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Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has warned his team to stay focused after they reached the Champions League final with a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Angel Di Maria was the star for the Ligue 1 outfit in the semi-final in Lisbon, with the Argentine scoring a goal and adding two assists in a comfortable win. 

The result means PSG have reached the Champions League final for the first time in club history, having fallen short against AC Milan 25 years ago in the team's only other semi-final appearance.

Silva, who is leaving PSG at season's end after more than 300 appearances in eight years, has cautioned against complacency as his side eye a final against either Bayern Munich or Lyon.

"It wasn't easy at all," Silva told RMC Sport. "There were some very difficult times. But today we deserved to be in the final. I am very proud of my team. We played fair. We are very strong up front. Each match we have the opportunity to score.

"It’s historic but it’s not the end! We have to rest for Sunday.

"I hope we all enjoy it together with the title. I came to PSG for that. Now we are in the final. It will be up to us. It will be very complicated for Bayern because Lyon are playing very well.

"I wanted to end my career at PSG. Now I am calm in my head. I am red and blue.

"This year we have regained our balance. We are more competitive. The team that will win this Champions League, everyone will remember."

PSG did not have first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas on Tuesday after the Costa Rican suffered a torn hamstring against Atalanta in the quarter-final. 

His understudy, Sergio Rico, enjoyed a comfortable evening against Leipzig and expressed his gratitude to be given a chance to play in such a big match, indicating he could play again in the final on Sunday.

"I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to play today, it rewards the daily work," Rico told RMC Sport. "I give everything in each training session, including helping Keylor Navas.

"I am proud of all the work done this season, I worked all year to take advantage of this moment.

"There are no words to describe how I feel. Everyone is happy, everyone deserves it when you see the work done this year.

"The superiority of PSG was total both in terms of possession and opportunities. PSG have been above Leipzig. With the intensity we put on it is difficult to pose problems for ourselves.

"I don't know how it will be for Sunday, we will see what state Keylor is in. But I am ready to play."

Dynamo Brest made an awe-inspiring Champions League debut after defeating FC Astana 6-3 in Tuesday’s game, with Senegalese striker Abdoulaye Diallo bagging two goals and an assist.

Having been crowned as the Belarusian champions for the 2019-20 season ahead of BATE Borisov, Sergey Kovalchuk’s men earned a berth to feature in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time against the Kazakhstan’s reigning kings.

Despite playing the first qualifying round without fans at the Regional Sport Complex Brestsky due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brest strolled past Astana in the nine-goal thriller.

Mikhail Gordeychuk handed them a 16th minute lead thanks to Diallo’s assist before Kiril Pechenin doubled the advantage a minute later.

In the 22nd minute, Pechenin turned provider for Gordeychuk who completed his brace. In the goal-laden first-half, Pavel Sedko made it four for the hosts. However, the visitors pulled one back through Marin Tomasov on the stroke of half-time.

Astana looked more adventurous in the second-half and were rewarded with a second goal through Dorin Rotariu in the 53rd minute courtesy of Tomasov’s assist.

That strike woke Kovalchuk’s team from their slumber as Diallo responded with his club’s fifth strike two minutes later – with the assist attributed to Ukrainian forward Artem Milevskiy.

The Kazakhstan team netted their third of the game courtesy of Abzal Beysebekov with three minutes left to play, while the Senegalese completed his brace in the 90th minute.

Just like Diallo, Cameroonian midfielder Gaby Kiki – who was cautioned in the 35th minute - was in action from start to finish.

With this result, the Belarusian giants have booked their place in the second qualifying round of the Champions League where they will square up against FC Connah's Quay Nomads or FK Sarajevo.

They will shift their attention to Friday's league game against Belshina and would be aiming to return to winning ways having lost 1-0 in their last outing against Shakhtyor. Currently, they are ninth in the log having accrued 29 points from 19 outings.

24-year-old Diallo joined Brest in 2020 on loan from Rukh Brest. He is eligible to represent the Teranga Lions at the senior level.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes the club deserves their place in the Champions League final after beating RB Leipzig 3-0 in their semi-final on Tuesday . 

