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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reiterated his opposition to the Super League on Friday, while arguing that his club and others involved should not be punished for having lent their support to the project. 

The Reds were revealed as one of the 12 Super League founders on Sunday, in an announcement that rocked the football world. 

But their attachment to the breakaway competition lasted barely 48 hours, as they bowed out on Tuesday amid a huge backlash from fans and players . 

What was said? 

"That’s above me," Klopp told reporters when asked about a potential points deduction for his team and other Super League founders. "What can I say about that?

"I do not see a reason to punish the clubs because nothing happened. We are in the same situation as we were before.

"For what reason did Bury and Wigan get points deducted? That’s slightly different, I would say.

"If someone wants to punish us, I cannot change that."

Still in love with football

Despite the events of the past week, Klopp insisted that his love of the game has not dimmed.

"Never!" he affirmed. "Never, never with the game! Never with the game. Just with the things around it.

"We were all waiting for something like this and now we cannot stop talking about it and writing about it. I get it, 100 per cent. It’s a big one, but I cannot constantly talk about it, think about it.

"Yes, I have a clear opinion about it, what I didn’t like about the idea. I thought I made it clear. All the rest, is not for me. Let’s really focus on the future.

"We had so many things going on this year and we always tried to get through.

"If someone asked me 'What are you missing from this year?' in terms of what could have happened on top of all the rubbish that happened to you, I would have said 'The Super League coming up!'.

"But I never lost my love for the game. The things around it? Come on! We spoke two weeks ago... we spoke about social media and racial abuse. Is this really a planet I want to live on where people say things like this?"

Liverpool are back in action in the Premier League on Saturday, when they host Newcastle United at Anfield.

Further reading 

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says he has "had enough" of VAR after his side had a penalty decision overturned in their 1-0 defeat to Everton on Friday.

The Gunners were given a penalty early in the second half when Dani Ceballos went down in the box under a challenge from Richarlison.

But the decision was reversed after a check by VAR showed that Nicholas Pepe was offside and the visitors went on to win the game through an own goal from Bernd Leno in the 76th minute.

What has been said?

Arteta expressed his frustration after the game and says he still does not understand why the penalty was not given.

"This has been building up. Enough is enough. Today I had enough. We've had many of them that no one explains," he said.

"It affects a lot of people, our job and most important our football club."

Artea told BBC Sport: "On the pitch performance-wise we were the better team, we controlled the game and we had some opportunities and openings. We had a clear penalty that was disallowed somehow and then we score an own goal.

"The penalty is clear, those decisions have been made after, I don't know how or who by, we cannot see their faces to explain it. It's the second time in two weeks.

"I can see the images 20 times and I don't get it.

"Errors are part of football, we conceeded an own goal that defined the game at the end. We didn't create enough against a team that is well organised, we lacked clarity in the final third.

"We need to go through the disapopintment and focus our energy, the semi-final is more than crucial for us. I don't want to use any excuses, I understand the protests."

Game overshadowed by fan protests

Ahead of the Gunners' home defeat, the club's supporters held a protest calling for owner Stan Kroenke's exit.

The American has been the target of the fans' frustration because of their involvement in the Super League debacle.

Arteta sympathised with the protests but hopes his side can focus on the upcoming Europa League semi-final with Villarreal.

He said: "We need to go through the disapopintment and focus our energy, the semi-final is more than crucial for us. I don't want to use any excuses, I understand the protests."

Arsenal's terrible home form continues

The north London side have failed to win in their last five home matches in all competitions.

As well as draws with Slavia Prague and Fulham, they lost to Olympiacos, Liverpool and the Toffees at the Emirates Stadium.

"It's terrible, unacceptable," Arteta said to Sky Sports when asked about his side's home form on Friday.

What next for Arteta's team?

Arsenal are in action again on Thursday when they face Villarreal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie.

They will return to Premier League duty on May 2 with an away match against Newcastle.

Arteta's team are ninth in the English top-flight and six points behind Everton, who are a place above them.

Further reading

Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Tammy Abraham to Chelsea's squad after a series of impressive training performances in recent weeks.

The 23-year-old hasn't played a match for over two months, which is partly down to an ankle injury but mostly because the Blues boss hasn't selected him.

However, there is hope that the club's leading scorer can impact the end of the season after Tuchel urged him to be ready to make an impact from the bench.

What was said?

