Looking for Soccer News?

Terengganu FC forward Dominique da Sylva turned in a five-star performance to help the Turtles win their Malaysia Super League match against Petaling Jaya City (PJ City) on Saturday, August 22.

In the match that was held at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium, the Mauritanian scored in each half to help the visitors come away with a 2-0 win, and take his personal league tally this season to six goals after four matches.

READ: Petaling Jaya City FC vs Terengganu FC player ratings

It was the first Super League match to be played after the competition was suspended back in March due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to the press after the match, da Sylva downplayed his starring role in the encounter, but lamented the absence of supporters from the ground. The remainder of the season will be played behind closed doors for health and safety reasons.

"I'm just playing my game, helping my team. The coach knows me and my character. It's not easy to return to action after stopping for five months but we did our best to get the three points. And that is more important.

"Earlier, I had been pestering the competitions organiser people by constantly asking them 'when is the league starting again?', and now it has restarted and I'm happy to be able to play again, and happy for the players, the staff and the fans.

"I'm happy [for the resumption of the league] because football is our life. The absence of fans is something we can't do anything about, but at least now the league is restarting again.

"It's very hard to play without fans because everything they shout affect us, even the coach. Their cheering motivates us to push through when we're tired, gets us to focus again when we lose concentration on the pitch. We've lost this atmosphere; the fans talking, shouting and supporting us, but they're inside our hearts when we play. I know they still watch our game, so we need to give our best to satisfy them. I hope they're satisfied with the three points today."

The match was held earlier than the August 28 official restart date as it is a postponed matchday four fixture from before the lockdown.

Reinildo Mandava was shown a straight red card as Lille played a 1-1 draw Rennes in Saturday’s French Ligue 1 clash.

The left back was dismissed by referee Clement Turpin in the 43rd minute after he launched a fatal tackle on Brazil’s Raphinha. That was the first time the Mozambican would be given the marching orders since he began his career in 2012 at Ferroviario da Beira.

Rennes had earlier been reduced to 10 men after Sacha Boey was sent off in the 35th minute for stamping his foot on Reinildo’s face.

In the keenly contested affair at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Christophe Galtier’s men commenced life without Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen who joined Italian topflight side Napoli.

Despite taking the lead through Cote d’Ivoire prospect Jonathan Bamba in the 40th minute, they struggled to put the ball past Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Rennes restored parity in the 74th minute courtesy of Damien Da Silva as the hosts laboured in vain to get the much-needed win.

While Bamba saw every minute of action, Senegal’s Cheikh Niasse was not listed for the encounter.

For Rennes, Naif Aguerd was on parade from start to finish while M’Baie Niang started the game but was replaced by Favien Tait in the 64th minute, while the duo of Mali's Hamari Traore and Congo DR's Pepe Bonet were not pencilled down for the game by manager Julien Stephan.

"In the first half, I think we scored a nice goal. I found our first half interesting in what we wanted to do and what we decided to put in place,” Galtier told media as reported by club website.

“We had the opportunity to open the scoring, to play 11 against 10. If we had gone back to the locker room in this configuration, I think it would have been more difficult for the Rennes.

“Unfortunately, we suffered a lot in the second half. I think my players raised their level in the first half but lacked precision in the second.”

Lille will be hoping to secure their first win of the 2020-21 campaign when they travel to Stade Auguste-Delaune II for a date with Reims, while Rennes welcome Montpellier to the Roazhon Park on Saturday

Jose Mourinho has praised the work of Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in securing the "amazing" signings of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Joe Hart.

The duo made their Spurs debuts on Saturday in a 3-0 friendly win over Ipswich Town with Hojbjerg playing 63 minutes and Hart playing the entire second-half. 

Hojbjerg was a £15 million ($19m) signing from Southampton, while Hart arrived as a free agent after departing Burnley. 

With Tottenham set to play in the Europa League this coming season should they get through the qualifying rounds, Mourinho feels the acquisitions were crucial as he looks to secure his first piece of silverware with the club. 

"The club found very intelligently the moment to do it," Mourinho told Tottenham TV. "It was the last year of contract for Pierre, his club was in a difficult situation in terms of negotiation so I think Mr Levy did amazing for us getting such a good player for us.

"I think the club did amazing in both because they are going to make our squad stronger. To bring Joe, 75 caps for England and lots of experience, he is great protection for us to have three goalkeepers.

"All internationals for their country, all good goalkeepers, you can sleep well because any injuries or problems that we have, we have three good goalkeepers.

