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Simba SC spokesperson Haji Manara has taken a jibe at Yanga SC's position at the top of the Mainland Premier League table.

Yanga went top after a hard-fought 1-0 win against Kagera Sugar, which means they are now top of the table with seven points. New players Tuisila Kisinda and Mukoko Tonombe combined to ensure Yanga picked up the victory at Kaitaba Stadium.

Kisinda’s run down the right-wing before providing an accurate cross was enough for the former AS Vita defensive midfielder to fire home and help Yanga get a second consecutive victory of the same margin.

“Very simple, if you want to believe it [that Yanga are at the top because Simba are yet to play a game] wait for today's match,” Manara said in a Facebook post.

“The way Yanga have celebrated for being at the top of the league table you might think they are the new champions of the league in town. They have just held that top position for other people.”

Simba will play unbeaten Biashara United at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Sunday after the previous 1-1 draw against Mtibwa Sugar.

On the other hand, Yanga coach Zlatko Krmpotic was left a rather satisfied man after the slim win against the Sugar Millers.

“We created two or three very clear chances and we managed to use one of them in the end and that is why I feel happy for my team,” the former Zesco United coach told Mwanaspoti.

“Although I am happy for them because of the victory, we need to play even better in the next games.”

Meanwhile, Kagera Sugar’s coach Mecky Maxime felt they needed to win in order to get their players encouraged.

“The game has been good and we hoped of getting a win especially given how we played,” Maxime, who was a Yanga target to fill the assistant coach position recently, said.

“We really had to win in order to get the players' morale back given that we have not been able to pick good results in the last games.

“We have lost and we have to encourage ourselves as a team. We still have a lot of matches ahead and I hope we will get victories.”

Kagera Sugar will face KMC FC and Azam FC in the next two games.

Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has revealed the reason why he thinks his side will emerge victorious when they take on Biashara United in a Mainland Premier League match on Sunday.

The league champions will play their third match of the season against a defensive-minded Biashara United at Mkapa Stadium, their first match in Dar es Salaam since the league kicked off on September 6.

It is, for this reason, the Belgian coach thinks his team will have an advantage against their opponents, considering their home surface is conducive to the kind of football his team likes to play.

“It will definitely be a tough game, you know Biashara have won their first two matches and are not easy to play against, but since we will be playing at home, we stand the best chance to pick maximum points,” Vandenbroeck is quoted by the club’s official website.

“We also want to win our first match at home, we are returning home since we won the league and a win will set the run we are looking for to defend the title again.”

Simba team manager Patrick Rweyemamu echoed the coach’s sentiments by stating they will have to win the fixture so as to bounce back from last week’s 1-1 draw against Mtibwa Sugar.

“We know the first need nothing less than a win and we will make sure we win the match, it will not be easy but playing at home gives us the advantage,” Rweyemamu also told the club’s website.

On his part, midfielder Clatous Chama said they should now strive to win matches by a huge margin as this will count at the end of the season.

“The season has just started and that means we must ensure we have a good record especially from our home matches. We need to ensure we win these matches by a scoreline of 2-0 or 3-0," he told the same publication.

“We are going to work for that and I am hopeful of good results in the match against Biashara United. If we win, it would be of great benefit especially after the draw against Mtibwa Sugar.

“The pitch was poor and that made the game [vs Mtibwa Sugar] a little bit harder and although the league is still growing, such pitches will not be of any help at all, we need to improve the standard of our pitches.”

Simba won their first league match - 2-1 against promoted side Ihefu FC.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to single out Victor Lindelof despite the defender's error-strewn performance against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Red Devils came into their Premier League opener protecting a 15-match unbeaten run stretching back to January, but looked well below their best after the short turnaround between seasons caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Palace built on a 1-0 win over Southampton last weekend by putting Solskjaer's men to the sword at Old Trafford, with an Andros Townsend strike and a brace from Wilfred Zaha wrapping up a 3-1 victory for Roy Hodgson's side.

Lindelof was included in the starting line up despite sitting out Sweden's UEFA Nation's League defeat to Portugal earlier this month due to fatigue, and failed to cover himself in glory on his return to competitive action.