Having finally banished their quarter-final demons against Atalanta last week in a dramatic 2-1 win , the Ligue 1 giants made light work of their German opponents with goals from Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria and Juan Bernat securing their spot in the decider. 

This will be PSG's first ever final in Europe's elite competition and comes after a record 110 games before finally making one. 

While the French club have enjoyed plenty of domestic success since a Qatari takeover in 2011, they have struggled to step up in the Champions League, with Al-Khelaifi savouring the fact their ultimate dream is on the cusp of becoming a reality. 

"It’s a historic night, the first time in the UCL final. Magnificent evening. The team had a perfect game against a difficult team. I am very proud, proud of my players, proud of my technical staff," Al-Khelaifi told RMC Sport . 

"We didn't want to go back to Paris, we wanted to stay in Lisbon.

"This is a dream. I hope it will continue! We deserve this. Tonight, I don't know what to say. It’s a wonderful evening for us.

"Since 2011 we have been at PSG, we have been close to our dream. We are there, we deserve, we want to go as far as possible. I am proud of everyone."

Thomas Tuchel's side will now face either Bayern Munich or Lyon in the final on Sunday night with the German manager ready for the biggest game of his career. 

"I will enjoy and watch this game tomorrow. With my players and my staff. We know that Bayern are the favorites, but it's football," Tuchel told RMC Sport .

"Obviously, that will be the biggest challenge of my career on Sunday. We are here to play a final and to win." 

PSG equalled a record also held by Real Madrid on Tuesday after scoring in 34 consecutive European matches - a run that now dates all the way back to 2016.

Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria was full of praise for his side after a dominant 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League semi-final Tuesday.

The Argentine put in a man-of-the-match display against the Germans, grabbing a goal and two assists as PSG reached the Champions League final for the first time in the club's history. 

After requiring a dramatic injury-time comeback against Atalanta in the quarter-final, it was a comfortable night for the Ligue 1 side at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

Di Maria was delighted with his side's performance as PSG will now await either Bayern Munich or Lyon in Sunday's final.

"We ate them up from minute one," Di Maria said in quotes published on the BBC. "It's going to be tough to sleep between now and the final.

"We worked hard all game and we showed we deserve to be here. It doesn't matter who we face, either Bayern or Lyon, we'll give our all.

"We're very happy. It's a first for the club. We worked hard and played a great game. We want to make history for the club. We succeeded tonight and we're in the final – that's very important. We have to continue like tonight to make our dream come true."

Prior to Tuesday night, PSG had only made the Champions League semi-final in the 1994-95 season, when they fell to AC Milan in the last four. Ahead of his team's first final, Di Maria underlined the importance of the momentous step in PSG's history.

"We are very happy. It must be said that the team had a great game," Di Maria told RMC Sport. "We have marked the history of the club. We're in the final, that's very important to us.

"We are the ones who made them look weak. We played at 100 per cent. Before the game, it was 50-50 but our start to the match was good.

"It's going to be hard to sleep tonight. We can clearly see that the French and German championships are at a good level.

"We are just one step away from making club history."

Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in Lisbon to reach their first ever Champions League final and remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple.

PSG needed two goals in stoppage time to overcome Atalanta in the last round but had far less trouble seeing off Atletico Madrid's conquerors Leipzig on Tuesday.

Angel Di Maria crossed for Marquinhos to power in the opener after 11 minutes and then profited from some sublime Neymar trickery to double his side's tally before half-time.

And the Argentinian also set up the third for Juan Bernat as PSG booked a place in Sunday's final against either Bayern Munich or Lyon, with that other semi-final to take place on Wednesday.

Neymar played a huge part in PSG's comeback against Atalanta and should have registered inside 355 seconds of this tie, only to hit the post when played clean through.

The French side were boosted by the return of Kylian Mbappe to their starting line-up and he had a half-volley correctly ruled out a minute later for a handball against Neymar.

