Looking for Soccer News?

Yanga SC defender Bakari Mwamnyeto has insisted they have not lost hope in their quest to clinch the Mainland Premier League title after their 0-0 draw against Namungo FC on Saturday.

The Jangwani giants went into the match at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa seeking a win so as to close the gap between them and table-toppers Simba SC but they could not break down the resilient Namungo side and the points were shared.

The draw ended Yanga’s two-match-winning run but Mwamnyeto, who was captaining the side in the absence of defender Lamine Moro, has told Goal the draw was a fair result considering the effort their rivals put in, and he maintained they are still in the race to win the title this season.

“It was a difficult game, we came with our own plans to win and take the three points but Namungo also came with their own plans and we have managed a point, which is not a bad result for us, we are happy with the point,” Mwamnyeto told Goal.

Asked whether the draw will affect their push for the title, the Taifa Star, who was signed from Coastal Union, said: “I don’t think so, we still have hope, we still have the chance to win the title, we have not lost hope, the league is a marathon and we will fight to the end.

“We have not lost against Namungo but we managed a draw and for me, I feel a draw is a fair result considering how our opponents fought in the match, we managed a point and must now focus on our next match.”

Namungo striker Reliant Lusajo said they are happy to pick up a draw against one of the best teams in the Tanzanian league.

“We all know Yanga is a strong team, and one of the best in the league, and picking a draw from them is a good result for us, we are happy and contented with the draw,” Lusajo told Goal.

Yanga were, however, denied a goal in the 73rd minute after striker Yacouba Songne headed in from a corner-kick, but the assistant referee controversially ruled it out despite replays suggesting it should have stood.

With the draw, Yanga will remain in second position with 58 points from the 28 matches they have played. The 27-time league champions have collected 16 wins, 10 draws, and two losses and have further scored 41 goals and conceded 17.

Reigning champions Simba lead the race with 61 points from 25 matches having won 19, drawn four, and lost two, scoring 58 goals and conceding 10.

Mamelodi Sundowns fans took to their social media platforms to express their disappointment after their team lost 2-0 to Al Ahly.

Masandawana were playing the defending Caf Champions League champions in the first leg of the quarter-finals at the We Al-Ahly Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night. 

However, Mohamed Taher and Salah Mohsen scored midway through the first half and right at the end of the match, respectively, to hand Pitso Mosimane's men a huge advantage ahead of the second leg next weekend.

The supporters of the PSL heavyweights were frustrated by the result but remained optimistic that their team can get the needed result in the second leg to advance to the last four.

Simba SC chairman Mohammed Dewji has stated they will fight using all means at their disposal to overturn the 4-0 defeat suffered against Kaizer Chiefs in the Caf Champions League on Saturday.

The Msimbazi giants went into the match at FNB Stadium with a good record from the group stage but Amakhosi used their home advantage well to win the first leg contest and put one leg in the semi-finals of the competition.

Goals from Samir Nurkovic (a brace), Erick Mathoho, and Leonardo Castro inspired Amakhosi to a well-deserved win which saw the Soweto giants maintain their unbeaten home record in this season's Champions League. 

But despite the humiliating defeat which will require Simba to beat Chiefs by a huge margin to advance, the Mainland Premier League champions' owner Dewji has maintained they have only lost the battle but the war will be fought in Tanzania, when the two sides meet in the return leg at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on May 22.

“We have lost the battle, but not the war,” Dewji wrote on his Twitter handle. “We will keep on fighting with our blood, sweat, and tears to live another day.”

Chiefs got off to the perfect start as they broke the deadlock through Mathoho, who marked his return to the starting line-up with a goal just six minutes into the match.

Nurkovic flicked a well-taken corner-kick from Bernard Parker and Mathoho headed past Simba goalkeeper Aishi Manula to hand Chiefs a 1-0 lead and it was his third goal in this season's Champions League.

Chief then doubled their lead four minutes after the half-hour mark as Frosler's delightful cross was headed home by Nurkovic, who netted his first goal in the Champions League, to hand Chiefs a 2-0 lead heading into the half-time break.

