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Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said their international friendly match against Cameroon is a chance to make changes to his side and see new players in action.

The three-time African champions are scheduled to play the Indomitable Lions at the Weiner-Neustadt Stadium in Vienna on June 4.

The game is planned to keep the Super Eagles in shape ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers which will begin in September.

With Samuel Chukwueze, Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Zaidu Sanusi ruled out through injury, Rohr is hoping to see new players - including Lorient's Terem Moffi and Slavia Prague's Peter Olayinka - make their case for future inclusions.

“This friendly against Cameroon is an interesting game because we are going to have some of the new players, since some of our regular players will not be available due to injuries, and it is not easy to have everybody at this period because it is also the offseason period,” Rohr told Caf website.

“It is a big test game and an opportunity to test the new players.

“Of course, we are not going to play for the result against Cameroon in Austria, but it's an opportunity to see our boys and see something different with our systems against a very good team that will host the next Afcon."

Nigeria recently defeated Cameroon 3-2 in the Round of 16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, after they stopped the Indomitable Lions from qualifying for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Rohr led the Super Eagles to the recent victories, however, he is looking forward to a different clash in Austria.

“It is true that we beat them in the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers and at the last Afcon in a very interesting game of the Round of 16, but this friendly is going to be different," he continued. 

"I’ve seen that they have a list of 28 players, but I’m hopeful all our players listed would be able to come for the match. I hope we are going to have a good weather in Vienna for this match."

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has revealed that he spoke with former United States president Barack Obama in a video call, to discuss the place and influence of young people in society.

The England international said it had been a "surreal" experience to talk with the 44th President, and said their topics of discussion had included the importance of reading and community work.

Rashford has become increasingly involved in social causes during the past two years, most notably in spearheading a drive to tackle child poverty and provide free school meals during the coronavirus pandemic.

What has been said?

Of getting the chance to talk to the former commander in chief, Rashford said: "It's quite surreal isn't it? I'm sitting in my kitchen in Manchester, speaking to President Obama, but immediately, he made me feel at ease.

"It wasn't long before I realised just how aligned our experiences as children were in shaping the men you see today - adversity, obstacles and all. I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. When President Obama speaks, all you want to do is listen."

Obama said: "A lot of the young people I meet - including Marcus - they're ahead of where I was when I was 23. They're already making changes and being positive forces in their communities."

Rashford's work outside of football

The 23-year-old has passionately supported campaigns to provide food for children in poverty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, having suffered similar circumstances when he was a child being raised by a single parent - a history he shares with former President Obama.

His work played a major part in leading to 1.7 million vulnerable children being supported by a £520m Government scheme and other projects have helped deliver 130m meals.

Rashford has also been involved in campaigning against online abuse and racism in football, something which he suffered following Manchester United's defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final this week.

He said he had been subjected to "at least 70 racial slurs" from various accounts after the game in Gdansk, which United lost 11-10 on penalties.

Further Reading

Antonio Rudiger has revealed how close he came to leaving Chelsea during the summer of 2020, with the German defender sparking talk of interest from Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.

Frank Lampard was at the Stamford Bridge helm during that transfer window, and a Blues legend had started to favour alternative options when filling centre-half berths.

Rudiger admits to having mulled over a push for the exits, but says discussions were never held with any suitors and he eventually worked his way back into favour before becoming a key man under Thomas Tuchel.

What has been said?

Asked by The Mirror on whether a move was ever on the cards, Rudiger said: "When you look back to the summer, there were points I wanted to leave.

"Because if you think about my age, what’s coming up this summer, the Euros and everything, I didn’t see myself in the squad for one month so my first thought was to leave.

"It was kind of close, there were serious talks but it didn’t happen.

"Then I stayed, I had a chat with Frank and then I was back in the squad. I got some game time and then towards the end of Lampard’s reign, I started to play a bit more.

"Then I said to myself: ‘OK, let’s see what happens'. Then my mindset was to work my way back, the change came and things went well and my relationship with Thomas Tuchel is normal and there’s a respect there which is how it should be.