"He has struggled for several reasons, one of the reasons are my decisions. There are several other reasons, he was a bit unlucky, he was injured, we talked about it," Chelsea boss Tuchel told reporters ahead of a trip to face West Ham at the London Stadium.

"He struggled a bit to accept the situation and he struggled a bit finding the solution to the situation, to be a bit stuck between his demands to himself, and his expectations about his role, the role he was suddenly in.

"But now I have the feeling that he has found a way to cope with it, which I am very happy about. He produced very good training sessions now in a row.

"This was the first step, and he has a high chance to be in the squad tomorrow. And as I said as a striker, you never know, things can change in one minute.”

What's next for Chelsea?

Fourth in the Premier League, the west Londoners face rivals West Ham on Saturday evening, where they will want to avoid losing to remain in the Champions League spots.

The Hammers have been a surprise package in the league this season and are aiming to finish above the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham to secure an unexpected spot in Europe's elite competition.

Ahead of kick-off, Tuchel gave his verdict on the race to finish in the top four, saying he expects a lot of swapping of positions between now and the final day.

"Who knows what Leicester do in their next games, and then look at our fixtures. They are super difficult," he added. "I know about the importance of this match tomorrow, but lets assume for one minute that we win tomorrow. Do you think that we are through? Do you think it’s finished?

"It's by far not finished. Liverpool will never give up the fight for it, no other team below Liverpool will give up, and everybody who catches a streak can still be involved. I’m very sure that nobody at Leicester thinks that they have made it.

"We closed the gap very quickly and now we arrive in fourth place and the race is on until the last match.”

Further reading

Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr is hoping Eberechi Eze will decide in no distant time to switch to the West African side, describing him as one of the best offensive midfielders he has ever seen in England.

Eze was born in England to Nigerian parents and has represented the European country at the U20 and U21 levels but he still eligible to switch his allegiance to play for the Super Eagles if he chooses to.

The midfielder has been turning heads since he teamed up with Crystal Palace last summer and in the current campaign, he has featured in more than 30 games for the Premier League side, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

Rohr has praised the 22-year-old and revealed he has held talks with him on the possibility of playing for the three-time African champions, explaining the processes the midfielder will follow for the switch.

"This is a wonderful player, Ebere Eze is one of the best offensive midfielders I've ever seen in England and I would like to have him with us, but you know that he can also play for England and already played for one team in England," Rohr said to Elegbete TV Sports.

"I sent him a message and in this message, I showed the interest Nigeria have to get him in this team so he replied and he said he has to think about it, so it is not the moment to speak too much about it.

"There is a process to do, at first, the boy must accept and the decision must come from him, from his parents, from his own.

"We cannot tell him he must come, he must come himself and if he wants to come he has to write a letter.

"In this letter, he has to write to Fifa that he wants to switch and to play for Nigeria, this would be wonderful, but I know that we cannot force his decision and he can only take it himself.

"What we do is to explain to him how we are working, to explain to him what we are doing, and what our objectives are - what we did with players like Alex Iwobi, like Akpoguma, we did with Ola Aina and Tyronne Ebuehi.

"We have already some players like that, if we can have Eze it would be wonderful but it's not easy".

Rohr will hope the midfielder makes his switch before the start of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Eze broke into the limelight during his time with Championship side Queens Park Rangers, where he made a telling impact that earned him a move to Crystal Palace.

The midfielder will be expected to feature prominently when Palace slug it out against Leicester City on April 26.

FC Robo Queens suffered their first defeat in the Nigeria Women's Premier League Super Six, with a 1-0 loss to Sunshine Queens at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium on Friday.

After a three-match unbeaten run, the Lagos ladies missed a chance to extend their lead at the top as they crumbled narrowly to their Akure-based counterparts, who revived their title dreams.

Mercy Idoko's 36th-minute strike was enough for Wemimo Matthew's side to subdue Emmanuel Osahon's team as they ensured their return to winning ways in the tightly-contested encounter.

The result saw Robo drop to third on the log with seven points from four matches, while Sunshine remain fourth with seven points.

Earlier, Rivers Angels recorded their second win of the competition, following a 4-0 triumph over Edo Queens at the same venue. 

Before the tie, Edwin Okon's side had bounced back to winning ways with a 4-0 win over Bayelsa, while the Benin ladies team were aiming to avoid their fourth defeat of the tournament.