However, Leipzig could not settle and Thomas Tuchel's side were in front soon after when Di Maria's wicked delivery was guided in from six yards by an unmarked Marquinhos.

Neymar again clipped the post from a free-kick but he brilliantly set up Di Maria for PSG's second with a cushioned flick after Peter Gulacsi's pass was intercepted.

Leipzig brought on Emil Forsberg and Patrik Schick at half-time and started the second half on top, but Bernat met Di Maria's cross to head past Gulacsi and kill things off. 

PSG had numerous chances to add a fourth in the remainder of the one-sided affair, with Mbappe squandering a good chance and then being denied by Gulacsi, who also produced a late double save to keep out Di Maria and Leandro Paredes.

What does it mean? Quadruple dream still alive for PSG

Nine years on from their Qatari takeover, PSG are now just one step away from winning the one trophy that has so far eluded them and the one they truly crave  - the Champions League.

Having won a domestic treble of Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Ligue 1, plus the Trophee des Champions, this is shaping up to be the most famous season in the club's history. 

Di Maria undoes Leipzig

PSG may have missed Mbappe for three-quarters of their tight tussle with Atalanta yet the absence of Di Maria in that one cannot be understated.

He returned from suspension here and played a part in all three goals, taking his assists tally to 27 in the competition since his debut in September 2007 - only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (32 each) have more.

Gulacsi gifts goal to PSG

PSG looked dominant but undoubtedly were helped by some sloppy play from their opponents, with no error more glaring than Gulacsi's hospital pass in the lead up to the second goal.

The Leipzig keeper pretty much played the ball straight to Paredes, who fizzed it into the path of Neymar to tee up Di Maria with a superb flick.

What's next?

PSG can now prepare for Sunday's showpiece final at this ground, where either German champions Bayern or domestic rivals Lyon await.

Belarusian side Minsk announced that Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva is no longer their player following the expiry of her contract in August.

The Minsk-based outfit have also parted ways with Chioma Wogu whose contract also ran out six months after she joined the club.

Headlining the departures is Oghiabekhva, who emerged as the Best Player of the Year 2019 after her exploits in the Belarusian top-flight.

Oghiabekhva's exit brought to an end her five-season tenure with Minsk, whom she helped to 13 titles, including the 2018 Baltic Cup, and scored 79 goals in 52 league appearances.

She also featured in the Champions League with Minsk for four consecutive seasons, scoring 16 goals in 17 appearances.
 
Also departing is Wogu, who scored four goals in eight matches for Minsk this season and contributed three assists.

In a statement by the club: "Nigerian footballers Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva and Chioma Wogu, have left Minsk.
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"Forward Oghiabekhva has played for Minsk since 2016. During this time, together with the team, she became the champion of Belarus four times, took the Cup and the Super Cup of Belarus four times, and also won the Baltic League in 2018. 

"In 2019, she was recognized as the best football player in the Belarusian championship. During 4 seasons of Minsk's performances in the UEFA Champions League, she scored 16 goals in 17 matches. 

"This is a performance record for the entire time of participation of Belarusian women's teams in the European arena. Wogu also played for the Nigerian women's national team.
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"Midfielder Wogu joined the team this season, having previously played for Nigeria and Nigerian club Rivers Angels FC.
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"We thank the girls who left the club for their contribution to the success of the team and wish them a bright future career."

Following their exits from Minsk, the Nigerian strikers are now free-agents and are expected to decide over their futures in the coming days.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has opened the door for Philippe Coutinho to play for the club next season. 

After a season on loan with Bayern Munich, Coutinho was tipped to be sold to the Premier League, with his agent Kia Joorabchian claiming his client is keen on a return to England.

Bartomeu, though, has said that the 28-year-old could be at Camp Nou next season if incoming head coach Ronald Koeman desires. 

"The head coach will make the decision," Bartomeu said when quizzed on Coutinho's future. "If he wants him to continue, next year he will play with us."

