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Chippa United secured a 3-1 win over Maritzburg United in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match which was played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday night.

Daylon Claasen handed the Team of Choice an early lead, but Bienvenu Eva Nga scored three times to inspire the Chilli Boys to a well-deserved victory. 

The Chilli Boys were keen to secure their maiden win of the season after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs at home in their previous encounter last week.

With his side having failed to score against Chiefs, coach Lehlohonolo Seema named two out-and-out strikers, Augustine Chidi Kwem and Eva Nga in the starting line-up.

On the other hand, the Team of Choice were desperate to end their eight-match winless run in the league having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cape Town City at home last week.

Seema's counterpart, Eric Tinkler kept his faith in midfielders Daylon Claasen and Keagan Buchanan, while Nathanael Bongo-Mbourou made his return to the starting line-up.

Maritzburg got off to the perfect start as they broke the deadlock just 10 minutes into the match with the Chippa defence caught ball-watching.

Claasen pounced on to a tame shot from Buchanan and tapped home to make it 1-0 to Maritzburg with the former 1860 Munich midfielder netting his maiden goal of this season.

The Chilli Boys then pressed the Team of Choice as they looked to restore parity and they were awarded a penalty after Kwem was fouled in the box seven minutes before the half-hour mark.

Eva Nga stepped up and he made no mistake as he beat Maritzburg goalkeeper Jethren Barr from the spot-kick to make it 1-1, with the 27-year-old striker opening his scoring account at Chippa.

Maritzburg did most of the attacking with the half-time break approaching with Bongo-Mbourou's effort narrowly missing the target after connecting with Kwanda Mngonyama's cross.

Thabiso Kutumela watched on in disbelief as his curling effort which heading for the top corner was brilliantly saved by Chippa keeper Veli Mothwa and the score was 1-1 at the interval. 

The Chilli Boys were the better side after the restart with Seema having introduced former Bloemfontein Celtic attacking midfielder Tumiso Mogakwe.

The hosts were awarded their second penalty after Eva Nga was sent through on goal, but he was fouled by Barr and the match referee pointed directly to the penalty spot. 

Former Bidvest Wits centre forward Eva Nga then dusted himself off and hit the back of the net from the spot-kick to make it 2-1 to Chippa a minute before the hour-mark.

The momentum was with the Chilli Boys and they managed to extend their lead in the 66th minute following a good move involving Mogakwe and Eva Nga. 

Mogakwe's defence-splitting pass found Eva Nga, who fired past Barr with a decent finish as he grabbed the first hat-trick of the season in the PSL. 

Things went from bad to worse for the Team of Choice as they were reduced to 10 players when Sibusiso Hlubi was shown a straight red card after making a reckless challenge on Sizwe Mdlinzo.

The visitors launched attacks in the closing stages of the match despite being numerically disadvantaged, but Mothwa pulled off a great save to deny Judas Moseamedi to ensure that Chippa ran out 3-1 winners over Maritzburg on the night.

The victory took the Chilli Boys to the fourth spot on the league standings, while the Team of Choice remained 15th on the table.

Nicolas Pepe has been nominated for the Arsenal Player of the Month award for October.

The Cote d’Ivoire international compete with September’s winner Gabriel Magalhaes, Anglo-Nigerian Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin for the monthly gong.

Pepe, 25, who joined the Emirates Stadium giants on August 1, 2019, in a club-record fee of €79 million (£72 million), was in fine form for Mikel Arteta’s side in the month under review.

He was on target as the Gunners silenced Sheffield United 2-1 in a Premier League outing, while recording his name among the goalscorers as Arsenal defeated Irish league outfit Dundalk 3-0 in the Europa League. He also got an assist against Rapid Vienna in the European competition.

For Saka, he has excelled in his makeshift defensive position with solid defensive and attacking contributions for the Gunners while hitting the net against the Blades.

Bellerin and Gabriel, on their own part, were in blistering form that saw Arsenal lose just twice in six outings.

On Thursday, the quartet is expected to be in action when Norwegian side Molde visit England in a Group B Europa League fixture.

The 14-time FA Cup winners lead the log with six points from two games. On Sunday, they take on Aston Villa in an English elite division game.

With Pepe yet to justify his price tag from Ligue 1, Arteta stated the Ivorian must be more consistent while offering to be of help.

"It's about him hitting his best, every single week. I believe this is where he believes he can do better and we have to try to help him,” the Spaniard said per Goal.