"At the end of the day, the coach has his vision of football and how he wants us to perform and he backs it 1,000 per cent. You can see it on the sidelines. It’s like a tunnel vision, he has things in his mind and he wants us to perform like that."

The bigger picture

A new contract is now being mooted for Rudiger as he approaches the final 12 months of his current deal.

He has taken in 33 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions this season, with 24 of those coming under Tuchel.

One more outing is now being lined up, with the commanding 28-year-old hoping to figure prominently in plans for a Champions League final clash with Manchester City on Saturday.

Further reading

The Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli took to social media to share a clip of an attempt at goal that ended up hitting the crossbar on Tuesday.

The video went viral in a matter of hours and also caught the attention of his counterpart from the Indian football team, Sunil Chhetri.

Chhetri left a comment on the cricketer's video and within 24 hours got a response.

Kohli captioned his video "Accidental crossbar challenge" - a tweet which got retweeted thousands of times and gathered over 100000 likes.

He got many witty replies among which a fan suggested, "Igor (Stimac, Indian football team coach) should give him a call up." Another fan quipped, "Not better than Bigil (literally means 'whistle' - a Tamil-language sports action film)." Whereas a few exaggerated comparisons were made with football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in spirit of the game.

Leaving a hilarious comment on Kohli's video, Chhetri said, "'Saare coaching sessions ka ek hi invoice bheju, ya aasan kishton mein chukaoge, champ?' (Shall I send one invoice for all the coaching sessions, or would you like to make the payment via easy installments, champ?)"

Sure enough, Kohli responded, "'Yeah right skip. Aap Mauj lelo poori' (Yeah right skipper. You make fun of me)"

Manchester City and Chelsea are to lock horns in the final of the UEFA Champions League that will be held at the The Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal, on Saturday.

The Cityzens are looking to complete a treble after winning the Carabao Cup besides becoming the champions of England, while the Blues - after losing the FA Cup final to Leicester City - will be looking for glory in the premium European competition.

Here's how you can watch Manchester City vs Chelsea in India.
 

Contents

Where to watch or stream Man City vs Chelsea in India

The UEFA Champions League is telecast on Sony Pictures Sports Networks (SPSN) in India.

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Champions League Final Preview

The two teams last met in a Premier League tie where Thomas Tuchel's side emerged 2-1 victors over Pep Guardiola's men at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City ended their successful Premier League campaign with an emphatic 5-0 win over Everton at the Etihad where Sergio Aguero signed off in front of the City fans in his final league appearance with two goals from the bench in the second half.

Ilkay Gundogan was rested in the last game against Everton. The German has since confirmed that he is fit to face Chelsea and Guardiola will have a full squad at his disposal. The possibility of Aguero playing a part in the final, even if it should be from the bench, cannot be ruled out.

Despite a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on the final matchday in the domestic circuit, Chelsea secured Champions League football next season.

On the team news front, Tuchel will be hoping for influential midfielder N'Golo Kante to return to full fitness for the big game. The Frenchman was left out for the Blues' final Premier League game after being taken off in the FA Cup final against Leicester City in the preceding fixture.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who has as many as eight clean sheets to his name in the ongoing Champions League, had a nasty collition with the upright in the last game but has shown positive signs in training since as Kepa Arrizabalaga stands by.

Man City's Road to the Champions League Final

Manchester City was in Group C alongside FC Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille. Guardiola's team topped the group stage with 14 points. In the round of 16, they defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 on aggregate and then beat FC Porto in the quarterfinal 4-2 over two legs to reach the semi-finals.

Facing PSG in the semi-finals, City came out on top after a brilliant second-half performance that saw them seal a 2-1 away win in the first leg before finishing the job at home with a 2-0 result in their favour in order to make their first ever Champions League final.

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Chelsea's Road to the Champions League Final

Chelsea were in Group E alongside Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes. The Blues under then-coach Frank Lampard had topped the group stage with 14 points. In the round of 16, they defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate and then beat FC Porto in the quarterfinal 2-1 over two legs to reach the semi-finals.

As Tuchel took charge in the final four, Chelsea took home an away goal advantage against Real Madrid in the first leg before dispatching the Los Blancos 2-0 at the Stamford Bridge to enter the Champions League final for the third time in their history.