The 26-year-old allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to provide the cross for Townsend's opener, and was outmuscled by Zaha when the ex-United winger rounded off the scoring in the 85th minute.

The Swede also conceded the penalty which allowed Zaha to double Palace's account, but Solskjaer was reluctant to blame the centre-back for a loss which served as solid proof of a lack of match fitness within his ranks.

"We all need games, we all need sharpness we all need time to get back to our best and I think we are going to get better," The Red Devils head coach said when quizzed on Lindelof's display post-match.

"But we are playing catch-up. Today we didn't defend as well as we could have done but I wouldn't want to point fingers at individuals."

Solskjaer went on to express his belief that Lindelof was wrongly penalised for a handball in the box, before admitting that the referee's "harsh" decision to allow the resulting penalty to be retaken after David de Gea kept out Jordan Ayew's initial effort was ultimately the correct one.

"I feel it is not a penalty because I think the ball comes from so close to Vic, where can he put his hands?" he said. "Then the decision to retake it was probably the right one if you follow the rules because David's heel, or both heels, were one inch off the line.

"It is harsh on David and us but probably the right decision if you follow the rules."

Solskjaer reserved praise for United's £35 million ($45m) summer signing Donny van de Beek, who came off the bench to net a debut goal following his switch from Ajax at the start of the month.

"He gave us a bit of belief that we could get something from the game," the Norwegian added. "Donny is bright, he sees space, he sees where the ball is going to land in the box and that is why we signed him.

"He has got that knack of finding the right areas in the box. We needed that. Not very often, but a few times we got round, put some crosses in and didn't have enough players in the box in the right areas."

Nairobi City Stars have joined the list of teams and stakeholders who are against the decision by the government to extend the ban on contact sports until further notice.

The football fraternity suffered a huge blow on Friday after the government, through Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, confirmed only non-contact sport will be allowed to resume after months of suspension owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but in a phased manner.

“All contact sports [including football] will remain banned until further notice,” Mohamed said on Friday while issuing the final guidelines to sport's resumption. “However, all non-contact sports will reopen in a phased manner.”

City Stars, who earned promotion to the top-flight alongside Bidco United, have condemned the move by the government with club CEO Patrick Korir calling on the Ministry of Sports to rescind the decision.

“Honestly it’s not the kind of news we expected,” Korir told Goal on Sunday. “At this point in time, we expected to be given the all-clear to train and prepare for the league.

“We had shared our expectation with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) which was to resume training in mid-September for a possible resumption of games in late October or early November.  We believe this is what the federation shared with the Ministry of Sports.

“Remember there are international football games to be played in November and to get players in the best shape it was best for them to train with their clubs, and play competitive league games.”

“Obviously the Ministry overlooked that critical bit. It’s one thing to be cautious over coronavirus pandemic, but it’s another thing to be over-cautious. Life and football must move on even in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Korir continued: “Six months out without football is far too long and at this point, we call on the Ministry of Sports to relook at the recent announcement and allow training and games to kick off.

“Obviously, clubs are aware of the protocols shared out and will all want to abide by them as they get back to the pitch.”

On Saturday, FKF president Nick Mwendwa was seemingly irked by the decision which he said might lead to Kenya’s Harambee Stars being locked out of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“It was a strange decision and as FKF we are now left frustrated,” Mwendwa told Goal on Saturday. “I still don’t understand why we cannot play football in the country whereas politicians are moving recklessly around attracting huge crowds which are not even adhering to the laid down laws of Covid-19.

“I am yet to understand why the government took such a decision when we even wrote to them a week ago asking they allow teams to start preparations for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) new season, it is a move which I cannot explain and I don’t understand."

Mwendwa also wondered why Kenya was the only country in the East African region yet to resume football and wondered whether the Ministry of Sports knew what they are doing to solve the mess.

“Other countries have already started their leagues, Tanzania league is currently on [in fact it was played to the end and now has resumed], Uganda have set kick-off dates same as Rwanda, why is Kenya an exception, why can't we play football?” questioned an agitated Mwendwa.

“Does the Ministry of Sports know exactly what they are doing, especially when it comes to matters football? Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan have either come back or they are coming back, so why should Kenya wait for another one month to come back?”