"I think he's so willing to do well and show everybody and first of all his team-mates, myself and then the fans that he's a player that can make the difference every week. 

"Obviously, he's not been first choice in a lot of games but, to be fair, he's played quite a lot of moments better than others.

"It's about finding the consistency, not through the games but during the games as well, to be more insistent and be able to do the right thing in many, many occasions when he has to make the right decisions on the pitch.

"We are working on that and hopefully he will be doing that much more efficiently."

Juventus' Champions League defeat to Barcelona helped them understand where they need to improve, says Andrea Pirlo, who believes playing the Blaugrana early in the competition was a positive for his side.

The Bianconeri visit Ferencvaros on Wednesday, looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Barca on home soil last week.

Pirlo's men did not have a shot on target, although Alvaro Morata saw three goals ruled out for offside, and the legendary former Juve and Italy midfielder feels the game served as a valuable learning experience for his team.

Asked about the meeting with Ronald Koeman's side, Pirlo said: "They made us understand that we need to improve, that to play certain types of matches we need to have more determination and organisation. 

"We knew we were meeting a great team and maybe meeting them so soon did us good. We will work to improve and play a great match when we go to them."

In Ferencvaros, Juve are facing a side who have conceded seven goals in two games, the most of any side in the competition, and will have Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad after he missed out on the Barca clash due to his COVID-19 diagnosis.

However, Pirlo is keen not to underestimate the Hungarian side, with Juve having last lost back-to-back Champions League group-stage games in 2014.

He added: "We have studied Ferencvaros. They are a quality team and they have had two good games in the Champions League in which they deserved more. They have a good game plan and excellent attacking players."

There will be fans in the stands in Budapest, a scenario largely alien to players during the coronavirus pandemic. However, Juve prevailed with spectators present in their opening Group G game with Dynamo Kiev, and Pirlo expects having a crowd to benefit his players.

He said: "Having fans here tomorrow will also be a positive factor for us, because it helps us to raise our focus."

Under rookie boss Pirlo, who replaced Maurizio Sarri in the Juve hot seat last summer, the Turin giants have made a mixed start to the season. In Serie A they are unbeaten but have drawn three of their six fixtures to sit four points behind early leaders Milan.

Egypt are hoping to have the services of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for this summer's Olympics in Tokyo, according to the team's coach Shawky Gharib.

Gharib indicated earlier this year that he was planning on selecting Salah for his squad before the Olympics were moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In January, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp admitted that he wasn't too excited about the idea of Salah being named as one of Egypt's three overage players for the Under-23 event in Tokyo.

“The Olympics is a wonderful thing but it would not be too cool,” Klopp said of his star's inclusion in the team after a demanding club campaign.

With the postponed Olympics now on the horizon again, it appears Salah could again be in the middle of a tug-of-war between club and country. 

"We have a great player like Salah, and we hope that the negotiations for his inclusion in our team will reach a position that will benefit us," Gharib said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"As a technical body and a football association, of course we have a desire to see Salah in our team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, because your ambition varies and increases with the quality of your players," he added.

"We have talked so far about including Salah, and we haven't decided yet if we are going to include someone else overage or not."

Salah is off to another fine start for Liverpool in the 2020-21 campaign, having scored eight goals in 10 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. 

His penalty against West Ham on Saturday helped Liverpool to a 2-1 win and put Klopp's side atop the Premier League table, but also generated plenty of controversy for the manner in which the Egyptian won the spot-kick. 

Salah threw himself to the ground under pressure from Hammers defender Arthur Masuaku and was awarded the foul, a decision that bewildered Hammers boss David Moyes.

"I’m amazed that a penalty was given in the first half. I can’t believe that we’re allowing those sorts of penalties to be awarded," Moyes told Sky Sports after the game.

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe shouldn't be on the sidelines for long despite having not recovered from injury in time to meet RB Leipzig in Wednesday's Champions League clash, coach Thomas Tuchel has said. 

The Germans host PSG in a re-run of August's semi-final, which was won by the Parisians 3-0 to book their place in the decider against Bayern Munich. 

This time round, however, they will be without both Neymar and Mbappe, who have both succumbed to physical troubles. 

Neymar suffered a groin injury last week against Basaksehir which is expected to keep the Brazilian sidelined until after the November international break, and while Mbappe's muscular complaint, sustained at the weekend in PSG's victory over Nantes, is not as severe, he will not be risked for the midweek fixture. 

