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Roberto Mancini has expressed his sadness at seeing Mario Balotelli go from being Italian football's golden boy to the odd man out.

Italy boss Mancini gave Balotelli his Serie A debut for Inter when the striker was just 17 years old, in December 2007, and a first Azzurri cap came before his 20th birthday.

Balotelli followed Mancini to Manchester City, where he showed flashes of brilliance but his stay was tainted by off-field controversies and claims about his conduct.

After a string of subsequent moves, which has seen Balotelli also play for Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille and Brescia, he is without a club at the age of 30.

Speaking at a sports industry event on Thursday, Mancini said of Balotelli: "I am very sorry to see him in this condition. At the age of 30 he should be in full technical football maturity and would have been very useful to the national team.

"I love him and I hope something good always happens to him."

Mancini, appointed to the Italy post in 2018, immediately recalled Balotelli to the national team after several years without a cap, but the striker could not keep his place.

Balotelli has been linked with several clubs since leaving Brescia at the end of last season and said earlier in October that he would join a new team "in a few weeks".

Quoted by Corriere dello Sport , one of the organisers of Thursday's event, Mancini said France and Spain would be the teams to beat when the delayed Euro 2020 takes place next year.

He may already be looking to life beyond his Italy role, saying of the experience of an international boss: "I find it hard to feel like a coach, I don't like this life very much. My favourite thing is to coach every day."

Mancini, 55, also expressed concern about the state of football during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID is destroying us," he said. "If it were up to me, I would already send more crowds to the stadiums, perhaps well distributed among the various sections."

Thomas Tuchel rounded on critics of his team after Paris Saint-Germain swept to victory at Istanbul Basaksehir.

The former Borussia Dortmund head coach is into his third year with PSG, whom he has led to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and a place in the 2019-20 Champions League final.

Although the Paris giants were edged out by Bayern Munich in last season's European showpiece, they have rebounded by recovering from a slow start to this campaign and lead their domestic championship once again.

Defeat to Manchester United last week in the Champions League was a setback, but a 2-0 victory against the Super Lig winners on Wednesday put PSG back on an even keel in Group H.

Tuchel feels his side are not getting the credit they deserve, having followed up a late-finishing 2019-20 season, which featured a domestic treble, with signs that this campaign could also prove a success.

"Okay, we can keep this conversation and say that it is always my responsibility," Tuchel said.

"It's not a problem, you can be critical towards me, there is no problem, but let's be realistic.

"In Italy, are Juventus first in the league? No. In England, is it Liverpool or Manchester City?"

As Tuchel pointed out, City were among the eight teams that travelled to Lisbon in August to take part in the final stages of the Champions League. They have found it a challenge to get up to speed early in the new season.

"In Spain, is it Barcelona first or Real Madrid? No, they are not," Tuchel added, continuing with his theme.

"We are first in Ligue 1, but everyone keeps saying, 'Oh yeah, it's PSG, it's easy for them.'

"But it's not easy! Maybe people should start to accept this is a real performance [to be first in the league]."

Two goals from Moise Kean, the Italian striker that PSG signed on loan from Everton, secured their latest European win, with both set up by Kylian Mbappe.

By playing a part in both goals, Mbappe took his assists haul in the Champions League to 15 since the start of the 2017-18 season, which is more than any other player has achieved.

The only real negative on the night was an injury to Neymar that could keep him sidelined for a number of games.

That recent loss to United is PSG's only defeat in their previous 13 Champions League group games (W9 D3), and they have scored in 36 of their past 37 games in European competition - the conspicuous blip in that run being the final against Bayern in August.

Kean, meanwhile, became the youngest Italian to score when starting a Champions League game for the first time, at 20 years and 243 days, beating a record previously held by Alessandro Del Piero.

Such records and high achievement are factors in Tuchel's thinking that his team should be celebrated.

Since losing to Lens and Marseille in their opening two Ligue 1 games this term, PSG have reeled off six straight wins to leap to the top of the standings.

Clearly, Tuchel has grown sick of attitudes towards his high-achieving side.

"We can't keep going like that, we can't have this atmosphere all the time," he said.

"Inside the team, we can't always focus about negative things and negative comments because there are positive things to talk about. Obviously, there are also things to improve for sure and we will never stop to do it and that's it."

Barcelona could have scored eight against a Juventus side lacking speed across the pitch, according to Fabio Capello.

Barca stormed to the top of Group G by picking up an impressive 2-0 victory in Turin on Wednesday night.

