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Experienced coach Bobby Williamson has stated he was disappointed learning about Francis Kimanzi's exit from Harambee Stars.

On Tuesday, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced they had parted ways with the tactician on mutual consent. The announcement came as a shock to many considering Kimanzi's good record since his appointment in August 2019.

Kimanzi had helped Kenya get a point away to Egypt after a 1-1 draw in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers before playing to the same scoreline at home against Togo.

On October 9, he also led Kenya to a 2-1 win over Zambia's Chipolopolo in a friendly match played at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

"I was disappointed to learn that Francis [Kimanzi] left his position as Kenya coach," Williamson told Goal on Thursday.

"To be successful, you need continuity and I am confident [Kimanzi] could have brought more success to the team."

The Scot has also opined on rumours the tactician was let go because he was vocal.

"I don't know the reason [why he was fired] but if it is because he is outspoken, that is his strength."

The 59-year-old, who coached Kenya from 2014 to 2016, has this piece of advice to FKF president Nick Mwendwa.

"If Nick is going to be successful, he needs to choose wisely and stand by the coach for the same length of time as his tenure.

"For Kimanzi, he has so much to offer and I am confident he will be successful in his next employment."

On Wednesday, Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee was confirmed as the man to succeed Kimanzi at the helm of Harambee Stars for the next three years. Mwendwa went on to exude confidence the 52-year-old has what it takes to be successful. 

"‘Ghost’ is Kenyan, he knows Kenyan football, he had been there, he has done it before, he has won the league, he has won different cups, he has won Cecafa, he had been to the Afcon before, and now he has the chance once again to take us there,” Mwendwa told Goal.

"I am 100 percent sure that he will use that knowledge we got in the last Afcon and when he was there to try and do better in the Afcon, we want to be there all the time and he now has the chance to do that with us, and I strongly believe he will succeed."   

Edinson Cavani is capable of making a Bruno Fernandes-esque impact at Manchester United, says Ryan Giggs, with the Red Devils “crying out” for a proven centre-forward.

An experienced Uruguayan will tick that box for those at Old Trafford.

He has been snapped up as a free agent and handed a two-year contract, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking a calculated gamble on a 33-year-old with no prior experience of life in English football.

Questions have been asked of whether Cavani can make the desired impact for a Premier League heavyweight, but Anthony Martial has not convinced everyone in a No.9 role and Giggs believes a prolific South American will prove his worth when up to full speed.

The United legend told Webby & O’Neill’s YouTube channel of a player he has faced in his current role as manager of the Wales national team: “I faced Cavani in my second game for Wales and he was better than Luis Suarez in the game. I didn't think he was that good.

“He was a real handful. He hasn't played for a long time so he might be a little bit rusty.

“But what you're getting; you're getting a centre forward which I think a lot of fans have been crying out for.

“A proper centre forward who can led the line. We have Marcus [Rashford], Martial who is half a winger, half a centre-forward. Cavani is a forward, a target man.

“He's got the experience. I'm hoping, just like Bruno has, he will make the players around him even better.”

Cavani was denied the chance to make his United bow in a Champions League clash with his former club Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday as he is eased into the fold, but Solskjaer’s side claimed an impressive 2-1 win in that contest.

The Red Devils were forced into a number of changes for their European opener in 2020-21, but tactical tweaks paid off as last season’s beaten finalists were downed at Parc des Princes.

Axel Tuanzebe, making his first start of the calendar year, was among those to shine, with Giggs suggesting that the 22-year-old could be a useful option for Solskjaer in a number of positions.

He added on an academy graduate that broke through when he was working alongside Louis van Gaal in 2015: “First of all, he’s a really good lad with a good mentality. All Axel’s got to do now is stay fit and play games because he’s got all of the attributes. He can handle the ball, he can even play in midfield.

“We thought about playing him in midfield when he was fit, under Louis. He can read the game well, he’s quick - I think he showed that (against PSG).

“He’s got to play games, and when he plays games, his confidence will grow because he’s got all of the attributes to be a Manchester United centre-half.

“Now, like I say, he’s got to bang out those games and once he does that, it’s up to him to say to Ole, ‘I’m doing so well, you can’t leave me out of the team.

“That consistency, he’s got to produce performances like that over and over again. I’m sure if he stays fit, then he will be a regular in the first-team.”

