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Serge Gnabry has been cleared to return to action with Bayern Munich after it was confirmed the coronavirus test he returned had been a false positive.

The 25-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from international duty with Germany and has missed Bayern’s last two games as a result.

To their credit, Hansi Flick’s side have coped well in Gnabry’s absence. Bayern beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League before thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 in the Bundesliga, in a game which also saw Leroy Sane make a goalscoring return from injury.

A statement from Bayern said that Gnabry had taken a coronavirus test every day since entering quarantine, and had tested negative on each occasion. He has also taken an antibody test which also came back negative.

That was enough for the Munich health authorities to conclude that his earlier test was a false positive, and lift the 14-day quarantine period he had been subjected to as a result.

Gnabry will rejoin his team-mates before they travel to Russia on Monday. Bayern play away to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday and Gnabry is available for selection.

"Serge Gnabry has been released from the self-isolation he has been observing for the last five days," the statement read.

"A PCR test returned a positive result for the Germany international last Tuesday, upon which he immediately went into isolation. Gnabry has undergone further PCR tests on each of the four days since, which all produced a negative result.

"In addition, antigen tests were carried out on Saturday and Sunday, which also came back negative.

"The Munich health department has therefore concluded that the PCR test last Tuesday was a false positive and has lifted the isolation measures.

"Gnabry will now rejoin the squad and board tomorrow’s flight to Moscow for the Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday, where the winger will be available for selection."

Bayern will take on the Russian outfit in the Champions League before an away match at winless Cologne on Sunday in the Bundesliga. 

Hansi Flick's treble-winners are currently level on points with Dortmund in second place in the Bundesliga, one point behind first-place RB Leipzig.

Long before it was 'Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?' the debate over which player is the greatest of all time was dominated by Pele and Diego Maradona.

Pele's exploits for Brazil and Santos earned him the nickname O Rei, or 'The King', as he helped the Selecao light up the football world from the late 1950s into the early 1970s.

The South American pair did not play in the same era, like Ronaldo and Messi, with Maradona taking up the mantle in the 1980s into the 1990s, but that didn't stop the comparisons.

The stats, of course, don't always tell the full story, but they are useful metrics nonetheless.

So who really was better between Pele and Maradona? Goal takes a look at the numbers and more in the eternal debate.

Pele vs Maradona: Club goals

Due to the conflicting reports of Pele's goal tally, with some including goals from non-competitive games, it's impossible to get an exact comparison, but all of the Brazilian's tallies still far surpass Maradona's.

Maradona scored over 300 club goals, while Pele struck over 700 club goals. However, any comparative analysis must take into consideration the variables, including position and clubs represented.

While Pele was an advanced forward, Maradona was an attacking midfielder who dropped deep into his own half in order to initiate attacks.

The Argentine also plied his trade in a greater variety of leagues, playing for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona among others. Pele, on the other hand, spent the majority of his career in Brazil with Santos before a swansong in North America with New York Cosmos.

That Maradona had to navigate his way in Italy's Serie A, which was packed with clubs that were renowned for their defensive nous, and Spain's Primera Division, which at the time featured a number of notoriously tough defenders, must be acknowledged.

Pele vs Diego Maradona: International stats

Pele's goalscoring record for Brazil is vastly superior to Diego Maradona's for Argentina.

The Brazilian scored 77 goals for his country during the course of his international career, while Maradona hit the back of the net 34 times.

Both players played roughly the same number of games, which emphasises Pele's goalscoring superiority, the Brazilian having a goals-per-game record of 0.84 to Maradona's 0.37.

Of course, it should be noted again that Pele and Maradona played in different positions, with Pele often deployed in a more advanced position, whereas Maradona was much more of a traditional playmaker.

Pele vs Diego Maradona: World Cup stats

Pele was part of three World Cup-winning teams (1958, 1962, 1970), while Maradona won the title just once (1986), though he lost in the final in 1990.

Both players appeared at four World Cup tournaments, with Maradona making more appearances overall. Injury curtailed Pele's involvement in the 1966 World Cup, which affects his tally.

Nevertheless, despite playing fewer games, Pele scored more goals than Maradona in the World Cup, with 12 strikes in 14 games (including goals in the 1958 and 1970 finals).

Maradona scored eight goals in 21 World Cup games, including four in Argentina's successful 1986 campaign, though never in the final.

His most memorable World Cup goals came in the same game - a quarter-final showdown with England. The infamous 'Hand of God' was followed by an outrageous solo goal which was hailed as the 'Goal of the Century'.

Pele vs Diego Maradona: Who won the most titles?

Pele won more titles than Maradona during his playing career.