"With some of the crazy fixtures we are going to have, playing all the competitions, the Carabao Cup at the same time as Europa League and Premier League, even goalkeepers cannot play every match so it is very, very good business for us."

Spurs finished sixth in the Premier League last season and Mourinho was quick to put their pre-season win in perspective. 

“It was good, positive and really some very good things that I don’t want to go into in detail, but we put into practice some of the things we worked on during the week," he said. 

“We managed to save the majority of the players from playing 90 minutes, which is too premature in this first week of pre-season. Ipswich play in League One, but they have trained for a few weeks, they played two teams, so they kept lots of intensity in the game. So, I think it was good.

“We gave the opportunity to lots of young players to play, some really young, Alfie [Devine] was playing for Wigan Under-16s a few months ago, and [Dane] Scarlett is 16, and closer to 15 than 17. So, it was good overall."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp described his side's goals in a 3-0 friendly win over Bundesliga club Stuttgart as "absolutely exceptional".

In the Reds first hit out of pre-season, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Rhian Brewster all got their names on the scoresheet in Austria. 

Firmino opened the scoring for Liverpool before claiming the assist for Keita's goal with Brewster then wrapping up the victory with a close-range finish in the 68th minute. 

For a pre-season match in wet weather, Klopp liked what he saw from his side as they began their long journey to defend the Premier League title. 

"How we made the goals, I would say that was absolutely exceptional," Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.

"Obviously Taki [Takumi Minamino] is in pretty good shape, Kostas [Tsimikas] showed some nice glimpses of his talent. We know we have good boys here and that looked well. How I said, they had to work today and that's what they did, so I'm fine with the performance.

"I'm very happy, very happy. It was a super intense session for us today because the weather, wow, it rained like crazy, the pitch was really difficult – you could see the water was still on the pitch. That makes football games always tricky.

"Good organised opponent obviously but we scored nice goals and for me most important was that we felt 45 minutes [of] football is different to a 90-minute session, because in sessions you make breaks, drinks break. Here is no break, so you just have to go through. That was the most important thing to do today and the boys did it, they felt the intensity of the game – very good.

"Tomorrow we do a little bit less, Monday two sessions, Tuesday is Salzburg, interesting. So, it's all good.

"I think Ki-Jana [Hoever] rolled the ankle a little bit but apart from that they all should be fine, which is obviously very important."

Klopp was also impressed by new signing Kostas Tsimikas, who made his debut for the Reds after joining the club from Olympiacos.

"He is a pretty quick player and pretty confident, how you will hear in his [post-match] interview, but he is a good player – a really good player – and he did well," he said.

"The next challenge for him is now to get used to our defending and things. It will take time, no doubt, but when he has the ball it looks not so bad." 

Real Madrid great Ronaldo believes the La Liga champions should sign Kylian Mbappe ahead of Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar.

Mbappe has been tipped to make the move to Madrid at some stage in his career, with Los Blancos reportedly eyeing a 2021 transfer.

Former Barcelona forward Neymar – who joined PSG in a world-record deal in 2017 – has also been linked to Madrid previously.

But Brazilian legend Ronaldo, a La Liga winner with Madrid in 2002-03, prefers France's Mbappe over countryman Neymar due to age.

"Right now, it is not that one is better than another, but if Real Madrid had to make a big investment, they should do so thinking about the future," Ronaldo said during a webinar hosted by Santander.

"Neymar is 28 years old and Mbappe is 22. As an investment, it would be more logical to bring the younger [of the two]."

Mbappe and Neymar are preparing for Sunday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

French powerhouse PSG will feature in their first Champions League decider, having dominated domestically.

Neymar – who won the 2015 Champions League with Barca – and PSG have already claimed Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophee des Champions in 2019-20.

"He needs to win the Champions League to complete his season," Ronaldo said of Neymar.

"He has played very well in the last few games, especially in this final phase in Portugal.

"He has created many scoring chances, but he has lacked calmness to finish off moves. With luck and calmness, he can find himself scoring in the final."

Ronaldo, meanwhile, also believes Lionel Messi won't be leaving Barcelona anytime soon despite reports suggesting he's considering a Camp Nou exit. 

"It is very unlikely that Messi will leave Barcelona, especially with the financial crisis in Europe," he said.

The first Malaysia Super League match to be played following the lockdown saw Terengganu FC record a crucial away win over Petaling Jaya City (PJ City).

PETALING JAYA CITY

Ahmad Syihan - 5/10

The goalkeeper did little that was wrong in the match and could have come away with a clean sheet, if not for the in-form Terengganu forward Dominique da Silva.