The Reds of Msimbazi looked to pull one back after the restart, but their defence looked shaky whenever the visitors were forced to defend against the likes of Lebogang Manyama, Nurkovic, and Castro.

Nurkovic pounced and scored with a brilliant volley to make it 3-0 to Chiefs after Simba defender Mohammed Husseini had mistakenly headed the ball into his path three minutes before the hour-mark, and it was soon 4-0 to Chiefs in the 63rd minute when Castro hit the back of the net with a diving header to extend the four-time PSL champions' lead.

Simba will now face a tall order to overturn the deficit when the two sides meet again in the return leg next weekend and keep their dream of winning the trophy this campaign alive.

Said Benrahma scored his first Premier League goal with a second-half stunner as West Ham United played a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, in the process ending his wait to find the back of the net in the English elite division.

Thanks to an assist from South Africa international Percy Tau, Welbeck had put the Seagulls ahead in the 84th minute, however, the Algerian who was introduced for Jarrod Bowen in the 64th minute ensured that the points were shared.

Ben White headed Vladimir Coufal’s cross out towards the edge of the area, where the 25-year-old had plenty of time to take a touch, before bending a beauty into the top corner of Robert Sanchez’s post.

That also proved to be his first-ever goal for West Ham United, in what was his 31st appearance for David Moyes’ team in all competitions.

In addition, the former Nice, Angers and Brentford man became the 12th Algerian to score in the history of the tournament.

Speaking to West Ham TV after the game, manager Moyes claimed his players gave their all against Graham Potter’s Seagulls, albeit, they did not make most of their scoring opportunities.

“It was very similar to the Everton game. I thought we controlled long periods of the game but we gave away a really, really bad goal – quite similar to the one we gave away against Everton – and from that we had to come back,” he said.

“It was probably our play in the final third where we didn’t do enough – we didn’t make a good enough final pass, or we didn’t make enough contact when we had a chance to score et cetera.

“Some moments weren’t good, and we gave up quite a lot of opportunities to make better chances.

“Getting a point [after falling behind] with six minutes to go was good and the players showed a lot of character to make sure that we earned it. A point might be really important – it could be.”

The result is a setback for the London based outfit in their quest to feature in next season’s Champions League. Currently, they are sixth in the log after garnering 59 points from 36 games in the 2020-21 campaign.

Benrahma would be eyeing his second Premier League goal when West Ham face West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday evening.

Jurgen Klopp is looking forward to having a number of options at centre-half next season, with Liverpool - who have been ravaged by injuries in that position - potentially having eight players at their disposal in 2021-22.

Further additions in that department are also being mooted, with RB Leipzig star Ibrahima Konate a player said to be in the Reds' sights ahead of the summer transfer window.

There is a purchase option on Ozan Kabak to consider, with the Turkey international looking to stay on at Anfield as part of a group that also includes Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Ben Davies, Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams and Sepp van den Berg.

What has been said?

Quizzed on how he will keep breakthrough stars such as Phillips, Kabak and Williams happy when everyone is fit, Klopp said: "The boys did incredibly well. 

"Ozan came in and played a super part for us. Unfortunately he is now injured. Nat now for weeks, Rhys in the start mainly in the Champions League because Nat was not on the list. Now they play together, did really well [in the 4-2 win over Manchester United]. I loved what they did. 

"This year created two proper careers, which is nice. Both will have a proper career, which is not written in stone when you are in the academy at any club. They have shown how good they are, and everything will be fine.

"Our new season will start in the summer, and it is not sure yet that the three guys [Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip] will start pre-season with us. The boys will be here, we will need the numbers of centre-halves, work on different things and then step by step hopefully we have the other guys back.

"Team selection is based on performance, on training and on games. The door is always open. I don’t get blind overnight, where I can’t see a good performance anymore. 

"It’s just nice how these boys have contributed. The concentration level they showed [against United] was immense, against this front four of United it is not easy. They were really well supported by our full-backs who led the line really well, a lot of talks. Rhys is a natural talker on the pitch, which helps, so I liked how we organised the last line."

The bigger picture

For now, Klopp is focused on trying to help Liverpool complete a late surge into the Premier League's top four - allowing Champions League qualification to be secured.