With the Klang Valley area still undergoing Covid-19 lockdown that may be extended due to the new daily cases, clubs based in the area have been forced to prepare a little differently for the coming Malaysia Cup.

This includes training in neighbouring states, as well as using other stadiums as their home ground in the competition.

33-time cup winners Selangor are one of them, and according to secretary-general Johan Kamal Hamidon, they are moving the team to Seremban, Negeri Sembilan in order to be able to conduct full daily training.

Under the current lockdown in the state of Selangor and federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, sports matches have been temporarily prohibited, while sports training in groups is limited to 10 people at a time.

"We will be camping in Seremban for a week or so, and hopefully the lockdown will be loosened a bit afterwards so we can continue contact training in the state [of Selangor].

"The team will leave for Seremban tomorrow (Thursday, October 22), as we have received the approval to travel inter-state from the National Security Council and the Shah Alam police department," he explained to Goal in a telephone call on Wednesday.

And if the lockdown is extended beyond the Malaysia Cup kick-off dates of 6, 7 and 8 November, the Red Giants are also looking at playing their home games in the same city, specifically at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium.

"We will play our home matches in Paroi... We have spoken to the stadium owner; the [Seremban] municipal council, and the home team here, Negeri Sembilan have no objection to our plan.

"But this all ultimately depends on the lockdown situation and whether Klang Valley-based teams will be allowed to play at home," noted Johan.

Apart from Selangor, four other Malaysia Cup clubs have been affected by the lockdown; Felda United who train there, Petaling Jaya City, UiTM FC and Kuala Lumpur.

The ongoing lockdown began on November 14 and is scheduled to end on October 27.

While the big talking point after Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday was Pep Guardiola getting a win over former assistant manager Mikel Arteta, a lesser topic that invited discussion was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang firing another blank.

It’s now four games since the Gabon superstar last found the back of the net for the north Londoners — 393 minutes precisely since his trademark goal against newly-promoted Fulham. Auba, scorer of 22 Premier League goals in each of the last two seasons, is now in danger of not hitting those numbers again given the recent evidence.

In truth, there’s a caveat: it’s still too early to ascertain whether the forward’s dry spell at the start of 2020/21 will lead to a significant reduction in goals, while it ought to be noted that two of those games have been against Liverpool and Manchester City, many pundits’ picks to challenge for the title.

However, the rebuttal to the second assertion would be to indicate how Aubameyang’s recent run of scoring vs the big teams at the backend of last season in league and cup, as well as in the Community Shield, looked to be a precursor to a newly-found edge in the so-called big games.

This hasn’t been the case, with the former Borussia Dortmund striker attempting no shots against the Reds at Anfield and City on Saturday, a pretty damning fact. He had 27 and 25 touches respectively in both encounters, completing eight passes on Merseyside and 10 in Manchester at the weekend.

Indeed, this has dampened the optimism that’d grown in the last three months over the prolific frontman’s big-game goals. Having been criticised for being peripheral in encounters vs Arsenal’s rivals, the 2019 Golden Boot winner seemed to have been empowered recently to punish City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of a couple of months.

Be that as it may, statistics from Arsenal’s other games suggest there may be a bigger problem, with Aubameyang not even getting many shots away, thus calling Arteta’s approach into question. Against West Ham United, he attempted one effort, while there were two attempts (both off target) in the Gunners’ last home game vs Sheffield United.

After three strikes at goal from the club’s skipper in their opening day victory, there’s been a decrease in the volume of shots in recent matches.

Admittedly, it’s a small sample size, but should this be worrying and are misgivings about Arteta’s approach reasonable given that the frontman scored those hugely important strikes under the talented tactician at the end of 19/20?

To be honest, it’s hard to not sympathise with Arteta, owing to the profile of players he has at his disposal. The recent weeks have revealed why Houssem Aouar was chased, and while Thomas Partey’s addition potentially adds a lot of positive things to the side, their glaring creativity problem remains a bugbear.

Arsenal lack a genuine playmaker in the side — well, there’s Mesut Ozil but he’s strangely persona non grata with the regime at the moment — and it’s up to their astute trainer to find solutions as Auba has seemingly been nullified in recent contests. Some might suggest this was a matter of time, given how reliant the north London side were on their captain to deliver in the final third last term.

It was interesting to see how Guardiola silenced the attacker on Saturday, deploying Kyle Walker as a right-sided centre-back to limit his effectiveness.