D. Kugan - 5/10

A forgettable outing for the right wingback, who failed to defend and attack well down his flank.

Aaron Kumar - 5/10

The right back had a forgettable night.

Kim Bong Jin - 5/10

The foreign centre back could not defend against da Silva successfully.

Elizeu - 5/10

The defender managed to keep out almost all of Terengganu attackers, but the one he failed to mark properly ended up hurting his team. 

Filemon Anyie - 4/10 

The left wingback looked out of place in the match and failed to provide an attacking channel down his wing for his team, and was substituted off just before the hour mark.

K. Gurusamy - 5/10

The midfielder managed to control the middle of the park somewhat, but was often let down by his own decision making, failing to distribute the ball to his awaiting teammates in a timely manner. He also earned a booking in the first half.

Anawin Jujeen - 6/10

The midfielder was one of the best performers of the night for PJ City with his possession-keeping just outside the opponents' penalty area, but that isn't saying much on a night that many of his teammates were objectively poor.

Mahalli Jasuli - 4/10

The experienced winger looked sluggish in his first competitive match since March, and failed to provide a bigger threat against the visitors' defence. More embarrassingly, it was his poor back pass in the first half that led to the Turtles' goal.

Washington Brandao - 5/10

He was not able to do what is usually expected of foreign strikers in the Malaysian league; score a goal or two, or at the very least use his physique to keep the ball up the pitch.

Kogileswaran Raj - 5/10

The forward's contribution was minimal on a night PJ City forwards could not combine well, and he was substituted off at half time.

Substitutions:

Christie Jayaseelan, R. Barathkumar, K. Thivandaran, Amer Saidin, Safee Sali -

Second half substitutions who failed to turn things around for the Phoenix.

TERENGGANU FC

Shamirza Yusoff - 7/10

The custodian was not troubled too often by the hosts' forwards, and was able to keep a clean sheet.

Hafizal Mohamad - 7/10

The right back did just enough to keep out the decidedly average PJ City attackers throughout the night.

Argzim Redzovic - 8/10

The centre back, plucked from their reserve team in the Premier League to fill in for Babacar Diallo in this encounter, ensured that PJ City's Washington was unable to threaten his goalmouth  

Muhammad Faudzi - 7/10

Partnered well with Redzovic to help the visitors keep a clean sheet and record a win.

Arif Fadzilah - 7/10

The left back was not troubled too badly by the ineffective PJ City's attacks down his flank.

Nasir Basharudin - 6/10

Provided ample support in midfield.

Lee Tuck - 7/10

The midfield general was not as dangerous as he usually had been before the competitions suspension, but his performance made things difficult for the hosts.

Sanjar Shaakhmedov - 6/10

A relatively quiet night for the support striker.

Faiz Nasir - 7/10

Despite his one assist for the second goal, the diminutive winger could have helped the Turtles score more goals had he been less selfish with his possession in counter attacking situations.

Dominique da Silva - 9/10 (Man of the Match)

The Mauritanian forward showed what he was capable of, both his goals bagged thanks to good technique. He got his first after intercepting a poor back pass, his second a cheeky lob over the goalkeeper after latching on to a decent through pass by Faiz.

Dominique da Silva. Photo by Sports Regime

Syafik Ismail - 6/10

The young forward did not shine in his first competitive match of the season for Terengganu and was taken off midway through the second half, but in all performed adequately.

Substitutions:

Rahmat Makasuf, Darren Lok, Azam Azmi - NA

Second half changes who did enough to help the visitors keep a clean sheet and bag the precious three points on the road.

Dieumerci Mbokani scored his maiden goal in the 2020-21 Belgian First Division A campaign to give Royal Antwerp a 1-0 victory against Gent on Saturday.

The DR Congolese striker ended his four-game goal drought in all competitions with his 17th-minute effort at the Bosuilstadion.

Mbokani who scored 18 goals in the Belgian top-flight last season, was assisted by Faris Haroun in opening his goal account for the new campaign after two games.

The 34-year-old was in action for 90 minutes alongside Senegal's Abdoulaye Seck while Nigeria's Junior Pius and Cameroon's Martin Hongla came on as second-half substitutes for Antwerp.

Gent, meanwhile, had DR Congo's Jordan Botaka, Cameroon's Michael Ngadeu-Nhadjui and Ivory Coast's Anderson Niangbo on parade but their contributions were not enough to save them from bowing to their third straight league defeat.

While they await their first point of the season after three matches, the Buffalos sit at the bottom of the First Division A standings and Antwerp, on the other hand, moved up to eighth in the table after gathering four points from three outings.