The Reds boss added on the impact continental football will have on his long-term plans: "It always has an impact, that’s clear. We try to be prepared for pretty much everything, from a scouting point of view, from a coach’s point of view. 

"I’m six years in. In the first year we didn’t really have a proper chance to qualify for the Champions League, but in all the others we qualified, and it was always the main target. That says something, that it’s really important for the club. 

"But this season had so many ups and downs, we should not just act like it’s happened. But it’s important, for the players it’s important, from a joy point of view. They want to play Champions League, and we have to use that. But we will not stop playing if we don’t qualify, and we will not buy eight players if we qualify. That’s not the difference. We have to do serious stuff, and we will see how that works out."

The German added, with Liverpool not the only superpower to be sweating on a ticket to Europe's top table: "Some other good teams are not in yet as well. Imagine a Champions League without Juventus! 

"It’s a tricky one. You have to deserve it, and then you are part of it. If not, then you are not."

Liverpool have three more games to take in this season, with an outing against relegated West Brom on Sunday set to be followed by a trip to Burnley and home date with Crystal Palace.

Further reading

Though there were no fans permitted at Saturday's derby between Roma and Lazio, the game was still a sellout.

How could that be? The answer comes in the form of Roma's "Inside the Derby" initiative, which saw 46,000 tickets sold for the match.

Roma sold their fans virtual tickets for €2, with all proceeds going to the club's Roma Cares charity. 

What was said?

"A sold-out Stadio Olimpico and a special choreography for the fans, by the fans," read a statement from Roma. "This is the exceptional result of the 'Inside the Derby' initiative launched by AS Roma for the derby on Saturday May 15.
 
"Throughout the week, the club has allowed its fans to actively participate in the choreography created in the Curva Sud. Thanks to the purchase of a virtual ticket, the proceeds of which were entirely donated to the Roma Cares charity foundation, Giallorossi fans were able to contribute to colouring a stadium that would otherwise be empty due to Covid-19 restrictions.
 
"No distance can dampen the love of the fans, however. Roma supporters enthusiastically embraced the initiative launched by the club. With 46,036 tickets sold, 'Inside the Derby' became the most successful virtual ticketing campaign among the five major European leagues.
 
"In this way, AS Roma wanted to reiterate its desire to support football that has the fans at heart."

What happened in the game?

Roma won the match 2-0 against their city rivals, thanks to goals on either side of the half from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pedro. 

The result saw Roma maintain their seventh-place position in Serie A, six points behind Lazio who are in sixth place.

Further reading

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo insists that Cristiano Ronaldo was happy to be substituted towards the end of Saturday's thrilling 3-2 victory over Inter. 

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the first half by converting a rebound from his own penalty after Samir Handanovic had saved the effort. 

But as the game neared its end he was withdrawn for Alvaro Morata, and he did not stick around to watch a gripping conclusion to the must-win game. 

What was said? 

"I think it was the first time he was happy to be subbed off," Pirlo told Sky Italia of the decision, the first time Ronaldo has been replaced in a Serie A game this term.

"We were one man down, and he'd have been chasing shadows. He was happy and smiling in the dressing room."

The bigger picture

In Ronaldo's absence Colombia international Juan Cuadrado stepped up to become Juve's hero in a match they had to win to keep alive their hopes of making the Champions League. 

The Colombian restored the hosts' lead at 2-1 after Romelu Lukaku cancelled out Ronaldo's opener from the penalty spot, and swooped again minutes from the end to make it 3-2 with the third penalty of the match, which he earned himself. 

That win puts Juve in fourth place, two points ahead of Napoli, although the southern Italians can move back into the last Champions League spot with victory over Fiorentina on Sunday. 

Then it will all come down to the final day next weekend, with Juve visiting Bologna and Napoli taking on Verona.

Pirlo's future

Pirlo has come under pressure in his debut season after seeing Juve's run of nine consecutive Scudetti come to an end as Inter regained the title. 

The club idol, though, insists he is not thinking beyond the end of the season. 