As well as three World Cups, the Brazilian won the Copa Libertadores twice with Santos, along with two Intercontinental Cups and one Intercontinental Supercup.

He won six Brasileiro titles with Santos and the NASL Bowl with New York Cosmos. Pele also has 10 Campeonato Paulista titles and four Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo titles (which are not included in the above table).

Maradona enjoyed a degree of success in Argentina, Spain and Italy, with his most successful period coming at Napoli, where he won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Cup.

At Barcelona, the Argentine won the Copa del Rey, Copa de la Liga and the Supercopa de Espana, while at Boca he won the Argentine Primera Division Metropolitano.

Furthermore, Maradona won the youth equivalent of the World Cup - the FIFA World Youth Championship.

Pele vs Diego Maradona: Who won most individual awards?

*Pele and Maradona shared the prize in 2000.

There is very little between Pele and Maradona when it comes to individual awards. Both players have won the World Cup Golden Ball, while they shared FIFA's Player of the Century award.

France Football conferred each player with an honorary Ballon d'Or, but Pele was retrospectively deemed the 'alternative winner' of seven Ballons d'Or in 2016, whereas Maradona was the 'alternative winner' twice.

Maradona was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year and Pele never had the honour because the award only began in the 1970s.

As well as winning the Golden Ball in 1970, Pele was named the best player in the old South American Championship (now Copa America) in 1959.

Both players have been awarded a host of unofficial individual awards and magazine accolades over the years.

Pele vs Diego Maradona: Who do football's legends think was better?

The debate about who was better between Pele and Maradona has been ongoing for decades and the pair have even traded barbs on the subject.

Naturally, Maradona is of the view that he was superior, while Pele told Goal in 2017: "I always say to him: ‘Maradona, you can be level with Pele when you have scored more than 1,000 goals.’

"And he says: ‘I can’t now, but it doesn’t matter!’"

But what do others within the game think?

Gary Lineker now views Lionel Messi as the best of all time, but prior to that it was Maradona who was "the greatest player of all time, by a long way". 

That view has also been expressed by former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs, who believes that Maradona is "the best of all time".

He said: "Today there are so many strong players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the things I have seen Maradona do I have never seen anyone else achieve in football history".

Argentina's World Cup-winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti could be forgiven for giving his compatriot the vote, but he suggested that Pele was better than Maradona.

"The best of all was Pele, who is a mixture of Di Stefano, [Diego] Maradona, Cruyff and Leo Messi", he said.

There is no such dissent among the Brazilians though, with Zico telling the world that Pele is the best ever "by some distance", while Romario once said: "Messi has all the conditions to be the best, but first he has to beat Maradona, Romario and then eventually Pele".

The modern equivalent of Pele and Maradona also have divergent views, with Lionel Messi calling Maradona the "greatest ever", while Cristiano Ronaldo said that Pele was "the greatest player in football history".

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has revealed he enjoyed his stint as Gor Mahia player more than with Ingwe.

The forward had success at both clubs in the late '80s and early '90s. It all started at Ingwe between 1985-90 where the striker went on to help the team win three league titles and the domestic Cup, which was then called the Moi Golden Cup.

He ditched the 13-time champions for bitter rivals Gor K'Ogalo from 1991 to 1995, a transfer which shocked many with Ingwe fans demonstrating in the streets owing to the move.

While at K'Ogalo, Shikanda once again made a huge impact helping the team win three league titles before leaving. He is currently the chairman of AFC Leopards.

"I won three league titles each at Leopards and Gor Mahia; however, I enjoyed playing for Gor Mahia most," the now 51-year-old told the Nation Newspaper. 

The former Kenya forward went on to explain how he left the Den for bitter rivals despite his success.

"Leopards had suspended me. The then Chairman Alfred Sambu had given me some time off to write my exams," Shikanda explained.

"But the management was not pleased that I played for my university team, the University of Nairobi’s Red Brigade in a friendly match against a visiting team from Zimbabwe. I scored a hat-trick and we won 4-1.

"Around the same time, Leopards lost 1-0 to Gor Mahia in a league match and some players were accused of throwing away that game. I was among the players suspended until further notice as a result of the loss. I decided to train with Wazee wa Kazi Football Club.  

"As fate would have it, we played against Gor Mahia in a friendly match and the opposing coach liked me. Then Gor Chairman Job Omino, who doubled up as the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) chairman, ensured that K’Ogalo signed me. Leopards’ management tried to rescind my suspension but it was too late. Leopards even offered Gor Felix Otieno and Richard Asabel instead of me."

In June 2019, Shikanda succeeded Dan Mule as Leopards chairman and he has revealed his vision for the club.