Vivian Ikechuchwu broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the contest before Alice Ogebe doubled the lead in the 31st minute and Oghenebrume Ikhekua made it three on the brink of half-time.

After the break, the visitors kept a tight defence to avoid conceding another until Ikhekua netted the fourth three minutes from full-time.

The outcome saw Rivers Angels move to the top with eight points from four matches, while Edo remain at the bottom with no points.

Also, Delta Queens kept their title and Wafu B Women's Champions League qualification dreams alive in the competition, despite a 0-0 draw with Bayelsa Queens.

After Wednesday's 2-0 win over Sunshine Queens, Delta were eyeing a back-to-back win, while Bayelsa sought to end their miserable campaign, after back-to-back losses to Robo and Rivers.

The Asaba side could not consolidate on their fine run but eventually forced a stalemate to the contest against Moses Aduku's team.

The result saw Delta go second - joint-top with Rivers Angels with eight points but separated on goal difference, while Bayelsa are still fifth with two points from four games.

Tottenham star Harry Kane admitted that Jose Mourinho's recent sacking came as a surprise to him, saying he only learned of the move minutes before it happened.

Mourinho was let go as Spurs head coach on Monday after a year and a half in charge, with Ryan Mason replacing him on a caretaker basis.

Kane added that he had a "great relationship" with the Portuguese, who failed to win a trophy during his time in north London.

What was said?

"I was surprised, I'll be totally honest," Kane told Sky Sports. "I came in that morning and probably found out five to 10 minutes before it was announced.

"A lot of the focus was on the Carabao Cup final and preparing for that but, look, it's football. I've been here now where a couple of managers have been sacked and, as a player now, I don't think you ever expect the boss to be sacked but it's part of the game, you have to deal with it.

"I had a great relationship with Jose, I wish him all the best for whatever his next job is, but he knows as we know football can be cut-throat and we just have to look forward. We have a big final to prepare for now and we're looking forward to that."

What's next for Spurs?

Tottenham defeated Southampton 2-1 on Wednesday, with Mason winning his debut and becoming the youngest manager in Premier League history in the process.

Next up is the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday, as Tottenham search for their first trophy in 13 years.

Kane, who is an injury doubt for the match, is hoping to be involved against City and celebrate winning silverware alongside his former team-mate.

"I'm buzzing for him to have this opportunity and to have the experience to manage one of the best clubs in the world," Kane said of Mason.

"Hopefully we can try and win on Sunday and experience a truly special moment together."

Further reading

Jurgen Klopp says he has been hurt by the way Liverpool's reputation has been "trashed" in the wake of the Super League debacle.

The Reds were one of the 12 founding clubs of the breakaway league which was announced on Sunday. The plans rapidly fell apart, however, as most clubs have pulled out of the competition following outrage from football associations, fans and pundits. 

Liverpool were among those heavily criticised but Klopp fears their reputation is being regarded as irredeemable. 

What did Klopp say?

"It is difficult for me in truth, because I have found some of the reaction around it difficult to take. And by this I don’t mean those who were against it or the protests. This was a great victory for football supporters – I want to make this clear from the outset. I agreed with their opposition. I made this clear to our owners," Klopp wrote in his programme notes ahead of Saturday's Premier League match against Newcastle.

"The part I have struggled with is seeing this club, a place I love and am now proud to call my home, trashed. And done so in a manner which suggests no redemption is possible. That I can’t take.

"It was right to take apart the concept and it was fair to criticise it, along with those who came up with it and also how it was presented. All legitimate in my view. The anger and disappointment was justified.

"But there were times when the distinction between ‘club’ and this decision (and yes, those responsible for it) were too quickly blurred into one. To do so is an insult to the supporters in my view. And the players.

“The supporters’ actions have earned them distinction. Likewise the players. And THEY are the club. They always have been and always will be. 

“I am not free from blame either for letting emotion get the better of me during this. Particularly after the Leeds United game. When I found out that the flags were being removed from the Kop in protest it hurt me and I reacted in a way I wish I hadn’t.

"Of all the things that we have achieved at Liverpool I would argue that the bond between this team and our fans is arguably the most important because without it none of the success we have enjoyed would have been possible. 

"So seeing a division appear was very difficult for me to accept. I now better understand the reasons why the supporters groups felt it necessary and I respect them but I would hope that we are never in this kind of situation again. They are always the solution and never the problem."

How did Liverpool fans react to the Super League?

