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Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa has maintained they are still in a good position to reach the next stage of the Uganda Cup despite battling to a 2-2 draw against Kyetume FC on Tuesday.

The Red Eagles secured two important away goals in the first leg Round of 32 contest played at Fufa Technical Centre in Njeru with midfielder John Byamukama and substitute Erick Kambale notching their goals while Raymond Walugembe and Kaye Ezra scored for the home team.

Despite settling for a draw, coach Bbosa has stated they have the advantage going into the return leg as they managed to score the two goals and promised to rectify mistakes from the match before they meet again.

“Well it was a tough game but we managed to pick up two important away goals,” Bbosa told the club’s official website. “I think the advantage is ours now and we’re going back to correct the mistakes we did today [Tuesday].

“Overall, I think we played well but we can do better in the return leg.”

On his part, midfielder Byamukama was happy to notch his first goal for the club and also echoed coach Bbosa’s sentiments by stating they have the advantage going into the return leg as they scored the two vital away goals.

“First of all I am happy to have scored my first goal for the club this season,” Byamukama told the same portal. “It was a really difficult game but we managed to get two important away goals.

“We hope to build from this in the return leg.”

The Red Eagles started on the back foot with Kyetume forward Ezra heading home with only six minutes played after connecting well with Julius Ntambi’s cross on the right.

However, Express responded well seven minutes later with midfielder Byamukama catching Kyetume’s goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa off-guard with a long-range strike, with the game heading into the half-time break at 1-1.

On resumption, Kyetume started pressing, looking for another goal and they took the lead again in the 61st minute through forward Walugembe, who rose highest to head past Denis Otim.

At 2-1 down, Bbosa brought on Kambale and Frank Senyondo for Frank Kalanda and Godfrey Lwesibawa to speed up the attack and it wasn’t long before Kambale made an impact, as he rose the highest to head home skipper Enock Walusimbi’s cross and make it 2-2 in the 76th minute.

The return leg is scheduled for April 10 at Muteesa II Stadium Wankulukuku.

Vinicius Junior was awestruck by the midfield shift team-mate Toni Kroos put in during Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Kroos set up the young Brazilian's opener with a high-arcing ball over the Reds defence - an assist that led him to claim "nobody can play like" the German conductor.

There had been speculation entering the tie that Real might struggle to keep up with Liverpool in central areas due to their age, but it was instead 31-year-old Kroos and 35-year-old Luka Modric putting the visitors a step behind for most of the match.

What has been said?

"Toni Kroos is incredible, he is a legend," Vinicius told RMC Sport. "Nobody can play like him. He has a lot of class.

"People from outside speak. I always keep working. I had never scored a double with this shirt, I think it's my best moment. I pointed to the crest because I work too much. I always dreamed of playing at Real Madrid.

"I always keep working. My team-mates encourage me to do so. They give me confidence."

Bigger picture

Real Madrid calmed many of their biggest fears on Tuesday at a crucial point in their campaign with the attack looking as free-flowing as it has all season and a makeshift defence stepping up despite Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane missing out.

Not only have they positioned themselves to advance the the semi-finals of the Champions League, but they also will meet Barcelona this weekend with the team's confidence sky-high.

Further reading

Jude Bellingham admits that he was left disgruntled by the decision that denied him a goal in the first half of Borussia Dortmund's Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Manchester City, with the England man describing the call as "a bit frustrating".

The Bundesliga outfit held their own for long periods against Pep Guardiola's more experienced hosts at the Etihad Stadium, who ultimately emerged triumphant on home soil against their youthful visitors thanks to Phil Foden's 90th-minute winner.

Marco Reus had previously cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's first-half opener as the game entered its final stages, but Dortmund would have been level long before were it not for a hasty call against Bellingham, who was less than impressed with the conduct of referee Ovidiu Hategan.

What did Bellingham say?

"I definitely think I won the ball fairly," the teenager told BT Sport at full-time. "It's a bit frustrating in a time when they've got so many cameras watching the game they don't wait for me to put the ball in the net and then check it.

"It's football, it's life, [and you've] just got to get on with it. All I've been told is I've been booked and it's a free kick for them.

"I think they should have checked it. Apparently I've got my studs up, caught the goalkeeper and it's a foul."

How did the incident play out?

Bellingham looked to have found an equaliser for Edin Terzic's gutsy side when he stole the ball from Ederson after the goalkeeper mishandled a delivery with his feet on the edge of his box.

