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Zinedine Zidane has admitted that Chelsea were "superior" and "deserved to win" in their Champions League semi-final victory over Real Madrid, as the Frenchman saw his side crash out at the penultimate hurdle.

Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount ensured that Los Blancos fell short of a shot at a fourth European title under the World Cup winner, as they were outclassed at Stamford Bridge by the Blues.

The result means that Thomas Tuchel's side will face Manchester City in Istanbul later this month, while Madrid will attempt to muster a last-gasp defence of their crown in La Liga.

What has been said?

“They were superior, they deserved to win," Zidane told RMC Sport after Chelsea's 4-1 aggregate triumph. "They were more effective over the course of the match, they had a lot of chances too.

"Over the course of the two matches, they deserve the qualification. These are matches of a very high level, [and] we missed something tonight. It is not about organisation, even though in the duels it was difficult.

"But anyway I have said that, but I remain very proud of my players. The path they have achieved with the difficulties that we have experienced. We have to congratulate ourselves for getting here. We were one match away from the final. But tonight they were better.”

Zidane also played coy on whether this was his final Champions League game in charge of Madrid, adding: "I have not thought about anything, tonight it is just disappointment for everyone.

"Aside from that, we have four more matches in La Liga, we are going to rest and focus on that to go and get something."

The bigger picture

With their European exit confirmed, Madrid's only chance of silverware now remains achieving a successful defence of their title in La Liga.

They faltered in their first Copa del Rey game of the season, losing in extra-time to Alcoyano, and also lost to Athletic Club in their Supercopa de Espana semi-final.

Now, their lone hope is the league - but to win, they would require results to go against rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to give them a clean shot.

Further Reading

Mason Mount said Chelsea "should have scored five" against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final Wednesday but were let down by poor finishing in a victory he believes should have come much easier.

Despite creating abundant chances, it took until the 85th minute for the Blues to put the tie away, with Mount powering in a Christian Pulisic cross to secure a 2-0 (3-1 on aggregate) win. Chelsea took 15 shots, five of which hit the target, through a counterattacking approach that at times was lacking the proper finishing touch.

Still, Mount walked away proud of the rest of Chelsea's display, emphasising that "the most important thing is we won" en route to a European final date with Manchester City.

What has been said?

"It was a tough, tough game," Mount told BT Sport. "They're going to come and give it everything but we worked hard. We should've probably had about five! But the most important thing is we won tonight. We want to go into every game winning it.

"I can't put it into words. Great performance tonight.

"It was 1-0 but that really didn't matter because if they score, they were back in the game. To get that one late on, you can see by the celebrations, it was a massive goal for us and gave us breathing space in the last five minutes.

"We gave everything and we had that desire to win first half. We had a couple of opportunities where we won the ball and should've scored but we got the one late on and it's great."

Added captain Cesar Azpilicueta: "We have a fantastic squad, everybody pushes hard in training, to be together, to fight for everyone and to help each other. This is massive and we have created a strong group. We have plenty of things to fight for."

Werner breakthrough

Timo Werner has been heavily criticised this year for not finishing his scoring opportunities, so his team-mates were thrilled when he netted the opener.

"I said to Timo: 'It must've felt like an eternity for the ball to drop down!' We're all buzzing for him," recalled Mount.

Manchester City awaits

Chelsea will meet Manchester City in an all-English final on May 29. It will be their fourth clash of the campaign, as they played one another in the FA Cup semi-final in addition to two Premier League contests.

"It's a Champions League final!" Azpilicueta said. "We have played them lots of times but it's the Champions League final. We believe in ourselves, we know we have to work hard but we are ready for it."

"We haven't won anything yet. Hopefully we've got two massive cup finals and hopefully we can win."

Further reading

Cameroon forward Christian Bassogog rescued a point for Shanghai Shenhua with his stoppage-time strike in their 1-1 draw with Shanghai Port in a Chinese Super League match on Wednesday.