"We have a lean office of three elected officials. It is now easier to make and implement decisions. Our fans deserve more, they have pressure at home and at work and mostly attend matches to relax. We want to offer them entertaining football and success," he said.

"We've traced the 15 acres of land given to the club by former President Daniel Moi and we are looking to put up a secretariat that will have an office, gymnasium, and training ground in the next few years. This will save us huge costs each year.

"There's also a plan to hire a human resource manager, commercial director, logistics officer, and a sales executive to market the brand and bring in money."

Carlo Ancelotti says Lucas Digne’s red card against Southampton on Sunday was “a joke” and Everton will appeal the decision.

The Toffees’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season came to an end at St Mary’s, with Ancelotti’s side already two goals down when Digne saw red.

Match referee Kevin Friend showed him a straight red card after stamping on the back of Kyle Walker-Peters' ankle, but Ancelotti was furious with the decision.

"The red card was a joke, it was not intentional, for sure it was not violent,” Ancelotti said on Sky Sports.

“Maybe it was a yellow. Maybe all this talk all week against [Jordan] Pickford, against Richarlison, affected the decision and if so it's not right, it's not fair. We will appeal, for sure.

"I told the players winter is coming and we will have to react."

Everton have been in the headlines over the last week after the fallout from their 2-2 Merseyside derby draw with Liverpool.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s challenge on Virgil van Dijk has left the Liverpool defender possibly out for the rest of the season, while Ancelotti was criticised by some for drawing attention to a Van Dijk tackle on James Rodriguez after the game.

Ancelotti had said Rodriguez would likely miss the Southampton game but he started and played the full 90 minutes.

Some of the positive feeling surrounding Everton at the start of the season has seemed to dissipate over the last seven days, and Ancelotti admitted his side were far from their best.

"We didn't play well, Southampton were better than us and they deserved to win. Sometimes you are not at your best, it came after a really good run for us, now we have to look forward with the same spirit and belief.

"We tried to get back into the game, we had some good control after half-time.”

Everton’s next fixture is a trip to the north east to face Steve Bruce’s Newcastle.

Throughout November, the Toffees will then play Manchester United, Fulham and Leeds.

Everton are still top of the Premier League table with six games played, but Liverpool are now level on points at the top following their win over Sheffield United.

Southampton fans were not the only ones celebrating their 2-0 victory over Everton on Sunday, with Arsenal supporters equally jubilant over the Saints’ win at St Mary’s.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees arrived on the south coast as the only unbeaten side left in the Premier League this season, having won four and drawn one of their opening five games to sit top of the table on goal difference ahead of rivals Liverpool.

However, they were comfortably beaten by Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, with first-half goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams ensuring a third league win of the season that lifts them up to fifth.

It means every Premier League side has suffered a defeat this season, ensuring there can be no repeat of Arsenal’s famous ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003-04.

Arsene Wenger’s side went the entire Premier League campaign without defeat on their way to a 13th league title triumph, matching the achievement of Preston North End way back in 1888-89.

That Preston team became known as ‘The Invincibles’, with the Gunners taking on that moniker after their own unbeaten campaign.

They remain the only team to achieve such a feat in the Premier League era, and that record is now set to stand for at least one more year.

Arsenal fans took to social media to celebrate that feat, with supporters wishing fellow fans a 'Happy Invincibles Day’ ahead of their match against Leicester at Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening.

Arsenal's unbeaten run would stretch well into the following season and reach a record 49 games, breaking Nottingham Forest's previous record of 42 set between November 1977 and November 1978.

The famous run came to an end in a feisty encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford, with goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney securing the win for the Red Devils.

Tempers boiled over at full-time, with both sets of players clashing in the tunnel in an incident that became known as the 'battle of the buffet', when food including slices of pizza, soup and coffee was thrown at then-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Four years later Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas - who was just 17 at the time - admitted he was the man responsible, spilling the beans on the TV game show "A League of Their Own".

Victor Osimhen featured prominently as Napoli secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Benevento in Sunday’s Serie A game.

The 21-year-old attacker was handed his third start in the Italian top-flight since his big-money move from Lille this summer.

The centre-forward, who opened his account in his last league outing against Atalanta, could not, however, add to his strike at Stadio Ciro Vigorito.

Gennaro Gattuso’s men put their disappointing defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League behind them by clinching their second consecutive league victory against the Sorcerers.

The Parthenopeans started the game impressively and completely dominated the opening 30 minutes but failed to make their efforts account.

Benevento then scored from their few opportunities that came their way through Roberto Insigne on the half-hour mark.

Napoli came back into the second-half stronger with Lorenzo Insigne firing into the back of the net but the effort was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The forward then made up for the lost opportunity when he equalized with a fine strike on the hour mark after he was set up by Matteo Politano.