Coutinho scored two goals in Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich last week. Unfortunately, they were Bayern's seventh and eighth goals in an 8-2 demolition that has already led to head coach Quique Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal shown the door. 

The Blaugrana are in need of fresh faces on the playing squad, but Bartomeu has admitted that his team's financial situation will make it difficult to bring in new talent. 

"Barca has money," Bartomeu said. "The problem is the salary mass. We have salary limits based on income. Therefore, we must reduce the salary mass that the club has to be able to bring in new players." 

Bartomeu hinted that there would be a possible clear-out of some big names at the club to make room for fresh faces. 

"I do not want to speak ill of anyone and I want to praise the team, they have been winning titles for 12 years without pause," Bartomeu said. "It is time to start saying goodbye with all honors to some players."

Barca may need to sell players to raise funds for incoming transfers, but Bartomeu revealed a host of names in his squad that would not be for sale. 

"Who is non-transferable? Leo Messi. He knows it. He is the best player in the world," Bartomeu said. "I would also speak of [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen, [Frenkie] de Jong, [Clement] Lenglet, [Ousmane] Dembele and [Antoine] Griezmann."

Bartomeu also added teenage sensation Ansu Fati to that list, after revealing there have been offers for his team's 17-year-old star.

"Some players already know that they are not available," Bartomeu said. "We have received offers. Ansu Fati has a large market but we will not sell him. He is non-transferable."

Paris Saint-Germain have equalled a Real Madrid record as the Ligue 1 side continued their goalscoring ways in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final. 

After taking down Atalanta with a pair of late goals in their quarter-final clash, PSG were drawn against RB Leipzig, who also benefitted from a late goal in their triumph over Atletico Madrid.

PSG wasted little time in Tuesday's semi-final clash, scoring just 13 minutes in after creating several early chances.

After seeing Neymar fire the first chance of the game off the post, PSG took the lead from a set-piece via a goal from Marquinhos.

The Brazilian was on the end of a perfectly-placed free-kick from Angel Di Maria, allowing him an uncontested header from close range.

By burying that header, Marquinhos gave PSG an early lead while also sealing the club's spot in the record books. 

With the goal, PSG have now scored in 34 consecutive European matches, dating all the way back to 2016.

The Parisians haven't been held scoreless since they were taken down by Manchester City back in April of that year,  as they were eliminated from the Champions League quarter-finals behind a 1-0 loss.

Real Madrid are the only other club to ever score in 34 straight European matches, with the Spanish side doing so between 2011-2014 in the Champions League. 

That run kickstarted what ended up being a period of dominance for Real Madrid, who went on to win four Champions League titles in five years upon that streak's conclusion.

PSG have reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since the 1994-95 campaign when they were knocked out by AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate.

Only one of the previous seven French teams to reach the semi-finals has reached the final, with that one being Monaco in 2003-04.

PSG have never reached the finale of the competition and, if they do this season, they'll take on the winner of Bayern Munich's clash with fellow Ligue 1 side Lyon. 

Bayern are in the semi-final round after battering Barcelona 8-2, while Lyon have stunned Juventus and Manchester City in recent weeks to book their own place in the final four.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has made changes to the date and venue of its upcoming Ordinary Session of Congress.

Originally set to take place online via video conferencing technology Zoom on August 27, the meeting has now been rescheduled to take placein-person at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on September 1, following the lifting of conferencing restrictions by Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday.

At the meeting, there will be a review of the activity report for the 2019-20 football season which was prematurely ended because of the Covid-19 disruptions. The Ordinary Session of Congress officially closes out a football season to make way for a new term.

"The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), in the exercise of its powers under Article 31(2) of the GFA Statutes 2019, has fixed Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 9am in the forenoon as the date and time for the 26th Ordinary session of Congress. The event will take place at the GFA Technical Centre," the GFA announced via its official website on Tuesday.

"The Council took this decision at its meeting on Monday, August 17, 2020. The new date and venue replace what was earlier communicated.