The KPL was prematurely ended in mid-March after the first case of coronavirus was reported in the country, with FKF moving on to crown Gor Mahia as the champions for the 2019-20 campaign.

Man Utd were second best throughout their Premier League opener, according to Ryan Giggs, who insists Crystal Palace "wanted it more" and could have won by an even greater margin.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men made the worst possible start to the new season on Saturday, as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at home to Roy Hodgson's Eagles, who made it two wins from two after last week's victory over Southampton.

Palace looked the more energetic side right from the first whistle, and took the lead with just seven minutes on the clock through an expert finish from Andros Townsend at the back post.

United toiled in vain to try and find an equaliser but struggled to create any clear cut chances, with substitute Mason Greenwood squandering their best opening early in the second half by failing to put away a free header in the box.

The Red Devils' misery was compounded when Victor Lindelof was penalised for a handball with 20 minutes remaining, allowing Jordan Ayew the chance to double the visitors' lead from the penalty spot.

David de Gea saved Ayew's effort, but the referee ordered a retake after a VAR check ruled that the Spaniard had been slightly off his goal line when the 29-year-old forward struck the ball.

Zaha was allowed to assume spot-kick responsibilities from his team-mate, and made no mistake with his effort from 12 yards against the club he played for between 2013 and 2015.

The Ivorian rubbed extra salt in United's wounds when he scored a second in the 85th minute, leaving Solskjaer to reflect on one of the worst showings of his reign at Old Trafford.

Much has been made of the lack of transfer activity at the club, but Giggs insists the Red Devils should have had enough firepower to beat Palace, and that they ultimately failed to match their "intensity" over the course of the 90 minutes.

"We can talk about new players coming in, but there’s enough quality on that pitch to beat Crystal Palace," the United legend told Premier League Production s.

"Just the intensity wasn’t there. Crystal Palace wanted it more, in the 50-50s, they just looked better for the whole 90 minutes.

"OK, when United scored you thought they could go on and get another, but Palace could have scored more. With Zaha staying onside, a little more quality with the final pass, actually Palace could have gone and broke and scored more.

"Palace were the better team, they started better, but they haven’t had to do a lot for their goals, they haven’t had to do something special. They were soft goals which could have been prevented. Not enough intensity, not enough will to stop the cross."

Giggs added on the below-par defensive showing from United's first-choice centre-back pairin g Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire: "It was poor. Lindelof was poor for the first goal, unlucky for the second goal but that [defending for the third goal] is not good enough, just putting your toe out on the edge of the box.

"And then Harry Maguire has got to close down and do more to stop the shot. But it’s not good enough from the two centre-halves. Wilf is sharp enough to get to the first ball, but that’s not good enough from a United centre-half. They’re 2-1 down, 10 minutes to go, you have to go and win that."

The Welshman was also asked to discuss whether the loss would hasten the need for the Red Devils to bring in number one transfer target Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, to which he responded: "Yeah, maybe. I think the fans will want that.

"The fans won’t be happy now because even before, if they’d got a positive result, they still want to see new faces through the door and also a few going out as well. So there’s a lot to think of for Ole and the board."

Gareth Bale earned the nickname 'The Golfer' at Real Madrid and his apparent obsession with golf has resulted in a lot of derision, with his own supporters even mocking him.

As he struggled to find form at the Santiago Bernabeu and found himself occupying a place on the bench more often than not, his predilection for a game of golf was held against him by some.

"A lot of people have problems with me playing golf," Bale told the EAL podcast. "I don't know what their reason is because I've spoken to doctors and everybody's fine with it. 

"The media has this perception that it's not good for me. Steph Curry plays maybe on the morning of a game. If I play two days before a game, it's like 'what's he doing?'"

He's taken the criticism in good spirits, however, and even appeared with a banner which featured the slogan, 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.' when Wales qualified for Euro 2020.

“I am a golfer. Have you not seen the pictures?" Bale said of his new nickname, which was given to him by Thibaut Courtois, in 2019. He added: "I'm very happy with the nickname to be honest. It's a great one." 