Having punished his City team with a brace in the FA Cup semi-final in July from only three shots, Pep restricted the frontman’s efforts to zilch this time around.

Although still early doors, an interesting observation in Auba’s average heat map shows how the striker spends less time in the opposition’s box, compared to last season.

This may well change as the games come thick and fast but the current facts are striking, nonetheless.

With other top contenders for the Golden Boot currently firing on all fronts, Auba already has a lot of catching up to do if he’s to compete for or win the top scorers award for a second time.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Heung-min Son have netted seven respectively, Mohamed Salah has hit six, one more than the pair of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy and two higher than teammate Sadio Mane.

In spite of the current lean run in front of goal, maybe Gooners shouldn’t fret too much as this isn’t unprecedented in Auba’s Arsenal career.

He went on a four-game drought either side of the lockdown before hitting a brace against Norwich City and a further three in five starts.

Earlier, as Unai Emery’s reign unravelled, the frontman scored one in six games, before hitting six in the following nine games.

However, digging deeper, the striker’s shot statistics in his identical drought last term highlights numbers which put current scarcity in context.

Despite not hitting the back of the net vs West Ham, Man City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, Auba attempted a staggering 13 attempts in those four games — one, two, seven and three respectively — 10 higher than he’s managed in this current dry spell.

This will definitely worry even the most optimistic supporter, given how the side have leaned on Aubameyang in the last two years.

Arteta has certainly stabilised Arsenal in less than a year in charge. Still, how he navigates a tricky period for his team’s best player will go a long way in the North London club’s push to end in the automatic Champions League spots as well as compete for the Europa League.

Kenya defender Clarke Oduor featured as Barnsley fought to a 2-2 draw against Stoke City and moved slightly out of the relegation zone.

Simoes Inacio scored for Oduor's side in the 18th minute before Stoke City equalised in the 44th minute via Tykes Campbell’s strike.

Hard-fighting Barnsley regained their lead in the first minute of added time of the first half through Dominik Frieser but the hosts equalised again in the 48th minute courtesy of Tommy Smith.

Stoke City would have won the game had they made use of the many chances they created in the final stages of the game even after they were reduced to 10 men after Nathan Collins was red-carded.

Oduor and his teammates are now sitting in the 21st position with three points while Stoke City moved to 10th place.

Barnsley’s caretaker manager Adam Murray said he is frustrated his players failed to pick up a win.

“Unbelievable frustration that we've not come away with a win, if you come to a place like Stoke in the Championship and score two goals away from home you expect to be winning the game,” Murray told BBC Sports.

“I'm really disappointed that a mistake's played a big part in the game, but it's something that we have to let go, [Walton] Jack's been outstanding since we came back from lockdown and probably kept us in the league.

“We're creating a lot of very good opportunities, we've spoken to the boys a lot over the last few weeks about getting into certain areas and getting into the assist zones to make chances, better chances, and we did that tonight but we're missing that ruthlessness and that killer touch.”

On his part, Stoke City’s Michael O'Neill blamed the assistant referee for the outcome and the red card given to Collins.

“I thought the assistant was poor all night and the decision he gave, how he gives it, it was so instant, we could hear him shouting 'red card, red card' straight away,” O'Neill said.

“And having watched it back Nathan's just blocked the striker's run as you'd expect a centre-back to do and the Barnsley player's thrown himself to the ground and held his face.

“It's not really the referee's fault as the referee has to take the information that he's given by the assistant, but having watched it back the assistant should never have been making that decision.

“I'm not sure he's in a great position - he's looking along the line but there are three bodies between him and Nathan as well.”

Stoke City came into the match unbeaten and were lucky to avoid one in the hands of managerless Barnsley.

Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile wants to become the first Namibian to be named Footballer of the Season in South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Shalulile made an off-season move to Sundowns after his fantastic goalscoring exploits last season with Highlands Park, a club which no longer exists after they sold their franchise to TS Galaxy.

The 26-year-old scored 16 league goals last season (and three in the cup) and will share the league's top scorer award with Gabadinho Mhango of Orlando Pirates.

Shalulile has also been nominated as the Footballer of the Season, alongside Kaizer Chiefs' Samir Nurkovic and Mamelodi Sundowns pair Gaston Sirino and Themba Zwane.

Currently, Shalulile is one of two Namibians lighting up the PSL, the other being Orlando Pirates' Deon Hotto.