After replacing South Korea’s Kim Shin-Wook in the 57th minute, Bassogog scored a penalty in the 92nd minute to cancel out Aaron Mooy's opener for the visitors at Suzhou City Sports Centre.

Wednesday’s strike was the 25-year-old’s second goal after three appearances in the Chinese top-flight and it also helped Choi Kang-Hee’s men maintain their unbeaten start to the 2021 season (two wins and a draw).

Gabon's Alexander N'Doumbou was the other African player present at the Suzhou City Sports Centre but he was an unused substitute for Shanghai Shenhua.

Bassogog only moved to Shanghai in February on a permanent deal from rivals Henan Songshan Longmen, following the departures of Nigerian duo Odion Ighalo and Obafemi Martins from Choi Kang-Hee's team earlier this year.

The 25-year-old is not new to Chinese football and he has been plying his trade in the Asian country since 2017 after he left Danish club AaB.

Having equalled the two goals he scored in eight league matches last season, Bassogog will be focused on surpassing his best scoring record in the Super League when he scored 10 goals in 24 games in 2017.

Shanghai Shenhua are second in the league table, level on seven points with leaders Shanghai Port and third-placed Hebei after three outings.

The Flower of Shanghai will be aiming to stretch their unbeaten run and also grab maximum points when they face Hebei at the Jiangyin Sports Park Stadium for their next Super League fixture on May 10.

Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as Frank Lampard’s successor has been described as ‘the best managerial decision this season’ after Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in the second leg of their Uefa Champions League semi-final match.

Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount in each half of Wednesday’s encounter were enough for the hosts to grab a 3-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid.

The Blues will tackle Premier League rivals Manchester City in the final scheduled for the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on May 29 and they are also in contention for the FA Cup as they will face Southampton in the final on May 15.

Tuchel's impact at Stamford Bridge has been impressive so far and fans seems to have understood the club's decision to show former captain Lampard the exit door after a poor run of results in January.

Thomas Tuchel has become the first manager to reach the European Cup or Champions League final in successive seasons with different clubs.

Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday in their semi-final second leg, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the final alongside Manchester City. 

Tuchel led PSG to last year's Champions League final, seeing his side fall 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

What was said?

When BT Sport posited that Tuchel must be doing something right to have achieved such a feat, the manager said with a laugh: "Or not because it's not the same club! It depends who you ask."

Tuchel added: "I'm very happy that we've achieved this. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to live my life in football and this passion as a profession.

"So grateful to do it on this level and to get to another final, I'm very grateful for that."

Managerial change pays off again for Chelsea

Chelsea have now reached their third Champions League final and in all three seasons they have done so, they sacked their manager mid-season.

In 2007-08, Jose Mourinho left the club and was replaced by Avram Grant, who helped Chelsea to the European showpiece. The Blues fell in penalties against Manchester United that season.

The Blues also reached the 2011-12 final under a new boss, with Andre Villas-Boas sacked mid-season and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to victory over Bayern Munich in the final. 

History has now repeated itself after Tuchel took over for Frank Lampard in January. The German has led Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League finals and has the club on course for a top-four finish in the Premier League as well. 

Managerial change hasn't only helped Chelsea in the Champions League though, as six of the club's last seven European finals have come after sacking their head coach during the season. Only in 2018-19, when Maurizio Sarri won the Europa League with the Blues, has a mid-season change not been made.

Tuchel solidifies Chelsea's defence

Much of Tuchel's success at Stamford Bridge stems from his ability to strengthen his side's back line. 

Chelsea kept just 26 clean sheets in 84 games under Frank Lampard – managing the feat 31 per cent of the time. Under Tuchel, the Blues have kept 18 clean sheets in 24 matches – 75% of the time. 

Further reading

Football fans are buzzing on social media after Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's saves against Real Madrid in the Uefa Champions League semi-final encounter. 

The Senegalese produced stunning displays to stop Zinedine Zidane's men from finding the back of the net on Wednesday as the Blues secured a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Earlier in the encounter, Mendy stopped Luka Modric from opening the scoring before his eye-catching leap to parry Karim Benzema's header. 