Andrea Petagna then scored the match-winning goal seven minutes later to help the Parthenopeans secure their fourth win of the season.

Osimhen featured for the duration of the game and struck two shots, completed one dribble, made 27 touches and had a 73% successful pass rate.

The victory moved the Stadio San Paolo outfit to second spot on the league table after gathering 11 points from five games.

The Super Eagles forward will hope to continue his impressive performances when Napoli square off against Real Sociedad in a Europa League game on October 29.

Jules Kounde drew interest from Manchester City during the summer transfer window, but the Sevilla defender said he never would have tried to force a move.

Pep Guardiola rebuilt his defence over the summer, eventually bringing in Nathan Ake from Bournemouth and Ruben Dias from Benfica.

Kounde, a France Under-21 international, admits he was flattered by interest from the Premier League title chasers, but in the end he was happy to stay where he was.

"The interest of a club like City is always a good thing, but I'm at Sevilla and I'm very calm,” Kounde told Sevilla FC TV.

“I'm lucky to be at a club that competes at a very good level. We have a fantastic group of players and people.

“That wasn't a bad option, but I always told [Sevilla director of football] Monchi that I would not force anything. If everyone wasn't happy, I knew I had a contract here, playing in the Champions League".

Kounde has missed Sevilla’s last three games, including their 0-0 group-stage draw with Chelsea in the Champions League, after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The 21-year-old admits it hasn’t been easy watching his team-mates playing without him, but he knows he is lucky not to be showing any symptoms.

"I feel good considering the circumstances. I'm at home and the time is dragging, but that's the way it is. I'm waiting for the test to come back negative. I haven't even lost my sense of smell and I'm totally asymptomatic.

"I miss both my teammates and football a lot. I am trying to take it philosophically and be patient, but it is somewhat different to the lockdown. I was alone in my house for two months, but there was no football and we were all in the same situation.

“Now it's time to watch football on the TV and follow my team-mates. There are days where you feel good and others are more difficult. But I'm very close to being back with the team and the worst is already over. I'm training at home so I return at the same level as before".

Swallows FC marked their return to the Premier Soccer League with a 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch at Danie Craven Stadium.

It was a contest settled inside the opening 30 minutes and interestingly, both side got their goals from the penalty spot.

Ruzaigh Gamildien, on his first match for Swallows since switching from Chippa United, slotted home his penalty 16 minutes into the match, before Stellenbosch skipper Robyn Johannes responded, also from the spot, on 27 minutes.

The match started with no team posing any threat to the other in the opening stages but Swallows captain Lebohang Mokoena shot from just outside the box but his effort was blocked nine minutes after the first whistle.

Gamildien then broke the deadlock when Stellenbosch goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt was ruled to have kicked former Chippa United midfielder Zaphania Mbokoma to earn Swallows a penalty.

But the hosts were not to surrender as they pressed for an equaliser with Leletu Skelem a constant menace in the Swallows defence.

The persistence paid off when Swallows goalkeeper Virgil Vries was adjudged to have brought down Skelem inside the box and Robyn Johannes duly converted the penalty.

That was it in terms of goals as few chances came in the way of both teams thereafter.

Soon after coming on as a substitute just before the hour mark, Swallows debutant Moeketsi Makhanya’s low shot went just wide as he entered with so much verve, promising to break the Johannes-marshalled defence.

On the other end, Nathan Sinkala narrowly missed the goal with a headed effort off a Mario van Heerden corner kick on 65 minutes.

Sinkala was back again with 15 minutes to go but his shot from the edge of the box rose just above the right top corner.

With a minute left on the clock, Stellenbosch’s Ryan Moon missed with just Vries to beat in what was the best chance of the contest after he was released by fellow substitute Roy-Keane Avontuur.

Langeveldt was then forced to impressively repulse Sammy Seabi’s header which was his first touch of the ball after coming on from the bench deep into stoppage time.

Following the draw, Swallows now prepare to host Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday.

Elsewhere at Thohoyandou Stadium, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila and TS Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw as well.

With both sides playing PSL football via the acquisition of Bidvest Wits and Highlands Park, they were not short of experience.

Tshakhuma coach Joel Masutha started the likes of former Orlando Pirates defender Alfred Ndengane, Mamelodi Sundowns loanee Nicholus Lukhubeni, Lerato Lamola and another Pirates attacker Meshack Maphangule.

Masutha’s opposite number Dan Malesela threw in veteran Reneilwe Letsholonyane as a substitute into a squad that started with Mxolisi Macuphu and Lindokuhle Mbatha. 

New Zealander Myer Bevan marked his TS Galaxy debut by thrusting his team ahead a minute into first-half stoppage time.

Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Mogakolodi Ngele then hit back for Tshakhuma nine minutes into the second half.

Both sides struggled to penetrate each other's defence and the contest ended as a share of the spoils.

Bevan registered his name on the scoresheet after heading in Mbatha’s cross from the right.

Mogakolodi then replied for Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila after combining well with Maphangule.

Tshakhuma now gear up to visit Sundowns on Wednesday, while TS Galaxy host AmaZulu on the same day.

Erling Haaland’s Revierderby goal for Borussia Dortmund against Schalke on Saturday has won him a year of free food from former Dortmund man Kevin Grosskreutz.

The Norwegian sensation netted the second of Dortmund’s 3-0 win over their local rivals with a superb chipped finish.

Now 32, former Germany international Grosskreutz has dropped down to the third division with Uerdingen, but the Dortmund native remains a keen supporter of his former club.

He played more than 200 times for Dortmund in a six-year spell from 2009 to 2015, winning two Bundesliga titles under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.

Grosskreutz owns the Mit Schmackes gastropub in Dortmund, and he says Haaland can eat there for free after his derby performance.

"Just a great guy. Have a year of free food at Mit Schmackes, bro,” Grosskreutz wrote on Instagram.

Haaland’s finish was an ominous sign for Bundesliga defenders, coming with his supposedly weaker right foot.

“When I had the ball I was waiting for Jadon [Sancho] to sprint but he didn’t like to sprint so much,” Haaland told the Bundesliga’s official channel after the final whistle.

“So I played it to him and then I was just running, like I do best. He played it perfectly. I’ve been training my right foot, so it’s good to get a goal with that foot.”

Haaland was giving his post-match interview alongside Manuel Akanji, who scored the opening goal of the game.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you do a chip,” Akanji noted. “Normally it’s just full power and he hits it in.

“In training he’s in my pocket, easy! No, no of course, he’s a really good striker, especially around the penalty area. You have to stay really close to him otherwise it’s going to be a goal. It’s good to train against good strikers so you can improve in every training session.”

Dortmund have now won three league games in a row without conceding but will return to Champions League action on Wednesday playing catch-up in their group after being beaten by Lazio in their opening match.

They then play Arminia Bielefeld and Club Brugge, before a Klassiker date with Bayern Munich on November 7.

Napoli’s game with Benevento in Serie A on Sunday turned into a family affair as brothers Lorenzo and Roberto Insigne played against each other – and both scored.

Younger brother Roberto burst into tears after scoring his first goal in Serie A to put Benevento into the lead in the first half.

At half-time, he told DAZN: "I'm very, very happy but I'm sorry to have scored my first Serie A goal against my brother!”

Napoli captain Lorenzo ensured there would be no hard feelings by hitting an excellent goal in off the crossbar midway through the second half to level the scores. Andrea Petagna scored the winner for Napoli soon after.

It was only the second time in Serie A history that two brothers have scored against each other in a game. Hungarian pair Istvan and Ferenc Nyers did the same back in 1949, while playing for Inter and Lazio respectively.

While Roberto was delighted to get his first goal in the top flight, Lorenzo is closing in on 100 goals for Napoli, and now has 92 in all competitions.

Both were born in Naples. Roberto began his career at Napoli, making his debut in the Europa League in 2012, but he hardly featured for his hometown club and was sent out on loan on six occasions.

He represented Perugia, Reggina, Avellino, Latino and Parma before first joining Benevento on loan as they finished bottom of Serie A in 2018-19. He made the move permanent the following summer and helped them to the Serie B title last season.

The Insigne brothers are far from the only pair of siblings to feature together in Serie A.

The pairs of Franco and Guiseppe Baresi, plus Fabio and Paolo Cannavaro both made more than 800 appearances in the competition between the two.

Filippo and Simone Inzaghi, Cristiano and Alessandro Lucarelli and Sebastien and Nicolas Frey are among the other well-known pairs of brothers to have played in the Italian top flight.

In the 1940s and 1950s, five Sentimenti brothers – Lucidio, Vittorio, Primo, Ennio and Arnaldo – were all regular fixtures in Serie A, the former pair often playing together for Juventus.

Yanga SC passed what was seen as the first big test in the Mainland Premier League season after beating KMC FC 2-1 on Sunday at CCM Kirumba Stadium.

Yanga will remain in second place but have increased their tally to 19 points courtesy of Tuisila Kisinda and Waziri Junior’s goals. Hassan Kabunda had given KMC the lead but Yanga fought back to claim their second-biggest victory so far.

KMC took the lead in the 27th minute when Kabunda moved along the left wing before cutting in and created some space for shooting. His right-footed strike was powerful enough to beat Metacha Mnata who had not conceded a goal before.