"I haven't thought about the future. I was only focused on today's game. We'll talk about the future later on," he added.

Further reading 

Paul Onuachu and Cyriel Dessers were the goalscorers as Genk silenced Anderlecht 2-1 in Saturday’s Belgian First Division A.

The Nigeria international scored in each half as the Blue-White brightened their chances of winning the Belgian elite division diadem.

Unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions, the Blue-White travelled to the Lotto Park to take on Vincent Kompany’s side also in the race to claim the domestic title.

Knowing that anything short of victory would spell doom for their aspirations, John van den Brom’s men began the encounter on a bright note.

Their determination paid off early as they took the lead in the 16th minute courtesy of red-hot Onuachu.

The 26-year-old forward slotted the ball into the empty after goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had fumbled a shit from Theo Bogonda.

However, the lead lasted for just fifteen minutes as Lukas Nmecha levelled matters for Vincent Kompany’s men.

Profiting from a defensive mishap by Genk’s defenders, Nmecha – who is eligible to represent Nigeria, England, and Germany at the international level – rifled the ball past a helpless goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt after he was teed up by Yari Verschaeren.

Onuachu almost restored his team’s lead in the 40th minute, but his effort was blocked by on-loan Chelsea defender Matt Miazga.

In the second half, both teams stepped up their game as they chased the crucial goal. Anderlecht had few chances to have taken the lead, albeit, their profligacy in front of goal cost them heavily.

After an impressive shift, Onuachu - who now boasts 33 goals from 37 games - was substituted for compatriot Dessers with fourteen minutes left to play.

In a twist of fate, it was Dessers who decided the game with his effort in the 86th minute thanks to an assist from Bogonda.

Despite a late rally from the hosts, they ended up on the losing side – a result that dented their hopes of winning the Belgian league for a record 36th time.

Unlike Onuachu and Dessers who were in action for Genk, Cote d’Ivoire prospect Eboue Kouassi was an unused substitute.

Even at this result, Van den Brom’s men are second in the log behind Club Brugge who take on Royal Antwerp on Sunday.

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane saw his team get the better of former club Mamelodi Sundowns with a 2-0 win in a Caf Champions League first leg quarter-final clash at the We Al-Ahly Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night.

The goals were scored midway through the first half and right at the end of the match by Mohamed Taher and Salah Mohsen respectively.

After the game had gotten off to an intense and high-tempo start, it was the South African side who had the first clear opening on goal and they were unlucky not to take the lead as Gift Motupa's powerful header bounced back off the upright, following an in-swinging cross from Aubrey Modiba in the 22nd minute.

Moments later Motupa was again close with a header, which this time flashed inches wide of the far post.

Having survived those two near misses, Al Ahly swiftly took the ball up field and scored on the counter as a long ball out to the left wing found Taher, who cut inside Thapelo Morena before unleashing a venous curling shot from the edge of the box which flew past Denis Onyango and in at the far post.

Sundowns weren't able to offer much in the way of a first half response - the only time they threatened on goal after that was when Morena skipped into the box and past a defender, only to be denied by goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy who rushed off his line very quickly to close down the angle.    

Masandawana started the second half with good purpose, although they were not able to create much in the way of goal scoring chances until the 59th minute when Mosa Lebusa drew a smart save from El Shenawy.

There were a few more chances soon after for Downs as Peter Shalulile sent a header wide in the 67th minute before Kermit Erasmus, on as a substitute for Gaston Sirino, was set up by Motupa but also had his shot saved by El Shenawy.

While the Brazilians didn’t do much to threaten the Al Ahly goal after that, a 1-0 away defeat still looked a fairly decent score ahead of next week’s return game in Pretoria.

But that unfortunately for the South Africans was not to be the case as they conceded a sucker second goal late in the game when Onyango misjudged a long, high cross from out on the right, which resulted in Mohsen sneaking in between the goalkeeper and Morena and nicking the ball before scoring in an empty net in the 89th minute.

Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar, Ghana midfielder Bernard Mensah, Algeria's Rachid Ghezzal and DR Congo's Fabrice N'Sakala have won the 2020-21 Turkish Super Lig title with Besiktas.