"It will not be longer. The injury is very minor," Tuchel explained to reporters when asked if Mbappe would also miss several matches for his club. "Unfortunately, he is in a risk zone. The doctor explained this to me. He couldn't be with the team, it's a shame for us.

"We can't take risks, that would have been too much, and we have to find solutions without Kylian.

"We will have eleven key players tomorrow and we will do it as a team. If you read the list of absentees and the squad that is there, it's not going to be a big secret to know who starts tomorrow, you have to trust the eleven players. It will be a team effort."

While Tuchel emphasised the importance of PSG's collective effort in overcoming the loss of Neymar and Mbappe, he also admitted that the performance of Angel Di Maria, one of the stars of the club's journey to the final in August, would be crucial - although the Argentine has been short of match practice recently after a lengthy suspension.

"He's still a key player, but he also lacks rhythm. We shouldn't expect too much from him, he was suspended for four matches," the coach added. "He needs rhythm, he likes to play a lot to gain confidence in dribbling and finishing. He only played the Champions League for us and I don't want to put all the pressure on him even though he's still a very important player."

Barcelona's difficult financial situation means they will have to sell players in January in order to be able to afford any new signings. 

Interim president Carles Tusquets told the media on Monday that his side would need to be creative to add any players in the winter window.

“If we sell during the winter transfer window, we will be able to buy. We can also sign players who are out of contract. That is the situation,” Tusquets said. 

Tusquets has taken over on a temporary basis at Camp Nou after the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu and his entire board last week, and is hopeful new elections can be held around the Christmas period.

After the transfer window reopens, Barcelona will face a difficult task to add to their squad as they target several players from abroad. 

One of those is Lyon star Memphis Depay, who nearly arrived in the summer window after agreeing personal terms with Barca, only for the deal to collapse due to Barca exceeding their accepted wage budget. 

Depay's deal with Lyon expires at season's end and Barca are also targeting two players from the Premier League who have expiring contracts: Manchester City defender Eric Garcia and Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman is particularly keen to be reunited with Depay and Wijnaldum, players he managed while in charge of the Netherlands.

One player almost certainly not arriving at Camp Nou is Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, a player long linked with a move to the Catalans. The Argentina international is outside of Barca's financial reach and is nearing a contract extension with the Nerazzurri.

Should Barca obtain the finances to make a move in January, the money would likely come from the sale of a handful of players who are available, including Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti, Carles Alena and Martin Braithwaite among others. 

On Monday, Tusquets said that Barca are looking to come to an agreement with players over wage cuts as the club deals with the continuing financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think we can reach an agreement. It seems to me that there is a willingness to do so. We do not want to take money from anyone but to adjust salaries so we can pay them when possible – this is the solution we think is the most viable given the circumstances."

If you've ever seen the Barcelona crest, you'll probably be familiar with some elements of it.

It is natural to think that the red and white flag on the upper-left hand corner is that of the English flag, but while it does bear some similarities, it actually represents something else.

So what does the red cross over the white background on Barcelona's crest symbolise? Goal takes a look.

What has become to be known as the English flag - a red cross over a white background - is actually St George's cross.

St George is known as a heroic military saint and a crusader, and his cross became the national flag of England since the early modern period.

He is known as the patron saint for both England and also Catalonia, known as Sant Jordi to Catalans.

The flag of Barcelona itself incorporates St George's cross, the red and yellow stripes of the Senyera and the symbol of the Crown of Aragorn.

Barcelona's crest, in turn, consists of St George's cross in the upper-left corner, the Catalan flag next to it, and the team colours (blue and red) below.

St George is celebrated in Barcelona with St George's Day, having become the symbol of Catalonia during the Renaixenca - a political and cultural movement that took place during the nineteenth century who fought to reclaim Catalan identity.

The mythology of Sant Jordi involves his acts of heroism in Catalonia, particularly with his famed battle against the dragon.

The legend states that, long ago in the Catalan village Montblanc, the villagers were terrorised by a dragon who frightened the citizens and ate the animals until there was no more livestock left.

The villagers decided to sacrifice one person every day by a lottery system in order to satiate the dragon's hunger, with the sacrifice also a representation of the peoples' good will.

One day, however, it was the king's daughter who was chosen to be sacrificed to the dragon. But as she was about to be devoured, a knight - Sant Jordi - showed up to face the beast and killed him, rescuing the daughter.