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Related links

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has insisted that Jack Grealish is "100 per cent fit" for Euro 2020 following Gareth Southgate's "overload" warning regarding his recent injury woes.

Grealish was enjoying another superb campaign at Villa before suffering a serious shin injury in February which forced him to spend the next two and a half months on the sidelines.

The 25-year-old was able to recover in time for the club's final four Premier League games, and has been named in Southgate's 33-man provisional squad for this summer's European Championships, but the England boss has expressed concern over the midfielder's durability.

Southgate on Grealish

Southgate said that Grealish's minutes will have to be managed carefully when explaining his selection at a press conference on Tuesday.

"I don’t see him as an injury doubt," said the Three Lions head coach. "I see a realistic view in terms of where can we get to from where he is in the space of two weeks, in terms of 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes?

"We risk breaking him. We can’t overload him, so we’ve got to manage that really correctly for his welfare, as well as for performance.”

What has Smith said?

Smith has now come out to try and reassure England supporters about Grealish's current condition as Southgate prepares to whittle his squad down to 26 next week.

“He is 100% fit,” said the Villa chief. “Firstly, we had to make sure he was ready to play for Aston Villa. We wouldn’t take a risk with only four games to go, with a player of Jack’s standing and quality, unless it was the right thing to do.

“We all believed it was the right thing to do – for him and for Aston Villa. Then once the season finished, if he gets picked, which hopefully he does, then it’s the right thing for England as well.

"If we felt there was any kind of future risk then we would have just shut him down for the rest of the season and he wouldn’t have had the chance to go to the Euros.”

Asked if there is any chance of Grealish's injury flaring up again, Smith added: “It can recur but we’re taking steps to make sure it doesn’t.

“It’s like a car: You have the springs on the car to help the balance and that’s what the muscles do in the calf. It helps protect the bone from the loading.

"We’ve just got to build up his muscles in that area – not the muscles that you see on the back because they’re obviously big enough but the smaller ones on the side.”

Grealish's record in 2020-21

Despite missing a large portion of the season through injury, Grealish was still able to contribute seven goals and 12 assists to Villa's cause in 27 outings across all competitions.

His stellar displays in the middle of the park helped Smith's side finish 11th in the Premier League, and he also earned his first five England caps, with his international debut coming in a 0-0 draw with Denmark in September.

Further reading

Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has expressed his frustration following their Uefa Europa League final defeat to Villarreal on Wednesday.

The Ivory Coast international was in action against his former club at the PGE Arena Gdansk but he was replaced in the 116th minute by Axel Tuanzebe.

After conceding a first-half goal, United fought back for an equaliser with Edinson Cavani finishing off an assist from Scott McTominay in the 55th minute.

With the score 1-1 at the end of extra-time, the encounter proceeded into penalty shoot-out with Villarreal winning 11-10 after goalkeeper David De Gea failed to put his shot past Geronimo Rulli.

Following the disappointing result, the Ivorian defender said they are going through tough times and he appreciated the club faithful for standing by the team.

“Frustrated by last night match. These are not easy times. Thanks to all the fans for your support in good times and bad,” Bailly wrote on Instagram.

“It's time to rest with the family and come back stronger.”

Although Bailly recently signed a new three-year deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2024, the 27-year-old has warned the club he might consider other options if he does not get adequate playing time.

“Competition is always good to improve,” he said. “I just say that I want to stay in case I get the chance to play. I don’t want to be a starter one game and a substitute for another five.

“If that happens I will have to look for another solution. The new contract is fine but if I don’t play I will be open to listen to other proposals.”

Bailly will shift his attention to international assignment with the Ivory Coast as they will play Burkina Faso in a friendly match on June 5 before travelling to Cape Coast for another game against Ghana on June 12.

Moses Simon provided an assist as Nantes secured a 2-1 victory over Toulouse in the first leg of the Ligue 1 relegation playoffs on Thursday night.