Liverpool players and supporters united to reject the club's plans to enter the Super League, with captain Jordan Henderson and club legend Kenny Dalglish among those voicing their disappointment.

Spirit of Shankly, the Liverpool supporters’ union, then urged Fenway Sports Group to consider giving up ownership of the club. Liverpool confirmed on Wednesday that they were pulling out of the project.

Liverpool owner John W Henry then released a video message apologising to the club's fans and taking responsibility for their role in the plot to form the breakaway league.

Further reading

The South African Football Association was expected to announce the new Bafana Bafana head coach on Saturday, April 24.

However, Safa has now revealed that the announcement has been postponed due to the global coronavirus travel issues.

The nation's football governing body released the following statement on Friday night:

“The Bafana Bafana coach announcement scheduled for Saturday, 24 April 2021 has been postponed due to global Covid-19 travel issues," a statement read. 

"We will reschedule the announcement to next week and further updates will be provided on this page.

"We apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

Safa was set to announce Molefi Ntseki's successor following a meeting between the organisation's hierarchy and the technical committee. 

Carlos Queiroz, Herve Renard and Hugo Broos have been heavily linked with the Bafana coaching job in recent weeks.

On Thursday, Safa president Dr Danny Jordaan indicated that Queiroz would be the best man for the job. 

The Portuguese tactician, who was in charge of Bafana between 2000 and 2002, is currently jobless having resigned as Colombia head coach in December 2020.

Queiroz left his post as the mentor of the Coffee Growers due to the nation's slow start to 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying after almost two years at the helm.

The former Real Madrid manager guided Bafana to the World Cup finals in 2002 in Korea and Japan, but he left his position as Bafana coach prior to the tournament. 

Therefore, Queiroz is widely regarded as the favourite to become the next Bafana coach as he knows South African football. 

Safa is looking to bring in a new national team coach with the 1996 African champions scheduled to start their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in June 2020.

Bafana will take on Zimbabwe and Ghana in their first two matches in their qualifying group, Group G.

Juliette Nana scored a brace for Neman as they defeated Dinamo Brest 5-1 in Friday's Belarusian Women's Premier League game.

The Burkina Faso striker had hit eight goals in three games, including a treble in a 15-0 win over Dinamo Brest three weeks ago.

Following a 2-0 loss to Dinamo Minsk the last time out, Nana came on as a second-half substitute and once again proved her prowess in front of goal.
 
The hosts started the encounter on the back foot when Yauheniya Yakusik broke the deadlock for the visitors in the 38th minute.

However, Karalina Zhytko provided an instant response for the hosts when she restored parity with her fine strike a minute later.

After the break, Katsiaryna Dudko handed the hosts the lead at the Krytyj Futbol'nyy Manezh before Zhytko added the third with her second of the encounter on the hour mark.

The visitors fought to bounce back but saw their quest dashed when substitute Nana netted the fourth in the 88th minute before adding the fifth and her second soon after.
 
Burkina Faso's Nana, who lasted the second half of the encounter, has now taken her tally to 12 in five matches this season.

Nana will seek to continue with her superb goalscoring form for Neman in the current campaign in search of success in Europe.

The win takes Neman to third on the Belarusian log with 12 points from five games and they will hope to build on their victory against Dnepr Mogilev in their next domestic fixture on April 28.

Onome Ebi was on target and Regina Otu scored a hat-trick on their Minsk debuts in their 18-0 victory over Dinamo Brest in Friday’s Belarusian Women's Premier League encounter.

Ebi rejoined the Belarus giants from the Chinese side Henan Huishang, while Otu arrived from the Nigerian side Rivers Angels.

The Nigeria internationals were handed starting roles against Dinamo Brest and the Super Falcons wasted no time to make their presence felt with their displays for Pyshnik Andrei's side.

Following a four-match winning streak, Lizaveta Pinchuk got the hosts off to a bright start when she netted after just eight minutes before Natalia Asmykovich doubled the lead two minutes later.

Melana Surautsava netted the third in the 13th minute and she got the fourth with her second of the match 10 minutes later before debutant Otu broke her duck with her side's fifth in the 29th minute.

Anastasiya Pabiahaila extended the lead for the hosts a minute later before Surautsava's third and Ebi's first goal in the 33rd minute before Hanna Sas netted the ninth two minutes from half-time.