Evidently, then, Bale's love of golf is well documented, but is he actually any good? Goal takes a look at the Wales star's handicap and more.

What is Gareth Bale's golf handicap?

Bale plays off a handicap of three or four in golf. He revealed his handicap in conversation with Erik Anders Lang in 2020 when the pair played a six-hole match at Golf Santander in Madrid.

A handicap of three or four means the Wales star is an above average amateur golfer, being so close to 'scratch' (0), though he is still not quite as good as the professionals.

In 2015, the Daily Express reported that the forward's handicap was "a respectable six", meaning that his time playing in Madrid and over the world has helped him improve, if only slightly.

He clearly plays enough to be getting better, but is he really playing too much? It seems unlikely and he has stressed that it is simply a pastime, which helps him unwind.

"Football is my No.1 sport. I'm paid to do it and I always give my best. Golf is a hobby like anyone else would have a hobby," Bale said in 2019.

"There is nothing wrong with having a round. People make a lot of it, but a lot of footballers play and it's one thing I really enjoy.

"It keeps me calmer off the pitch and gives me time away from football which is nice.”

Does Gareth Bale have a golf course at his house?

Bale has a three-hole golf course at his home in Wales, with par-3 holes modelled on a selection from three high profile venues. It was built in 2018.

The holes at Bale's mini course are: 17th at Sawgrass, the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon and the 12th at Augusta.

The dimensions of the holes in question are slightly smaller in Bale's course and he intends to expand the course when he eventually moves back home to Cardiff.

"We based them on three holes that I really like," Bale told the EAL podcast. "We've had to call them 'the replica of...' because it's not the exact same dimensions.

"[The replica of 17th at Sawgrass] is a little bit smaller, the green, which makes it harder. So when I actually went to play Sawgrass, the green felt massive!"

Arsenal are yet to begin contract talks with Alexandre Lacazette, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed.

Lacazette is contracted at the Premier League club until 2022 after joining from Lyon 2017, but there has been speculation over the forward's future.

The Frenchman scored his 50th goal for Arsenal during Saturday's 2-1 win over West Ham at Emirates Stadium.

But there have been no talks for the 29-year-old to renew his deal at Arsenal, Arteta later confirmed.

"At the moment, we haven't started any negotiations," he said. "We have a lot of things still to do in this market and at the moment we are focusing on those things.

"He's a player I'm really happy with. I think we've shown him a lot of faith since I arrived here. 

"But we cannot start any speculation. We know that any player who is under two years of their contract is always going to be talked about."

Speaking after Arsenal's 3-0 against Fulham last week, Lacazette stressed he was happy at the Emirates and is determined to help fire the club to success this season.

"I am really happy. It's only the press that says I'm not happy," he told the club's website.

"From the beginning I've said I am happy at Arsenal and I want to play and win titles. We won a title last month so I am happy with Arsenal.

"I want to help the team to be on top, I know it's my job. It's not for me to [just] play and do the link-ups so I will try and do my best this season.

"Every day we work a lot to try and earn a place in the top four. I don't know if we are ready, but we'll try to." 

Gunners legend Alan Smith has called on the Frenchman to step up this season after seeing him strike again against the Hammers. 

"I think Arsenal need a big season out of Lacazette," Smith told Sky Sports on Saturday. 

"He’s struggled in the last couple of campaigns at times. His goalscoring tallies haven’t been what he would have wanted them to be, but a couple of goals in his first two games will do him the world of good."

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were lucky in a 2-1 win over West Ham, but was pleased with his team's belief on Saturday.

After Michail Antonio cancelled out Alexandre Lacazette's opener at Emirates Stadium, Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to score an 85th-minute winner for Arsenal.

West Ham had 14 attempts at goal to Arsenal's seven, although Bernd Leno was only forced into two saves.

Arteta said Arsenal, who have won their opening two games, were fortunate in the London derby.

"We were a little bit lucky in certain moments for sure," the Arsenal manager told a news conference.

"But as well, we find a way to win it and it's the mentality I want that the team always believes that we can do it up until the last moment. Even if we have difficult games where we suffer, we make it difficult for ourselves in certain periods, but in the end it's three points.