Timo Werner's 28th-minute goal put Chelsea ahead while Mason Mount doubled the lead as they progressed into the final with a 3-1 win but fans were pleased by Mendy's display.

Former Sporting Charleroi manager Mario Notaro has thrown his weight behind Victor Osimhen to reach the peak of his career.

The 22-year-old burst into the limelight at the 2015 U17 World Cup, where he starred for Nigeria in the tournament and has not looked back since the fine showings.

He featured for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga before moving initially on loan to Sporting Charleroi and after delivering convincing showings he was handed a permanent deal, where he had an opportunity to work with Notaro.

The centre-forward moved to Lille and starred in Ligue 1 which saw him join Napoli in a club-record fee last summer but the forward is yet to fully settle in at Stadio San Paolo due to injuries and coronavirus-related problems.

Notaro, however, is convinced the attacker, who has eight goals and two assists in 20 league games this season, has all it takes to become a superstar.

"I must say that you could already see he was very strong, Napoli has taken on a striker who will assert himself a lot,” Notaro told Radio Kiss Kiss.

"I am convinced that he will become a top player in the world. He is truly extraordinary and has incredible quality, it is no coincidence that he is showing what he is capable of doing. "

Osimhen will hope to deliver another convincing performance when Napoli square off against Spezia in their next league game on Saturday.

The Parthenopeans are currently fifth on the Serie A table after gathering 67 points from 34 games this season.

Osimhen will be expected to help Gennaro Gattuso’s men secure a place in the Champions League next campaign.

The centre-forward remains a key member of the Nigeria national team and recently helped the Super Eagles qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, bagging five goals in the qualifiers.

Osimhen has made 12 appearances for the three-time African champions since his senior debut in 2017 against Togo.

He will be expected to play a key role for Gernot Roht in the World Cup qualifying campaign starting in June.

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has urged Fulham forward Ademola Lookman to strive for consistency.

The 23-year-old started his senior career with Charlton Athletic before joining the Goodison Park outfit in 2017 and went on to spend two seasons with the Premier League club.

The forward was, however, unable to establish himself with the Toffees, and in an effort to enjoy more game time he moved permanently to Germany, joining RB Leipzig.

The winger has made more than 15 appearances for the Red Bulls before moving on loan to Fulham last summer and has been in fine form.

Lookman has bagged four breathtaking goals and provided four assists in 30 Premier League games for the Cottagers this season.

Osman, however, believed the winger must be more consistent with his performances to boost his chances of being considered by top European clubs. 

"When he joined Everton he was young and raw, his ability is unquestionable. He has such skill," Osman said on Premier League Productions.

"What he has lacked up until this point is consistency, I think you've started to see that more and more in his time this season at Fulham - he's started to get more end product.

"That's a chance that that club will take. Will they feel they can get more consistency out of him because if they can, then he's certainly a player that you want in your squad.

"He's somebody that can unlock the door of the opposition and they are quite hard to find."

Lookman will be expected to feature for the Craven Cottage outfit when they take on Burnley in their next league game on May 10.

The forward will hope to help his side end their miserable run of form in the encounter, having failed to win their last six games.

The unimpressive performances have seen them continue to struggle in the relegation zone after gathering only 27 points from 34 games.

Lookman remains eligible to represent the Nigeria national team, despite previously playing for England at youth level.

The forward will, however, be expected to heed Osman’s advice to boost his chances of getting a call-up for the three-time African champions.

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) head coach Dylan Kerr is not sure whether former Kaizer Chiefs attacking midfielder George Lebese is part of the club. 

The 32-year-old player joined the Limpopo-based club on a short-term deal last month following a spell with United States of America (USA) side Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC . 

Lebese has been busy working on his fitness as he looked to help Vhadau Vha Damani avoid relegation from the PSL in the current campaign. 

Kerr has now revealed that the left-footed player has stopped training with TTM ahead of the team's Nedbank Cup final clash against Chippa United on Saturday.