After stabbing the dragon, a red rose bush grew from the blood that poured out of him. Since then, it has been a Catalan tradition to give a rose to a loved one.

It is because of this that his flag appears on both the flag of Barcelona as well as the club's official crest.

St George is celebrated on April 23 - St George's Day - and is the Catalan version of Valentine's Day.

AC Milan also have a similar red cross atop a white background on their crest, but it is not representative of St George.

Their crest instead is a tribute to Saint Ambrose and the city of Milan, dating back to the fourth century.

St Ambrose was previously the Bishop of Milan between 374 and 397 and is a patron saint of the city, the flag designed in honour of him.

Mathare United have completed the signing of striker Eugene Wethuli to strengthen their attacking department ahead of the new campaign.

The Slum Boys have been busy in the latter stages of the transfer window, making signings to help them compete effectively in the 2020/21 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.

Subsequently, the Nairobi-based charges have confirmed the arrival of the striker on Tuesday.

"Eugene is now a Slumboy," Mathare United communicated via their official social media accounts.

"Wethuli Eugene has joined us on a two-year deal from Nairobi Stima FC. He is a strong and agile centre-forward with an eye for the spectacular.

"[Welcome] Eugene."

Two years ago, the forward injured his leg and went for surgery. After a successful operation, he rejoined the National Super League (NSL) side Nairobi Stima. 

However, he was among the players released in February 2020 alongside Jacob Osano, Daniel Opondo, John Njoroge, Victor Amemo, Francis Oduor, and Joshua Mahero.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 2008 league champions confirmed they had also signed former AFC Leopards defender Moses Mburu.

"Another former ‘Slum Boy’ has returned back home. Moses Mburu has inked a two-year deal with us returning to continue where he left off in 2017," Mathare United confirmed on Tuesday.

"A marauding full-back who can easily slot in also at left midfield, Mburu brings with him that decisive x-factor that is synonymous with Mathare United players."

At the start of the day, Mathare United also confirmed the signing of midfielder Cersidy Okeyo from Sofapaka.

On signing Okeyo, Mathare United said: "Another one, you wanted a midfield enforcer, we've gone out of our way to get the engine. Cersidy Okeyo is now a Slum Boy after spells at Tusker, Gor Mahia, and Sofapaka."

The Salim Ali-led team have also signed former Posta Rangers forward Danson Kago on a two-year deal.

With the transfer window being extended for another four days, Mathare United have promised more signings with defender David Ochieng’ likely to be unveiled soon.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed on Monday they had extended the transfer window which was scheduled to shut on Monday midnight.

According to a statement from the FKF, signed by Head of Competitions Frank Ogolla, the window was extended to allow the conclusion of the play-offs which will determine which team will be promoted to the top-flight.
  

South Africa got off to a perfect start in the Cosafa Women's Cup after condemning Angola to a 2-0 defeat in Tuesday's fixture at the Wolfson Stadium.

Despite missing a number of top stars, defending champions Banyana Banyana returned to action for the first time since March's triumph over Lesotho with a clinical triumph on the home soil.

Desiree Ellis' team almost gained an early lead through Mapula Kgoale after a deflected goal-bound shot fell in her way but she fired wide from close range in the 17th minute of the match.

The holders went on to threaten the Angolans again but Kokesto Tlailane's wayward shot went inches wide in the 24th minute.

Lonathemba Mhlongo broke the deadlock in the 40th minute when she connected with a pass to open the scoring for Banyana.

Hildah Magaia almost doubled the lead with her well-taken effort inside the six-yard area but her goal-bound effort was halted by captain Angola Lidia Lubano on the brink of half-time.

After the restart, coach Ellis made some changes as she replaced goalscorer Mhlongo with Karabo Dhlamini, while Mapula Kgoale came on to take Nonhlanhla Mthandi's place in the 56th minute.

Five minutes later, substitute Dhlamini was right on the spot to tap in a fine cross from the left to make the result safe.

The win sees South Africa open their title defence on a high and puts them in the second position in Group A, tied on three points but separated from leaders Eswatini by goals scored.

Banyana will aim to claim the top spot when they take on table-toppers Eswatini in their second match at the same venue on Friday.

In the other result, Eswatini recorded a 4-2 comeback victory against Comoros at the Wolfson Stadium.

Liverpool's songbook of chants and anthems is a long and storied one, and the Kop's rendition of Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire" is no exception.

The tune is especially popular during Champions League days with the travelling Anfield faithful, but why did it become so famous and one of the Reds' signature songs? Goal takes a look.