"This is why we are here. As well, take some big notes because there are a lot of things to improve."

Arsenal are one of three teams to have grabbed six points from their opening two games in the Premier League so far. However, Arteta believes they are still some way off being genuine title contenders.

"I think we are still very far away from where we want to be," he said.

"I think if you ask any manager in the Premier League if they are happy with everything [that] is going [on] with their team, it probably is no.

"We had a super-mini pre-season and we're still adapting some things. Some players are still not 100 per cent fit either but it's great to start winning, to have six points already and find ways to win."

Arsenal face Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday with their next Premier League game to come against reigning champions Liverpool on September 28. 

After scoring the winner against West Ham, Nketiah addressed a recent bust-up with Dani Ceballos, who provided the assist for his goal. 

"We had a bit of a coming together. The reaction was there. We made up an got on with it. It was nice for him to make the assist. It's all love now," Nketiah told Sky Sports post-match. 

"It was a great pass across, good vision. I tried to stay onside. It was an easy finish from there.

"I want to keep improving as a player. It's a great feeling to come on and score. West Ham made it very difficult. They came out very strongly in the second half."

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has told Riqui Puig he should leave the club on loan.

Puig, 21, has been linked with a move from Barca, and played no part in Saturday's 1-0 Joan Gamper Trophy win over Elche at Camp Nou.

The young midfielder joined La Masia in 2013 and made his La Liga debut in early 2019 before making 12 appearances in all competitions for the first-team last season. 

Koeman said while Puig was part of his plans, the midfielder should look for short-term opportunities elsewhere.

"It's not true that [Riqui Puig] is not in our plans. I spoke to him yesterday. I speak to the young players - they have to play. They can't not be playing," Koeman said via Marca.

"Him, [Carles] Alena, Pedri...I've told them that it's difficult for them and there's lots of competition. Nothing more.

"I've told [Riqui Puig] that he has a future here, but it depends on the player.  I'd recommend that he went out on loan. At 20 years of age, the young players have to play. They can't get stuck for a period of time."

Antoine Griezmann's early goal helped Barca past Elche, as the forward, Ansu Fati, Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho all started.

Coutinho is back from his loan spell at Bayern Munich and Koeman talked up the playmaker.

"Let's hope we can see a great version of him. For me, he's a great player," he said. "He works well physically and with the ball. He's an important player for the team."

The Brazilian himself was happy to be back at Camp Nou and seems determined to have a big impact at the club this season. 

"Well, I am very happy. I missed playing in this stadium," Coutinho told Barca TV post-match. 

"First game back in the Camp Nou and the official competition will start in one week, we are working really hard and we are focused on the new season. 

"I was really looking forward to playing at the Camp Nou again. I am very happy and working hard to start the season well. I have been feeling great and just hoping that my return to Barcelona goes well. I’m highly motivated." 

Barcelona will begin their La Liga season against Villarreal on September 27.

Many may not have had confidence in university side UiTM FC's chances when they gained promotion to the Malaysia Super League for the first time ever this season, especially when they were effectively a replacement team.

But fast forward nine months later, the Lion Troops have blew everyone out of the water with their string of wins under former Malaysia U-23 head coach Frank Bernhardt.

While their earlier three-league win streak was halted by a 1-0 win defeat to Perak away from home last weekend, they returned to winning ways on matchday eight, with an impressive 2-1 victory over Terengganu FC at home on Saturday. 

Luck helped Arif Anwar open the scoring for the hosts as early as the fourth minute, but a mistake by custodian Azfar Arif led to a penalty that was converted for the equaliser by Turtles skipper Lee Tuck. Defender Victor Nirennold netted what would be the winner in the 60th minute, although not without them having to work extra hard in defence due to the Khuzaimi Piee's second yellow and sending off with 20 minutes remaining.

Speaking after the match, Bernhardt praised the contributions of his foreign players to the team.

"We had a good start with the early lead, but a mistake by the goalkeeper conceded the equaliser. Afterwards it wasn't beautiful football anymore after fights keep breaking out on the pitch. But thankfully we got the winner in the second half.

