Angel Correa picked out Carrasco at the back post on the counter to fire a crisp first-time shot away from Cican Stankovic.
 

What does it mean? Job done for Atletico

The LaLiga leaders have been in impressive form domestically but have failed to fire on all cylinders in Europe, this just their second win in six Group A matches.

Atleti were pegged back late on by a weakened Bayern side last week to leave their hopes of progression in the balance, but they did what was required in Salzburg.

The visitors scored from their only shot on target in the first half and, despite having just 42.2 per cent of the ball overall, saw things through to reach the knockout rounds for the seventh time in eight seasons under Simeone.

Yan the man

Carrasco sent in a delightful delivery for Hermoso's opener and then rounded off the scoring late on to make certain of the victory, the Belgium winger scoring and assisting in a Champions League game for the first time in what was his 41st appearance.

He may have lost possession more times than any other Atletico player (24), but it was his passing and finishing that ultimately helped to make the difference on the day.

Oblak stands firm against profligate Salzburg

The home side created countless opportunities, the best of which fell the way of Szoboszlai early in the second half - one of 18 shots they managed.

Szoboszlai failed to convert when one-on-one with Oblak, who did at least have two saves to make. He now has 28 clean sheets in the competition since making his debut in September 2014, which is one more than next-best Marc-Andre ter Stegen over that stretch.

Key Opta Facts

- Atletico have progressed from the group stage in seven of their eight Champions League campaigns under Simeone, with 2017-18 the only season they suffered elimination in the group stage.
- Salzburg have only won one home game across their three Champions League campaigns (D3 L5), with that lone victory coming in September 2019 against Genk (6-2) - courtesy of an Erling Haaland hat-trick on his debut in the competition.
- Atleti are unbeaten in their past 14 Champions League games when they have scored the first goal (W11 D3), with their most recent defeat after opening the scoring coming in September 2017 versus Chelsea.
- Hermoso's opener was his first ever goal for Atletico in what was his 35th appearance for the club across all competitions.
- Carrasco was directly involved in both of Atleti's goals (one goal and one assist), ending a run of 18 consecutive appearances in the competition without scoring or assisting (since his goal versus Rostov in October 2016).

What's next?

Salzburg have a top-of-the-table clash with leaders LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday, while Atletico travel to city rivals Real Madrid in three days' time.