Mbokani will be aiming to inspire Royal Antwerp to back-to-back wins when they visit league leaders Sporting Charleroi for their next fixture on August 30.

Anthony Martial believes increased game time at Manchester United and the trust of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer resulted in his most successful season in front of goal. 

The 24-year-old ended the 2019-20 campaign with 23 goals to his name to make him the club's top scorer - one more than Marcus Rashford. 

Martial's previous best season in front of goal saw him strike 17 times across the 2015-16 season after he first joined the Red Devils from Monaco. 

The Frenchman made 10 more appearances this season than the campaign prior and admits that increase, combined with the manager's faith, played a big part in his strong goalscoring return. 

"I think it’s down to the fact that I’ve enjoyed more game time. I’ve played in practically every game and so I think it’s all about consistency,” Martial told the Inside United magazine. 

"In previous seasons I haven’t been able to feature as regularly; I’d be on the bench quite a bit and other times I’d be starting, which was quite difficult. Whereas right now I know that the coach has faith in me and I’m confident of starting the next match. So, I’m giving everything I can in order to pay back that trust he has shown.

"[I'm hungry for all goals] because for me, a goal is a goal. So simply by managing to score more of a simple kind of goal, I know that I’ll score a lot more in total. It’s something that we work on a lot in training and I then try and reproduce that in a match situation."

Martial has struck up a good relationship with Rashford and believes they're now able to link up selflessly in the final third. 

“With Marcus, I think that we’ve been playing together for five seasons now and so, yes, we have that good understanding. It’s a real positive for us that we have this great connection,” Martial added. 

"We just try to help each other out. For example, there are some games where maybe a shot is on and then I decide to wait and see, and I give him the ball because I want him to score. And he does the same thing for me, so you see, we’re not just focused on scoring all the time.

"We’re always going to do everything we can for the team to win which means that, if he is better placed than me or I’m in a better position than him, we’ll always give each other the ball in order to score.

"There is healthy competition, but the biggest thing is the positive rapport that we have with one another."

Young Red Devils attacker Mason Greenwood has also shown his promise in front of goal over the past 12 months with Martial impressed by what he's seen from the 18-year-old. 

"The thing that strikes me about Mason is how effective and clinical he is. I get the feeling that whenever he shoots on goal, he scores," he said.

"It’s up to us to keep training hard and working to perfect how that trio works together. We mustn’t forget either that there are other players [in the squad] who are pushing really hard to get a game. So, as I say, we need to keep going and have to perform well in order to be able to play and win our games." 

Neymar has played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain reaching their first Champions League final but La Liga analyst Scott Minto still believes that the Brazilian should have stayed at Barcelona.

The forward became the most expensive player in history when he sensationally swapped Camp Nou for the Parc des Princes in the summer of 2017 and he has since won eight domestic honours in France.

However, on Sunday he will have the chance to lift the trophy that he and PSG crave the most, the Champions League, with Thomas Tuchel's side scheduled to take on Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

Given former club Barca are in the midst of a sporting, financial and institutional crisis, many pundits believe that Neymar's decision to leave Catalunya has been vindicated.

Minto disagrees, though, arguing that both Barca and Neymar would be better off today had the 28-year-old stayed at Camp Nou.

"PSG have their best chance ever to win the European Cup," Minto told Goal speaking at Hotels.com Dream Screen. "But would it justify Neymar's decision to move to PSG? I would still say no.

"I still think Barcelona would have won more Champions Leagues and he would have won more Champions Leagues had he remained in a front three alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

"I think that was the best front three in the history of football, so it is a shame he left."

Minto was impressed with PSG's performance in their 3-0 semi-final win over RB Leipzig and feels they have every right to be confident of winning a maiden European Cup, given they also boast Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria in attack.

However, he still feels that Bayern are the favourites to prevail in Portugal, particularly in light of their stunning 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

"Messi is the best player in the history of the game but that game showed that one great player can't beat a great team," Minto argued. "Against Bayern, Messi's team-mates were unable to step up."

Should Neymar's colleagues also fail to meet the formidable challenge facing them, Minto believes Robert Lewandowski will be recognised as the best player of 2020.

"Lewandowski has 55 goals," he pointed out, "and I think you would have to give him all of the individual honours for winning a treble, especially with no international competitions this year."

Brian Rice claimed Hakeem Odoffin deserved his goal after the centre back powered Hamilton Academical to a 1-0 win over Motherwell.