"The 26th Ordinary Session of Congress was billed to take place on Thursday, August 27, 2020, via video conferencing but the decision has been overturned following the lifting of restrictions on the number of people who can attend conferences subject to the maintenance of social distancing by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, President of Ghana in his 15th Update on Measures Taken Against the Spread of Coronavirus.

"Congressmen and women and stakeholders have been duly informed of the changes."

The 2019-20 Ghana football season was initially temporarily halted in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

After three months of waiting without a significant improvement of the Covid-19 situation, the GFA permanently cancelled the term in June.

A new football campaign has been tentatively set to kick off in the second week of October, subject to approval by the Government of Ghana. 

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer was left unhappy following their 1-1 draw against Baroka in their 26th Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash at Ellis Park Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The Buccaneers manager, however, expressed delight in seeing his striker Tshegofatso Mabasa netting for the club but believes the goal scored by Evidence Makgopa for Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele was off-side.

Coming to the Limpopo club, coach Dylan Kerr said he welcomed the point against the Soweto giants but he was not happy either as they failed to capitalize on a number of set-pieces.

“Yeah, what’s important for me is the result, we have not managed to get three points and [we got] a point...I’m not happy about the result,” Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV.

“We have to control the game, yes it’s normal but in the final third, finding the moment, the right decision and at the right moment we are not calm, [we were] too stressed and then we don’t have the correct final pass or the final shot.

“And then we concede, maybe it was an offside goal. I think, but it’s football for me. But we have it in our own hands, we make too many chances but we didn’t penetrate the final third and that’s the reason we have one point out of three.

“Yeah, I’m happy with Mabasa's goal. First shot and first goal, he got self-confidence and we get counter-attack [after that] and we concede. It’s a problem, I’m happy for Mabasa but the result is not good for me.”

On his reaction as they still hunt their first three points since the restart of the current season, Kerr heaped praise on his troops for their gallant fight against the third-placed opponent.

“I’m happy, very happy with the performance, the boys dug deep and you get a lot of people saying you’re playing Orlando Pirates and they'll raise the game,” Kerr told SuperSport TV.

“You know...why don’t we do it from the offset? But that’s the standard we are doing in training. As I said before, we started with the mistakes they were going to cost us.

“Thami [Thamsanqa Masiya] is only a kid, he didn’t mean that. We got punished from it [mistake] that but we recovered and Thami went on to have a great game. I thought he was outstanding today.

“I thought all the players gave a good shift today and they should be disappointed because I think Pirates had only one shot really and to do that against Orlando Pirates team is very good for us.

“We had a couple of opportunities and we’ve got a couple of free-kick specialists but apparently when the confidence is low from not scoring, it’s hard to score in matches.

“But, yeah, obviously I’m away from home and a point against Orlando Pirates. I would have liked three, but it gives us confidence and to go to the big game with Chippa [United]. Hopefully, the result will go for us.”

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has insisted that star man Lionel Messi will end his career at Camp Nou as rumours of the Argentine's possible exit continue to swirl.

Following Barca's 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final last week, the Liga club has been plunged into crisis. 

Head coach Quique Setien and technical manager Eric Abidal have already departed, with Bartomeu confirming on Tuesday that Ronald Koeman will be named the club's next head coach.

All eyes are on Messi, however, as the superstar enters the final season of his contract at Barcelona amid talk that he could be ready to leave the club. 

Inter has been mooted as a possible destination for Messi, with Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti describing a move for the 33-year-old as "more than a dream."

Bartomeu, however, whose own future has been called into question despite announcing presidential elections will not take place until March 2021, has insisted that Messi is going nowhere.

“Messi wants to end his career at Barcelona," Bartomeu told Barca TV. "I regularly speak to him and his father. He’s part of our project. Koeman will be the new manager and he told me that Messi is a key player for our new project.

Though he said Messi will not be leaving, Bartomeu did reveal that plenty of other Barca stars could be sold as part of a clear-out, admitting that a cull should have possibly happened a year ago.