The Black Eagles came out victorious in the final day drama as they pipped second-placed Galatasaray to the top prize.

Although they are level on 84 points with Galatasaray after 40 matches, Sergen Yalcin's men have been crowned champions with a +1 goal difference.

They defeated Goztepe 2-1 in their last game of the season while the Lions hammered Yeni Malatyaspor 3-1.

In the first half of Saturday's game, Besiktas were held to a 1-1 draw before Ghezzal scored the match-winning goal in the 69th minute which sealed their 16th league crown and their first since the 2016-17 campaign.

Mensah was an unused substitute in the match while Aboubakar was not listed due to an injury.

Elsewhere at the Turk Telekom Stadium, goals from Halil Dervisoglu, Ryan Babel and Ogulcan Caglayan handed Galatasaray a 3-1 win over Yeni Malatyaspor. 

Egypt's Mostafa Mohamed came off the bench at the break while Nigeria's Oghenekaro Etebo and Algeria's Sofiane Feghouli watched on as unused substitutes.

They narrowly finished second as Mbwana Samatta’s Fenerbahce settled for third position after a 1-0 loss to Kayserispor. 

The Tanzania captain was introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute as the Yellow Canaries finished the season with 79 points. 

On an individual note, Gabon's Aaron Boupendza finished as the Super Lig's top scorer with 22 goals for Hatayspor and Senegal's Mame Diouf followed next with 19 goals for the same club.

Zinedine Zidane has told his Real Madrid squad that he will walk away from the club at the end of the 2020-21 season, Goal can confirm.

The Frenchman revealed his decision in the dressing room prior to last Sunday's 2-2 draw away to Sevilla in La Liga. 

It is the second time he has resigned from the post, having previously quit following Madrid's third consecutive Champions League triumph in 2018. 

Zidane to say goodbye 

Madrid take on Athletic Club on Sunday in La Liga and then conclude their season at home to Villarreal on May 23. 

Those will be Zidane's last two games in charge of the Blancos, having decided to cut short his second spell on the bench. 

Goal had previously reported that the squad believed he would not stay on for another season after Madrid's Champions League elimination at the hands of Chelsea at the semi-final stage. 

The coach's physical and mental fatigue have been mentioned as possible reasons for his stepping down, after he was drafted back into the hotseat in urgent circumstances towards the end of the 2018-19 campaign when both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari failed to match his results at the Madrid helm. 

Zidane's timing may nevertheless also stoke up rumours linking the Frenchman to a sensational return to Turin. 

A favourite at Juventus as a player, Zidane would be a dream candidate for the club should they dispense with Andrea Pirlo, although it is doubtful whether he would be prepared to jump back into coaching so soon after leaving the Spanish capital. 

Will he leave with another La Liga title? 

After falling at the penultimate stage in the Champions League, all eyes are on La Liga at Madrid. 

With two games left to play, Zidane's men are currently second, two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, with Barcelona a further two back in third. 

Madrid, however, hold what might prove to be a decisive advantage. In the case of a tie on points, Zidane's side have a superior head-to-head record against both their rivals, which would give them the edge. 

Further reading 

Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek has revealed that he made an offer for control of Arsenal that was turned down by club director Josh Kroenke. 

A possible takeover from Ek has been mooted since the Kroenkes came under fire in the wake of the Super League debacle. 

But it appears that the family is determined to retain control of the Gunners despite fan opposition to their continued presence at the Emirates Stadium. 

What has been said? 

"Inaccurate reports emerged today saying I have not made a bid for Arsenal Football Club," Ek wrote on his official Twitter account on Saturday.

"I think it's important to correct the record - this week an offer was made to both Josh Kroenke and their bankers that included fan ownership, representation at the board and a golden share for the supporter.

"They replied that they don’t need the money. I respect their decision but remain interested and available should that situation ever change."

The bigger picture 

Stan Kroenke first joined the Arsenal board of directors in 2008 with a minority stake in the club, and he continued to accumulate shares until becoming majority shareholder three years later, while in 2018 he bought out rival Alisher Usmanov to take full control. 