“As far as I know George is no longer with us due to his work visa,” Kerr told the media. 

“We can’t get a clearance for him. So I think George agreed… I don t know because I have not seen him. I think George has gone home.

"I don’t know if he is still part of TTM but I can understand his frustrations. When he came he was way off his best, he was risking serious injuries if we had played him in a competitive match."

Lebese announced his departure from Colorado Springs in March 2021 having terminated his contract with the club after he could not rejoin his teammates in the USA because of Covid-19 travel restrictions .

However, Kerr, who recently received his South African work permit as Tshakhuma head coach, has disclosed that the former Bafana Bafana international is still contracted to Colorado Springs.

“Because he had not been training, he had not been playing since November so it was a long way from the rest of the squad," he explained. 

"We tried very hard to get his work visa but unfortunately the legality of it… In America, he was already contracted to that club.

"He wasn’t really a free agent so we couldn’t really sign him. The last time I spoke to him was last week Friday and he hinted to me that he was going home." 

Lebese scored twice in 16 matches for Colorado Springs in the USL Championship during the 2020 season.

He is an accomplished player having won two PSL titles with Chiefs before moving to Sundowns where he won one league trophy. 

Bulgaria-based Ghana attacker Bernard Tekpetey has stated he will not be surprised to earn a recall to national team duty.

The forward has not played for the Black Stars since gatecrashing the squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournament after a breakthrough at Bundesliga side Schalke 04.

He currently plays for Ludogorets on loan from The Royals.

"Of course, since I have played for the national team already, I will not be surprised [to be invited again]," Tekpetey told Wontumi FM.

"I am trying to do my best with my club and once the scouting and coaching team are there, if they monitor me and realise my performance is good and I am invited, I will be really glad about it to come and represent the nation once again.

“It is all about prayers and hard work and that is what I am doing over here, so if they realise I am doing well and I am invited, I will be really happy to be back again into the national team."

Tekpetey has enjoyed a successful season in Bulgaria as the club has already clinched the Bulgarian league title, with four games to spare.

The 23-year-old has so far made 23 league appearances involving 15 starts. His only goal came in a 1-0 victory over CSKA Sofia in February.

“I will give thanks to God because through him things have been successful for me,' he said.

"When I arrived at the club, things weren’t easy but God being so good we have won the league although we have about four games to finish the season.

“I’m really excited to be part of this, it wasn’t easy but I’m really excited in this moment.

"I can be proud of myself because together with my teammates we have been able to make it."

Tekpetey, whose last outing for Ghana at any level was with the U23 side in 2019, is one of two Ghanaians at Ludogorets, the other being Dutch-born Elvis Manu.

Black Stars coach CK Akonnor is expected to name his squad for June's 2022 World Cup qualifying double-header against Ethiopia and South Africa later this month. 

Tusker head coach Robert Matano has maintained their Football Kenya Federation Premier League focus and fighting spirit remains despite the recently lifted suspension.

Tusker were in good form before the Premier League was stopped in March and Matano believes the players will not find it hard to pick up from where they left from.

“Every team is affected and it is not just us,” said Matano according to the club’s portal.

“According to me though my team is okay because at least we have the players training at home and they have been doing the program really well. When we go back, we will have the same focus, the same determination and the same spirit.

“We have the same group together and it is not like the beginning of the season when we had to start from scratch. I am looking forward to starting training and ensure that we remain focused to achieve our goals.”

The former Ulinzi Stars coach lauded the government’s move to open up the sports space as it is where the players and other stakeholders get their daily bread.

“We are very happy and we want to thank the president for the decision he has made,” concluded Matano.

“We say thank you to him because football is our life as players and coaches. We depend on football and when there is no football, there is no life. We are happy to be going back and I now urge the federation and ministry of sports to chart the way forward to allow us to get back into training.”

Meanwhile, Michael Madoya has discussed his dream of winning silverware with the Rauraka club.