But as the 17-year-old came through to claim possession the shot-stopper fell to the ground and referee Hategan blew his whistle before he could tap the ball into an empty net.

Because the call had been made before Bellingham had drilled his finish into the open goal the decision could not be examined by VAR, but replays later showed that there had been no contact between either player when the Dortmund man had dislodged Ederson of possession.

Bellingham pays tribute to De Bruyne

The former Birmingham City man was quick to offer his respect to City post-match too, in particular De Bruyne, who matched his opener with the eventual delivery that set up Foden's winner in the dying stages of the match.

"They're one of the best, if not the best in the world," he added. "The way they go to regain the ball back after losing it is world class.

"To give Kevin de Bruyne that much time in the box he's going to score and that much time around the box he's going to put a ball in the box that damages us and it did. It's a frustrating one but we move on."

The bigger picture

Reus' late goal - orchestrated by Bellingham and Erling Haaland - has handed a lifeline to Dortmund despite Foden's late winner for City, providing a vital away goal for the Bundesliga outfit.

They will return home ahead of next week's second leg know that if they managed to restrict City to no goals and provide at least one of their own in response, they will progress through to the semi-finals.

Dortmund will know however that they face a particularly tall order against a side who, even not at their best on Tuesday, still frequently displayed the clinical robustness that has taken them to the cusp of a potentially historic quadruple.

They may hope for a more eye-catching display from Haaland, the competiton's top scorer, who has kept mostly muzzled by City on home soil, but could prove a different kind of threat on his own patch.

Further reading

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola brushed off any concerns over an assistant referee's request for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland's autograph following Tuesday's Champions League match.

City spent much of the quarter-final first leg ahead following Kevin De Bruyne's first-half goal, but were rocked in the 84th minute when Marco Reus levelled for the visitors.

There was still time for one final twist, though, and it came courtesy of Phil Foden, who netted in injury time to give his side a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium. 

What was said? 

Jadon Sancho was angered to see a first-half goal for Jude Bellingham chalked off for a supposed foul on Ederson. "The ref needs checking," the forward fired on his personal Twitter account. 

There was further controversy after the game when an assistant asked Haaland for an autograph.

Pep, though, dismissed any complaints over the referee's conduct, adding his belief that the officials did a great job in the match.

"They told me – I didn’t see it," Guardiola said of the autograph request. "Maybe he’s a fan of Haaland so why not? 

"Maybe it was for his son and daughter. I’ve never seen it before but they did a good job.

"The referees were brilliant, the game was not a problem so it's not a penalty after the VAR, people told me it was not a penalty.

"And after the Bellingham action, his leg is higher than expected so the linesman was perfect. It was not an influence like it was in the past."

The bigger picture

While City hold a slim advantage over Dortmund from the first leg, Reus' away goal means the Bundesliga side still have all to play for going into the second leg on home soil. 

That match will take place on April 14, with the winner going through to the semi-final stage of the competition. 

Should Guardiola's charges progress, they will maintain their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, with the final of the latter set to be played on April 25 against Tottenham.

Further reading

Jurgen Klopp slammed referee Felix Brych after Liverpool's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, suggesting the German official had "something personal" against Reds star Sadio Mane.

Klopp was livid after Brych failed to award a foul when the Senegalese forward tangled with Real defender Lucas Vazquez, shortly before the Spaniards' second goal in their 3-1 victory.

And while the Liverpool boss admitted that the officials were not the reason for his side's loss, he used his post-match press conference to reveal what he had said to the referee at the final whistle in the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

What did Klopp say?

The Reds boss told reporters: “The situation with Sadio, I have to say what the referee did tonight I don’t understand. For me that was something personal, because he dealt with the situation with Sadio, which is a clear foul, like it was a dive or something.

"And from that moment whenever Sadio went down, he couldn’t get anything anymore. That’s just not right.

“That’s what I told him after the game, that I just thought he was unfair with Sadio, and that’s how it is.

“It doesn’t change anything at all. He didn’t lose the game, we were not good enough, but in these moments you need just an OK ref. That would have been enough.”

What happened in the game?

Liverpool were left to rue a dreadful first-half performance in Madrid, in which they conceded cheap goals to Vinicus Junior and Marco Asensio.

Mohamed Salah pulled one back after the break, a priceless away goal for the Reds, but their task was made harder when goalkeeper Alisson Becker fumbled Vinicius' shot into the net on 65 minutes.