After the restart, Pinchuk continued the goal-fest for Minsk, scoring her second in the 52nd minute before Viktoryia Marchyk and Pabiahaila's second added the 11th and 12th goal, respectively, later.

Surautsava got her fourth in the 65th minute before Otu nicked her brace four minutes later and Alexandra Tsvirko hit the 15th in the 77th minute as Pabiahaila bagged her fourth three minutes later.

Otu grabbed her treble in the 85th minute before Anastasiya completed the massive rout for Minsk two minutes from full-time.

Nigeria duo Ebi and Otu were in action for the duration of their debuts and the duo will hope to continue their outstanding displays when Minsk take on champions Dinamo-BGU in their next game on April 28.

Thousands of Arsenal fans held a protest outside the Emirates Stadium prior to Friday's Premier League clash against Everton, demanding owner Stan Kroenke leave the club. 

Kroenke has found himself in the firing line following Arsenal's presence in the troubled Super League, which was launched and then quickly collapsed this week. 

The American billionaire continues to receive criticism over his role in the proposed competition, which drew outrage from all over the football world.

"Kroenke Out" 

In response to the aborted breakaway, supporters chose the build-up to Arsenal's meeting with Everton to register their discontent. 

"Kroenke, get out of our club, we are The Arsenal - not a franchise," read one banner hung outside the Emirates, while another proclaimed that "It's time to go!" for the embattled chief. 

There was even a message in support of Gunnersaurus, the long-time club mascot who was ditched in 2020 as part of cost-cutting measures, a move which also caused outcry from fans. 

"Kroenke Out" was by far the most prevalent message on display though, a clear sign that withdrawal from the Super League has not been enough to calm tensions around north London. 

Arteta's opinion

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was asked about the protest before the game and, with fans' chants audible in the background, called on his players to stay focused. 

"We are hearing, we know what they think but our responsibility, our role, our commitment, should be on that pitch and trying to play the best possible way to win the match," he told Sky Sports.

"Obviously it doesn't help when you have your own fans trying to stand out on a matc-day and saying loud and clear that they are not happy with something, but our job is to win the match and when that happens everything is better."

Further reading

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Edouard Mendy will be in goal when his side take on West Ham United in Saturday’s Premier League game.

The 29-year-old goalkeeper has not featured for the Blues since their second-leg quarter-final defeat to Porto in the Champions League with Kepa Arrizabalaga preferred ahead of him.

The Senegal international has been impressive since teaming up with the Stamford Bridge outfit last summer from French side Rennes.

Tuchel revealed his confidence in the shot-stopper and affirmed he would feature when they square off against the Hammers.

“Mendy is in goal. The change was made for Kepa for the FA Cup game and even before then, the goalkeeper coach and me decided that Kepa would stay one more game after Man City to have it as a reward and feel a bit the rhythm of playing every three days,” Tuchel said in a pre-match conference.

'We wanted to reward what he is doing in training and in the dressing room which is simply outstanding in terms of quality and personality so I’m very happy he could show it on the pitch.

“He had two clean sheets in two difficult matches for us so it’s a very good feeling that we can absolutely can rely on two goalkeepers and they can produce clean sheets.

“They earn our trust but the situation, in general, has not changed so Edou will be in goal tomorrow.”

Mendy has featured in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Stamford Bridge outfit since his summer switch, keeping 21 clean sheets.

The goalkeeper will hope to deliver yet another fine performance in goal when the Blues slug it out against David Moyes’ men.

Mendy played for Cherbourg, Marseille B, and Reims among other clubs before he teamed up with Rennes in 2019.

The goalkeeper remains a significant member of the Senegal national team and has now made 10 appearances for the West African country.

He will be expected to continue to replicate his top club form for Senegal when the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Cameroon.

Mauricio Pochettino says he will not rest players for Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match against Metz on Saturday to boost his side's hopes of progressing in the Champions League.

The French giants are second in the French top flight and a point behind leaders Lille, while they will battle Manchester City for a place in the final of the European competition.

PSG face ninth-placed Metz four days before the semi-final first-leg against City, but Pochettino will not be leaving out his key players to keep them fresh for the midweek clash.

What has been said?

"The key to the title race is to take every game very seriously. The management of the group will be decisive, to have a competitive team on the field every time," he told reporters.

"We play every three days, and I think under these circumstances all the players are important and have to be on a good level so that we can play and hope to win the three competitions that we want to win."

Pochettino added: "We are still quite far from what we hope and what we want, but we are very happy with the team and the way we are progressing.