“I have won individual trophies during my time at Zoo and now what remains is winning the league title,” the midfielder told Tusker’s website.

“This is what I am working on now and dreaming of currently at Tusker. I believe if we win something as a team, I will have achieved a great feat and added a trophy to my cabinet.”

“So far so good at Tusker since I arrived. We have not won anything yet but this season, I can see we are doing good and I remain very optimistic that at the end of the season we will get something.”

Tusker will play second-placed KCB on May 14.

The qualifying tournament draw for the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations will be conducted on Monday, May 10, 2021, in Cairo, Goal can exclusively report.

The 12th edition of the showpiece is now billed to take place in Morocco in the 2022 summer following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Goal learnt that a record total of 44 nations entered the 2022 Awcon qualifiers - 20 more than the teams that entered for preliminaries for of the 2018 edition in Ghana.

It also accounts for 75 percent of the national teams in Africa, which reflects the huge impact of Caf's women's football strategy and Fifa's women's football support to member associations.  

While hosts Morocco are automatically guaranteed a place in the biennial competition, the 44 teams will slug it out for the 11 places in the qualifying series for the continental showpiece. 

Heading into Monday's draw, holders Nigeria along with Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, Algeria, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire are expected to be drawn byes. 

In related news, the draw of the African qualifying race for the 2022 U20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica will be held on the same day.

Goal also understands 40 countries will be fighting for the two slots in the U20 qualifiers, 11 more than the teams involved in the cancelled 2020 edition.

In the U17 qualifying series, 29 teams will compete for the three spots for the U17 Women's World Cup scheduled for India next year. Nine more than those involved in the scrapped 2020 event.

The draws for the 2022 Awcon, 2022 U17 WCC and U20 WWC qualifiers will be supervised by Khaled Nassar, Head of Caf Competitions at the Caf headquarters in Egypt on Monday.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has estimated Themba Zwane will be out between a week and 10 days following a hamstring injury sustained during Wednesday’s Premier Soccer League game against Maritzburg United at Loftus Versfeld.

Zwane was involved in the match for just 12 minutes into the contest before being replaced by Promise Mkhuma and Sundowns went on to win 2-0 but there were concerns in the way the midfielder injured himself in an off-the-ball situation and was heavily limping.

Masandawana coaches were also forced to substitute Sphelele Mkhulise just after the hour mark due to injury and Mothobi Mvala came on for him.

With Sundowns facing Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League quarter-finals, first leg away on May 14, it is not yet clear if the two will make it for that match. 

“According to the doctors Zwane’s injury never looked like a grade two. They are hopeful that maybe in a week or 10 days he might be back,” Mngqithi told SuperSport TV.

“Mkhulise’s one we don’t think it is something very heavy. We are hopeful that he will come back. It is just that it is a very difficult muscle to know what is going to happen. But we are hopeful that they will be able to come back. We also took them out early to make sure that we don’t exacerbate the injuries.”

Sundowns' victory saw them opening a four-point gap at the top of the table with five league matches remaining and they have played a game less than second-placed AmaZulu.

Mngqithi was, however, not entirely pleased by the way his charges expressed themselves. 

“Not the best [performance] but businesslike, we wanted to win the match. We had to give ourselves to the team and everybody ran because when you play against a complicated team like Maritzburg, they are not an easy team for anyone,” said Mngqithi. 

“I always tell people that Ernst is one of the top coaches. He may have been unlucky but his strategies can put you off at times. So we knew it was not going to be an easy one and we had to take the few chances that we got. 

“We were then fortunate to get a penalty. It’s always good for the team and the second goal I think Gift took it very well. We have always known he is one of the best finishers in the country. I even told him before the match that today is his day to score.

“When he scored he immediately pointed at me because he knew I had told him that today is his day and I was happy for that.”

Recently, Sundowns went for four consecutive matches without recording victory, a run which threatened their title defence and helped AmaZulu edge closer to them.

But they have bounced back to winning ways after beating Orlando Pirates 3-0 last Sunday.