"The renovation will be as deep as necessary," Bartomeu said. "I decided to give this generation the opportunity for another year. Perhaps it was time to start the renovation last year."

Barca will have to sell if they are to raise the funds needed to buy at least one of two main targets: PSG star Neymar and Inter striker Lautaro Martinez.

Bartomeu, though, did not sound optimistic about the possibility of adding either player this summer. 

"Neymar back to Barcelona? PSG don’t want to sell him on this summer," the president said. "We’re not in talks for Lautaro Martinez right now, we stopped negotiations with Inter at the end of June. We’ll see what will happen."

National Super League side Shabana FC are mourning the death of their defender Evans Obutu.

The experienced defender succumbed to injuries sustained in a friendly match between Town Warriors and Patarion on Friday. However, the match was abandoned minutes prior to the break after a collision between the 33-year-old and the opponent's custodian.

He was then taken to Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital but there were no doctors to attend to him owing to the ongoing strike. Subsequently, he was rushed to Nyangena Hospital where he was treated and discharged, but the situation worsened on Sunday.

He died less than 24 hours later after a procedure owing to what was termed as intestine complications caused by the injury.

"We as the Shabana family are saddened to announce the death of one of our players Evans Obutu who plays in the defensive position," the Glamour Boys posted on their official Facebook page.

"The late Obutu succumbed [Monday] evening after an operation. 

"We urge calmness to the rest of our playing unit and players as we try to come to terms with the loss of our good defender. The remains of late Obutu are preserved at Nyangena Hospital Mortuary. 

"We shall miss you, Evans."

His coach Vincent Nyaberi has mourned the player saying it will not be easy to find his replacement.

"It is very sad to lose him at this time when we needed his services the most. We regret that it might take longer to get another player who can fill his position. Obutu was a utility player who could at times play as a midfielder," the former Thika United defender told Nation Sports.

The fallen defender started his footballing career in 2002 while in high school. He was signed by Posta Rangers in 2009 and stayed for seven years before he was sent to the Glamour Boys on loan. 

Obutu played a starring role for the Kisii-based side in 2018, and as a result, the team was promoted to the National Super League in 2018 after winning the promotion play-off against Coastal-based side Mwatate FC.  

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt hopes his players such as midfielder Cole Alexander and Rowan Human can get new clubs as they have been fantastic for his side.

The four-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) winner says the 31-year-old former SuperSport United and Polokwane City midfielder has been a vital cog for the club since the season was restarted a week ago.

On the other hand, Human was promoted from the MultiChoice Diki Challenge in January this year and he has also received praise from his manager for his contribution so far.

“Cole has been fantastic for us,” said Hunt to the media.

“He has been a fantastic asset to the team. Rowan has been twice as much. I just wish they would get clubs at the end of the season.

“They have been great in the two matches. Now I am just waiting for the next match.”

Since their 2019/20 season got underway with a clash against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, Alexander has been a key figure for the Braamfontein-based club and has delivered some stellar performances.

Apart from the fact they are yet to secure a win out of three league matches against Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, and Golden Arrows, Alexander was on target and bagged the Man of the Match award against coach Ernst Middendorp's troops.

Coming to the 19-year-old midfielder, Human has featured for the Students in eight league matches and two Nedbank and Caf Confederation Cup appearances, and is regarded as one of the stars for the future.

Meanwhile, a number of players in the Wits stable have been linked with moves away from the club just after the news that the club was sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).

Skipper Thulani Hlatshwayo, Sifiso Hlanti, and Buhle Mkhwanazi have reportedly been linked with moves to Orlando Pirates and Amakhosi.

In addition, the veteran manager recently expressed his opinion on Zimbabwean striker Terrence Dzvukamanja, saying he was baffled why he has not been snapped up yet.

With Alexander having played 30 matches across all competitions and netted two goals so far, he could attract the attention from PSL clubs and his future remains a subject of speculation.

Orlando Pirates were held to a 1-1 draw by a stubborn Baroka FC side in a PSL match which was played in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening. 