"We are coming into the most important part of the season and we are hope we win all three competitions

"It will be a difficult game. Metz has a good organization, a very good coach. We want to do the best we can and bring back the three points."

PSG still battling injury problems

Pochettino will be without some important players for the upcoming Ligue 1 clash due to injuries.

However, the likes of Marco Verratti and Marquinhos are close to making a return for the capital club.

"Marquinhos, Abdou Diallo, Marco Verratti, Rafinha and Keylor Navas have resumed collective training," the coach added. 

"Alexandre Letellier and Juan Bernat continue their recovery protocols."

Further reading

Former Ghana Football Association vice-president George Afriyie has called on the current leadership to desist from influencing call-ups to the Black Stars.

Player selection into the national set-up has become a major topic of discussion after a controversy broke following the announcement of a 29-man squad for last month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe.

The call-up of Colchester United attacker Kwame Afriyie Poku, who plays in the English fourth division, generated the most questions.

“[Ghana head coach] CK Akonnor must have his peace of mind to work. We should take away favouritism [in player call-ups] - ‘This one belongs here so we’ll not call him, that one belongs here so don’t call him’. This will not help the Black Stars,” Afriyie, who worked at the FA during the Kwesi Nyantaki regime, told JoySports.

“These are some of the reasons why people will call for a white man to coach the Black Stars, but since we have opted to go for one our own [Akonnor] to coach the Black Stars, let us leave him to work. 

“Let’s give him all the needed support for him to work. That is all I’m calling for. If he fails, we will all see that he has failed.

“One of the things I can boast of is that during my time with Kwesi Nyantakyi we never interfered with national team call ups. We believed that the coaches were capable and competent so we should allow them to do their work.”

After the announcement of the last call-up, Aknonnor, having come under fire, reportedly distanced himself from the invitation to some of the players on the list, a move which, according to media speculation, drew the displeasure of GFA officials.

GFA president Kurt Okraku has, however, come out to reject all the sack and interference speculation but admitted the Black Stars Management Committee does play some part in the squad selections.

“Call-ups for all national teams go through processes, and people must understand this. Gone are the days when one person will wake up one day and name a national team, it will never happen again,” Okraku explained.

“The coach and his team will work with the technical directorate to select a squad, then they have to convince the Management Committee about the squad they have selected. Then there is a meeting – some I may attend, others I may select someone to represent me.

When there is a consensus, the squad is then announced. This is a system that is practised everywhere in the world. There is no country where one single individual names a squad.

“I have not heard CK Akonnor speak about someone imposing players on him, and I doubt he’d ever say that because nobody imposes players on Charles Akonnor.”

Afriyie was an opponent of Okraku in the GFA presidential elections in 2019.

Express FC condemned Uganda Premier League leaders Vipers SC to a 1-0 loss during Friday's encounter at St Mary's Stadium, Kitende.

John Byamukama scored the only goal that separated two of this season's clear title contenders to ensure the Red Eagles went home with three points.

Ceasar Manzoki of Vipers was yellow-carded in the 13th minute for a rough challenge on the opponent when the game was picking up speed.

Paul Mucureezi could have opened the score in the 28th minute but he sent his effort over the bar after he had been put through on goal by Disan Galiwango.

A minute after the half-hour mark, Murushid Juuko was booked after he exchanged words with referee Ssali Mashoodi.

Mucureezi was unlucky in the 35th minute when his second chance went narrowly wide after receiving a cross from Karim Watambala.

Watambala was the culprit in the 41st minute when he wasted another chance after Bbosi Byarughanga produced a good cross for him.

Eric Kambale's 42nd-minute header - from a cross by Godfrey Lwesibwa - went over the bar as Express mounted more attacks against the hosts.

Two early chances for Vipers in the second half also did not produce goals - the first from a close free-kick hitting the wall while the second one from Galiwango's effort was stopped by Express FC goalkeeper Mathias Muwanga.

Express’ Issa Lumu became the third player to be cautioned with a yellow card after a verbal altercation with the referee.

Fred Kajoba made changes in the 63rd minute when he introduced Milton Karisa and Richard Basangwa as Galiwango and Yunus Ssentamu left the pitch. A minute after the changes, the Red Eagles surprisingly took the lead when Byamukama - with a strike from 18-yards away - scored. 