The battle between two European giants had been highly anticipated since the draw for this season's group stages at the start of the month, with supporters and experts excited by the prospect of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo renewing their rivalry.

However, Juve had to make do without Ronaldo after he was tested for Covid-19 again before the contest, having first been diagnosed with the virus while away on international duty with Portugal.

The Italian giants lacked inspiration in the final third in the absence of a talismanic figure, while Messi and Co produced their best performance of the new season to date to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the weekend.

Ousmane Dembele's deflected strike from long-range gave Barca a deserved 14th-minute lead, but he also squandered a glorious chance to double the visitors' lead before the break.

Messi and Griezmann were also guilty of wasteful finishing, while at the other end, Alvaro Morata found the back of the net on three occasions only to be denied by the offside flag.

Barca finally rounded off a morale-boosting win in stoppage time as Messi coolly converted from the penalty spot, with Capello left surprised with the gulf in quality between the two sides.

"Juventus suffered a lot against a Barcelona in crisis. I was struck by the difference between a team under construction that also lost the Clasico and one at the top in Italy," the ex-Juve boss told Sky Sports post-match.

"I was shocked by the difference in intensity and play. Barcelona really impressed me, they could have scored eight goals instead of two.

"I saw an aggressive team and a lot of dynamism. Messi also contributed a lot."

Capello added on Juve's failure to create openings going forward and Barca's superiority in terms of energy levels: "[Federico] Chiesa was often free [in midfield] but all the bets were always concentrated on [Paulo] Dybala and his side. 

"It was therefore not possible to open the game and therefore Barcelona had a chance to recover the ball quickly. There was another speed and this makes me doubt what we have in Italy. 

"It was all of Juve that lacked speed, they were always pressed and anticipated."

Juventus are still working with Maurizio Sarri’s entourage in order to come to an agreement over the compensation he is due for departing the club in the summer, Goal understands.

Sarri was jettisoned following a disappointing showing in the Champions League, exiting at the last-16 stage to Lyon. Meanwhile, Juve sealed the Serie A title in unconvincing fashion.

The board acted to dispose him and installed rookie boss Andrea Pirlo into the role, a matter of days after he had been appointed as the Under-23 coach in Serie C.

Sarri, though, is still contracted to Juventus for another two years, but the parties wish to come to an agreement that will allow them to sever this deal as quickly as possible.

Juve do not wish to keep paying a salary to a figure who is doing nothing for their cause, while Sarri cannot take charge of another club while he is still contractually obligated to the Turin side.

It is this desire to get back into work that is driving Sarri’s desire to come to an accord, and it is unlikely to be a question of money because of this.

The 61-year-old has been coaching since 1990 but has endured a torrid couple of years since departing Napoli, where he elevated the side to become a major force both in Italian and European football.

Although he achieved a third-placed finish in the Premier League and Europa League glory with Chelsea, he failed to find favour at Stamford Bridge and departed after a year, posting a record of 40 wins from 63 matches. That success in Europe was the first major honour of his career in the dugout.

At Juve, meanwhile, he took charge of the club 51 times and recorded 34 wins, securing the Scudetto.

The man who replaced him, Pirlo, is already coming under scrutiny after just a handful of months in the job.

Juventus have made a slow start to their season by their illustrious standards, and post only nine points from their five league matches.

They were also defeated 2-0 by Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday but remain well placed to qualify after winning their opening game in the competition away to Dynamo Kiev.

Indian women's national team skipper Loitongbam Ashalata Devi feels that she is ready to take up the challenge of playing abroad. 

The 2018-19 AIFF (All India Football Federation) Women's Footballer of the Year has praised the impact Bala Devi and Aditi Chauhan have made on the youngsters who dream to travel to foreign countries to play football.

"Aditi and Bala opened the doors for others to go abroad and play. So now everyone will work hard and strive to fulfil their dreams of playing abroad, taking inspiration from Bala and Aditi," she told AIFF via an Instagram Live chat on Thursday. 

Bala Devi became the first Indian women footballer with a professional contract at a foreign club when she signed for Scottish side Rangers. 

Ashalata added, "Every player dreams to play at a professional club abroad but right now I am more focused on the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, but if I get an opportunity (to play abroad), I will go for it."

The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, along with the FIFA U-17 World Cup that will be hosted by India in 2021, will be important events for the rise of women's football in India, according to the talented footballer. 

"This (FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup) is a very big opportunity for us because there are a few corners in India where they don't know that women's football exists. So I feel that the U-17 World Cup and the Asian Cup will be very good for us.