Liverpool chants: Lyrics & videos to the most popular Anfield songs

The iconic Cash song has been adopted by Liverpool fans during European nights, beginning during the journey to the 2005 Champions League final where the Reds were ultimately victorious against AC Milan in one of the most memorable games of all-time.

The hook of the song is the part that Liverpool supporters have claimed for their own, with Jamie Carragher - who lifted the trophy that night in Istanbul - admitting that the Cash classic was a fan favourite played on fan coaches.

The song then caught on with other Liverpool fans en masse until it has become permanently ingrained in the Anfield songbook.

"'Ring of Fire' started on the fans' coach that my dad and his mates get to the away games," Carragher said.

"Someone put a Johnny Cash tape on and my dad and everyone started singing it on the bus. It caught on at Anfield, then it became a favourite at the European away games."

The song is most associated with the famous 2005 Istanbul win, but still gets sung on matchday by supporters to this day.

It's also popular with Liverpool players themselves, with Carragher and former captain Steven Gerrard singing the hook of the tune after they lifted the trophy.

A year after the miracle of Istanbul, the song was revamped to soundtrack Liverpool's victorious 2006 FA Cup run.

Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch, a Liverpool native and massive Reds fan, contributed vocals on the track alongside a new group called the Boot Room All-Stars.

The updated version of the track also includes recorded audio of Liverpool fans singing the anthem during a home game against Aston Villa.

Ian Gordon, of song management company Oxygen Music, said: "It's a song that means so much to Liverpool fans and sounds great on the terraces.

"Ian [McCulloch] was keen to get involved as he's a fanatical Liverpool fan and has had a season ticket since he was a kid."

Cyriel Dessers hopes to be at his best for Genk in order to get a recall to the Nigeria national team after he was left out of the Super Eagles squad against Sierra Leone.

The centre-forward was handed his Super Eagles debut against Tunisia in October in a friendly after his eye-catching performances for Heracles Almelo.

 Dessers bagged 25 league goals to emerge as the 2019–20 Eredivisie joint top scorer before teaming up with Genk in the summer.

The centre-forward has, however, been omitted from the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against the Leone Stars scheduled for November 13 and 17.

The Belgian-born player has expressed his disappointment for his failure to make the 24-man squad but has taken positives from the situation.

“On not getting a call up for the National team for games against Sierra Leone, personally I was not happy after knowing I did not make the cut,” Dessers told AOI.

“But then again, it shows I have to play more at club level and hopefully tries to always be at my best week in week out.”

On Saturday, the forward bagged his third goal in eight Belgian First Division A games to help his side secure victory over KAS Eupen.

Paul Onuachu, who has been drafted in for Nigerian’s game against Sierra Leone as Moses Simon’s replacement, set up Dessers for his strike.  

 “It was nice to be on the score sheet again this weekend,” the 25-year-old continued.

“I felt it’s been a long time coming for me and I hope to build on this goal in my subsequent matches."

Dessers will hope to add to his tally when Genk take on Sint-Truiden in their next league game on Saturday to boost the chances of a recall to the Super Eagles.

Nigeria currently lead Group L with six points after victories against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his first Champions League appearance of the 2020-21 season after being named in Juventus' latest European squad.

Ronaldo took in a frustrating spell on the sidelines after testing positive for coronavirus while away with the Portugal national side during the last international break.

Juve were held to back-to-back 1-1 draws against Crotone and Hellas Verona in Serie A without the forward, who also missed their first two games of the Champions League group stages.

Andrea Pirlo's side beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0 in their Group G opener, but suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Barcelona on matchday two, as Ronaldo was denied the chance to face off against Lionel Messi for the first time since 2018.

The 35-year-old made his long-awaited return to action when he came on as a second-half substitute against Spezia on Sunday, and made an instant impact on a game which was tied at 1-1 before his introduction.

Ronaldo produced a trademark run and finish to put Juve ahead two minutes after entering the fray, before doubling his account from the penalty spot 14 minutes from time.

Pirlo's men went on to win the match 4-1, with Alvaro Morata and Adrien Rabiot also getting on the scoresheet, and will be expected to pick up another three points when they travel to Hungary to take on Ferencvaros on Wednesday.

Ronaldo has been included in Juve's 21-man squad for the continental clash, meaning he could be line to feature in Europe's elite competition for the first time since the team's shock last-16 exit at the hands of Lyon last season.