Assessing the game, Klopp said: “First and foremost, we didn’t deserve to win tonight, to be honest. We didn’t play good enough for that. That’s my first concern. Especially in the first half, we didn’t play good enough football.

“We conceded the first goal, then served the second goal on a plate. But that was not the real problem of the game. We did better in the second half, played better football, tried to create against a really passionate and deep-defending Real Madrid side, with the counter-attacking threat they have.

“We scored a goal, which is obviously the positive of the night. Did we deserve more than the 3-1? I’m not sure to be honest.”

When is the second leg?

The return fixture will take place at Anfield next Wednesday, with Liverpool seeking to do what they did to Barcelona in the semi-finals back in 2019; overturn a first-leg deficit on home soil.

They will have to do so without the backing of their supporters on this occasion, though, with the game to be played behind closed doors.

Further reading

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Naby Keita was removed in the first half of Tuesday 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid for tactical reasons. 

Klopp raised eyebrows before kick-off of the Champions League quarter-final first leg, giving Keita just his ninth start of the season. 

With three minutes left in the first half and the Reds down 2-0, Klopp appeared to acknowledge he made a mistake by hauling the 26-year-old off and replacing him with Thiago Alcantara.

What was said?

"If you want to go to the semi-final, you have to earn the right to do so," Klopp told BT Sport after the game. "We didn't do that tonight, especially in the first half. The only good thing I can say, apart from the goal, is it's only the first half of the tie."

Speaking in his post-match press conference on the Keita sub, Klopp added: "Yeah, it was tactical. These are the things I don’t like in the job. You do that and it’s like one player is responsible for the performance in the first half.

"Naby was not responsible for that. He didn’t play for a while, especially not from the start. Naby was not good in the game, but to be honest I could have made a few more changes in that moment.

"It was not about Naby, but I did it and now I’m not happy about it because we talk like it’s Naby’s responsibility. It was not. It was tactical."

What's next?

Liverpool did give themselves a glimmer of hope by scoring an away goal, which came courtesy of Mohamed Salah in the second half, but the Reds still face a major task at Anfield next week as they look to overturn a two-goal deficit and reach the semi-finals. 

Klopp's side do, of course, have a good recent track record of Champions League comebacks against Spanish sides. The Reds lost 3-0 in the semi-final against Barcelona two years ago before producing a memorable 4-0 win in the second leg at Anfield to reach the final.

Further reading

Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez is closing in Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria’s Uefa Champions League assist record.

The Algeria international assisted Kevin De Bruyne for the Citizen’s first goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat of Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium.

Mahrez could not reach Phil Foden’s initial cross into the six-yard box, instead, he picked the ball on the byline before pulling it back to Belgium international, who coolly finished past goalkeeper Marwin Hitz.

With that, the former Leicester City star has now provided 10 assists for Pep Guardiola’s men in the competition.

Only Paris Saint-Germain’s duo of Mbappe and Di Maria have bettered the tally since the commencement of the 2018-19 campaign.

De Bruyne’s effort handed City a slim advantage heading into the half-time break.

In the second half, the German elite division outfit put up an improved showing in their quest for a much-needed leveller.

The moment for Edin Terzic’s men came in the 84th minute when Marco Reus put Dortmund back into contention with Erling Braut Haaland suppling the assist. With Jude Bellingham skipping past Ilkay Gundogan, he flicked it to Haaland, who spins and fed Reus who fired past goalkeeper Ederson Moraes.

As if that was all, the hosts got the winner in the 90th minute through Foden. Aged 20 years and 313 days, Foden becomes the youngest Englishman to score a 90th-minute winning goal in a Champions League match.

In the process, he overtook Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney who was 21 years and 182 days when he scored the winner for the Red Devils in a 3-2 win over AC Milan in April 2007.

30-year-old Mahrez was in action from start to finish and apart from his assist, he accounted for 66 touches, two interceptions, 50 passes with a passing accuracy of 88 percent.

Both teams will meet again on April 14. Before then, Guardiola’s side will return to Premier League action as they face Leeds United. They lead the EPL log after accruing 74 points from 31 matches played so far.

For Terzic’s Borussia Dortmund, they travel to the Mercedes-Benz Arena for their Bundesliga showdown with Stuttgart.

Just one manager has won more Champions League matches in their first 50 outings in charge of Real Madrid than Zinedine Zidane, after the boss earned his 31st victory in the competition on Tuesday.