The 25-year-old was handed his 28th league appearance and made a critical impact to help his side brighten their chances of avoiding relegation at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

After ending the regular season in the 18th spot on the league table following 40 points from 38 games, they managed to avoid an automatic drop as they qualified for the relegation playoffs.

The Canaries were paired along with Toulouse that finished third in Ligue 2 to slug it out for the Ligue 1 ticket.

Nantes hit the ground running in the encounter, with Simon setting up Ludovic Blas to open the scoring in the 10th minute of the encounter.

Nine minutes later, Deiver Machado levelled proceedings for Toulouse after receiving an assist from Vakoun Issouf Bayo.

Randal Kolo Muani then handed the lead to Nantes in the 22nd minute when he pounced on a loose ball after Mali international Kalifa Coulibaly’s effort was parried by goalkeeper Maxime Dupe.

The strike proved crucial as it ensured Antoine Kombouare’s men secured a first-leg advantage ahead of the second leg.

The second half failed to produced goals despite attempts from both sides with the best chance falling the way of Coulibaly but was unable to find the back of the net.

Simon has now made 33 appearances in the French top-flight this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists.

The winger featured for 79 minutes before making way for Andrei Girotto, while his teammate Coulibaly was on parade for 65 minutes before he was replaced by Marcus Regis Coco.

Ghanaian Dennis Appiah, Cameroon’s Jean-Charles Castelletto and Mali’s Charles Traore lasted for the entirety of the game for the Canaries.

Simon will hope to deliver another impressive performance in the second leg of the encounter on Sunday.

The Super Eagles star has been with Nantes since the summer of 2019 when he teamed up with the side initially on loan before the deal was made permanent.

The fleet-footed winger will hope to help the Canaries avoid relegation by securing victory over Toulouse.

Raheem Sterling reckons Manchester City are unstoppable if they play at their best against Chelsea in Saturday’s Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola’s side are playing in the European showpiece for the first time in the club’s history having never got beyond the semi-finals before.

The England winger remains confident despite losing their last two matches to the Blues under Thomas Tuchel in the FA Cup semi-final and at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League.

What’s been said?

“The only thing that can stop us is ourselves if I am honest,” the 26-year-old said.

“It is a game where I expect a difficult test, but at the same time I expect us to pull through.

“I think the camp is pretty relaxed. Being in finals before with this football club, that only gives you that experience of going into a final.”

A change of luck

Sterling hopes City’s Champions League luck has changed after a litany of controversial decisions have cost them in previous seasons.

The England winger was correctly robbed of a last-minute winner against Tottenham by VAR in 2019 but Spurs' decisive strike stood despite looking like it had struck Fernando Llorente’s arm.

City were also on the wrong side of an incorrect offside decision in the exit to Liverpool the previous year, while the Lyon defeat was also mired in controversy but Sterling believes the fortune has been going their way this season.

“In the past we haven’t had the rub of the green and the luck that we needed,” he added. “There have been games that we should have won and certain circumstances we haven’t. That is football at the end of the day and why we keep going and love it.

“This year, we played well and also had the luck that we needed.”

The biggest call in City’s run was in the first leg victory over Borussia Dortmund when Jude Bellingham’s goal at the Etihad Stadium was ruled out for a foul despite appearing to tackle goalkeeper Ederson cleanly.

City were also awarded a penalty in the second leg after Emre Can’s handball with Pep Guardiola’s in danger of going out on away goal’s rule while Paris St-Germain were unhappy with red cards for Idrissa Gueye and Angel di Maria in both legs of their semi-final defeat.

Further reading:

'It's a UCL final, but it's just another game for me' - Mahrez

Pep’s Odyssey: City boss ends 10 years in UCL exile

Man City chief quizzed on Messi links

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend has revealed Eberechi Eze was in England’s provisional squad for the Euro 2020 before he suffered an injury.

Eze’s remarkable debut season in the Premier League came to an abrupt end last Wednesday when he ruptured his Achilles during a training session before their final game of the season against Liverpool last Sunday.

The Nigerian descent established himself in Roy Hodgson's team this season with a contribution of four goals and six assists in 34 league appearances.

Townsend narrated how the team reacted to Eze’s injury update – a day he described as a sad one.