"These girls (U-17 women's national team) are very lucky to get an opportunity to play for the country at such a young age. With your hard work, you will perform well and the whole of India is backing you. When you come from the U-17 team to the senior team also, you will learn a lot more. So give it your all and don't let this opportunity slip from your hands," the 27-year-old imparted her words of support to the Indian eves.

The Indian FA has meanwhile officially expressed their interest in hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup men's event. 

The former Rising Student Club defender also shared her plans for the future. 

"When I just started off (playing football), there were a lot of struggles. I didn't have support from my family who felt that this game is not for girls as they were more worried about getting me married. I was punished, so stopped playing for a few months but slowly started playing again.

"Ever since I got selected in the India U-17 team, my mother realised that I can grow in the sport and started supporting me unconditionally. Now she wants me to play at the highest level and not think about retirement anytime soon. 

"Only when I feel that I have contributed enough to my country, only then would I think of retiring. Right now, I have my priorities for (to play for) my country."

Tokmac Nguen’s strike in Ferencvaros’ 2-2 draw versus Dynamo Kiev has been shortlisted for the Champions League Goal of the Week.

With the Ukrainian Premier League side leading 2-0 at Budapest’s Groupama Arena thanks to goals from Viktor Tsyhankov and Carlos de Pena, the 27-year-old winger pulled a goal back for the Green Eagles in the 59th minute.

Oleksandr Zubkov chipped a ball into the Dynamo Kiev box and Ngeun took it under control. He found space and fired a right-footed effort into the far corner from 12 yards.

In the closing stages of the game, Franck Boli levelled matters for Serhiy Rebrov’s team as the Hungarian topflight side picked their first point in Group G as well as their first group stage point in 25 years.

The stunning strike from the former Norway youth international has been nominated along with efforts from Joshua Kimmich's goal for Bayern Munich against Locomotive Moscow, Marcus Thuram's strike for Borussia Monchengladbach versus Real Madrid and Duvan Zapata's effort for Atalanta versus Ajax.

Next up for Ferencvaros is a trip to Fehervar back in the Hungarian topflight whilst Dynamo Kiev face a trip to SC Dnipro-1 in Ukraine.

Born in Kenya to South Sudanese parents, Nguen who has scored 10 times across all competitions for Rebrov’s side this season is eligible to represent either the Bright Stars or Harambee Stars at senior international level.

 He was called up by the South Sudan national team in September 2019.

Kenya international defender Brian Mandela Onyango has joined the South Africa Premier Division defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

The towering central defender has been confirmed at the club for the next three seasons. The Brazilians have also confirmed the two parties have the option of extending the deal after the expiry of the initial term.

"Brian Onyango has joined Mamelodi Sundowns on a three-year deal with a two-year option to extend," Mamelodi confirmed on their official portal.

"The centre-back comes with a wealth of international and local experience as he has played for Santos, the Team Of Choice, and his national side. Onyango first moved to South Africa in 2012 to join the now ABC Motsepe based Santos.

"The Kenyan International joins Masandawana as a free agent, he last turned out for Maritzburg United.  

 "Welcome to Masandawana Brian Onyango."

Initially, newbies Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) FC had stated Mandela was part of their squad for the new campaign. However, it has not been the case as the player has opted to play for the Masandawana.

The 26-year-old started his career at Posta Rangers in the 2010 season and after a year, he secured a move to the 11-time Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Tusker FC where he played for two years before he moved to South Africa.

Mandela's first stop was at Santos where he played for three seasons and made 48 appearances, scoring three goals in the process.

His exploits interested Maritzburg United who went for his signature in 2015. He managed to make 77 appearances for the Team of Choice until 2019 when his contract expired. Since then, the towering defender has been a free agent.

However, he was part of Kenya's team that beat Zambia 2-1 in a friendly match staged at Nyayo Stadium on Friday, October 9. Mandela started in the heart of the Francis Kimanzi-led charges but was substituted later on for Wazito FC defender Johnstone Omurwa.

Mandela will now be part of the Mamelodi Sundowns team for the 2020/21 campaign.

The defending champions are currently second on the table with four points after playing two games this season.

Borneo-based Malaysia Super League side Sabah have been sidelined from the coming Malaysia Cup, announced the Malaysian Football League (MFL) on Thursday.

On top of the ejection, they have also been handed a 3-0 defeat for their round 11 league home encounter against UiTM FC, the only top-tier match yet to be played this season.