In what might have been his squad's most complete performance of the campaign, Real bested Liverpool 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals thanks to two goals from Vinicius Junior and one from Marco Asensio.

Only Jupp Heynckes enjoyed a better run than Zidane to begin his European reign, with 32 wins in his first 50 matches.

Zidane's run

Zidane is already a three-time Champions League winner from the touch line, providing a staggering amount of managerial success for the club he also starred at as a player. A triumph in 2020-21 without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was around for Real Madrid's trio, would further bolster his legacy.

His latest result bodes well for Real's chances -they have progressed 15 out of the past 16 times when winning the first leg in the competition, only failing to do so against Ajax in 2018-19.

What has been said?

Ferland Mendy credited Zidane for his tactical preparation against Liverpool, which helped Real Madrid dominate the opening 45 minutes.

"We knew they liked having the ball, we tried to take them in private, we did it well," Mendy told RMC Sport. "We got into our game, we tried to stifle them, it paid off. We had instructions, yes, we should not let them play and let them put crosses."

Zidane, meanwhile, was pleased with the way his players responded to his instruction.

"It's our victory, the victory of Real Madrid," the manager said. "I think we started the match very well. We were very good, we prevented them from playing, we were very good defensively especially.

"We know very well that they have very good offensive players, we controlled that well, and we were very good with the ball, on the counterattack. We studied their game well and we were very good. I think it's a well-deserved victory, even if we had a bit of difficulty at the start of the second half."

Further reading

Manchester City Kevin De Bruyne admitted his side should have scored more after securing a narrow 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.

De Bruyne opened the scoring in the first half before Marco Reus grabbed a vital away goal for Dortmund with his 84th-minute strike. 

Phil Foden bagged a crucial late winner in the 90th minute, but City still have plenty of work to do in the quarter-final second leg next week.

What was said?

“We saw the way they played," De Bruyne told BT Sport. "They played really well with the ball. It causes some problems sometimes. I think in the first half we had a little bit of difficulty finding the chances but in the second half we created a few.

“We probably should have scored a little bit more but obviously when they came back to 1-1, that was a little shame but it happens. I think the reaction was really good so to get the win is good. We know 2-1 is a tricky score but at least we are ahead for the second leg.”

City head coach Pep Guardiola added: "Dortmund are strong, a good quality with the players they have and the quality it is difficult to do what we want to do, but 2-1 and we have a good chance next week.

"We are going to watch the game. We will adjust a few things to go there and try to win the game. Next is Leeds and then we go to Germany to try and win the game.

"Borussia Dortmund is a typical club from the Champions League. We have one more game there and with the result 2-1 we will try to score the goals there to win."

The bigger picture

Though Man City won't be happy to have conceded at home – ending the club's run of 788 minutes without conceding in the Champions League – they will be confident of securing at least a draw in Germany.

Guardiola's side have lost just three games all season, and have only been defeated once since November.

City are still on course for an unprecedented quadruple, having reached the final of the Carabao Cup, the semi-final of the FA Cup and holding a commanding lead in the Premier League. 

Further reading

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores is up and running once more, with a series of preliminary rounds to determine who makes the group stage for 2021.

And Tuesday's eye-catching final qualifying clash brings together two former champions in San Lorenzo and Santos.

This is the last hurdle before the first round proper, which will be drawn on April 9.

Both the Argentine and Brazilian clubs have tasted glory in this tournament and will be desperate to make a claim for one of those spots with a strong performance. 

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores preliminaries can be watched through Fanatiz with a 7-day free trial . 

The streaming platform offers the option to watch each game.

How to watch San Lorenzo vs Santos

What has happened to San Lorenzo and Santos so far in the 2021 Copa Libertadores?

San Lorenzo qualified for the 2021 Copa by virtue of their league position in the last Superliga competition held in Argentina, which finished all the way back in March.

Since then the Cuervo's form has been rather sporadic, with coach Mariano Soso losing his job at the end of 2020 in a bid to improve performances. 

His replacement Diego Dabove has also found life in Bajo Flores hard-going, but San Lorenzo at least had no problem advancing from the second stage of qualifying, downing Universidad de Chile 3-1 on aggregate.

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This is Santos' first outing of the new Copa Libertadores, but they were active in the tournament as recently as three months ago.

There, Cuca's charges lost a tense final 1-0 to Palmeiras, who netted in the dying seconds to take the crown. 