Six minutes to the end of the Lanarkshire derby, the Anglo-Nigerian headed Reegan Mimnaugh’s corner kick past goalkeeper Trevor Carson.

That strike was his first goal in professional football as well as for the Accies, as the visitors secured their first win of the season after three consecutive defeats.

Speaking to media after the triumph over Stephen Robinson’s side, Hamilton boss showered encomium on the 22-year-old for settling the Scottish Premiership affair.

He also gave an assessment of the game where his side frustrated the hosts’ efforts.

“Just before the goal went in we had three or four dangerous crosses into the box and Hakeem missed one that was probably easier to score,” Rice told media

“But he deserved his goal. Since he came into the club, he’s been immense for me. I brought him in as a right-back and moved him into centre-back and I’ve been absolutely delighted with him.

“He’s only 22 but he’s a leader in that young team. So, him to get his first goal in a derby match, I’m sure he was delighted.”

“I felt we started the game well, but Motherwell grew into it and they were the better team in the first half,” he continued.

“But I felt in the second half when we changed the shape and brought the young ones on, they got hold of the ball, got us up the pitch. They have energy and enthusiasm, but they can also play.

“They had a big part to play in us winning today.

“We’re the smallest club in the league but the players have all got heart and will run through a brick wall for the club.”

The Dossers are yet to win a game so far this term with manager Robinson frustrated over his team’s inability of posing a threat in the final third.

“It was frustrating the whole game,” he said.

“We must have had 70 per cent possession – that’s Rangers and Celtic stuff – and I don’t know how many balls across the six-yard box.

“All the stats in the world don’t mean anything when you don’t get the result.

“The difference between the teams was the desire to go and score a goal.

“We didn’t show enough desire to finish the game off or defend in our own box.

“We can’t keep saying it’s bad luck, you make your own luck by being brave and we were not brave enough to finish the game off.”

Naby Keita scored as Liverpool recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

The Reds started plans ahead of the 2020-21 season having won the Premier League in the previous campaign, doing so for the first time since 1990 and with an accumulated 99 points, 18 points clear of Manchester City in second place.

Jurgen Klopp selected a strong starting line-up that included Egypt and Senegal forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Keita meanwhile started in midfield alongside Brazil international Fabinho and Curtis Jones.

Liverpool took the lead in the 15th minute thanks to another Brazilian in Roberto Firmino before Keita made it 2-0 five minutes to the half-time break. The Guinean was replaced by James Milner at the start of the second half.

The Merseyside outfit had one more say which came in the 68th minute via Rhian Brewster who impressed on loan at Swansea City during the second half of the Championship, netting 10 goals which was only bettered by Ghana international and Swans vice-captain Andre Ayew who had 15 goals.

Keita played 27 times in all competitions last season which could have been more had it not been for various injury problems. He did have more involvement for Liverpool at the restart of the league, playing in all the remaining nine games which ended in five victories, two draws and two defeats.

Within this period the former RB Leipzig man had a hand in three goals (one goal, two assists), the goal being a scorcher in a 5-3 win over Chelsea. Overall, he registered two goals and three assists in the top-flight.

Keita was also involved in a goal in the Champions League, coming in a 2-0 Group E away win at Red Bull Salzburg. He also found the back of the net in a narrow 2-1 win over Monterrey in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup which Liverpool went on to lift by dispatching Brazilian giants Flamengo in extra-time in the final.

His minutes on the pitch for the season totalled 1,395 minutes. Keita will hope to be involved in more games for the upcoming campaign starting with Liverpool’s first league game against newly-promoted Leeds United at Anfield on September 12, but before that comes the Community Shield against FA Cup holders Arsenal at Wembley on August 29.

Lionel Messi is "very unlikely" to leave Barcelona before the 2020-21 season, according to Brazilian legend Ronaldo.

Sweeping changes have begun at Barca following their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, with head coach Quique Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal replaced by Ronald Koeman and Ramon Planes respectively. Presidential elections have also been brought forward to March.

According to reports, the majority of the first team – including stalwarts such as, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets – have been put up for sale in the wake of the 8-2 loss to Bayern, with the exception of Messi.

Koeman has stressed his desire to work with Messi next season and believes the Argentine attacker has every right to be unhappy based on recent results.  

However, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner has supposedly informed Koeman he sees his future away from Camp Nou.

Messi is in the final year of his contract with Barca and talks over a new deal have been shelved, meaning speculation over the legendary striker's future is only likely to intensify.