The decisions were reached by the MFL board after a meeting on Wednesday, October 28, due to the failure of the Rhinos to obtain the National Security Council's permission to leave the state of Sabah, which has been placed under a Covid-19 lockdown until November 9.

The clash against UiTM had initially been moved to the Hang Jebat Stadium, Melaka on October 31.

Fortunately, Sabah are still safe from relegation despite the defeat, as they have cleared the relegation zone.

The statement issued by MFL chief Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan provided more detail:

"Sabah's exemption application has been denied, rendering their league match unplayable, therefore UiTM are handed a 3-0 win. Their 14-day self quarantine [if Sabah were to arrive in West Malaysia on October 29] will only end after the first round of the Malaysia Cup has been played.

"The team that is drawn against Sabah in the first round of the 2020 Malaysia Cup will also receive a 3-0 win and qualify for the quarter-finals. Sabah will remain in the Super League for 2021 and will not receive a punishment for this matter."

MFL has also decided that despite an earlier request from a number of teams, the bottom two top-tier finishers; Felda United and PDRM FA will still be relegated as per the original league regulations.

Due to the pandemic, this year's Malaysia Cup competition will be run in a truncated, single-legged straight knockout format, which will kick off on November 6. The draw for the cup will take place on Sunday, November 1.

Rangers FC manager Steven Gerrard has included midfielder Bongani Zungu in the squad to face Polish side Lech Poznan in Thursday’s Europa League Group D match at Ibrox.

After signing for Rangers on a loan deal from French Ligue 2 side Amiens SC, Zungu went into quarantine for two weeks, soon after arriving in Glasgow.

But the 28-year-old finished his isolation period and began training with the rest of the Rangers squad on Wednesday, positioning himself for a debut appearance in Europe.

“I'm very excited to have him available. I think it has been a long two weeks for him in quarantine alone in a flat in Glasgow,” Gerrard told the club website.

“He’s desperate to be involved so I'm sure it has been a long two weeks for the player himself. He trained for the first time today [Wednesday], which was fantastic. We managed to get a running machine and a bike and some dumbbells to his apartment, so he has been ticking over and doing a certain level of training.

“But obviously today he'll feel that session because the tempo was high. We trained for just over an hour so I'm sure he'll feel that later, but he's happy and smiling and it's great to have him finally with us.”

Zungu is back in action at a time when he was included in the Bafana Bafana squad to take on Sao Tome e Principe in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.

But before flying to South Africa, Zungu will have a taste of European football with Rangers.

It is the first time for the former Mamelodi Sundowns player - who has previously played in Portugal and France - to play in a Uefa club competition.

Liverpool legend Gerrard has emphasised the importance of the Lech Poznan encounter.

“Obviously at the moment my focus is mainly on Lech Poznan,” Gerrard said.

“If there is any space or we don’t defend properly and we are not aggressive out of possession, they are a team that can certainly hurt you.”

AFC Leopards Football Operations Manager Tom Juma is confident Kenya can qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2022 edition.

Juma, who featured in the 2004 tournament, believes Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has got a strong squad that is capable of earning back-to-back qualifications.

“Mulee has got a strong squad that is going to perform, I have no doubt about that at all,” Juma told Goal.

“We have foreign-based stars and the local ones too and some are very young; a team that has not been built yesterday but one that has undergone a restructuring process for quite some time.

“The majority were in Afcon, some are good leaders, many have the right character of players and those are the most important things.

“The main objective is to qualify for Afcon again and if we manage that the team is going to get better and better.”

The retired midfielder also spoke about the approach the coach should take as he interacts with the players chasing their Afcon dreams.

“One must be a disciplinarian and an interactive character at the same time because this is work and it must be done in a way you deem fit,” he added.

“You cannot freely interact with the players and forget to enforce boundaries. Once respect is established, everything falls into its place but free interaction with the players cannot be underrated again.”

Juma stated it would be difficult to know what kind of playing style Mulee would implement after he was re-appointed, having spent more than a decade away from the touchline.

“For now, it would be difficult to point out what kind of plan and playstyle he is going to adopt,” he explained.

“One, he has been out for a very long time. Two, I do not know whether he is going to use the same formula he used before. But again one cannot totally change from what he used to be. What I know is that he is a good coach.

“In football, one cannot stick and say for example that my style is solely attacking football or defensive football. Both phases are integral and implemented interchangeably.

“There is no way one is going to play attacking football alone because such style begins with a good defensive style.