“This is one cycle [in which] we looked like we were not going to do well,” Mngqithi said.

“I think we had five points after flour matches, it did not look very good. We wanted to make sure that in our process we at least got to eight and we managed that because our focus is on that side of our cycle to make sure that we achieve the targets that we set for ourselves.”

CBS Sports commentator Jim Beglin has apologised for his comments about Angel Di Maria after he was sent off against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Di Maria was issued a red card for kicking out at Fernandinho, which led Beglin to say of the Argentine star: "It's that Latino temperament.”

Beglin said sorry on air after the comments and later issued a longer apology on Twitter. 

What was said?

“I apologise for my culturally insensitive remarks during the Champions League tie between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain,” Beglin said on Twitter. “I wrongly used a racial stereotype. This was inappropriate and unacceptable.

“Words have a strong impact and I fully understand the severity of what I said when Angel Di Maria was sent off. I will learn from this and be better moving forward.”

What happened in the incident?

With PSG down 2-0 in the second half of Tuesday's semi-final second leg, Di Maria and Fernandinho were involved in a confrontation on the sideline after the ball had gone out of play. After the pair had words, Di Maria kicked out and stomped on the Brazilian, drawing a red card from the referee.

Man City would go on to advance to the Champions League final with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Further reading

Stan Kroenke's stewardship of Arsenal came in for scrutiny in 2021 following the attempted launch of a breakaway Super League featuring 12 of Europe's biggest clubs.

The Gunners were among a cohort of teams, which also featured the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United, that sought to establish their own elite tournament outside of UEFA.

A backlash has been felt by owners of most of the clubs involved, with Arsenal fans - including Spotify owner Daniel Ek - suggesting that a change is needed.

But who is Kroenke exactly and just how much is he worth? Goal takes a look at the Gunners owner's financial might and background.

On this page

Who is Stan Kroenke?

Stan Kroenke is an American businessman who is the owner of Premier League club Arsenal. He was born on July 29, 1947 in Missouri.

A billionaire, Kroenke's interests are split between real estate and a variety of sports teams, with the Gunners being just one of a number in his Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) portfolio.

His life in business first centred around land development - both commercial and residential - and grew considerably in the 1980s.

By the end of the 20th century, Kroenke branched out into sports and entertainment, founding KSE in 1999 in order to manage those affairs.

As well as purchasing a number of major stadiums, he has also invested in teams across some of the biggest sporting leagues in the United States.

Kroenke is married to Ann Walton, a daughter of Walmart co-founder James 'Bud' Walton and owner of NBA team Denver Nuggets and NHL side Colorado Avalanche.

Their son Josh Kroenke is also involved in the family business and is often seen alongside his father at sporting events.

What is Stan Kroenke's net worth?

Stan Kroenke's net worth is believed to be somewhere between $8 billion (£5.7bn) and $9 billion (£6.4bn).

In early 2021, American business magazine Forbes put Kroenke's net worth at $8.2 billion (£5.8bn), while Bloomberg estimated it to be $9.7 billion (£6.9bn).

He is one of the biggest landowners in the United States according to Land Report, which places him in the top 10 in the country, alongside the likes of John Malone and Ted Turner.

To put Kroenke's wealth into context, he was placed just outside the top 300 in Forbes' 2021 list of the richest people in the world and just slightly behind his wife Ann Walton, whose net worth was put at $8.4 billion.

If Kroenke's wealth is combined with that of his wife it would amount to $16.6 billion, but even that immense number still pales in comparison to those at the top of Forbes' list.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos topped that list with a staggering net worth of $177 billion (£126bn), followed by Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, whose net worth Forbes estimated at $151 billion ($108bn).

Kroenke is one of the richest football club owners in the world, but trails the likes of RB Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz and Chelsea chief Roman Abramovich.

Which sports teams does Stan Kroenke own?

Kroenke became the majority owner of Arsenal in 2018 when Alisher Usmanov accepted a buyout offer believed to be in the region of £550 million.