San Lorenzo and Santos team news and preview

Dabove has kept his cards close to his chest regarding selection in the build-up to the game, although Paraguay international Angel Romero is expected to start on Tuesday.

Santos' new Argentine coach Ariel Holan is considering his options in attack, with Lucas Braga or Angelo in line to start.

Probable San Lorenzo XI:  Devecchi; Herrera, Donatti, Braghieri, Pittón; Palacios, Rodríguez, Ramírez; A. Romero, Di Santo, Troyansky.

Probable Santos XI: João Paulo; Pará, Kaiky, Luan Peres, Felipe Jonatan; Alison, Vinícius Balieiro, Gabriel Pirani; Marinho, Marcos Leonardo, Lucas Braga or Ângelo.

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Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt criticised his charges for their schoolboy defending following the team's draw with Stellenbosch FC on Tuesday. 

Amakhosi showed character as they came back twice to hold Stellies to a 2-2 draw in the PSL match which took place at FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

Nathan Sinkala broke the deadlock after he was left unmarked by Erick Mathoho to hand Stellies the lead and Chiefs levelled matters through Leonardo Castro.

However, Amakhosi conceded again with their defence at sixes and sevens as Phathutshedzo Nange netted with a free header, but a late goal from Nkosingiphile Ngcobo ensured the game ended in a draw. 

"It's been a problem for us, our Achilles heel this season, that area of the pitch, it cost us again tonight so disappointed," Hunt told SuperSport TV.

"A little bit flat at times but we got into the game, the second goal took a little bit out of us but all in all disappointed with the result because I thought you gotta be better than that.

"You have to see the games out but they obviously had a foothold in the game, they got the goal, we chase it and once we got it, we got to 2-1 and you think 'ok'... then we had Castro off the field."

The four-time PSL title-winning coach feels that bad defending has cost the Glamour Boys all season with his side having failed to move into the top eight after drawing with Stellies. 

"I mean the second goal was really schoolboy, same position, bad defending, something that has cost us all season," he continued. 

"You don't want a game against Stellenbosch to go from end to end because that suits them, you want to say a little bit compact and we start chasing it, then the game opens up and it suits them.

"Because they got the type of strikers, the three of them like to play in half-space, the drop off and if you don't get tight, they bounce it and then you are in trouble and then we chase. 

"As soon as we went 2-1... as I said we need to be better. It's two areas of the pitch that cost us the whole season."

Chiefs, who remained ninth on PSL standings, will be action in the Caf Champions League this weekend as they face Guinean giants Horoya AC in their last Group C match on April 10.

Amakhosi will qualify for the quarter-finals if they defeat Horoya at Stade General Lansana Conte in Conakry.

Ilombe Mboyo inspired St. Truiden to a 4-2 comeback win over Waasland-Beveren in Tuesday’s Belgian elite division clash.

Despite an early slip at the Freethiel Stadium, Beveren, Peter Maes’ men clawed back to hand their hosts a deplorable defeat.

Inspired by their 2-1 victory over Mechelen the last time out, the Canaries travelled to face Nicky Hayen’s side with the ambition of earning a positive result – which would help them steer clear of the relegation waters.

Nonetheless, they went down in the second minute after Michael Frey put the hosts ahead courtesy of an assist from Sivert Heltne Nilsen.

Their lead was threatened in the 27th minute after Aleksandar Vukotic was sent off for a second caution. The Serbian defender was punished for elbowing Belgian midfielder, Christian Bruels.

Capitalising on Waasland-Beveren’s disadvantage, the hosts dominated ball possession and, ultimately, they leveled matters in the 32nd minute through Yuma Suzuki with Bruels providing the assist.

Truiden went into the half-time break with a slim advantage as Hayen’s side got punished for their numerous misses.

Beveren pushed harder for the equaliser, sadly, they were not able to match their opponents who were well organised.

Their hopes to claw their way back into the game faded into thin air as Dries Wuytens was given his marching orders by referee Nathan Verboomen for a second caution in the 73rd minute.

While they were still licking their wounds following another red card, former DR Congo international Mboyo completed his brace two minutes later.

In the 78th minute, Louis Verstraete made the score 3-2. Even at that, they could not fight back to seal a draw as Suzuki’s second goal of the evening sealed the encounter.

After an impressive showing, 33-year-old Mboyo was substituted in the 81st minute for Wolke Janssens. Nigeria’s Junior Pius was handed a starter’s role, but he was forced off injured after 37 minutes before coming off for Christopher Durkin.