“It was probably one of the saddest days of my career. At 11am the manager (Roy Hodgson) called us together and told us ‘it is his last season and I’ve decided to step aside’,” Townsend talkSPORT.

“So we were all down in the dumps going into training, then half an hour later, we are ten minutes before the end of the session, it was a light session, Eze has gone to turn and you heard a big pop.

“He fell to the floor. He thought somebody kicked him, we all thought somebody kicked him because it sounded like that, as he’s turned around and realised nobody was around him, the shock started to set in as you know what it is.

“The shock in his face when he ruptured his Achilles, it haunts me when I go to sleep at night thinking about this young player who’s probably my closest mate at the club since he’s joined, we’ve really helped each other, for him to have such a serious injury is really sad.”

The England international further disclosed that Eze received a text from England FA about his maiden invitation to the Three Lions, before Gareth Southgate released his 33-man provisional squad list on Tuesday.

“As soon as he got in the dressing room and turned on his phone there was a message from England to say he was in the provisional squad,” he said.

“That compounded his misery and a lot of us were in tears. It was a sad day.

“He’s had his surgery now and hopefully he’s on the mend and I know the player he is and character he is, he’s going to come back strong.”

Cruz Azul visits Santos Laguna on Thursday night in the first leg of the Liga MX final hoping to break a 24-year drought in which it has repeatedly squandered title opportunities.

In recent months, Cruz Azul has been a dominant force in Mexican competition, at one point claiming 12 consecutive domestic victories.

Behind the goalscoring exploits of star forward Jonathan Rodriguez, and the energy of important young play-off performer Santiago Gimenez, the club would like to continue its momentum by at least grabbing an away goal at the Corona Stadium.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream live online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (U.S.), the game can be watched live on Fox Sports 2. An online stream for the match will be available on the Fox Sports App and FoxSports.com.

Team news & rosters

Winger Brian Lozano is out for the season due to injury.

Predicted Santos Laguna starting XI: Acevedo, Orrantia, Doria, Caicedo, Monjaraz, Cervantes, Gorriaran, Valdes, Otero, Preciado, Aguirre.

Cruz Azul brings a healthy roster into the first leg, and manager Juan Reynoso is expected to start Gimenez in the attack after his semi-final heroics.

Predicted Cruz Azul starting XI: Corona, Escobar, Aguilar, Dominguez, Rivero, Baca, Fernandez, Romo, Pineda, Rodriguez, Gimenez.

Recent results & head-to-head

Last five results

Head-to-head

AmaZulu FC head coach Benni McCarthy slammed referee Siyabulela Qunta's officiating during their clash with Orlando Pirates on Thursday night.

Usuthu recorded their second successive defeat in the PSL when they succumbed to a 1-0 loss to the Buccaneers in a game which was played at Orlando Stadium. 

McCarthy feels that Qunta played a major role in his side's defeat which saw the KwaZulu-Natal giants remain second on the league standings with two games left.

"We got beaten by the referee, not by Orlando Pirates, listen if I'm under pressure about my job you do anything when your job is hanging by a thread," McCarthy told SuperSport TV. 

"So losing is part of football, I'm not bitter, I can take losing but when you lose in that manner, not against your opponent but the man in the middle, what is this, a joke?

"It's the first time I've seen this referee, how can the league even consider [him for] a game of this magnitude the team that wants to finish second is behind you," he continued. 

"No foothold in the game, not because we didn't get the three points, three points are gone, they take the game, they take the three points and it will add to their points [tally] but in this fashion?" he went on."

The former Cape Town City coach, who has been in charge of Usuthu since December 2020, also believes that the standard of refereeing in the PSL needs to improve.

"Come on, we expect the PSL to raise the standard, we're [up] there, teams are upping up their games but the officiating is diabolical and you can't say 'ah coaches always complain," he explained. 

"Today was just a joke and I wasn't going to do that because yeah I know you gonna get warnings, you gonna get fines that's fine, today I don't care because my team, now what do I have to say to my players?

"Because they didn't lose the game against the opponent, they lost to people that decide...you know you keep a clean game and you make sure you get the football that you deserve," he continued. 