"We've been lucky this season, as well as clever, when it comes to the foreign players. [Rabih] Ataya constantly troubles the opponents, Ousmane [Fane] is good in 1v1 situations, they fit well with the team and giving input to them is easy," explained the 51-year old trainer.

Frank Bernhardt. Photo from UiTM

He however criticised his 21-year old goalkeeper Azfar for the blunder that led to the visitors' equaliser.

"All players make mistakes, but when goalkeepers make them, they're mostly serious mistakes that concede goals. In the end, it (Azfar's error) was not necessary especially as a young player. I don't want to put the hammer on him, but it wasn't necessary."

The German however refused to think too much of their chance of finishing their first ever top-tier campaign in second place, preferring to officially secure their safety first. 

While league leaders JDT have broken away from the rest of the table by a huge margin, UiTM, now in third, are level on 13 points with second-placed Kedah, although the Red Eagles have a game in hand. The university team meanwhile is separated by seven points from the relegation zone.

"Everything is possible, but for me what's important today is the three points because now I'm quite sure that we have nothing to do with relegation anymore, which was the first target.

"We take what we can get. We will see what will come afterwards. The players need rest and we look forward to the next game," responded the German to a question.

Erling Haaland has picked up where he left off last season as he scored twice in Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach and showed his mental strength from the spot. 

In Dortmund's first Bundesliga game of the season,  Giovanni Reyna opened the scoring in the 35th minute before winning a penalty early in the second half.

After VAR intervention to award the spot-kick, Haaland stepped up and made no mistake with a low effort to the bottom left.

The Norway star then wrapped up the victory in the 77th minute as he chipped over Yann Sommer after being sent through on goal by Jadon Sancho. 

Speaking after the match, Haaland joked about Sommer's failed attempt to put him off from the spot and expressed his joy at playing in front of fans again. 

"It was a nice penalty and it was very nice to score against Sommer," Haaland told Bundesliga. "He tried to get into my mind but he had no chance...it was a nice minute there!

"It's a good result for us. I'm happy that it's all underway again, especially with 10,000 fans in the stadium. It felt unbelievable to have them back there. They supported us, and we needed that today.

"They gave us an extra boost, and it was obviously fantastic to score a goal in front of them.''

Reyna, dubbed 'The American Dream' by Haaland, scored his first Bundesliga goal in the match and is still just 17. 

Alongside Haaland, Sancho and Jude Bellingham, Reyna makes up a lethal, youthful quartet looking to fire Dortmund to silverware this season.

"It was a very good start to the season. We have a lot of young players, it's really enjoyable," Reyna said post-match.

"We all have so much energy, but we need to keep working, we need to improve even more. We were so happy to see that some of our fans could be there again. That's very important for us as players.''

Dortmund manager Lucien Favre is also savouring the prospect of using the club's talented youngsters this season. 

"I like working with young players, but of course I like working with experienced ones too," Favre said. 

"The variety is really good, that was there to see in our 3-0 win today. Mats plays the ball forward, and Jadon and Erling sprint the length of the pitch. It was a brilliant goal at the end.

"The variety gives us a great feeling. We're going to need all of our players over this long season. Now we have to analyse the match before picking things up next week.''

Victor Osimhen is in line to make his Serie A debut having been included in Napoli squad for their 2020-21 campaign opener versus Parma.

The Nigeria international alongside Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly and Algeria's Faouzi Ghoulam are among the 23 players listed by manager Gennaro Gattuso for Sunday’s trip to Stadio Ennio Tardini.

Osimhen joined Napoli on a five-year deal in July after an impressive debut season in the Ligue 1 with Lille where he scored 13 goals in 27 appearances.

The ex-Wolfsburg man kicked off his career in Gattuso's team with an eight-minute hat-trick against L'Aquila - an encounter that ended 11-0.

Again, he found the net thrice as Stadio San Paolo giants hit Serie C club Teramo 4-0 as they ended their pre-season training camp in Castel di Sangro on a flying note.

The 21-year-old’s goalscoring start to life at the club has caught the attention of the Archbishop of Naples, Crescenzio Sepe, and he hopes to see the Nigerian score more goals.