Historically though, and despite Namibia's close proximity to South Africa, not too many players have impacted upon the PSL.

Those that have over the last 20-years include Mohamed Ouseb, Robert Nauseb, Henrico Botes, Ronnie Kanalelo, Ricardo Mannetti and Rudolf Bester.

Shalulile is now hoping to earn legendary status by becoming the first from his country to be named as the best footballer in South Africa.

“It will be an amazing feeling because I will be the first Namibian to actually win the Player of the Season award and it would boost me as a player and also my CV and it would really make me happy in a way that I have worked hard and it is paying off," he was quoted as saying by Farpost.

“It would be an honour to win the Footballer of the Year. To be honest, winning this award will be something that I would dedicate to my family back home, they have been pushing me through the lockdown," he continued.

“It has been a hard three months for me and I would also dedicate this to my fellow teammates that have been pushing me, to God who made it possible for me and to all my fans and to the people back home, my parents, they gave me the talent.

“The message to the other nominees is that I am wishing them all the best, they are very good players, there’s no doubt about that and God bless them."

The PSL awards take place at 8 pm tonight, Thursday 22 October.

The 2020-21 season of the UEFA Europa League is back. 

The continent's secondary club crown is up for grabs with some huge teams ready to battle it out amongst themselves. Matchday 1 set to start on Thursday with some tasty matchups on offer.

Though defending champions Sevilla are playing in the Champions League, there are illustrious names like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, AS Roma and more in the running to make their mark on the competition. 

Arsenal are up against Rapid Wien while Tottenham will take on Austrian side LASK. Leicester City face an opening day matchup against Zorya Luhansk while AS Roma are up against Young Boys from Switzerland. 

Contents

Where to watch or stream the Europa League

The  Sony Pictures Network (Sony and TEN channels) has the rights to show Europa League matches in India.

Matches will also be available to stream via SonyLIV app and website   , allowing supporters to watch multiple games simultaneously and catch the replay of matches.
 

Europa League fixtures

Matchday 1

*UEFA Europa League matches may be streamed online on SonyLIV.

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The seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) is scheduled to start less than a month away. 

This time around, there is a lot of interest in the league which will see several changes from the previous edition, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic in no small part. 

Last season's final was forced to be held behind closed doors in Goa after the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. And season seven is set to start from the same point. The entire seventh edition will be held in Goa, cutting back on all the travel and related arrangements for the teams. 

Moreover, the matches will be held without spectators and the teams will have to be in a bio-secure bubble, given the spread of Covid-19 throughout the world. 

The teams have already started their pre-season in tough circumstances in Goa and will be looking to get themselves in shape with very little time left for the start of the tournament. 

Interestingly, the biggest change will be the entry of the two Kolkata giants - Mohun Bagan and East Bengal into the tournament. It will ramp up interest in the ISL and its popularity in the football-mad state of West Bengal. 

So, when exactly is the ISL starting and what are the changes for this season? 

When is the 2020-21 season of ISL starting?

ISL has officially announced that the 2020-21 season will start on November 20, 2020. 

The fixtures for the competition have not been revealed yet though it is expected soon. 

How many teams will participate in 2020-21 ISL?

ISL used to have 10 teams from the 2017-18 season but from the 2020-21 season, it will feature 11 teams in total. 

This is after the entry of the two Kolkata giants - East Bengal and Mohun Bagan - into the ISL. While Mohun Bagan merged with reigning champions ATK to become ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal made their entry as 'SC East Bengal' after Shree Cement Ltd came on board as their investors. 

How many venues will be utilised for ISL 2020-21?

The 2020-21 season of the ISL will be played at three different venues. 

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, the Tilak Nagar Stadium in Vasco da Gama, and the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim are the three venues set to host the games. The first game of the season is expected to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda. 

There are 12 training pitches allotted to the teams. Click here to know more about them.

Where are the teams undergoing pre-season?

All teams are undergoing their pre-season in Goa this time around, given the challenges Covid-19 has thrown up.

However, Bengaluru FC are doing their pre-season training at their Vijayanagar base in Karnataka and are expected to arrive in Goa in time to complete the quarantine protocols and enter the bio-secure bubble for the competition. 

What are bio-secure bubble protocols for ISL 2020-21?

 ISL has laid out guidelines for smooth conducting of the upcoming edition while observing social distancing protocols which would prioritise the players' health and safety.