“You have to defend with all you have got and attack with all you have got. That is what I know about football. If you defend well you are not going to lose.”

Kenya will face Comoros twice in November as they look for a maiden win in Group H.

Joe Hart has insisted he is aiming to become Tottenham's No 1 while praising his "virtually faultless" team-mate Harry Kane.

Spurs snapped up Hart on a free transfer in August after seeing him leave Burnley at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

The 33-year-old was once revered as one of the best goalkeepers at the Premier League, having spent the peak years of his career on Manchester City's books.

He won two league titles with the Citizens and managed to establish himself as England's first-choice goalkeeper before Pep Guardiola's arrival at Etihad Stadium in 2016.

The Spanish head coach quickly deemed Hart surplus to requirements, and he was sold to Burnley in 2018 following loan spells at Torino and West Ham.

The veteran shot-stopper was unable to get his career back on track at Turf Moor, but he believes he has plenty to offer a Tottenham side currently heading in an exciting new direction under Jose Mourinho.

"I crave football. I realised I just love being at the top. I love being around a club where you play three games a week and if you don't win it is a big deal," Hart told BBC Sport.

"I am not stupid. That opportunity was not going to come in a given number one slot. After working out what Jose wanted from his squad and what he thought I could bring to it, it matched what I thought. I haven't come to shake it up. I have come to make Tottenham better."

The former City star went on to express his admiration towards Kane, who has enjoyed a superb start to the season with five goals and eight assists recorded in six Premier League outings.

"He has always had that ability," Hart said of the Spurs captain. "I struggle to find a fault with Harry. He is absolutely brilliant. Every single pass, every single shot, every single decision.

"He is such a team player. His leadership is doing it, which is often more important than being vocal. We have seen how selfless he is. He is a special player and I love being in the same team as him."

The Tottenham keeper added on the club's chances of winning silverware in 2020-21 and his relationship with Mourinho: "We are moving in the right direction. Jose inherited a good team and he has made some shrewd additions.

"There is a big difference between saying you want to win something and showing and believing and doing the right things to put yourself in the best position to win.

"Where you want to be is when all the finals are over and the Premier League is finished, everyone can look at each other and say we left nothing out there and threw everything at it.

"Jose is very clever at how he works the media. He is a different guy in his own environment, with his own players. He asks you to give your best and show your quality. That is how I work.

"I don't claim to be the most talented guy in the world but I will give it everything. Trust works both ways. He definitely gives that and I enjoy working with him."

Francis Uzoho kept a clean slate on his debut for APOEL in Wednesday’s 4-0 triumph over PAEEK in a Cypriot Cup fixture.

The game against the second division outfit saw him return from a long injury layoff that spanned over one year.

At the Makareio Stadium, goals from Kostas Apostolakis, Omer Atzili, Morocco's Anuar Tuhami and Stavros Gavriel powered the 28-time Cypriot Championship winners past Makis Sergides' men.

Uzoho suffered ruptured ligaments and was carried off on a stretcher after the hour mark during the Super Eagles’ 1-1 international friendly draw with Brazil on October 13, 2019 at the National Stadium, Singapore.

Since then, he has been on the sidelines that kept him off Nigerian duty – missing two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers versus Benin Republic and Lesotho plus the recent friendlies with reigning African kings Algeria and Tunisia.

After loan spells at Elche, Anorthosis and Omonia, the 22-year-old joined the Cypriot outfit on a three-year deal from Spanish second division club Deportivo La Coruna.

The towering shot-stopper commenced his European career at Deportivo after he was scouted while in action for Aspire Academy.

He featured prominently for the Blue and Whites’ reserve team yet struggled to break into the first-team although he made two La Liga appearances, against Eibar and Girona, in the 2017-18 campaign.

On the international scene, he made his full international debut – replacing Daniel Akpeyi in a 4-2 friendly triumph over Argentina. Subsequently, he benched the South Africa based goalkeeper and Ikechukwu Ezenwa to become Nigeria’s first-choice at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.

A lack of regular club football cost him his place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations staged in Egypt. His only appearance was against Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles in the third-place play-off inside Cairo’s Al Salam Stadium.

With his return to full fitness, he must be at his best to displace Maduka Okoye who seems to be Gernot Rohr’s most preferred choice in goal for the three-time African champions.

Uzoho would be expected to be in goal when APOEL visit Ethnikos Achna in their next league game on November 7. The Legends are 10th on the log after garnering eight points from seen outings so far.