"What I said to Victor Osimhen? We talked and I said to him: ' You have scored 3 goals in 7 minutes, next time you have to score 5 goals in 5 minutes, you have to score almost every minute, do you understand?'," Sepe said.

"And did he understand? No, not so much: he doesn't speak Italian… I communicated in Neapolitan, somehow, we got along. He is happy, I saw it from his face regardless of the language we spoke. I congratulated him and all the players."

The Lagos-born goal machine is looking forward to playing against Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in his maiden Serie A campaign.

“I’m really looking forward to a new career here in Serie A. Playing against the likes of Christian Ronaldo is something one can eagerly wait,” Osimhen told Caf website.

“While at Lille, I had the opportunity of playing against some of the best players in the world like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and it would definitely be a whole great experience to play against Ronaldo, who is one of the greatest players on earth. So, I’m looking forward to facing him soon.”

Six Ghanaian youth players have been confirmed dead after a bus they were travelling in crashed into a river on Saturday, the Ghana Football Association have announced.

The accident occurred on the Kumasi-Offinso road in Ghana's Ashanti region.

"The leadership of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), and the National Juvenile Committee (NJC) have learnt of the passing of six juvenile football players on Saturday, September 18, 2020 at Offinso, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region," the GFA announced on its official website on Saturday night.

"The GFA wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family of the six young footballers who passed away after the car they were traveling on submerged," the statement continued. "We are informed that the players and their handlers were headed to Afrancho having undergone their District Colts football registration exercise at Offinso.

"The GFA and the NJC have dispatched a team to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi to visit the accident victims."

The juvenile cub, said to be the Africa Vision Soccer Academy, were on their way back to Offinso from the town of Afrancho where they underwent registration for the upcoming District Juvenile League.

The crash victims, who are understood to be between the ages of 12 and 16, were transported to the Offinso St. Patrick Hospital, with local reports suggesting that some other players from the accident are in a critical condition.

Unverified videos have appeared on social media which appear to depict the aftermath of the incident; one shows several other travellers nursing injuries, while another portrays victims being rescued from the bus, which is understood to have burst a tyre.

“There were 36 passengers onboard," Divisional Commander for the Offinso Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Edmund Nyamekye told Citi News. "Our investigation revealed that the passengers were made up of football team members who were returning after taking part in a league [registration].

"Upon reaching the spot at River Offin, as a result of speeding, the driver lost control of the steering wheel, veered off the road and entered into the river.

"Six of the passengers between the ages of 12 and 16 died on the spot. 30 others sustained injuries. They were sent to the St. Patrick hospital for treatment."

Currently in Ghana, all contact sports, including football competitions, are under a national ban as part of measures to curb spread of the coronavirus disease, which has disrupted socio-economic activities around the world.

The GFA has, however, opened the window for player registration in anticipation of imminent lifting of the ban to allow resumption of the various national leagues. 

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has explained why he asked Wilfried Zaha to retake Jordan Ayew’s penalty in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph over Manchester United.

In the famous win at Old Trafford, Andros Townsend gave the Eagles a first-half lead thanks to his seventh minute lead courtesy of Jeffrey Schlupp’s assist.

With less than 20 minutes left to play, the visitors were handed a penalty by referee Martin Atkinson after Ayew’s flick struck the Victor Lindelof’s hand.

David de Gea saved Ayew’s softly struck penalty, only for a retake to be ordered by VAR as the Spain international stepped off his line. Zaha stepped up to smash the ball high into the net as Selhurst Park giants raced to a two-goal lead.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men pulled one back through substitute Donny van de Beek in the 80th minute, while the Cote d’Ivoire sealed victory with five minutes left to play.

Speaking after the game, the former England, Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion boss revealed   why he called for another player to then step-up, reminding how a similar situation with a previous club changed his approach.

"I don’t think it’s good for a player to miss a penalty and then to immediately take another one. I think your confidence is affected by the miss,” Hodgson told club website.

“It wasn’t a good penalty, it was quite a comfortable save by De Gea and I’m pretty sure if I had allowed him to take the penalty, he might well have scored it. But I didn’t think it was a good idea to take that chance.

"I had an experience long in the past where our penalty taker - who never missed penalties - missed two in the same game in a European tie and ever since that moment I’ve thought it’s not a great idea to have the guy who’s missed take the second one."