Click here to know find detail about these protocols and measures that the teams and players must follow.

I-League is expected to kick off on January 7, 2021, Goal understands. 

The competition was earlier scheduled to start after Christmas but after consultation with the West Bengal government, the start of the competition has been postponed to the first week of January. 

This season, 11 teams will participate in the upcoming edition of the I-League. Sudeva FC and Mohammedan Sporting are the two new entrants.

Mohammedan clinched promotion to the I-League, after an unbeaten run in the recently concluded I-League qualifiers after a hiatus of seven years. Whereas, Sudeva from New Delhi earned a direct entry the league after going through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process opened up by the AIFF (All India Football Federation).

The rest of the teams are Real Kashmir FC, Punjab FC, Chennai City FC, Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers, Indian Arrows, NEROCA, Aizawl FC, and TRAU. 

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming season is set to undergo a major overhaul, with the AIFF set to shorten the season. 

Instead of the usual format where a team plays every other team twice, this time around the tournament will be divided into two stages. 

A total of 80 matches will be played during the upcoming I-League season, with 11 teams set to play each other just once in the first phase. 

After the first phase, the top five teams will be grouped together where they will play for the championship while the bottom six teams will be grouped in a battle to stave off relegation. In the second stage, the teams will face all teams in their group once. 

Real Madrid great Guti said he would sign Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos, while mocking Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann.

La Liga champions Madrid have been heavily linked with a blockbuster move for PSG star Mbappe, who is out of contract in Paris at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Neymar, who swapped Barcelona for PSG in a world-record €222 million deal in 2017, has previously been linked with Madrid.

As Madrid prepare for Saturday's Clasico against bitter rivals Barca at Camp Nou, Guti talked up Neymar and Mbappe while poking fun at Griezmann, who has struggled to establish himself since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019.

"I'd sign Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid and for Barcelona I wouldn't sign anyone, just for Griezmann to stay," Guti, 43, said as he laughed while discussing the Clasico.

"There are many great players in this game, but I'm going for the youngsters.

"Surely it'll be Ansu Fati at Barcelona and Vinicius [Junior] at Real Madrid [who can make an impact]. They're very talented players who are going to bring a lot to La Liga."

Both Madrid and Barca will enter the Clasico on the back of La Liga defeats, while the former were also stunned by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 loss to newly promoted Cadiz at the weekend and Lionel Messi's Barca succumbed to Getafe by the same scoreline.

Zinedine Zidane's Madrid are a point adrift of Real Sociedad with a game in hand, while Barca are ninth and four points off the pace, having played a game less.

"It won't determine who'll win La Liga, but it is an important match," said Guti, who won five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies during his playing career at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Mentally, if a player does well or a team wins, then it can do you good for what is still to come in La Liga.

"It's a test for both of these teams to see what level they're at and to see what they can achieve this year."

Erik ten Hag felt Liverpool were "vulnerable" against Ajax as he rued bad luck in the 1-0 Champions League loss on Wednesday.

Ajax had their chances but Nicolas Tagliafico's first-half own goal was enough for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Group D clash in Amsterdam.

Liverpool were winless in three games heading into the encounter, and in action for the first time since Virgil van Dijk suffered a serious knee injury on Saturday.

Ten Hag said he felt the Eredivisie giants could have taken advantage of the Premier League champions.

"It would have been a big bonus if we had taken one or more points," the Ajax head coach said. "I think Liverpool were vulnerable. Unfortunately, we didn't make the most of that."

Ten Hag added: "We were unlucky. We performed well collectively. We were convincing, but that last one per cent was missing – we didn't score even though we created many chances. That's the story of this game, I think."

Tagliafico turned in a miscued Sadio Mane effort 10 minutes before half-time for the game's only goal.

Ten Hag said there were elements of Ajax's performance he was pleased with.

"We knew Liverpool's strength, we wanted to prevent their full-backs, who are their playmakers, from going forward. That was one," he said.

"The second thing is that we wanted to control the midfield. Daley [Blind] is very good at that, he's so calm on the ball. And in that way, we wanted to attack their defence with deep runs. I think we did that quite well a couple of times."

While Trent Alexander-Arnold had a quieter performance for Liverpool, left-back Andy Robertson impressed. Robertson had the most key passes (five), passes (78), passes in the opposition half (56) and touches (104) of any player on the ground.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp admitted his side were far from their best on Wednesday and revealed Mane started the match despite a lingering injury. 