Elsewhere, Guinea's duo of Mory Konate and Ibrahima Sory Sankhon plus Ghana's Samuel Asamoah were not listed for action in the notable away result.

St.Truiden are 14th in the Jupiler log having garnered 38 points from 32 matches played so far in the 2020-21 campaign, while Waasland-Beveren remain at the base with just 28 points.

Although it took him four games, Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has finally broken through against Real Madrid.

The Egypt international scored his first career goal against Los Blancos in a crucial moment, finding the net in the 51st minute although Jurgen Klopp’s men bowed 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Goals from Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio in the 27th and 36th minute to give Zinedine Zidane’s men a comfortable start in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Sadly, that was the Reds’ worst half of the European club competition’s in 16 years at the hands of the Spanish elite division outfit.

Nonetheless, the two-time African Player of the Year reduced the deficit in the 51st minute.

Diogo Jota found his way through the hosts’ backline and saw his shot trickled into the path of the African who took a touch before burying his effort past Thibaut Courtois from six yards out.

Despite VAR replays for a possible offside, the goal stood and that gave the English team a very vital away goal.

Salah played against Real Madrid twice during his time at AS Roma, however, he was unlucky on those occasions.

His third attempt was during the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv – where he was replaced in the 30th minute by Lallana – after he was fouled by Sergio Ramos.

That effort means Salah has now scored in four successive matches in the competition for the first time.

Also, the 28-year-old has now scored 27 goals for Klopp’s side in all competitions in the 2020-21 campaign.

In addition, since he made his debut for Liverpool, only Cristiano Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (156) and Robert Lewandowski (177) have scored more goals than the Egyptian (121) across all competitions within the top five European leagues.

Liverpool would be hoping to turn the table around when the Spaniards visit Anfield on April 14 for the reverse fixture. Before then, they welcome Dean Smith's Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

After 30 matches played, they occupy the seventh position in the log having accrued 49 points - 25 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

For clubs in excellent form, the international break arrives with a sense of dread given the threat of their impetus being halted, while it’s the opposite feeling for sides either playing poorly or failing to get results.

To some extent, this also applies to players and Victor Osimhen is no different.

Despite Napoli’s growing momentum before the hiatus, the striker endured a frustratingly stop-start run in the side since the turn of the year and was left out of Gennaro Gattuso’s starting line-ups for important victories over AC Milan and AS Roma.

Even though he’d ended an extended run without scoring against Bologna prior to the aforementioned fixtures, the Milan icon felt his team’s best chance of success at the time was to play without the frontman they’d invested so heavily on in the summer.

While critics may have questioned the choice, it was Gattuso’s prerogative owing to the pressure he’s under to win games.

The end, after all, justified the means, and the Azzurri concluded the pre-international break gameweek second in the form table picking up 13 points from an available 15 since their Europa League exit in late February — only champions-elect Inter Milan won more points in the same period in Serie A.

Away with the Nigeria squad, though, Osimhen got 90 minutes against Benin before featuring for 75 in the following 3-0 success over Lesotho in Lagos.

After an encouraging showing in Porto-Novo that only lacked a goal, the 22-year-old netted and assisted in the latter fixture to end joint-top scorer in Afcon qualifying with five goals.

Setting up Oghenekaro Etebo’s goal took him to as many assists, 10 goal contributions in total, and while this pleased passionate Nigerians, the performances ought to have been equally gratifying for his club manager who had to be excited with the improved sharpness.

The upswing led to an expectation that starting Napoli’s number nine was needs must against the division’s cellar-dwelling side, Crotone. He didn’t disappoint, either, netting one of the home side’s four goals in the exciting 4-3 success.

While countryman, Simy, won the individual battle between the pair, Osimhen’s supreme keenness was rewarded with him scoring in successive games at the Diego Armanda Maradona Stadium for the first time since his big-money move from Lille.

Admittedly, the Pythagoreans’ defensive record (they’d conceded a staggering 70 before Saturday) means they were there for the taking, it was something of a personal win for the Nigerian that his manager played him from the off for the first time since late February and only for the third time in the new year.

While outgoing champions Juventus are a different kettle of fish, the frontman will feel his improved physical condition and sharpness in the box should convince his boss to utilise him from the start on Wednesday.

There’s been a quick turnaround for the West African since victories at San Siro and Rome, and even though there might be a temptation to go with the approach that secured six important points in the race for Champions League qualification, dropping your record signing at present sends the wrong message and is hardly justifiable owing to his improvement in the last fortnight or so.