Few sides could afford to put a transfer in place, though Premier League heavyweights Manchester City have regularly been linked with a sensational move for the 33-year-old, while Inter and Paris Saint-Germain have also been credited with an interest.

However, former Barca striker Ronaldo, who owns La Liga side Real Valladolid, believes the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic means a potential transfer is unrealistic.

"It is very unlikely that Messi will leave Barcelona, especially with the financial crisis in Europe," he said.

"Messi is the reference of the team and if I was Barcelona I would not let him leave in any case.

"Messi has a very intense relationship with Barcelona, I do not think he will stop being in love with the team. He's upset, of course, with how they were defeated in the Champions League.

"Messi needs his team-mates to help him, as they do, and Barcelona will have to think of something different for the next seasons. Letting your main player leave is not the solution."

Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro says there are 'no excuses' for his side to make after their Women's Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday night.

The Gunners fell behind early on in the quarter-final clash when Marie-Antoinette Katoto finished brilliantly from a corner, but were back on level terms when Beth Mead's curling shot found the bottom corner from range.

However, Signe Bruun netted a winner for the French side just 13 minutes from time as the match sharpness from their recent outings in the Coupe de France appeared to pay dividends. Arsenal, on the other hand, hadn't played a competitive game since February.

"Big-game intensities, big-game scenarios, big-game physicality can only be replicated in big games, so the more games you play, the more you are used to them," Montemurro said after the game.

"We haven’t had any, but it’s not an excuse. It’s what we were given in terms of preparation, that’s what we had, we made the best of the situation and so be it.

"I’m still proud of the players, the planning, the preparation, the ability to really give it everything they could under the circumstances. The staff have been brilliant. We did what we could with the circumstances we’re given and we’re not going to make excuses for that.

"They’re a powerful team, they have powerful players.

"Obviously, having the opportunity to play two or three important games did prepare them a little bit better. That’s the reality, but I make no excuses for that because the players, in patches, played some good football and we just needed a bit more continuity with that and to expose them a little bit more."

There were only 15 minutes on the clock when Katoto fired PSG ahead, amidst poor marking from the set-piece, a goal that got the Gunners off to the worst start possible.

Bruun's winner then also came from a poor defensive error in the closing stages. However, Montemurro refused to "point fingers" at any of his players.

"It always is [frustrating to concede from a set-piece], especially knowing the amount of work we do on set-pieces," he said.

"I don’t point any fingers for those things, they’re just moments in a game and we have to be better as a group.

"At this level, you’re going to make a couple of errors, and you’re going to get exposed. We made two errors, we got exposed. They opened us up a couple of other times, but also we had a chance with Kim Little in the first half and then a couple of others.

"I think they got into very dangerous positions and we knew that they would do that because they play with numbers up top. We had to be a little bit smarter in terms of when we did retain the ball and we didn’t do that in the second half especially."

The defeat means Arsenal will not compete in the Women's Champions League next season, having needed to win this competition to do so after finishing third once the Women's Super League standings were concluded on a points-per-game basis.

But he believes there were positives to take into the new season, which gets underway in just two weeks' time.

"We’re always motivated. We’re always motivated to be at the best levels. We’re always motivated to be at the highest level and I think this will stick in the memories for a lot of players.

"It’s a little bit fresh now and we need to review and be better.

"The motivation is there and I saw some very, very positive signs and some very, very positive things tonight."

Pitso Mosimane has praised youngster Promise Mkhuma following his first start for Mamelodi Sundowns against Maritzburg United.

‘Jingles’ believes the former MultiChoice Diski Challenge player is one for the future, saying that, although they had to throw into the deep end, the club need to manage him properly.

Mkhuma started in the Brazilians' 2-2 draw with the Team of Choice ahead of Themba Zwane, Tiyani Mabunda, and Sibusiso Vilakazi, where he troubled the hosts’ defence and nearly earned a penalty for the reigning Premier Soccer League champions.

“We need to manage him and give him time to come into the team and you can ask me how are we going to do that as we just threw him into the deep end, he can play,” Mosimane told Sundowns official website.

“We had to put him ahead of the bench and you saw who was on the bench and he repaid us, the boy is good and the future is bright.”

The 20-year-old former MDC skipper made his debut from the bench against Highlands Park in their 1-1 draw a week ago, but impressed the veteran tactician enough to earn a spot in the starting line-up against United.

Since the restart, Sundowns have drawn three games against Orlando Pirates, the Lions of the North and coach Eric Tinkler's team but have also suffered defeat to Cape Town City.

With the Brazilians having failed to regain the form they showed before the season was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the pressure is mounting on Mosimane’s men to bag a win against Golden Arrows on Monday.