Liverpool next face Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday and are currently sitting third in the league. Ajax, meanwhile, travel to VVV-Venlo over the weekend and are just one point shy of early Eredivisie leaders PSV. 

Umar Sadiq earned Almeria a 1-1 draw against FC Cartagena with his first goal in the Segunda Division on Wednesday.

The result ended the Rojiblancos' run of three straight defeats in the league and it was their first point since their 2-0 win over Lugo on the opening day.

The 23-year-old found the back of the net in the 65th minute, courtesy of an assist from Joao Carvalho, to draw Almeria level after Ruben Castro's 17th-minute opener for FC Cartagena.

Sadiq played from start to finish for the hosts at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos as he registered his third league appearance since his arrival from Serbian club Partizan Belgrade on October 5.

The former AS Roma and Rangers striker led Almeria’s attack and was a constant threat in the opposition’s area throughout the game.

Almeria will aim to build on Wednesday's result when they host high-flying Fuenlabrada, who are yet to lose a match this season, for their next Segunda Division outing on Saturday.

Jose Gomes' side are 19th in the league table and they are battling in the relegation zone with four points after five matches.

Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez has responded to Jose Mourinho's comments about the 2017 Europa League final that saw the two face off against each other. 

At the time, Sanchez was lining up for Ajax, while Mourinho was in charge of Manchester United, who ultimately won the match 2-0. 

Upon arriving at Spurs, Mourinho was filmed on Amazon's 'All or Nothing' documentary series having an early conversation with Sanchez in which the Portuguese tactician claimed he had won the game in "minute one". 

Though a humorous exchange, Sanchez saw the truth in Mourinho's observation and believes the odds were always stacked against Ajax.

"In that moment as a team in Ajax we played very well, very, very well as they have done for the last season, two seasons ago. At that moment we were playing very well but we lacked that experience," Sanchez said in a press conference on Wednesday. 

"The talent was there but experience was missing. That conversation was funny, but if my manager is saying that to me, at the moment I admit to the problem in that area like I am doing now.

"I am thinking to keep growing up and improving. We played very, very good football, but we missed [a player like] Paul Pogba. In that moment [Mourinho's jibe] was fine, I took it in a good way." 

Sanchez and Mourinho will team up for Tottenham in the Europa League this season with Spurs kicking off their group campaign against LASK on Thursday. 

Mourinho's side enter the match after a 3-3 draw with West Ham that saw them concede three goals in the final 15 minutes and Sanchez is determined to ensure the club react the right way. 

"We want to be in that position that gives us that chance to keep fighting until the end. It is a 10 minutes we cannot repeat, we can’t concede to any opponent," Sanchez said.

"It is not just about someone thinking they have the quality or not, every opponent we cannot concede that. Even starting or in the last moment of the game, like happened. We are experienced enough players that have been playing at the high level a long time.

"It was tough to take because in the way it happened it can hurt very badly. We have enough experience to move on. We have not forgotten what happened but we have moved on because the next game is tomorrow." 

Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid's 4-0 thrashing to Bayern Munich left a "bad taste" but refused to criticise his players for the manner of the loss.

Atleti were comprehensively outclassed by the Champions League holders in their Group A opening game in Munich on Wednesday with Bayern winger Kingsley Coman instrumental in the result.

France international Coman scored two goals – the second a superb individual effort – with Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also on target for the defending champions.

The defeat was Atletico's joint-worst in the competition, as they managed just one shot on target, but head coach Simeone felt there were still some positives to take.

"I am left with the bad taste of defeat," Simeone said in his post-match media conference.

"But I am left with things that for the future will do us very good. I do not know if we made too many mistakes or if it was the quality of the opponent. 

"So I am left with the attitude of the team, and until the end we looked for the goal. The forcefulness of the opposition has made an important difference.

"Bayern are in a great moment, they are a great team. But you have to see the good performance of Hector Herrera, Yannick Carrasco, Marcos Llorente because they will surely add up from now on."

Mexican midfielder Herrera hailed Bayern as the number one team on the planet, and felt Atleti showed their battling qualities even if their usual defensive solidity was less evident.

He added: "We played the champions face to face, the best team in the world. With the score against us, we did not stop fighting and looking for the game.

"We had our opportunities and we did not take advantage of them in key moments. If we had done it would have been another story."