Kroenke and son Josh's administration of the Gunners has invited criticism from fans, though, with opposition peaking in April due to the club's inclusion and subsequent withdrawal from the Super League scheme. 

Public protests outside the Emirates called for the family to relinquish control, while Arsenal fan Ek heightened pressure on the family by using Twitter to confirm his interest in entering the club's management. 

But the Kroenkes are adamant they will not sell up, releasing a statement to that end at the end of April in which they assured they were "100 per cent committed" to Arsenal. 

Further reading 

Many Ghanaians were happy to see compatriot Daniel Amartey win the FA Cup with Leicester City on Saturday. 

In a cagey encounter, Youri Tielemans scored the lone goal as The Foxes secured a 1-0 triumph at Wembley. 

It was their first FA Cup in history. 

Amartey warmed the bench for the whole duration of the game but walked away with a winner's medal, making it his second title in England after winning the Premier League with the club in 2015-16.

The latest success comes three days after he was named in Ghana's 30-man squad for upcoming friendly internationals against Morocco and Cote d'Ivoire, his first call-up since 2018.

Below are the reactions on social media:
 

Leicester City's FA Cup hero Youri Tielemans saluted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for coming to his side's aid in the dying minutes of their 1-0 final victory over Chelsea. 

Tielemans had opened the scoring in the second half with a brilliant long-range goal, bringing the game to life after a staid opening 45 minutes. 

Just before the end Chelsea believed they had clawed one back through Wes Morgan's own goal, only for the technology to rule a marginal offside on former Fox Ben Chilwell. 

'Thank you VAR!' 

Interviewed after the final whistle by BT Sport, the Belgian did not forget to acknowledge his side's fortune in seeing that late goal chalked off. 

"Thank you VAR! Really, what an amazing thing that is!" Tielemans laughed when asked about the decision. 

"It's a tough decision but when you have to make it, you have to make it. Maybe it was tight but it was offside, and you have to give that call." 

A first for the Foxes

Saturday's triumph marked the first time in Leicester's history that they have won the world's oldest football competition, having previously finished runners-up on four occasions.

“It feels really good! It’s amazing! I am really glad to score the goal that helped the team to win the game," Tielemans added to the BBC.

"It was a really tight game. To score in the final ... what a goal that was! I am really happy for the team and the fans! The goal was really good!

"It is really special to have the fans in today. I hope everyone was safe. And the fans watching it from home, I hope they are proud of us. I am sure they are.

"It is emotional for Top (the nickname of owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha) and his family because they built this club towards glory. We will give everything for the men who built this club and its legacy.

"Something special started when they won the league, and we have just built it up and hopefully we can continue. We have a very important game on Tuesday. We will enjoy and celebrate and think about Tuesday later on!” 

Further reading 

Sunday’s Women’s Champions League final between Barcelona Femeni and Chelsea will see two of the most deserving sides face off in Gothenburg.

It is perhaps fitting that the Spanish outfit, overly dominant in the Primera Iberdrola, play Emma Hayes’ side that recently sealed back-to-back FA Women's Super League wins on Sunday, proving their own superiority in English football.

However, while Barcelona’s success seemed wholly straightforward — they have a 100 percent record from 26 games, scoring 128 and allowing a paltry five — the West London outfit’s WSL triumph was anything but.

Hayes’ troops had to battle with Manchester City right to the very end, before sealing successive titles in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Reading at Kingsmeadow on the final day.

Indeed, it seems equally gratifying that, having beaten England’s second-best side, Spain’s dominant force will face the team that overcame the Manchester outfit in the WSL.

Asisat Oshoala was instrumental in that quarter-final defeat of City, especially thriving in the ‘home’ fixture that took place in Monza, Italy. The Nigeria star not only opened the scoring after 35 minutes with a well-placed effort from the edge of the box, but she also then won the penalty for the second strike in the eventual 3-0 win.

That impressive first-leg win could have been higher had Barca been more clinical than the emphatic final score demonstrated.

Oshoala’s movement in dropping deep to drag away her marker was an intermittent theme during the game, and her clever positioning often befuddled the ‘away’ side’s backline.