Coach Josef Zinnbauer was keen to ensure that the Buccaneers snapped their four-match winless run in the league after drawing with Bidvest Wits on Saturday.

Pirates were boosted by the return of Thembinkosi Lorch following disciplinary procedures, but he was named amongst the substitutes by Zinnbauer.

The German mentor's counterpart, Dylan Kerr, was looking to guide Bakgaga to a much-needed win with the relegation-threatened side having drawn 0-0 with AmaZulu FC on Saturday.

The English tactician kept his faith in young striker Evidence Makgopa, who had netted twice from three league matches in his debut season in the PSL.

Pirates were under pressure having failed to score in their last four league matches and Zinnbauer had opted for two strikers with Tshegofatso Mabasa and Frank Mhango.

The move paid off as Mabasa marked his return to Bucs' starting line-up with a goal which was his seventh of the season in the league, 16 minutes into the match.

The former Bloemfontein Celtic marksman pounced on a mistake by the visitors' defence, before beating Baroka goalkeeper Elvis Chipepeze with a low shot to make it 1-0 to Pirates.

Wayne Sandilands then became a very busy man in the Pirates goal as he produced two fantastic saves to deny Thamsanqa Masiya and Goodman Mosele.

However, the experienced goalkeeper was beaten 10 minutes before half-time when Makgopa scored from close-range from Masiya's low cross from the right-hand side.

The score was 1-1 at the interval after Chipezeze made a comfortable save from Vincent Pule's free-kick, before Gerald Phiri Jr's deflected effort was well saved by Sandilands in the closing stages of the first half. 

The reigning PSL Footballer of the Year Lorch and Nkanyiso Zungu were both introduced by Zinnbauer at the beginning of the second half. 

Chipezeze was the busier of the two keepers as he made a brilliant diving save from Thabiso Monyane's curling effort, before gathering Pule's long-range shot with ease.

Bakgaga suffered a blow when their influential defensive midfielder Kambala, who had done well to protect the visitors' defence, picked up an injury and he was replaced by Kulegani Madondo.

However, Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele continued to attack and they nearly grabbed a late winning goal in stoppage time when Masiya received the ball in the box, but he fired straight at Sandilands.

Ultimately, the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw and the result saw Pirates remain third on the league standings - three points behind second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, while Baroka remained 13th on the log.

Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has revealed that he snuck out of the team hotel to celebrate with supporters outside of Anfield after his side clinched the Premier League title.

The Reds clinched their first Premier League crown in June after Manchester City's 2-1 loss at Chelsea gave Lovren and Co. an unassailable lead atop the table. 

With seven games remaining, it was the earliest any side had ever won the Premier League title.

Following Chelsea's win, Liverpool held a party at their team hotel that lasted until around midnight. Despite team rules forbidding players from joining fans celebrating outside their home ground, Lovren was in the mood to keep the party going.

"I did something that I don't know if anybody knows about. You are the first person that knows," Lovren told Sport 24.

"After the game, a lot of all the fans went to the stadium, it was a big party.

"They told us, 'Guys don't even go to the stadium because you will have problems, we can't keep you safe.'

"I said to myself, the party was almost over, 'I don't want to go to sleep, it's too early, at midnight' and I said to myself, 'I will take the car and go to Anfield, just to experience this.'

"I drove myself there, I have a video, I put the mask on and I went there. My god, tens of thousands of people celebrating and I just wanted to feel this emotion because we didn't have a good celebration in the stadium — it was empty. 

"I needed to do it and I was really happy that I did it. It was a good experience."

When asked if anybody recognised him, Lovren said: "Maybe three people because I put my mask down to see my phone. In this second like four of them saw me but it was really good.

"I was alone, nobody else. I said to Adrian I was going and he said, 'No you're not going, you're lying'. I went and sent him some videos, he was like, 'No chance you did that.' He was so surprised."

After Liverpool's season came to a close, the 31-year-old Croatian left Liverpool to join Russian outfit Zenit for a fee in the region of €12 million (£11m/$14m).