Captain Giorgio Chiellini will feature against Ferencvaros but Juve coach Pirlo says Paulo Dybala might be rested for the game.

“Yes, Chiellini has trained well,” Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia. “He recovered from his injury and he’ll be available tomorrow night.

“Dybala is fine, I spoke to him again this morning. It’s normal that after three games, a bit of physical and mental fatigue builds up.

“The lad is fine, he needs to work and keep his physical level up. He’s important and will be useful for the rest of the championship.

“Tomorrow he could be rested in view of Sunday, but he must remain ready. We are many now and there’s room for them to recover for the next matches.”

The Bianconeri must win to put the pressure on group leaders Barca, who will be aiming to maintain their 100 per cent record when they welcome Kiev to Camp Nou on the same night.

Juve will turn their attention back to Serie A matters after their latest European outing, with a huge meeting against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico scheduled on Sunday morning.

Mathare United have confirmed the signing of defender Moses Mburu ahead of the 2020-21 FKF Premier League season.

The left-back, who recently was featuring for AFC Leopards, has been unveiled by the ‘Slum Boys’ who said on their social media pages: “Another former ‘Slum Boy’ has returned back home. Moses Mburu has inked a two-year deal with us returning to continue where he left off in 2017.

“A marauding full-back who can easily slot in also at left midfield, Mburu brings with him that decisive x-factor that is synonymous with Mathare United players.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Mathare United also confirmed the signing of midfielder Cersidy Okeyo from Sofapaka.

On signing Okeyo, Mathare United said: “Another one, you wanted a midfield enforcer, we've gone out of our way to get the engine. Cersidy Okeyo is now a Slum Boy after spells at Tusker, Gor Mahia, and Sofapaka.

“A great passer of the ball with an invaluable football brain to boot, Okeyo adds composure, experience, and poise in our midfield.

“Carrick’, as he is fondly referred to, has three league titles to his name and also brings a winning mentality to the group.”

The arrival of Mburu and Okeyo brings the number of new players at the former league champions to three. On Monday, Mathare United confirmed the signing of forward Danson Kago, formerly at Posta Rangers.

On signing Kago, the club stated: “Kenya international Danson Kago has joined the club on a year-long deal

“Kago, capped 15 times at Harambee Stars, adds pace, guile, and experience to our attacking department.”

With the transfer window being extended for another four days, Mathare United have promised more signings with defender David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng’ likely to be unveiled soon.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed on Monday they had extended the transfer window which was scheduled to shut on Monday midnight.

According to a statement from the FKF, signed by Head of Competitions Frank Ogolla, the window was extended by a further four days to allow the conclusion of the play-offs which will determine which team will be promoted to the top-flight.

Christian Pulisic has been joined by a series of new faces in the latest U.S. men's national team squad, with the likes of Gio Reyna, Konrad de la Fuente and Yunus Musah among 10 uncapped players called up.

The U.S. is set to face Wales on November 12 before meeting Panama four days later in Austria in what will be the team's first gathering since a February friendly against Costa Rica. That match, which served as the conclusion of the annual January camp, only featured MLS-based players.

This time around, though, head coach Gregg Berhalter has turned to an entirely foreign-based squad, with stars such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest all involved.

Pulisic's selection had appeared in doubt as the Chelsea star recently suffered a hamstring injury during the warm-up of his side's 3-0 win over Burnley. He is, however, included in the squad and Berhalter is looking forward to working with some of the nation's top players.

"We are excited about getting this group back together," he said in a statement. "I'm proud of the way the players have handled the challenging times - they really stuck together.

"We have built a solid foundation, and now we get a chance to continue our work together ahead of what is going to be a critical 12 months for our team."

While the involvement of several key stars for the first time in a while offers a significant boost to the USMNT, a number of newcomers to the squad will also have the chance to impress.

Chief among them is Musah, the New York-born England youth international who has stood out at Valencia this season. Indeed, his decision to accept a call-up is a positive for Berhalter, although there is still the possibility he could represent the Three Lions, Italy and Ghana at full international level, given that the two upcoming USMNT fixtures are both friendlies.

Dortmund star Reyna, who was widely expected to earn a call-up in March if the international fixtures had not been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, is also involved following an impressive start to the 2020-21 campaign with the Bundesliga giants.

Barcelona youngster Konrad de la Fuente also earns his first call-up, having been included in the first-team squad this season as he awaits his first official appearance. Chris Richards, meanwhile, has earned a senior debut for Bayern Munich, and he too is involved for the first time.