"That's why these teams are number two and they are number four because you want to see good football but then the man in the middle spoils the game for everyone, come on and now I must say 'ok guys we go again.'

Usuthu will finish second if they win their last two games against Swallows FC and Maritzburg United and they would qualify for the Caf Champions League for the first time in the club's history. 

"We know what we have to do, we have two games more left, they are still four points behind us and that's not the fact of the matter. Today we missed an opportunity because we played a team that was under pressure," he added. 

"And if it wasn't for the help of the man in the middle it would have been completely a different game and that's my view and my view ain't gonna change."

Lyon sporting director Juninho had strong words for Memphis Depay, accusing the outgoing striker of wanting the entire team to revolve around him as if he were Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe.

The former Manchester United man was top scorer for Lyon in 2020-21, netting 21 times in Ligue 1 to finish behind only Mbappe as the division's most prolific player. 

But he will not be staying past this summer, with Barcelona widely tipped to snap up the Netherlands international on a free transfer. 

What was said? 

“Memphis Depay just wanted a team for himself,” the Brazilian explained to OLTV.

“It’s not a criticism, I had a good relationship with him. But on the other hand, the whole team had to revolve around him and that is very hard. Everyone should feel like they’re working the same.

“There are only four players in the world where you have to do everything for them: Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Mbappe. If you have one of them, then the team can revolve around them.

“Sorry, I think that Depay is strong, but he’s not at their level. And I think that he has to work harder without the ball.”

The bigger picture 

Depay landed in Lyon in January 2017 after failing to impress during one and a half seasons at United. 

He soon rediscovered his best form at the club, leading them to top-four finishes in three of his four full campaigns - in 2019-20 he missed a good part of the term with a cruciate ligament injury, and Lyon finished seventh when French league determined the season be cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In total Memphis played 176 times for Lyon in all competitions, scoring 75 goals. 

But the Dutchman declined to extend the four-and-a-half-year deal he signed back in 2017 and is now a free agent. 

A reunion with former Oranje coach Ronald Koeman now appears the most likely scenario for Depay, although recent reports suggest that he could change his mind should the trainer be sacked from his post over the post-season period.

Further reading

German side Bayer Leverkusen have pulled out of negotiations to sign Ghana starlet Abdul Fatawu Issahaku.

The 17-year-old, who plays for Ghana second tier side Steadfast, was on the verge of sealing a move to the Bundesliga outfit amid competing interest from Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Swiss side FC Basel, Goal reported on Tuesday.

According to news outlet Kicker on Thursday, the deal fell through on Wednesday after the German club grew unhappy by the attacker’s entourage who have been in the European country as guests of the club since Monday.

“Fatawu is a highly talented player and Bayer made a very good offer," says Michael Ruhnau, who put Bayer and Fatawu's agent in contact, "but I can understand those responsible for Bayer have refrained from the transfer because of Fatawus' advisor’s dubious and disrespectful behaviour.”

According to the report, Issahaku’s agent was in talks with another club, suspected to be Liverpool, despite having agreed to transfer the player to Leverkusen, and consequently cancelled a purported final meeting on Wednesday to wrap up the deal at the last hour.

Leverkusen suspect the cancellation was a move by the Ghanaians to buy themselves more time for a planned meeting with another interested club before making a final decision.

The Germans are also said to be unhappy by moves on the part of the player's team to “drive up the price” by linking the attacker to other clubs including Basel, Belgian side Anderlecht, Austrian fold Red Bull Salzburg, Ajax, Dortmund and Liverpool.

Issahaku is among Ghana’s most exciting young talents, with his stock rising drastically since the turn of the year.

The attacker, who can play anywhere across the forward line, captained Ghana to the Wafu B U17 Cup of Nations in January, from where he earned promotion to the Black Satellites for the Africa U20 Cup of Nations a month later.

At the tournament, the Steadfast prodigy scored two goals to help Ghana win the tournament, both strikes earning nomination for the Goal of the Tournament award. He was also named the Most Valuable Player at the championship in Tanzania.