Palace, with two wins from two in the English topflight far, tackle fellow fast starters Everton next on Saturday, while the Red Devils go to Luton Town in the English Football League Cup on Tuesday before getting back to Premier League action when they face Brighton and Hove Albion.

The mediocre has turned to horrendous for Selangor, who were thrashed 6-1 by Malaysia Super League leaders Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in their matchday eight encounter on Saturday.

A dubious foul given by referee Zulkarnain Zakaria just outside the Red Giants' penalty box in the first half added time allowed Safawi Rasid to score from the ensuing free kick, but after the interval Zulkarnain made a glaring error.

In the 46th minute Nicholas Swirad fouled Diogo just outside the box, and while the defender escaped a sending off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, Zakaria pointed to the spot instead. Safawi bagged his brace from the penalty, and afterwards it was all the home team. Diogo added their third in the 64th minute, Gonzalo Cabrera their fourth just three minutes later.

In-form young striker Ramadhan Saifullah took the opportunity to continue impressing when he was introduced, netting a brace in the 72nd and 75th minutes. The visitors netted their consolation goal in the 81st minute through Rufino Segovia's effort.

In the post-match press conference, Selangor boss B. Satiananthan conceded blame for his charges' hammering.

"My team could play in the first half, but they conceded an unexpected free kick just before half time, which then led to the first goal. Then they conceded a penalty very early after the interval, others are saying that the infringement was committed outside of the box, but that changed the game a lot.

"I have to accept this defeat as I'm the one to blame for it. There were players who weren't completely ready to play. Safuwan's [Baharudin] removal affected our midfield... only when Rufino [Segovia] and Sean [Selvaraj] were introduced were we able to score.

"We simply collapsed in the second half, that's what happened," explained the former Malaysia head coach.

He however noted that a top-three finish may still possible for them, if they can bag maximum points from their remaining matches.

"There is still a chance and we will try our best in the remaining three games. I have to hear what the management wants first. But I will continue on for the coming matches, and if we can collect all nine points we will be fine.

"There's the Malaysia Cup afterwards and everything is possible," responded Satiananthan to a question by a reporter.

Arsenal duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are fast closing in a Premier League record currently held by Newcastle United stars Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson.

Aubameyang assisted the Frenchman as Mikel Arteta’s Gunners laboured to a 2-1 victory over West Ham United in Saturday’s Premier League outing.

With the opening twenty minutes goalless at the Emirates Stadium, the Gabon international timed his run to perfection and finding Lacazette with an excellent cross to score his 50th goal for the Londoners in all competitions.

The pair have now combined for 11 English topflight goals since February 3, 2018, with only Fraser and Wilson the only duo who have combined for more (13).

While the Gunners’ stars are only two away from matching their tally, they may struggle to surpass the former Bournemouth players considering their reunion in Steve Bruce’s squad at St. James' Park.

Auba saw every minute of action against David Moyes’ team, Lacazette was replaced by Eddie Nketiah in the 77th minute. Luckily, it was the Anglo-Ghanaian who sealed all maximum points from Arteta’s men when it looked like the Hammers would walk home with a point following Michail Antonio’s equaliser.

Between them, they scored 50 goals two seasons ago, with the latter ending his first full campaign in England with 31 in all competitions and 22 in the Premier League, a tally which earned him a share of the Golden Boot alongside Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Meanwhile, the France international striker is not concerned that Aubameyang is the first-choice penalty taker at the Emirates Stadium.

“It’s true that I don’t take them anymore, but that’s not a problem,” he told L’Equipe. “I know if I wanted to get one, he would let me have it. 

“If it was getting into my head or if I was into something selfish, I would try to take them or ask him to have one shot out of two, but that’s really not how I see things. He scores them and he saves us, that’s what matters.

“Sometimes I’m criticised for not being selfish enough, but that’s not my vision of football. I like to score, but I have a role other than as a goalscorer. Now I take part in the game more and I get a different pleasure from doing that.

“In Lyon, I had the responsibility of scoring, but here, it’s a little more that I have to help the team play well and to be dangerous.”