The Telkom Knockout Cup champions trail log leaders Kaizer Chiefs by five points from 25 games, and their struggles have put Amakhosi at a firm advantage as far as the title race is concerned.

In addition, should coach Ernst Middendorp lead his troops to a victory over Stellenbosch on Sunday and Sundowns fail to beat Abafana Bes’thende at Dobsonville Stadium, their hopes of defending their title would be in tatters.

On the other hand, the two PSL giants are scheduled to face off on Thursday at Orlando Stadium in what is seen as a clash that will also have a major influence over who will be crowned as 2019/20 league champions.

Meanwhile, Masandawana will be without central defender Ricardo Nascimento who was red-carded against the KwaZulu-Natal outfit at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Hakeem Odoffin scored his first Hamilton Academical goal with a late winner in Saturday’s Scottish Premiership clash against Motherwell, in the process ending his wait to find the back of the net in Scotland’s elite division.

With the game heading for a goalless draw, the Anglo-Nigerian defender gave Brian Rice’s men maximum points in the Lanarkshire derby with his 84th-minute header.

The centre-back met Reegan Mimnaugh’s corner kick with a powerful header at the near post that proved unstoppable for goalkeeper Trevor Carson.

That made up for the defender’s early miss after passing up a great goalscoring opportunity two minutes earlier when he fluffed a corner from Mimnaugh at close range.

Hamilton came into the game on the back of three consecutive losses to start the 2020-21 campaign, however, victory over Stephen Robinson’s side brought that run to a halt as they moved off the foot of the log.

They were first to threaten after 12 minutes when Marios Ogkmpoe outjumped Carson as they contested a lobbed Declan Gallagher back pass and nodded towards goal. The striker, however, was unable to get enough power on his header as Gallagher got back to clear the danger.

After missing several scoring opportunities, Motherwell began to pose more of an attacking threat as the first half wore on, with Mark O'Hara seeing a drive deflect off Odoffin.

Zimbabwe international David Moyo was handed a place in Hamilton Academical’s starting line-up, nevertheless, he was substituted for Callum Smith in the 67th minute. Bevis Mugabi defender was on parade from start to finish for the hosts.

Rice and his men will be hoping to shrug off their disappointing defeat when they travel to Celtic on August 30. Before then, they host Glentoran in a Europe League tie on Thursday, while the Accies host Rangers on Saturday.

Odoffin joined the New Douglas Park giants from rivals Livingston for an undisclosed fee, penning a one-year contract.

Before moving to Scotland, the 22-year-old he had featured for Barnet, Eastleigh and Northampton Town before he was released on January 30, 2019.

Born to Nigerian parents in England, Odoffin is eligible to represent the Super Eagles at international level.

Former Ghana goalkeeper William Amamoo believes ex-Black Stars boss Milovan Rajevac does not rank among the best coaches to have led the national outfit despite his 2010 World Cup exploits.

Serbian coach Rajevac took charge of the Black Stars between 2008 and 2010, inspiring the side to a runners-up finish at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola and a quarter-final berth at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The World Cup feat remains the West Africans' best ever performance in three tournaments appearances at the global showpiece, and Africa's third-joint-best showing.

“Nobody in Ghana should think that Rajevac was one of our best coaches," Amamoo, who played under Rajevac in 2009, told Happy FM. "If you look at the players we had, even if Sellas Tetteh had handled the team we had, we would have gone far.

“The core of the team that had qualified were players who had played together from the junior ranks. That was the vision that [former Ghana president Jerry John] Rawlings and the then GFA had.

"So if we will be honest, the best ever Ghana team is the 2006 to 2010. So if Milovan had been very smart, this team could have gotten to the semi-finals."

After bursting onto the international scene in 2008, the former Vasalunds goalkeeper looked to be heading for a long career with the Black Stars until 2009, when he conceded four goals as a second-half substitute in a 4-3 defeat by Japan, a game which ended his association with the four-time African champions abruptly.

Rajevac left Ghana after the World Cup but has recently expressed a desire for a return to the Black Stars.

"Of course, I will be interested [if offered the opportunity to coach Ghana again]," the coach told Kumasi FM in June. "It will be very difficult to reject it because of my feelings for Ghanaians.

"Of course, Ghana is my second country, and the success I achieved there and how I felt cannot be compared to anything in this world.

"I still have many friends and am in touch with a lot of them.

"Everyone at the Ghana Football Association, the media, and my technical team contributed to my success, it was a collective success."