Their dominant first-leg result meant the English outfit needed to score four unanswered goals or risk having to score five if the Spanish champions netted one.

Again, it was Oshoala who got the all-important away goal in Manchester to, more or less, guarantee progress to the semis.

A notable aspect of the West African’s strike in that encounter at the Academy Stadium was how she didn’t hide after a tough first-half in which she missed two presentable chances to equalise on the day. Rather than rue those misses and feel sorry for herself, she kept plugging away and tucked away into an open goal after the break to almost guarantee progress.

While she may have fired blanks in the semi-final encounters against Paris Saint-Germain, Oshoala’s four strikes in the competition better all but four players, including teammates Jennifer Hermoso and Lieke Martens.

After Lyon’s dominance of this competition in recent years — the French outfit won five straight titles from 2016 to 2020 — both sides are looking for their maiden Champions League crowns in Sweden.

After suffering back-to-back semi-final exits in 2019 and last year under the uncompromisingly forthright Hayes, the Chelsea boss is now one game away from taking her expensively assembled squad to the Holy Grail.

Even though the London side’s determination to claim the sought-after trophy is apparent, Oshoala and her teammates are looking to right the wrongs of their 2019 defeat by a then-unbeatable Lyon side.

“We played in the 2019 final, we lost and then we picked up corrections from there,” the Nigerian stated before Sunday’s decider “Come May 16, against Chelsea, I don't think we're going to make the same mistakes again, because we already learned from the past.

"We are a better team now than we were two years ago," she added. “I think it's going to be a very, very interesting one because both teams have top stars around the world. It's not going to be a boring match, I promise.”

Oshoala netted the consolation strike in that one-sided 4-1 loss two years ago and she may feel there’s unfinished business for herself and her teammates.

The obvious improvement in the Barca team has seen them blow away every obstacle domestically and now within 90 minutes of European elation.

Nigerians including former Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu have taken to social media to celebrate Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi after their FA Cup triumph with Leicester City. 

The Foxes defeated Premier League rivals Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday, thanks to Youri Tielemans' 63rd-minute strike. 

Iheanacho was in action for 67 minutes while Ndidi was solid in the middle of the park for the entire duration. 

Their title triumph has made their compatriots happy with many cheering for them during the Foxes' landmark win.

Azam FC needed a stoppage-time goal from captain Aggrey Morris to beat KMC FC 2-1 in a Mainland Premier League match at Azam Complex Stadium on Saturday.

The Ice-cream Makers took a deserved lead in the 11th minute when their top scorer Prince Dube scored the opener but KMC leveled matters in the 41st minute courtesy of Abdul Hillary.

With the game heading to a draw, Morris snatched the win in the three minutes of added time after he rose the highest to power home a corner kick and send the fans at Chamazi Stadium into a frenzy.

Azam came into the match sitting in third position in the 18-team table and they also knew second-placed Yanga SC had dropped points in the earlier match as they had settled to a 0-0 draw against Namungo FC, and so they went searching for the early goal against the visitors.

It took them only five minutes to test the KMC keeper as Dube combined well with Salum Abubakar, but the Zimbabwean striker hit a low-footed effort which was easily dealt with.

But in the 11th minute, Dube did not make any mistake as he received a through ball from Abubakar after a counter-attack, side-stepped one KMC defender before placing the ball to the right side of the net.

Azam continued to press for a second goal but KMC's defence remained tight at the back and in the 41st minute, they were level after Hillary powered home using his left leg to beat goalkeeper Mathias Kigonya all the way to the net.

The winning goal for Azam then arrived in the 93rd minute when captain Morris headed home a corner kick to help the Ice-cream Makers remain in contention for the title as they now have 57 points from 29 matches, one less than second-placed Yanga, and four fewer than table-toppers Simba SC.

In the earlier contest, Yanga suffered a blow in their quest to challenge for the title after playing to a 0-0 draw with Namungo at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa.

In another game played on Saturday, Mtibwa Sugar defeated Tanzania Prisons by a solitary goal to move 14th on the table with 31 points. The lone goal was scored by Salum Kihimbwa in the fifth minute.