Manchester United legends Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes do not believe the club have a defence that can allow them to win major trophies.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have made a promising start in the Champions League, scoring wins over Paris Saint-Germain and on Wednesday against RB Leipzig, but they are not seen as challengers for the crown, according to two players who have won it in the past.

The heart of the Red Devils’ defence is the area they cite as being a problem, largely because they are not imposing enough.

“Is it good enough? I'd probably say no, if you're trying to win the top competitions,” Ferdinand told BT Sport. “Yes, last season they had a good defensive record, but I just see moments in games where they get opened up, they get physically dominated at times, especially in terms of pace, especially if their protection isn't what you'd expect it to be if the game opens up a little bit.

“If the game opens up and they're on the halfway line and they're playing one versus one or two versus two, then I fear for my life in that situation. If the team shape is fine and it's all set up properly, then they look a decent pairing.”

Scholes echoed the thoughts of the former England centre-back, saying the the current crop of United defenders are only capable if they are well-shielded by the midfielders in front of them.

“When they have the two [Fred and Scott McTominay] in front of them, they look different,” he pointed out.

“You're a defender for a reason, you're supposed to be OK one-on-one, sometimes it can take away the attacking side of the team which it has done in the last couple of games, especially against Chelsea on Saturday. Fred and McTominay have definitely made them look better players, and they'll prefer that.”

While United have made a strong start in Europe, they have not been as convincing domestically and lie 15th in the early Premier League standings with just a couple of wins to their credit. They tackle Arsenal at home on Sunday while their next Champions League outings are a double header against Istanbul Basaksehir.

Yanga SC striker Michael Sarpong is confident he will soon discover his form at the club.

The forward was signed by Wananchi at the start of the season from Ghanaian outfit Asante Kotoko. The 28-year-old, who had also played for Etoile Filante de Ouagadougou before his exploits took him to the Ghanaian side in 2018, has managed to score just one goal for the Tanzanian outfit in the top-tier.

"It took me some time to adapt to the new environment considering the fact that it was my first time to play in the Tanzania Mainland League," Songne told reporters.

"However, I think I am now ready to deliver for Yanga since I am used to my new environment. I will fight for the team to ensure we stand a chance of realizing our set objectives.

"I have no worries, I will score."

The Burkinabe has also stated he understands his main job is to score but the team comes first.

"As a striker, my major job on the pitch is to score goals," the striker continued.

"But the team comes first; if I don't score but the team wins, it will not matter that my name is not in the score sheet. The most important thing is for the team to get a win consistently."

The towering attacker played a huge role in helping Yanga SC come from behind to defeat KMC 2-1 in their latest assignment. Sarpong was fouled in the danger zone with Timu ya Wananchi trailing, and the ref awarded a penalty scored by Tuisila Kisinda.

Timu ya Wananchi are the only unbeaten side in the league. They have managed to get 19 points from the seven matches played; they have managed to win six and a draw.

New coach Cedric Kaze is happy with his first two matches in charge of the club but has promised more is still to come from the team.

The Burundian tactician signed a three-year contract for the Jangwani giants following the abrupt exit of Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, who had overseen the club for only 37 days.

So far, Kaze has overseen two matches – winning 1-0 against Polisi Tanzania before beating KMC 2-1 at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has picked his favourite player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while also naming a dream team of his former opponents.

Messi and Ronaldo have battled for supremacy at the very highest level for well over a decade, with their rivalry considered to be among the greatest in the history of football.

The former has spent his entire professional career at Barcelona, scoring 636 goals in 737 appearances while getting his hands on ten La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, enjoyed hugely successful spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid after beginning his career at Sporting CP, before taking up a new challenge in Serie A with Juventus in 2018.

The Portuguese has scored 641 goals in 852 outings over the course of his career, winning league titles in three different countries and conquering the Champions League on five occasions, with a European Championship triumph also on his CV at international level.

However, Messi has won six-Ballon d'Or awards to Ronaldo's five, and is generally considered to be the more gifted player in terms of his ball control and overall influence in the final third of the pitch.

Lampard is among those to share that opinion, but he is still in awe of what a man who is still delivering the goods at the age of 35 has been able to accomplish.

Asked to choose between Messi and Ronaldo during a Q&A session for Hyundai, the 42-year-old head coach said: "I'm gonna go Messi on this on pure, natural talent but what Ronaldo has done has been absolutely incredible."

Lampard named two players who used to play alongside Messi when pressed on the toughest players he ever came up against at Chelsea, having faced Barcelona on several occasions at the height of his career.

