Looking for Soccer News?

Besiktas returned to the summit of Turkey’s Super Lig as Georges-Kevin N'Koudou’s 89th minute goal inspired a 2-0 win over 10-man Kayserispor on Sunday.

The Black Eagles who have won their last four games came to the Kadir Has Stadium with the ambition of continuing their winning streak which would brighten their title ambitions.

French winger of Cameroonian descent N’Koudou presented the visitors with a chance to take a 12th minute lead after he was fouled in the penalty area by Dimitrios Kolovetsios. However, Ghana international Bernard Mensah missed the ensuing kick as goalkeeper Dogan Alemdar guessed the right way.

In the cagey first-half, chances were few as both teams went into the locker room after 45 minutes.

Knowing that anything short of victory would spell doom for their title hopes, Besiktas came out stronger in the second-half, yet were unable to break down the dogged hosts who relied on counter attacks.

Nonetheless, their breakthrough came in the 87th minute after goal-bound Congolese star Fabrice N'Sakala was brought down in the danger area by a clumsy tackle by one of the hosts’ defenders. After several VAR replays, referee Firat Aydinus pointed to the penalty spot.

The resultant kick was taken by the 25-year-old and he sent Alemdar the wrong way to hand Sergen Yalcin’s men the lead.

Super-sub Ajdin Hasic guaranteed all points for the visiting team by sending a low shot past the goalkeeper after capitalising on a defensive mishap by the Anatolian Star who had gone upfront in search of an equaliser.

Before the final whistle was sounded, manager Samet Aybaba had his men reduced to 10 after Miguel Lopes was given his marching orders for a second caution.

Despite his penalty miss, Mensah gave a good account of himself before he was substituted for Necip Uysal in the 77th minute, while N'Koudou who has now scored two goals in the 2020-21 season was in action from start to finish alongside N'Sakala. Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar was not listed for action.

For the hosts, Ghana’s Yaw Ackah saw every minute of action as Congo’s Harrison Manzala replaced Pedro Henrique with 13 minutes left to play.

Amad Diallo shared a photo of his flight to Rome on Sunday as the Atalanta teenager prepared to officially become a Manchester United player. 

Diallo, 18, agreed to a move to Old Trafford worth up to £37 million ($48m) over the summer. 

But the clubs agreed to keep the youngster in Italian football until he was granted a work permit in the United Kingdom. 

The Ivorian has since received an Italian passport and, as United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed, has cleared the last legal obstacles preventing him becoming a United player. 

"We have had all the paperwork, I can't see any obstacles. He's coming," Solskjaer told reporters following the Reds' 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Friday.

"I hope very soon he will be with us. I'm very excited about bringing him in. I think he's shown a few times his qualities.

"Of course he has to learn to play in England, that's a different level of football. We'll give him time to develop and to express himself.

"Apart from that, I'm not really thinking too much on what we're going to do with players. Of course, we're always working long-term. That's the big thing. We have targets we need long-term for the club."

On Sunday Diallo posted from the plane purportedly flying him to the Italian capital in order to complete the final paperwork ahead of confirmation of the transfer. 

Reports suggest that the teenager will then fly to Manchester in the coming days to join up with his new team-mates. 

Atalanta were keen to hold on to their young gem until at least the end of the season, but coach Gian Piero Gasperini conceded that such a prospect now looked impossible. 

"It's difficult because Manchester United want him to join the club immediately in January," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

"Amad has received his passport."

Diallo has made two appearances for Atalanta in the 2020-21 season and overall has played five senior competitive matches, with his first and only goal to date coming against Udinese in October 2019.

Pep Guardiola has told critics of Benjamin Mendy they should look in the mirror after the Manchester City left-back was caught breaking coronavirus rules. 

As the virus surges in the UK, Mendy broke government rules by mixing households during a New Year's Eve party on Thursday night.

Following the breach, Man City released a statement expressing their "disappointment" in the France defender.

"While it is understood that elements of this incident have been misinterpreted in the reports, and that the player has publicly apologised for his error, the club is disappointed to learn of the transgression and will be conducting an internal investigation," the statement read. 

Despite the club's disappointment, Guardiola still named Mendy to his matchday squad on Sunday as City defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. 

Speaking at his post-game press conference after Mendy was an unused sub, Guardiola hit out at critics of the 26-year-old's actions.

"He had good intentions with the heart that he has, but he has to understand some things. He invited two or three people on New Year's Eve, they all tested negative, but they were at his house. I would like to know how many people had five or six people at home on New Year’s Eve, I’m pretty sure many," Guardiola said.

"Normally in society we judge the other one, it would be better if we judge ourselves. I’m pretty sure Benjamin will improve on that and next time he will be more careful.

"He broke the rules, I’m not justifying it, he cannot do it. But don’t give lessons to the other ones, don’t put examples from the players for society. We all have to do what we have to do.