He had been involved with the north London club since 2007 after buying a 9.9 per cent stake and increased that share to 63% in 2011 before assuming full control in 2018.

As well as Arsenal, Kroenke, through his company KSE, has a number of investments spread across sporting disciplines, most of which are based in the United States.

*Clubs owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment

His first major involvement in sport came with NFL team Los Angeles Rams in the mid-1990s, when he helped move the team to St Louis in his home state of Missouri, where they became the St Louis Rams. He then moved the Rams back to California for the 2016 season.

While Arsenal are undoubtedly the biggest soccer team in his business portfolio, they are not the first. In 2004, Kroenke purchased MLS team Colorado Rapids from Philip Anschutz. They tasted MLS Cup success in 2010 and have competed in the CONCACAF Champions League twice since Kroenke became owner.

The state of Colorado figures prominently in Kroenke's sporting interests. NBA team Denver Nuggets and NHL side Colorado Avalanche are also in the KSE portfolio, for example, though they are officially owned by Kroenke's wife Ann Walton.

Gift Motupa earned Mamelodi Sundowns a penalty and scored as the Brazilians defied an early loss of Themba Zwane due to injury and open a four-point gap at the top of the Premier Soccer League standings following a 2-0 victory over Maritzburg United at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday.

Ricardo Nascimento thrust Sundowns in six minutes before halftime via a penalty win by Motupa, before the former Orlando Pirates man himself took the responsibility to double his side’s advantage in the 71st minute.

It was a result which helped Sundowns stay on course for a fourth successive PSL title as they are now four points clear at the top of the table, having played a game less than second-placed AmaZulu.

Maritzburg remained on position 12 with just a point above the relegation zone.  

In his only second league start for Sundowns and sixth appearance, Motupa scored his first ever goal in the Brazilians’ colours as the Tshwane are firing again after a difficult run in recent outings. 

Gaston Sirino, Lebohang Maboe and Kermit Erasmus were ruled out of Wednesday's due to injury but the hosts never showed depletion in attack. 

Sundowns thought they had taken a lead through Mosa Lebusa five minutes into the match but the defender’s goal was disallowed as having been scored from an offside position.

The Masandawana coaches were forced to make an injury-inspired substitution in the 11th minute when Zwane went out limping, clutching his hamstring and Promise Mkhuma came on for the Bafana Bafana star.

The visitors’ first chance at goal came 15 minutes into the contest when Dusan Stevic forced Denios Onyango to dive and save the Serb’s low drive. 

Shortly after, Peter Shalulile was twice denied by the woodwork within a minute; first beating Maritzburg goalkeeper Marcel Engelhardt but only to witness his short hitting the upright post and Mkhuma took long to shoot from the rebound, allowing Maritzburg defender to close in.

Maritzburg then nearly went ahead on 22 minutes when Bongokuhle Hlongwane chipped over Onyango but agonisingly watched his effort go over the bar with. 

Hlongwane was back again 10 minutes before halftime but had his headed effort narrowly missing the target off a Thabiso Kutumela cross. 

Motupa then earned Masandawana a penalty when he was tripped inside the box by Clayton Daniels. 

Up-stepped Nascimento who beat Engelhardt to separate the two sides and it was the Brazilian’sanother goal from the spot for the second game running.  

On the other end, Hlongwane continued to shake the Sundowns defence and this time saw his curler going just inches away from Onyango’s goal. 

Nascimento almost grabbed a brace five minutes into the second half but his attempt with his head went just wide off a corner kick and two minutes later, the Brazilian defender again headed a Modiba corner kick delivery but Engelhardt was alert to make a save. 

Injury struck Sundowns again when Sphelele Mkhulise was stretchered off the pitch just the hour mark and replaced by Mothobi Mvala. 

Mvala then made an immediate impact, setting up Motupa to fire in a hard and low which gave Engelhardt no chance and grab his 44th PSL goal.