"The two that I name when I say against is Xavi and Iniesta at Barcelona. They were great players, they were kind of not the biggest and quite slight," he said. "It just shows it doesn't matter, because sometimes people think you have to be huge to be a footballer player. You don't." 

Lampard didn't include Xavi or Iniesta in his dream team of former opponents though, with two of his ex-England team-mates making the final cut along with another Barcelona legend, Bayern Munich's current No 1 and Real Madrid's World Cup-winning manager.

"It's [Manuel] Neuer, Rio (Ferdinand), Steven Gerrard, [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldinho, Messi and Ronaldo," the Chelsea head coach said.

Simba SC forward Bernard Morrison has been banned for three matches following violent conduct during the Mainland Premier League tie against Ruvu Shooting on Monday.

Morrison was involved in a physical altercation with Juma Nyoso – who has also been banned and fined - after Simba had been awarded a penalty in the 71st minute.

The Ghanaian was irked by a Shabani Msala poor challenge on Luis Miquissone as he entered into Ruvu Shooting's area. As the players surrounded the referee before he awarded a penalty, Morrison appeared from the back and punched the Ruvu Shooting star and that escalated the tension even further.

“Simba player [Bernard] Morrison has been banned from featuring in three matches for hitting [Juma] Nyoso of Ruvu Shooting. Nyoso, on his part, has been fined TSh500,000 and a three-match ban given for intentionally stepping on Morrison,” a Premier League Board statement obtained by Goal read.

Morrison did not receive immediate punishment from centre referee Abdalla Mwinyi from Singida even after Nyoso showed where he had been punched by the former Orlando Pirates winger.

The escalated tension on the pitch delayed the match for over four minutes and it took the intervention of Simba captain Bocco – who did not manage to convert the penalty – to calm the players from both sides down.

Ivorian defender Serge Wawa had to pull Morrison to the sidelines away from the irked Ruvu Shooting players.

Simba ended up losing the match with a 1-0 scoreline and it became their second straight defeat in the ongoing season.

The three-match ban will mean Morrison is not going to feature in the Kariakoo Derby against his immediate former side Yanga SC on November 7 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The Yanga against Simba encounter was expected to be highlighted by Morrison’s presence given that his August move created friction that is yet to be settled by either side and the Tanzania Football Federation.

Although the Players’ Status Committee declared Morrison a free agent paving way for his Simba move, Yanga are still contesting the legality of the contract which they have maintained is legally deficient.

The first match the Ghanaian will sit out will be the Mwadui home encounter on October 31 and the last one will be the away tie against Kagera Sugar on November 8.

His absence has occurred when Simba have parted ways with goalkeeping coach Muharami Mohamed and team manager Patrick Rweyemamu after two losses.

Dundalk manager Filippo Giovagnoli says that if his side are to stand a chance in the Europa League against Arsenal, they will have to make the Premier League giants feel “uncomfortable”.

The League of Ireland side travel to the Emirates on Thursday for what is, on paper, an incredible mismatch, as the Italian admitted.

Drawing on a boxing analogy, though, he refused to dismiss his side’s chances of causing an upset.

“We just need to try to make them uncomfortable,” he told the media. “The difference in quality is obvious. What a lightweight can do with a heavyweight is they have to work more. If you get close to them then they're going to kill you.

“There's not really a way to compare the two sports in terms of performance because a lightweight eventually has to run more. How is it possible to run more than Arsenal?

“We just have to match their intensity for a part of the game and stay focused and play with passion and with these kind of characteristics.”

The Gunners may be depleted at centre-back, with Gabriel and Shkodran Mustafi their only two fit options, but Giovagnoli does not believe that will make a great difference.

“They can pick any player and they're going to be a top player,” said Giovagnoli. “It's more important to understand what is their style and how they're going to play instead of looking at the players. The way that they are going to build up, the way that they are going to attack, where they attack, what they do.

“It's a huge challenge to be here and play one of the best teams in the world.”

Dundalk presently lie third in the League of Ireland Premier Division, sitting on 25 points after 16 games, well off the pace of leaders Shamrock Rovers, who have won 12 of their 14 matches and have a goal difference of plus-31.

The Irish side, meanwhile, are coming off a 2-1 loss to Molde at home – a game in which they led at the break – and are seeking a first European group-stage victory away from home.

Tanzania Mainland League champions Simba SC have parted ways with Muharami Mohamed and Patrick Rweyemamu who were serving as the club's goalkeeping coach and team manager respectively.