"Of course it was not correct what he has done, but don’t judge him too much, if we look at what we have done New Year's Eve, many, many people have maybe done the same.

"It’s easy to judge others."

Guardiola added that he never considered leaving Mendy out of his squad for the trip to Stamford Bridge. 

"He’s part of the group, he’s one of the good guys, he's beloved in our group, he was one of the most active players in the stands. He's a special guy for all of us and he has an incredible heart," the Spaniard said.

Chennaiyin and Hyderabad will be looking to turn their season around when they face each other in a mid-table clash at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, on Monday evening.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

 TEAM NEWS

Chennaiyin Possible XI:   

Injured - Rafael Crivellaro
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Isma, Anirudh Thapa

Hyderabad Possible XI: 

Injured - Nikhil Poojari
Doubtful - Liston Colaco
Suspended - None

Key Players - Aridane Santana, Halicharan Narzary  

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus bounced back from their Fiorentina fiasco with a 4-1 win over Udinese at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. 

Andrea Pirlo's side suffered a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to La Viola before the mid-season break, but they kicked off 2021 with a win that ensured the gap to Serie A leaders Milan remained at 10 points. 

Ronaldo put Juve ahead in the 31st minute with a fine strike after Udinese's Rodrigo de Paul had seen an effort ruled out by VAR. 

Federico Chiesa and Ronaldo then made sure Juve avoided going three consecutive home games without a win for the first time since 2015-16.

Marvin Zeegelaar snatched a consolation for Udinese, but Paulo Dybala had the final say in stoppage time.

Aaron Ramsey squandered a golden opportunity to give Juve a seventh-minute lead, the former Arsenal man firing straight at Juan Musso from inside the six-yard box.

Udinese almost punished Juve immediately, but De Paul's effort was ruled out following a VAR check for a handball earlier in the move.

Ronaldo burst into life shortly after the half-hour, racing into the area and cracking a low shot past Musso for his 13th league goal of the campaign.

Udinese's goalkeeper was beaten again in the 47th minute after Chiesa rolled in from Ronaldo's incisive pass.

A VAR check for handball denied Ramsey a goal five minutes later, while at the other end Jens Stryger Larsen crashed a header against Wojciech Szczesny's crossbar.

Ronaldo grabbed his second 20 minutes from time, coolly steering past Musso with his left foot, before Udinese pulled one back in the 90th minute when Zeegelaar – who had earlier hit the crossbar – lashed in from close range.

There was still time for Juve to add further gloss to a much-needed win, however, with Dybala clipping home with the final kick of the game.

What does it mean? Juve back up and running

It could have been very different had De Paul's early strike not been ruled out, but Juve were excellent value for all three points. They had 20 shots – 10 on target – to Udinese's 10 and enjoyed 63.1 per cent possession.

They will need to rely on lady luck if they are to claim a 10th consecutive Serie A title given Milan's healthy lead, but with Ronaldo leading the charge, anything is possible.

Relentless Ronaldo strikes again

He might be 35, but Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down. His first-half strike marked the 15th consecutive season he has plundered 20 goals for club and country.

Ronaldo followed that up with an assist and another goal to complete a wonderful individual performance, and he has now scored twice in six Serie A matches this season, a joint-record alongside Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski across the big five European leagues.

Dybala comes good at the death

Dybala's late goal might just be the confidence boost the Argentina international needs after a difficult start to the season.

The well-taken dink was just his second goal in Serie A this term and came at the end of a game in which he lost possession a whopping 21 times – eight more than any other Juve player.

Key Opta Facts

- Ronaldo has 14 goals from his first 11 Serie A appearances this term. Only in 2014-15 with Real Madrid in LaLiga has he managed more after the same amount of matches.
- Since he joined Juve in 2018-19, Ronaldo has scored the first goal of game in 21 Serie A encounters – more than any other player in the competition during this period.
- Ronaldo has provided 15 assists in Serie A: 14 of them have been served at the Allianz Stadium.
- Matthijs de Ligt has made his 50th appearance for Juve in all competitions.
- Marvin Zeegelaar is the first Dutch player to score against Juve in Serie A since Milan's Clarence Seedorf back in May 2009.

What's next?

Pirlo's men have the opportunity to close the gap to the Serie A summit when they face leaders Milan on Wednesday, while Udinese travel to Bologna on the same day.

Phil Foden hailed the work of "genius" Pep Guardiola and outlined his plans to continue improving after inspiring Manchester City to a 3-1 victory against Chelsea.

The England international set up Ilkay Gundogan for City's first goal in Sunday's clash and swept home Kevin De Bruyne's cross for their second just 157 seconds later.

At 20 years and 220 days, he became the second youngest player to score and assist in a Premier League game against Chelsea since Jermain Defoe in September 2002.

Foden has now been directly involved in 14 Premier League goals – finding the net nine times himself and setting up five more for his team-mates.