There was more positive news to come for the youngster on his return from the competition as he was immediately drafted into Ghana’s senior squad for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe in March.

After training with the Black Stars, he was dropped to the B side for an international friendly fixture with Uzbekistan where he scored Ghana’s consolation in what ended in a 2-1 defeat.

Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer explained why the result was more important than the performance following the Soweto giants' win over AmaZulu FC on Thursday night.

The Buccaneers bounced back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Usuthu courtesy of Frank Mhango's second-half goal in PSL encounter which was played at Orlando Stadium.

The win boosted Pirates' ambitions of qualifying for next season's Caf Champions League as they are now four points behind second-placed AmaZulu and Bucs have a game in hand against TS Galaxy on Sunday.

"Yeah, I said before the game the result is important, not the performance, I have to say the performance was very well," Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV.

"In the first half we dominate the game, we lead the game, we have I don't know two chances to score, it's not easy against AmaZulu, they have a good quality in the team.

"They play very well in the front and in the defence, it's not easy to find the solution but we have in the first-half the chance," he continued. 

"In the second-half, today it was the set-piece that gave us the win and this is important for us. The result is important for us today, we come close now to the second or third place and this is important for us."

The German tactician pointed out that he did not interfere with who should take the free-kick which was converted by Mhango to hand Pirates the lead following a discussion with Kabelo Dlamini.

"No, what I said is 'give the feeling in the ball, give not too fast, take a target and it may be a goal' but it's luck. But we know when 'Gaba' [Mhango] has the chance he can score this, he makes really well," he added. 

"I think in the last ten to 15 minutes it's normal they come with all they can, it's not easy to defend, 'Mpontsi' [goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane] made a good game, it's his first game in a long time, he makes really a good game."

Zinnbauer was pleased with how Mpontshane performed between the sticks and he also praised Innocent Maela, Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Paseka Mako, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Man of the Match Ben Motshwari.

"But we shifting good, Ben, he closed the centre, Ntsiki [Nyauza] and Maela also played really good and Mako, Ndlovu makes a lot of work, it's important against this team, they made this victory good today.

"It's normal, it's an important game, it's not easy for us, we come closer to AmaZulu [on the log], we win the game we come closer, it's the emotion, it's fighting for three points, that's the reason today."

Pirates are set to travel to Mbombela Stadium where three points against Galaxy on Sunday will close the gap to second placed AmaZulu. 

Vahid Halilhodzic has named Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech and Inter Milan defender Achraf Hakimi in Morocco's 26-man squad for the friendly games against Ghana and Burkina Faso.

The North African country will host the Black Stars in Rabat on June 8 and then play Burkina Faso in the same city on June 12.

The national team camp will open on Sunday and Ziyech will be expected to join the rest of his Atlas Lions teammates immediately after the Uefa Champions League final against Manchester City on Saturday.

Belgium-born Ilias Chair, who scored eight goals in 45 Championship matches for Queens Park Rangers this season, is the only new player in Halilhodzic's selection while six players have been drawn up from Moroccan top-flight giants Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca.

The games are expected to get the Atlas Lions prepared for the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers which have been postponed to September.

Morocco are paired with Guinea, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in Group I.

Two months ago, they sealed their qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon without losing a match as they finished ahead of Mauritania, Burundi and Central African Republic in their group.

After the match on June 8, Ghana will play Ivory Coast in another friendly encounter scheduled in Cape Coast on June 12.

Full List.

Goalkeepers: Anas Zniti (Raja Casablanca); Monir El Kajoui (Hatayspor/Turkey); Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca); Yassine Bounou (Sevilla FC/Spain).

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan/Italy); Achraf Lazaar (Watford/England); Adam Masina (Watford/England); Ayoub El Amloud (Wydad Casablanca); Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton/England) Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid/Spain); Nayed Aguerd (Rennes/France); Samy Mmaee (Ferencvaros/Hungary); Sofian Chakla (Getafe/Spain).

Midfielders: Adel Taarabt (Benfica/Portugal); Aymen Barkok (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany); Ilyas Chair (Queens Park Rangers/ England); Selim Amallah (Standard Liege/Belgium); Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina/Italy; Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca).