Bayern coach Hansi Flick felt his side's ability to overcome the physical threat posed by Simeone's side was key in securing the victory.

Bayern won 51.9 per cent of duels, with defender Lucas Hernandez their most combative player, winning possession eight times in the match.

"Our efficiency was good and I am very satisfied. It is very important to win that first game," Flick said.

“We were physically present. That was important, to be there, to win those one-on-one situations. We had a match plan and we applied it, scoring four beautiful goals.

"We faced a tricky team but we dealt with them fantastically. We were so clinical in front of goal. We can be satisfied with it and that is what matters."

Coman, who scored Bayern's winning goal in their Champions League final victory over Paris Saint-Germain in August, was thrilled to start their defence of the European Cup in such emphatic fashion.

"Of course I thought back to the goal in the final. But it's a new Champions League campaign, we want to keep winning," the France winger told Bayern's website.

"We turned in a very good display, I scored two goals, which makes me very happy."

Romelu Lukaku has extended his own record for scoring in consecutive European matches for Inter. 

The 27-year-old scored twice on Wednesday as he helped his Serie A outfit claim a 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League. 

That brace means Lukaku has now scored in nine straight European matches for Inter having found form in the Europa League last season as Antonio Conte's side reached the final where they lost to Sevilla. 

Lukaku's first season with Inter after sealing a move from Manchester United saw him strike 34 times across all competitions and he already has six goals to his name this campaign. 

Against Gladbach, Inter had taken the lead through Lukaku in the 49th minute but needed the Belgium international to strike again in the 90th minute to salvage a point. 

Conte's side have now failed to win their past three matches and most recently lost 2-1 against fierce rivals AC Milan in Serie A. 

Those results have clearly frustrated Lukaku, who has called on Inter to improve their mental strength to ensure they live up to their full potential. 

“This is not a good result in my view, because we can do better. We must keep working and be stronger mentally, because it’s not an easy moment for us and we have to keep believing in our quality,” Lukaku told Sky Sport Italia post-match.

“Now we need to be stronger, above all mentally, and do better in defence, as we conceded two goals due to our errors. We made so many mistakes and wasted chances upfront too, so if we don’t take those, we are made to pay at this level.”

Conte was slightly more upbeat about the result and noted the difficulty of seeing Achraf Hakimi ruled out of the game after testing positive for Covid-19. 

"We have to concentrate on doing our best on the pitch," Conte told  Sky Sport Italia . "That's all we have to do. It wasn't easy today to receive the news at 5pm that Hakimi was positive. Up until this morning, he was training with us. He was meant to start, so we'd prepared all the tactical situations.

"I told the lads to face every situation with heads held high. It wasn't easy on a psychological level, but the lads showed they are good men as well as good players. Tonight we did well against a team with a great deal of potential, one that has technical quality as well as physicality."

Eric Choupo-Moting has praised Bayern Munich after securing a 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League game.

Kingsley Coman’s brace and strikes from Corentin Tolisso and Leon Goretzka ensured the Bavarians got off to a flying start in the tournament.

Choupo-Moting teamed up with the Champions League and Bundesliga winners this summer after leaving French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

The forward starred for PSG during his two-year stay at the club, inspiring them to the final of the top European competition last season.

The Cameroon international made his debut for Bayern in the competition, replacing Robert Lewandowski with seven minutes left to play and gave a good account of himself.

The 31-year-old has taken to the social media to shower encomium on the fine displays delivered by his side at Allianz Arena.

“Top performance from the team and top start to the Champions League,” Choupo-Moting posted on Instagram.

Choupo-Moting has now made three appearances for Bayern after his man of the match showings on his debut against Duren in a DFB Pokal game and his display against Arminia Bielefeld.

The centre-forward bagged a brace against Duren to help his new clubs claim a comfortable victory at the Allianz Arena.

Choupo-Moting will hope to get more minutes under his belt when Bayern slug it out with Lokomotiv Moscow in their next outing in the tournament on October 27.

The centre-forward had starred for Hamburger SV, Mainz 05 and Schalke 04 before moving to England to join Stoke City in the summer of 2017.

Choupo-Moting left Stoke in 2018 to team up with the Parisians following the Potters’ relegation from the Premier League.

The 31-year-old forward is currently the captain of Cameroon, having been in the national team since 2010 and now has more than 50 appearances for the Indomitable Lions.

The forward will be expected to play a key role for Cameroon in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.