The 21-time league champions have confirmed the new development through a statement released on Thursday, October 29.

"Simba Sports Club would like to inform the public that we have parted ways, by mutual consent, with our goalkeeping coach, Muharami Mohamed and team manager Patrick Rweyemamu," the club confirmed in a statement obtained by Goal.

"The club intends to improve its technical bench and will soon be announcing their successors.  

"Simba Sports Club would like to thank them for their services and wish them all the best in their future endeavours."

After starting the 2020/21 league on a good note, Wekundu wa Msimbazi have registered back to back 1-0 losses to Tanzania Prisons and Ruvu Shooting in their last two league matches.

In the previous interview, Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck revealed he is yet to come to terms with the team’s two consecutive defeats in the Mainland Premier League. 

The defeat against Shooting saw Simba surrender third spot in the 18-team table as they dropped to fourth while their rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC) who are still unbeaten, moved to second, behind table-toppers Azam FC.

The two defeats have left the Belgian coach scratching his head and has gone ahead to apologise to the fans and also promised a quick comeback in their next league match.

"First of all, I want to apologise for the two losses in a row to the Simba family and it is very hard for us to digest," Vandenbroeck stated, "If you look at the game, we missed some aggressiveness in the first half which was not our usual level of play.

"The second half was much better as we took some risks but in total, we were not efficient enough to take good results today [Monday]. It hurts all of us.

"At this point, it is very difficult to point out what is the problem and if I have to analyse everything, it is something which I cannot share with the members of the media.

"According to the way we pushed in the second half, I do not think match fitness is the problem to point at. I think the question is what we have available in the striking position which made me play with a false number nine."

Harry Maguire has expressed his delight with Manchester United's response to being mauled by Tottenham before the international break.

United's poor start to the 2019-20 campaign was compounded when they suffered a 6-1 defeat at home to Spurs on October 4.

Jose Mourinho masterminded the downfall of his former employers in spectacular fashion, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min each grabbing a brace at Old Trafford.

Many supporters and experts wrote off the Red Devils' chances of competing for top honours in the wake of that result, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has overseen a mini-revival over the past fortnight.

Encouraging signs were shown during a 4-1 win at Newcastle, before United beat Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League opener at Parc des Princes.

Chelsea disrupted their momentum by earning a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, but Solskjaer's men got back on track by thrashing RB Leipzig at the same venue on Wednesday night.

A superb Marcus Rashford hat-trick and goals from Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial gave the Red Devils a 5-0 win over the Bundesliga side, with Maguire pleased that defensive holes have been plugged since the shocking defeat to Tottenham.

“After Spurs, we were all devastated and just three games into the season it felt like it was a big crisis,” the United captain told MUTV. “It was quite a strange feeling, but we don’t expect to lose games at Old Trafford and we definitely don’t expect to lose games like we did.

“The first three games we were conceding far too many chances. So as a defensive unit, having kept the most clean sheets in Europe last season, we knew we had to improve to be more solid.

“We have worked hard on the training ground and since the international break we have gone back to not conceding chances like last year, when we were a solid unit and a solid base.

“It has been important, for me as a defender, to give the forward lads every opportunity to go and win the game. One, two, three goals it should end up in a win. At the moment we are doing that. It’s a start, but it is still an early win in the season.

“It is going to be a long journey, but we’ve got to improve. We know that and we are doing so at the minute, but there is a long way to go.”

Maguire added on the team's improved form since the international break: “It is the start of a European campaign where we want to be successful. We don’t want to stop in the group stage; we want to get through and be successful in the knockout stages.

“That is the standards we have set and the expectations we have set. Last season you have seen a lot of our top performances brought out great results. We know we can get to the level and the level has to be hit more. It has got to be more consistent.

“I think you have seen that since the international break. We have come back with a great mentality. We needed a reaction. The only way was up.

“We had a bad start to the season, we knew that. We have had a good reaction [since]. Obviously, [we're] disappointed not to win the game against Chelsea but we have another big game at the weekend [against Arsenal] and one we have to perform in like tonight.”

Asked to address the importance of squad depth amid a congested fixture list, Maguire responded: “It is going to be a strange season where you are playing every four days. It is important you rest, recover and it is nice for the gaffer to have the squad depth to choose from.

“He made five changes tonight and it hasn’t altered us. Credit to the boys playing and those not playing, keeping themselves fit and fresh and working hard in training every day.

"It is a group effort and we are going to need everyone this year if we are going to be successful and win games. It is really important.”