Forwards: Achraf Bencharki (Zamalek/Egypt); Ayoub El Kaabi (Wydad Casablanca); Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea/England); Munir El Haddadi (Sevilla FC/Spain); Soufiane Rahimi (Raja Casablanca); Yousef En-Nesyri (Sevilla/Spain); Zakaria Aboukhlal (AZ Alkmaar/ Netherlands).

Kelechi Iheanacho and Victor Osimhen should link up to improve the Nigeria senior national team's attack, according to Ndubisi Chukunyere.

In the just-concluded 2020-21 campaign, Iheanacho scored 15 times for Leicester City in all competitions, while his Italy-based compatriot found the net on ten occasions for Napoli. 

Paul Onuachu, Peter Olayinka, Simeon Nwankwo and Terem Moffi were also in rich goalscoring form - which inspired their invitation for June’s international friendly versus Cameroon.

The presence of the sextet in the Eagles' fold for the Indomitable Lions fixture leaves coach Gernot Rohr with a big selection headache on who to pair upfront.

When asked about his preferred choice for three-time African champions, the former Nigeria international wants to see Iheanacho and Osimhen partnered, believing the pair “can wreck any Super Eagles foes”.

“First, I will go for Kelechi Iheanacho because at the moment, he is scoring week in, week out - and that is all that matters for a striker,” Chukunyere told Goal.

“Also, I would say Osimhen because of his style of play. Although he is not scoring goals consistently for Napoli but on a good day, he can wreck any Super Eagles foes when partnered with Iheanacho up front.

“No disrespect to other strikers who are also doing well at the moment, but personally, I think those two will give the Super Eagles the needed goals with their pace and thirst for goal.”

During his playing days, 41-year-old Chukunyere played just one game for the Super Eagles during a friendly match against Egypt in 2002.

To him, not playing more than one game for Nigeria remains his biggest regret as a footballer.

“Every Nigerian’s dream is to play for the Super Eagles. I don’t know what is obtainable now, then, it was a thing of pride wearing the green and white jersey,” he continued.

“Making my senior national team debut made me a proud son of Ajegunle – where I am from and my family.

“If I knew my knee injury would cost me bigger and greater opportunities, I would have taken care of my injury a long time ago.

“To date, I regret not having at least 15 caps for the Super Eagles.”

Chukunyere is the father of Destiny who represented Malta at the just-concluded 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest staged in Rotterdam.

Lazio have confirmed that head coach Simone Inzaghi has left the club ahead of a move to take over at Serie A rivals Inter.

Inzaghi is set to replace Antonio Conte at San Siro following the 51-year-old's decision to part company with the Nerazzurri on Wednesday.

Inzaghi's departure from Stadio Olimpico has now been formally announced, bringing an end to his five-year stint in charge.

What's been said?

Lazio have confirmed the news via an official statement on their website , which reads: "We respect the change of heart of a manager, and before that of a player, who for many years has tied his name to the Lazio family and the many Biancocelesti achievements."

Inzaghi's record at Lazio

Inzaghi succeeded Stefano Pioli in the Lazio hot seat back in 2016, with the club initially appointing the Italian on an interim basis before tying him down to a permanent contract.

The 45-year-old went on to oversee 242 matches across all competitions, recording 129 wins, 43 draws and 70 losses.

Lazio won three major trophies during Inzaghi's tenure, including the 2018-19 Coppa Italia, but finished their latest campaign down in sixth in the Serie A standings.

Inzaghi's next challenge

Goal has learned that Inzaghi will be in Milan on Friday to finalise his agreement with Inter, who won their first Serie A title in 11 years under Conte this term.

The outgoing Lazio manager was on the verge of penning a contract extension at Stadio Olimpico through to 2024 before receiving an offer from the Nerazzurri, having met with Lazio president Claudio Lotito in midweek.

Inzaghi will now be tasked with helping Inter try to retain the league title and progress to the latter stages of the Champions League, but it has been reported that a number of key players may have to be sold to raise funds amid the club's mounting financial crisis .

Further reading