Since then, there were liitle chances for the visitors to launch a comeback as Sundowns protected their lead.

Six African players have won the 2020-21 Bulgarian First League title with Ludogorets with four matches to spare.

They include Olivier Verdon (Benin Republic), Stephane Badji (Senegal), Bernard Tekpetey (Ghana), Jordan Ikoko (Congo DR), Anicet Abel (Madagascar), and Mavis Tchibota (Congo).

Goals from Kiril Despodov, Dominik Yankov and Claudiu Keseru helped Ludogorets silence the visitors – who have failed to win any of their last six games in all competitions.

With that result, it is now impossible for second-placed PFC CSKA-Sofia to catch up with them with four matches remaining.

Manager Dambrauskas has not hidden his excitement following their historic feat achieved against Petar Kolev’s Greens.

“I want to congratulate all the people who worked hard for this success to come. It might seem easy but it is not. The people of Razgrad and everyone within the club can now walk tall, as they’ve earned it,” he was quoted by the club’s website.

“I cannot say it is easy because it is my first year here. When you become a champion, some things lose their meaning. You need to succeed in every match. We had rough moments, but we found the right path. We deserved the title.”

He also lauded the contribution of star midfielder Yankov while talking about the need to embrace the Video Assistant Referee.

“I told Yankov that he will score the goal that will bring us the title because players like him dream of this happening,” he continued.

“He achieved his dream and this goal is something he will repeat many times ahead in his career.

“He is very talented, and he has a bright future. He and Keseru were replacements but made all the difference. All the players who contributed to each win during the season matter.

“VAR is not a new system for me, as I’ve worked with the system for ten months in Croatia.

“We scored a goal and it was checked. There was a penalty kick for Beroe and it was allowed. It takes some of the emotion, but it is needed for clarification.

“We need to adapt to it. I think that we need to develop our DNA in the upcoming matches – we need to underline we are the champions.”

Although the title is sealed and delivered, they will take on Lokomotiv Plovdiv in their next outing on Saturday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has opened up about his battle with malaria, admitting the disease left him feeling the worst he has ever felt in his life.

The Arsenal captain was diagnosed having fallen unwell soon after returning to England last month following a spell away with Gabon during the international break.

Aubameyang actually played in games against Liverpool and Slavia Prague before his condition got so bad that he called Arsenal’s club doctor and said that he needed to go to hospital.

What has ben said?

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal on Thursday night, Aubameyang described the events leading up to his diagnosis.

“I was feeling a bit down,” he said. “I thought that it was the travel.

“As you know, going to Gabon is not so close to here. I felt just a bit tired, especially against Liverpool, but I thought it was just because of the travel.

“I don’t know what the percentage of my form was at that moment. But definitely, yeah, I felt a bit tired.”

What happened next?

After coming on as a late substitute in the 1-1 home draw against Slavia Prague last month, Aubameyang’s health began to take a turn for the worse.

“I was feeling very, very bad,” he said. “This was the worst moment of being sick in my life because it was really hard.

“I had three days in a row, fever, all day and all night, non-stop. Even the paracetamol and stuff had no effects on this.

“After that, I spoke to the doctor and I said I needed to go to the hospital because I had travelled to Africa so maybe it was something like malaria.

“I stayed in hospital for three days and I think I lost four kilos. It was a really bad moment and I think my family was a bit scared to see me like this.

“After that, I had some good treatments and the staff did very well and the doctors as well in the hospital.

“I am lucky that we took it in the end at the right moment because sometimes with malaria, if you don’t treat it quickly, you can have some big problems.”

And how is Aubameyang feeling now?

Arsenal’s captain started his first game since returning from his illness on Sunday and scored in the 2-0 win against Newcastle.

He is expected to start again against Villarreal on Thursday and although he admits that physically he might not be back at his very best, he is still ready to make an impact.

“In my mind I feel more than 100%,” he said. “But physically maybe I’m not 100%. Hopefully my body will respond well.

“But I’m ready definitely. In my mind I’m ready.”

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