His intelligent movement to tap home Lorenzo Insigne’s unorthodox, improvised assist highlighted the recent shift in the frontman, while he was quick off the mark to latch on to Matteo Politano’s pass only to be denied his brace by Alex Cordaz’s save.

Osimhen recorded his highest expected goals against Crotone (1.1) since his season-peak of 1.4 xG vs Sassuolo in November and his most impressive since the turn of the year. His three shot-creating actions was his maximum involvement in 2021 and only two behind his highest of the campaign — the impressive debut against Parma in September.

Despite the weakness of Crotone, both suggest Napoli’s number nine was getting into goalscoring positions and was equally involved in open play.

Dropping him in what has potentially become a make-or-break encounter to secure CL football next season vs an unrecognisable Juventus will be a real kick in the teeth.

Even though the Old Lady expected the transition under Andrea Pirlo to be accompanied by growing pains, the club’s hierarchy probably never thought ending in the top four will be under threat.

Avoidable mistakes in possession have characterised the last few weeks, a consequence of their attempt to play differently, and pressure on their green boss to prioritise wins in the short term continues to increase.

The damaging 1-0 defeat by struggling Benevento and error-strewn 2-2 draw with Torino at the weekend — coupled with Atalanta and Napoli’s run of victories — leaves the Turin side requiring consistency in the final 10 games to avoid falling out of the Champions League spots for the first time since 2011.

Fourth-placed Juventus sit two points adrift of Atalanta (58 points) and are level with Gattuso’s team going into Wednesday’s long-awaited encounter in Turin. The fixture ought to have held in early October, but Napoli didn’t turn up at the Juventus Stadium after local health authorities prohibited the Azzurri from travelling due to a mild COVID-19 outbreak in the side.

Osimhen was going to feature in that postponed gameweek three meeting, however, events since November with injuries and coronavirus have tainted his opening year in Naples.

Liverpool were left with an uphill task to salvage their hopes of European glory after suffering their worst half of Champions League football in 16 years at the hands of Real Madrid. 

The Reds conceded to Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio in the opening 45 minutes to fall 2-0 behind. 

Such was Jurgen Klopp's concern that the manager was moved to make an unusually early substitution in a bid to turn the tables on Tuesday's first-leg clash. 

Reds caught cold in Madrid

Klopp's men were comprehensively outplayed in the first half in the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, failing to muster even a single shot against the accomplished Madrid. 

The hosts, meanwhile, took their two best chances to open a commanding lead. 

Vinicius streaked clear after 27 minutes after receiving Toni Kroos' brilliant lofted pass and finished with ease past Alisson, and the goalkeeper was caught out once again by Asensio less than 10 minutes later, largely thanks to a horrendous error from Trent Alexander-Arnold who headed the ball directly into the forward's path on the edge of his own area. 

Not since 2005's Champions League final against Milan have Liverpool conceded twice before the break in a single game in the competition, while more than seven years have passed since they have failed to record an attempt on goal in a a first half.

Klopp did not wait to make changes, sending on Thiago Alcantara for Naby Keita after just 41 minutes. Keita was making only his second start in the competition this season, with the previous coming against FC Midtjylland when Liverpool had already qualified from their group, and he endured a nightmare evening in the Spanish capital.

Europe's comeback kings

While the situation looks bleak for the Reds, it is also one they have recovered from in the past. 

During the aforementioned final against Milan, for example, they went three goals behind before pulling the game back to 3-3 and eventually prevailing on penalties to lift their first European Cup or Champions League title since 1984. 

Two years ago Klopp's men were also staring elimination in the face after suffering a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona in the semi-final first leg at Camp Nou, but on that occasion the Reds were also able to recover, downing Lionel Messi and co 4-0 in the return match to progress to the final, which they also won at the expense of Tottenham.

They will have to pull off a similarly impressive comeback to reach the semis this time round, despite Mohamed Salah's early strike after the break, as Vinicius struck again to give Madrid a 3-1 win on the night which leaves them well-placed for the return leg at Anfield.

Further reading

Jadon Sancho was among the many observers questioning referee Ovidiu Hategan after Borussia Dortmund appeared to be denied a valid goal against Manchester City.

After Kevin De Bruyne gave City the lead in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, Jude Bellingham appeared to equalise after blocking a clearance by City goalkeeper Ederson. 