It took Yanga 14 minutes to find an equaliser through Kisinda who successfully converted a penalty that had been won by Yacouba Sogne. He tried to meet a high ball that had been brought in by Lusajo Mwaikenda but was fouled inside the box.

Tuisila scored his second goal since he found the back of the net during the Wiki ya Wananchi in September.

Waziri Junior, who had not started a single game under Zlatko Krmpotic, doubled Yanga’s lead in the 62nd minute.

Junior has always had a good goalscoring time at the CCM Kirumba Stadium even during his time with Mbao FC. The goal against KMC is his first for the record league champions and has come in his first start for Yanga in the league.

The win came after coach Cedric Kaze had said he was satisfied the players were learning his tactics well and that they would be in a better position to implement the style.

“What I have taught in the last training sessions was seen during the Polisi Tanzania match but again I cannot say the players did 100% what I needed them to,” Kaze told Mwanaspoti in reference to their previous match.

“We are doing a good job in as far as building play from the back is concerned. Initially, Yanga were used to playing long balls but I will not allow that anymore.

“Every player is going to get a chance and show what they have learned from the training ground. We are going to implement changes as this is not just a job where one sleeps and wakes up for it.”

In the other matches, Biashara United defeated Polisi Tanzania 1-0 courtesy of Deogratius Judika’s goal while JKT Tanzania got a 6-1 win over Mwadui FC.

Azam FC, who are yet to lose, are leading with 21 points from seven matches.

Lyon starlet Rayan Cherki has revealed that his talents were initially spotted by a coach who saw him playing in a parking lot. 

Cherki has become one of the most coveted talents in Europe after breaking through to Lyon's first team last season as a 16-year-old. 

In June, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas revealed that Manchester United and Real Madrid were both interested in signing Cherki before he committed to a professional contract with Lyon.

Speaking to Telefoot, Cherki said his path in football began with a chance encounter with a Lyon coach in a parking lot. 

"It was done in a parking lot," Cherki said. "As usual I was with my ball. I started to juggle, and I was lucky to come across an OL coach who suggested that I go do tests."

In August, Cherki made history by becoming the youngest player to ever take part in a Champions League knockout-round match, as the forward came on against Bayern Munich just two days after his 17th birthday.

Lyon fell to Bayern in the semi-final of the Champions League after making a run through to the last four, following upsets of Juventus and Manchester City.

Cherki has been linked with a move away from Lyon but insisted that he is aiming to go even farther with his current side in Europe's top club competition.

"Of course winning the Champions League with OL is still in the back of my head," he said. "Especially since this summer we reached the semi-finals. We lacked one little thing, but over the years we will do it."

Cherki has made six Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon this season thus far, with OL sitting 11th in the league table after a stuttering start.

Though he is yet to get on the scoresheet in 2020-21, Cherki detailed how he has achieved regular playing time with Lyon at such a young age.

"I am a player who likes to go on 1v1, who always likes to go forward," Cherki said. "I use my two feet. Since I was four, I have been training on my weaker foot. And that helps make a player a force."

William Troost-Ekong has expressed his disappointment with Watford’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in Saturday’s Championship game.

The centre-back made his second league appearance for the Hornets in the encounter, having teamed up with the side from Udinese in September.

The Nigeria international delivered solid defensive performances, making a number of timely clearances as he aimed to help his side keep a clean sheet.

Stipe Perica opened the scoring for Watford as early as the 12th minute after he was set up by Senegal international Ismaila Sarr.

The Hornets were on the verge of securing all three points in the game before conceding a late goal through Chris Mepham to share the spoils at home.

Troost-Ekong has aired his frustration following his side’s failure to beat Bournemouth, given the effort they put into the match.

“We are a little bit disappointed to only get a point, but if you'd have said before the game we'd get a point, we'd have probably taken it,” Troost-Ekong told the club website.

“Of course it's disappointing when you concede so late in the game and it felt a bit like a loss, but if you look back at the game, without a biased view, they had the ball a lot so a draw was probably a fair result.

“We should have perhaps tried to defend a bit higher, especially in the second half, but it's quite difficult as we didn't have the right pressure on the ball.

“They tried to play behind us quite a lot, so they pinned us back a bit with the ball in behind. They moved the ball well and as soon as we tried to get up the pitch, they tried to get behind us. They had quick players, so we had to cover the space.”

The Super Eagles vice-captain played for 70 minutes on his debut for the Hornets after suffering a problem in his hamstring.

The defender, however, featured for the duration of the game against Bournemouth and was named the man of the match.