Leicester City goalkeeper Chituru Odunze, Internacional midfielder Johnny Cardozo, PSV youngster Richie Ledezma, Wolves midfielder Own Otasowie, Caen's Nicholas Gioacchini and Telstar's Sebastian Soto are also first-time call-ups.

USMNT squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City), Zack Steffen (Manchester City)

Defenders: John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich), Antonee Robinson (Fulham)

Midfielders: Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Owen Otasowie (Wolves)

Forwards: Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Uly Llanez (Heerenveen), Gio Reyna (Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Soto (Telstar), Tim Weah (Lille)

Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga SC) have moved top of the Tanzania Mainland League table after a 0-0 draw away to Gwambina FC on Tuesday evening.

The 27-time league champions came into the match as favourites and the fans expected nothing but maximum points. However, the hosts, who fell 3-0 to KMC in their last outing, were desperate to get a positive outcome to surge upwards in the log.

Timu ya Wananchi came into the match on a high and tried to put pressure on the promoted side. But the hosts were not in the mood of conceding and they put a spirited performance to deny the former champions maximum points. 

In the end, every team had to be content with a point.

The draw halted their seven-match winning run. Nevertheless, Wananchi have now moved top of the table with 23 points after playing nine matches. They are the only unbeaten team and have conceded just two goals, the least in the division.

After getting a point, Gwambina are now 12th on the table with 10 points after the same number of points. They have managed to get two wins, four draws and as many losses.

In another top-tier game played on Tuesday, Biashara Mara United played out a 1-1 draw with KMC to move third on the table.

The Mara-based charges had lost their initial outing by a solitary goal to Timu ya Wananchi and were aiming at bouncing back with a victory over their visitors, who had defeated Gwambina 3-0 in their previous league assignment.

The Francis Baraza-led charges were the first to take a lead in Musoma when they won a penalty in the fifth minute. Lenny Kisu held his nerve to find the back of the net. 

After the half-time break, the Kinondoni outfit came back stronger in search of an equalizer. The pressure paid off after 55 minutes when the hosts conceded a penalty of their own.

Lusajo Mwaikenda rose to the occasion to score the equalizer which also handed his team a point. It was his fourth goal in the six matches he has played for the team.

TS Galaxy captain Given Msimango says Kaizer Chiefs’ 3-0 defeat by Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final, first leg match last weekend makes Amakhosi “a very dangerous opponent” in Wednesday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash at FNB Stadium.

It was another heavy defeat for Chiefs, who also lost 3-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in their opening league encounter.

The results have attracted much criticism for Amakhosi, who have displayed glaring shortcomings in both defence and attack.

Msimango feels such a run for Chiefs makes them tricky opponents who are eager to recover from the setbacks and prove themselves.

“Of course they played a Cup game against Orlando Pirates this past weekend and they didn’t get a good result,” Msimango told the TS Galaxy media team.

“That makes them a very dangerous opponent coming into Wednesday’s game. We are very much aware of that and I think we have prepared accordingly for that match. Our plans will come into play and we hope to utilise our opportunities and chances we will have.

“It is a huge confidence boost playing against a big team like Chiefs. We will lift the spirits of the guys to give us a good base for the season moving forward. And of course, we will keep ourselves motivated to keep our unbeaten record going forward.

“Keeping our unbeaten record is a positive which motivates the guys but it is not something we are focusing on entirely.”

TS Galaxy are yet to taste defeat in the league so far, drawing 1-1 with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, before edging AmaZulu 1-0 in their last match.

They now face a Chiefs side not only wounded because of the loss to Pirates, but have forwards who are keen to break their goal drought and a shaky defence which has conceded seven goals in four games.

No Chiefs striker has scored so far in the four games they have been involved in this season.

Msimango is aware that Leonardo Castro and his attacking partners want to showcase that they still have some bite.

“Leonardo Castro is a very exceptional player. He has displayed his abilities for Kaizer Chiefs throughout last season last year, even this season,” said Msimango.

“From outside, we will approach this game the way we approach every other match. We have the intention to be as competitive as possible.

"We are not focusing on one player. We defend what needs to be defended against and we will mark players we need to mark. We will handle it pretty well on the day.”

It would be the first time for TS Galaxy and Chiefs to face off since the 2019 Nedbank Cup final in which then first division side Galaxy prevailed over Amakhosi.