Bellingham finished into an empty net but the goal was called back after Hategan ruled the England international had fouled Ederson.

What happened?

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Ederson took a poor first touch and got himself into trouble as Bellingham closed him down. 

Ederson attempted a quick clearance but Bellingham stole in and robbed the ball in mid-air, leaving him with nothing but an empty net in front of him. 

However, as Bellingham was about to put the ball in the net, Hategan whistled for a foul. Because the referee's call came before the ball went in the goal, there was no possibility of a VAR review. 

To add insult to injury, Bellingham was shown a yellow card for what appeared to be a perfectly legal challenge.

There was plenty of reaction on social media including Sancho – who missed the match through injury – getting involved in the criticism.

What was the reaction?

Further reading

Ahead of Wednesday's Ghana Premier League clash with Bechem United, New Asante Kotoko coach Mariano Barreto has urged his players to lift their game, stating their opponents are usually more motivated when playing against the Porcupine Warriors.

The Kumasi-based outfit is set to host The Hunters at their newly adopted Obuasi Len Clay Stadium home ground in an outstanding matchday 16 tie.

The upcoming game will be Kotoko's second game since the Portuguese coach's appointment following Saturday's 1-1 draw away at Sekondi Eleven Wise.

“I think they [Kotoko players] are getting the message and we are talking a lot about it. Especially if you don’t fight, if you don’t show warrior instinct and killer instincts it will be difficult," Barreto, a former Ghana head coach, said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

"Because for other clubs, their biggest target is to beat the champions. This happens not only in Ghana.

“In any country, everybody wants to beat the champions. So we have to know that and the players have to feel it. So we cannot forget.”

Bechem, who beat Liberty Professionals 2-0 on Sunday, meanwhile, are more than determined to cause an upset against Kotoko.

"I am very optimistic about our chances against Asante Kotoko in our game tomorrow in Obuasi because we are well prepared and motivated to meet them," Bechem defender Emmanuel Asante remarked.

“With our win over Liberty Professionals on Sunday, we’re sure that we can beat Kotoko in tomorrow’s game at the Len Clay Stadium."

Bechem forward Hafiz Konkoni Wontah is equally in a bullish mood.

"There’s no way Kotoko can beat Bechem United in Obuasi tomorrow because the players' confidence is high and everyone is ready to face them and show what we’re capable of doing," the attacker said.

“Everyone is buzzing to go, and we cannot wait for the match tomorrow because all the players’ morale is high, and everyone is in a good spirit for the clash against Asante Kotoko."

Kotoko currently occupy the fourth position on the league table while Bechem holding the seventh spot.

The Porcupines are the most successful club in GPL history, having won the title on 23 occasions, the last coming in 2014.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has praised his colleague Rhulani Mokwena for his tactical changes against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) on Tuesday.

Masandawana came back to defeat Vhadau Vha Damani 3-1 in a PSL match which was played at Peter Mokaba Stadium and the win saw the Tshwane giants extend their lead to six points at the top of the league standings. 

Mngqithi disclosed that Mokwena was the reason behind Lyle Lakay and Thapelo Morena switching flanks in the second half which saw the visitors score twice through Siphelele Mkhulise and Sibusiso Vilakazi.

“It was just an opinion that came from coach Rhulani. It was a very good opinion because we realised they opened a little bit of space on the inside and they give us a chance to put these diagonals," Mngqithi told SuperSport TV. 

“Thapelo did the same on this side [left] as well but unfortunately they were not precise, and when Lyle came inside he could have easily scored a goal the first instance where he played the ball in the near post."

Mngqithi and Mokwena are serving as Sundowns co-coaches with the opinion of the former prevailing when there isn't consensus.

Sundowns took a 2-1 lead when left-back Lakay's cross from the right was headed home by Mkhulise, before Vilakazi sealed the 3-1 win with Peter Shalulile providing the assist. 

“But I must give credit to coach Rhulani because it was his idea and we felt it was a very good idea and it really worked for us because we did not have a lot of pressure from their wingers," he continued. 

“So, ours was how do we apply ourselves offensively to create opportunities by using these diagonals from the opposite side because they overload one side. 

"And open on the other side and we had a lot of moments that were created as a result and credit must be given to coach Rhulani for that."

Sundowns have now turned their attention to their final Caf Champions League Group B match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on April 9.

The Tshwane giants have already qualified for the quarter-finals of Africa's most prestigious club competition.