“I managed to hang on. I felt my hamstring a bit. I'm still adjusting to the speed of the game as my last game with my [former] club was the third of August,” he continued.

“I'm still working on my match fitness so I'm happy to get 90 minutes in my legs. The Championship is a different type of football.

“It's more direct and you don't have so much time with the ball. It's good quality, from what I've seen, and I'm looking forward to the next game.”

Troost-Ekong will hope to impress again when Watford take on Wycombe Wanderers in their next league game at Adams Park on October 27.

Mamelodi Sundowns' opening goal against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium did not happen by chance, coach Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed.

Sundowns beat Amakhosi 3-0 on Saturday afternoon with the first goal arriving in the 37th minute when Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune failed to act decisively on a corner by Rivaldo Coetzee, which enabled Peter Shalulile to steer the ball into the net.

Although the goal has largely been chalked down as a Khune error, Mngqithi has subsequently revealed that there was considerable planning which went into his side's set plays.

That included nullifying Chiefs' attacking threat from dead-ball situations – which was one of their main strengths last season, as well as maximising their own potential at free-kicks and corners.

According to  Mngqithi, this was largely down to the work of one of his two co-coaches, Rhulani Mokwena.

"We worked very hard on the set-pieces, considering that in our previous match (a 1-0 defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic in the MTN8 quarter-finals) we conceded from a set-piece - a very, very, very bad set-piece at the far post which we could have dealt with better,” Mngqithi told SuperSport TV after the match.

“We worked very hard on our organization on set-pieces and also on our attack on set-pieces," he continued.

“On the corner-kick that was scored by Peter Shalulile, we give credit to coach Rhulani because he was working on that corner-kick a lot yesterday [Friday]. And it paid off because Peter was left free and the rest of the guys could have easily scored in that moment. So it’s encouraging to see things you prepare in training coming out in the match.”

Mokwena and Mngqithi worked as assistants to head coach Pitso Mosimane last season when Masandawana won the league as well as two domestic cup competitions.

Mosimane has now taken up the top job at Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Mokwena and Mngqithi have also been joined on the technical bench by former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs head coach Steve Komphela.

Leroy Sane has been working with Germany legend Miroslav Klose to hone his finishing ability, Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has revealed.

Sane returned from injury in style on Saturday, coming off the bench to score a stunning long-range effort in Bayern’s 5-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 24-year-old cut inside from the right and fired inside the far post from the edge of the area, continuing his excellent start to life back in the Bundesliga.

The former Manchester City star scored one and created two more on his debut against his old club Schalke, and will now be hoping to keep his momentum after missing Bayern’s last three games.

“He worked hard and did a few training sessions with Miro Klose, and that helped him,” Flick told SPOX.

“We were all very pleased with his debut, so he can continue like this. You can see that he really wants to improve his fitness. We are very satisfied with his attitude and mentality.”

Klose scored more than 250 goals in his club career, including 53 in 150 games for Bayern, and is Germany’s all-time leading goalscorer with 71 strikes for his country.

He retired in 2016 after a five-year spell at Lazio and returned to Bayern immediately, initially taking charge of the club’s Under-17 team.

He was announced as assistant to first-team coach Flick in May 2020 and has been backed to eventually become a manager in his own right.

At the moment, Klose primarily works with Bayern’s forwards, including Robert Lewandowski. The Polish star has hit new heights over the last 12 months and he set a new Bundesliga record on Saturday, becoming the fastest player ever to hit the 10-goal mark in a season.

However, it wasn’t all good news for Bayern against Frankfurt. While Sane returned from injury, left-back Alphonso Davies is facing up to two months on the sidelines after suffering ankle ligament damage in the opening minutes of the game.

Davies went over on his ankle off the ball and was replaced by Lucas Hernandez.

“He has a ligament injury on his right ankle,” Flick confirmed to reporters after the game.

“He's twisted and torn a ligament, a ligament was partially torn off. We expect him to be out for six to eight weeks.”

Philippe Coutinho is set to miss Barcelona's trip to Juventus after suffering a hamstring injury, with the club confirming the full extent of the issue on Sunday.

Coutinho has re-emerged as a vital member of Barca's squad since returning to Camp Nou earlier this summer.

The Brazilian flopped in his first season at Camp Nou following a £142 million ($185m) move from Liverpool in 2018, and was subsequently sent out on loan to Bayern Munich.

He helped Bayern win a domestic treble last season, and even scored against his parent club in a stunning 8-2 quarter-final triumph in the Champions League, but the German outfit decided against bringing him in on a permanent basis.

Barca were tipped to sell Coutinho to an alternative suitor in the summer transfer window, but new Barca boss Ronald Koeman made it clear he still had a future at Camp Nou after replacing Quique Setien in the managerial hot seat in August.