Ghana and Rajevac came close to becoming the most successful African country at a World Cup tournament when Asamoah Gyan missed a last-gasp penalty in the quarter-final defeat to Uruguay.

Kostas Tsimikas has set his sights on regular first-team action at Liverpool after making his first appearance for the club in Saturday’s 3-0 friendly win over Stuttgart.

The Greek full-back played 45 minutes of the pre-season clash in Austria, with goals from Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Rhian Brewster earning victory for the Premier league champions.

Speaking to the club’s website after the run-out, Tsimikas said: “I feel very good, I’m very happy I did my debut.

“Now I want to work more and to play more often in the league games. I want to be ready for everything.”

Tsimikas has only been at the club a matter of weeks following his £11.75 million ($15m) arrival from Olympiacos, but has quickly settled in after being made to feel welcome by his team-mates.

“The sessions have been really hard. But I have to try a lot to work hard and be ready,” added the 24-year-old, who will provide competition for first choice left-back Andy Robertson at Anfield this season.

“Every player made me a warm welcome. They helped me a lot to do my best on the pitch, to give everything. And all together we hope for the best.

“I want to start [the season], I’m looking forward to the new season. I hope we will do and achieve our goals.”

Saturday’s win came after a week-long training camp on the outskirts of Salzburg, as Jurgen Klopp’s side prepare for the defence of their Premier League title.

The Merseyside club face Salzburg on Tuesday before returning to England for the Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley next weekend.

“The friendly games are difficult. First of all we have to be fit, that’s why I tried to run a lot first of all; to show a good image and play hard. And the result is the most important [thing], even in the friendly games and the competitive games,” said Tsimikas.

“It was a good performance, we did what we do all these days in training. What the coach wants, we did on the pitch. We won.

“We’ll keep this and we want to be ready for the [Community Shield] final on the 29th.”

Ajara Nchout continued her impressive form in the current campaign after contributing an assist in Valerenga's 3-1 win over Lillestrom in a Norwegian Toppersien encounter on Saturday.

The Indomitable Lionesses star made her ninth appearance this season and has been influential in Valerenga's fine start to the campaign, scoring five goals in the previous eight outings.

Champions Lillestrom were aiming to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at Rasheedat Ajibade's Avaldsnes last week, while Valerenga sought to extend their unbeaten run to six successive matches. 

Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir broke the deadlock for the visitors following a superb assist from Synee Jensen on the half-hour mark.

A minute from half time, Jensen's shot was deflected to Nchout and she located Dejana Stefanovic, who eventually blasted home.

Valerenga did not relent in their bid to claim their first win at Lillestrom as they found another breakthrough when Sigurdardottir's long pass set up Rikke Madsen to score the third in the 70th minute.

However, the hosts only managed to secure a consolation when Emilie Haavi's cross into the box was headed in by Sophie Roman Haug at the death but not enough to rescue them from defeat.

Nchout, who played for the duration, has now scored five goals and provided an assist in nine appearances this season for Valerenga.

The result means Valerenga moved four points clear at the top of the log with 20 points from nine matches and will square up with Lyn Football in their next fixture on August 26.

Alice Ogebe opened her Polish Ekstraliga goal account with a quadruple for Sportis KKP Bydgoszcz as they thrashed Priscilla Hagan's ROW Rybnik 4-1 in Saturday's encounter.

The 25-year-old joined the Polish outfit from Spanish Primera Iberdrola side Real Betis in June and made a losing debut for Sportis after a 2-0 loss to Ernestina Abambila's Medyk Konin last week. 

Despite her false start, the Nigeria international banished the memories of the defeat to fire her side ahead with a long-range strike from the right edge of the box in the 16th minute.

Eight minutes from half time, Karolina Madja teed up the Nigerian to blast home for her brace and the visitors' second of the match.

Sportis continued from where they left off in the first half as Ogebe used her pace to outrun her marker and hit her hat-trick 14 minutes after the restart.

She went on to grab her fourth of the contest to wrap up the win with her 62nd-minute strike, despite Ghana's Hagan bagging a consolation goal for the hosts in injury time.
 
Ogebe, who played from start to finish, has now scored four goals in two matches for Sportis, while Hagan, who lasted the duration for Rybnik, has scored a goal in three matches.

The result means Sportis have secured six points from three matches to stand fourth on the log, while pointless Rybnik are 11th.

Ogebe's team will aim to extend the fine run when they welcome UKS SMS Łodz on August 29, while Hagan's side will seek to end their losing streak against Olimpia Szczecin a day later.