Kajoba's other change came in the 72nd minute when David Bagoole was introduced for Mucureezi. Daniel Shabene came on for Martin Kizza as the visitors made a change while clutching tightly onto their slim lead.

Meanwhile, Kyetume FC defeated Wakiso Giants by a 3-2 margin in the second league game of the day.

Robert Ssentongo, Ali Feni and Yusuf Sakka scored for Kyetume while the Purple Sharks found the back of the net through Vianne Ssekajugo and Ivan Bogere.

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has encouraged his side to continue to "fight for the badge" ahead of Sunday's highly anticipated encounter against league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Following their 2-1 defeat at home to Cape Town City on Wednesday, Gavin Hunt's men dropped down to the 11th position on the Premier Soccer League table and also saw an eight-game unbeaten run end abruptly.

Khune, though, has encouraged his side to "dig deeper" for the results with only eight matches left until the end of the season.

''Things have been going well, it’s good to be back, it's good to be playing, it’s good to be playing,'' Khune told his club's media team on Friday,

''But, yes, we've been playing very well and it's just that the results haven't been coming our way, so we really have to dig deeper to get the results because there is only eight games left of the 2020/2021 season, so we just have to keep working hard, grinding for the results and make the Khosi [Amakhosi] faithful proud of their team.

''Sundowns have been doing very well but at this stage, we are only focused on ourselves, we are focusing on our game plan, we are focusing on how we can take advantage of the opportunities we create.

''We are taking it one game at it comes, but it is important that every game we go to now, we going to dig deep for the results, and we are going to fight until the end.

''It hasn't been a very easy season for us from start, but we are clubbing together as a team, we fight for each other and we fight for the badge.''

In their next encounter, Amakhosi face a Sundowns side that is unbeaten in 21 league matches. And Khune, who also bemoaned Chiefs' costly defensive mistakes, has called for maximum concentration.

''I think we have to minimize the mistakes because every time we concede goals if you look at the way we concede, it's through lapses of concentration," Khune added.

"So, if we can just concentrate more and minimise mistakes, I think we can avoid conceding those silly goals, but it takes the whole team to stay focussed, to stay switched on throughout the 90-minutes.

"But as a goalkeeper, obviously you have to lead from the back and you just have to keep all the players on their toes, keep reminding them to stay switched on.''

Despite their struggles domestically, Chiefs have performed admirably on the continent, being one of the sides who have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Caf Champions League along with their next opponents.

Eden Hazard is expected to make his return from injury for Real Madrid against Betis this week.

The Belgian star has been out of action since mid-March, when he was substituted just 15 minutes in the clash against Elche because of another hip problem.

Hazard, 30, has been limited to just nine appearances in La Liga this season because of injuries and he has needed time to reset his body.

Hazard's road to recovery

It has been a slow and meticulous process, one of the few possibilities that remained to be tried to help the Belgium star recover.

Panic spread after the club published the umpteenth medical report on the attacker, who had been diagnosed with an "injury in the right psoas muscle" after he was taken off against Elche last month. 

Hazard considered having an operation, but that was ruled out because the two doctors who had previously worked on his right ankle advised him against it.

During a period of reflection and with the support of a specialist from the Belgian Football Federation, Hazard has remained calm. 

Attention has been focused on a reeducation of his body and he has been working on his lower torso in the gym since February.

Hazard had been lucky to avoid serious or persistent injury throughout his career until he arrived at Madrid from Chelsea in 2019 and he was previously unenthusiastic about training or working out in the gym.

Hazard working towards Chelsea reunion in Champions League

Although Madrid had not set a date for when they expected Hazard to feature again, coach Zinedine Zidane had hoped he would be able to feature in the Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool.

The winger then hoped to feature in the match against Getafe on April 18, but he has laerned to pause and analyse his situation and was again left out of the squad.

His patience seems to be paying off and the Santiago Bernabeu outfit hope he can be fit to face Betis in La Liga on Saturday.

If all goes well, he will be in line to come up against his former team when Madrid take on Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals.

Madrid host Thomas Tuchel's side in the first leg of the tie on April 27, with the return fixture scheduled for May 5.

Madrid fighting for the double

Zidane's team are unbeaten in their last 16 matches in all competitions as they look to maintain their challenge for the Champions League and La Liga titles.

They are currently second in the Spanish top-flight and trail leaders Atletico Madrid by three points.

If they manage to get past Chelsea, they will be faced with either Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City in the European decider.

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