The Dutchman has since been rewarded for his faith in the 28-year-old, who has contributed two goals and two assists in six appearances for the Blaugrana at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Coutinho has been arguably Barca's most consistent performer over the past two months, but he allowed his standards to dip during Saturday's Clasico clash against Real Madrid.

The former Liverpool star played the full 90 minutes of the 3-1 home defeat, with goals from Federico Valverde, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric rendering Ansu Fati's effort for the hosts as nothing more than a consolation.

Barca have now revealed that Coutinho has picked up a knock which could see him sit out a midweek encounter with Juve in the Champions League, but have not been able to offer a firm return date for the midfielder.

"A test on Sunday morning has revealed that Philippe Coutinho has a left biceps femoris (hamstring) injury. Exactly how long that means he will be out of action depends on how the injury evolves," a statement on the club's official website reads.

"Coutinho started Saturday’s Clasico and played the full ninety minutes, and has appeared in a total of six competitive games thus far this season (five in La Liga and one in the Champions League), scoring one goal in each competition."

Barca will have to avoid a defeat at the Allianz Stadium to remain top of Group G, having won their opening game of their European campaign 5-1 against Ferencvaros on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp’s media engagements at Borussia Dortmund were more like a late-night show than a press conference, according to defender Mats Hummels.

The Liverpool boss made his name in seven years at Dortmund, winning two Bundesliga titles and reaching the Champions League final.

Klopp’s personality was never far from the headlines whether due to his passionate displays on the touchline or his sense of humour with the press.

Hummels says current boss Lucien Favre has a markedly different approach – but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“After seven years of press conferences with Kloppo here in Dortmund, we got used to the fact that it wasn’t really a press conference, but a late-night show,” Hummels told Sky Sports. “[Favre] does not want to reveal so much and he can be rather withdrawn, but if you are looking for entertainment you should switch to ProSieben [a German television network] at 8:15pm.”

Klopp’s press conferences haven’t lost their entertainment value since moving to the Premier League, recently quipping that Liverpool would support injured defender Virgil van Dijk "like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail".

Hummels was speaking after Dortmund beat local rivals Schalke 3-0 in the Revierderby on Saturday. They bounced back from a disappointing Champions League defeat at Lazio in midweek, and Hummels was keen to throw his support behind the under-fire Favre.

He said: "I think he's a very good coach and we really enjoy working with him, but I don’t think it's good to get into these things as a player. There are other people who are responsible for that."

Dortmund have now won three matches in a row without conceding in the Bundesliga, sitting one point off the top of the table with five games played.

They came in for plenty of criticism for their performance in Rome, but midfielder Julian Brandt says that such kneejerk reactions are part of the territory at a big club.

"I've gotten used to it,” Brandt said. “After a bad game or a defeat, it can quickly lead to unrest. That is quite normal. The boys and the staff can handle it. We have also had some very, very good games this season. We will all keep building together, including the coach, this season.”

Antoine Griezmann "no longer knows how to play football" with Barcelona, according to Bixente Lizarazu.

Griezmann's career trajectory has stalled since his €120 million (£109m/$142m) move to Barca from Atletico Madrid in July 2019.

The Frenchman scored 133 goals in 257 games for Diego Simeone's side at Wanda Metropolitano, but has so far been unable to replicate that prolific form at Camp Nou.

He only managed to find the net in 15 of his 48 outings for Barca last season, and his struggles in the final third have continued at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Griezmann lost his place in Ronald Koeman's starting XI after failing to score in four successive Liga starts, with Lionel Messi and Ansu Fati tasked with leading the line ahead of him during the 5-1 Champions League win over Ferencvaros on Tuesday.

The World Cup winner finished the match as an unused substitute and found himself back on the bench when Barca welcomed Real Madrid to Camp Nou for the first Clasico encounter of the season on Saturday.

Griezmann was unable to affect the game after coming on for Fati eight minutes from time, with the Blancos ultimately running out 3-1 winners to move two points clear at the top of La Liga.

Former France international Lizarazu thinks his compatriot has lost his identity as a player since moving to Barcelona, and has advised him to leave the club in order to get his career back on track.

“He no longer knows how to play football with the Barca jersey. He no longer finds his place," Lizarazu told Telefoot.

"When you lose your football at this point, it is better to go. It's been eighteen months, so it's impacting his head, and the situation is really critical for him."

Koeman will now start preparing his side for a trip to Turin to face Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, which will see Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lock horns for the first time since the latter's move to the Allianz Stadium from Madrid in 2018.

Griezmann will hope to force his way back into the Dutchman's line up for that clash, before Barca's attention switches to an away fixture against Alaves three days later.