That is as many as Manchester United legend Paul Scholes managed at the same age, only strengthening comparisons made between the pair.

He completed all 16 of his passes in the opposition half against Chelsea and created four chances, which is more than any other player on the field.

However, having struggled to hold down a place in the side this term, the City academy product is refusing to get too far ahead of himself.

"I still have a lot to learn," he said. "There's quality players here. Riyad Mahrez on the bench today could easily play. 

"There's quality players at the club and I just have to keep doing well each time and improving.

"The manager's praise means a lot when you put 100 per cent into a game. It feels nice. I'm enjoying my football and I want to keep enjoying it."

Foden started on the left side of a striker-less attack for a City side depleted by a coronavirus outbreak in their camp, leaving them without six squad members for the match.

The Citizens' victory was their third in a row in the Premier League, moving them to within four points of top spot with a game in hand, but was their first over one of last season's top-six finishers this term at the fifth attempt.

City dropped off in the second half and Callum Hudson-Odoi pulled one back for Chelsea in stoppage time, though Foden was delighted with his side's overall display at Stamford Bridge.

"It gives you the confidence, coming here and getting a result how we did," he said. "It gives everyone confidence in the training room and we want to keep pushing and playing like this more often.

"The first half was brilliant. To be three goals up, it's not always easy to go into the second half three goals up and play the same way. 

"You could probably tell the second half we dropped off a bit and let them have it. Overall it was a great performance and doesn't put us in a bad position with the games in hand.

"We've played good every game but just not finished our chances. Today was a brilliant performance and much more clinical in the final third.

"We had that little break after the last game and maybe that helped us out to have the energy today. It was a great performance, everyone played top today.

"We always have great tactics going into big games like this – Pep's a genius at things like this. 

"As you can tell we played the right way and we definitely done them staying high and wide and going down the flanks. It was something we did well."

Barcelona moved into LaLiga's top five after Frenkie de Jong's goal clinched a 1-0 victory over bottom club Huesca in Lionel Messi's 500th league appearance for the club.

Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman, who warned before the game that defeat would all but end his side's title challenge, saw a much-improved Barcelona performance as he earned back-to-back LaLiga away wins for the first time in his tenure.

Messi came back into the side after missing Barca's disappointing 1-1 draw with Eibar due to an ankle injury and was at his talismanic best, deftly assisting De Jong's volleyed goal after just before the half-hour mark.

Huesca did open the visitors up on occasion and it remains to be seen whether Koeman can restore some consistency and style to this team, but they did enough here to climb above Sevilla in the table.

Barcelona's early pressure paid off after 27 minutes when Messi played an exquisite chipped pass into the box, where De Jong evaded two defenders and guided the ball into the corner of the net from six yards on the volley.

Messi would have capped a fine first-half performance with a superb goal five minutes from the interval had Alvaro Fernandez not pulled off a spectacular save, palming his dipping 20-yard free-kick over the crossbar.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner flashed a fierce effort narrowly wide from the edge of the box early in the second period, before Marc-Andre ter Stegen got down well to prevent Rafa Mir's close-range shot from becoming the equaliser.

Ousmane Dembele should have put the game beyond doubt when he went one-on-one with Fernandez 13 minutes from time, but the Huesca goalkeeper saved at his feet and then denied Messi again before full-time.

What does it mean? Six without defeat for Koeman's men

Barcelona's last LaLiga defeat came on December 5 against Cadiz and they have only lost two of their last 11 in the league – an improvement on their early-season form.

But it will take more than a narrow win over the division's strugglers to convince an unhappy fan base that Koeman has the answers to Barcelona's problems.

Fit-again Messi finding form

Messi looked desperate to mark his 500th LaLiga appearance and his 750th club outing for Barcelona with a goal but only two of his eight shots hit the target and none found the net. Nevertheless, the Argentinian was incredibly lively, as evidenced by his assist, match-high 16 duels and 113 touches of the ball, which was behind only Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Wasteful Dembele misfires

Dembele saw plenty of the ball and some of Barcelona's better chances fell to him, but of his six shots one was blocked, three were saved, and two missed the target. While it is certainly a positive to see him getting opportunities, he will be disappointed not to have converted at least one of them given the quality of some of those openings.

Key Opta facts

- Lionel Messi has played his 500th game in LaLiga, 750th in all competitions. The Argentinian is the second player to reach both milestones for Barca after Xavi (505 in LaLiga and 767 in all competitions).
- Marc-Andre ter Stegen has saved four shots against Huesca and five versus Real Valladolid at Nuevo Jose Zorrilla, the most among Barca's away games in LaLiga this season. These games have been their most recent league wins on the road.
- The four goals by Frenkie de Jong for Barcelona have been scored in LaLiga, all of them in the first half, two of them assisted by Messi. The Argentinian player has assisted in back-to-back games across all competitions for the first time since June.
- Messi has had 20 shots from free-kicks in LaLiga this season, more than any other player in the top five European leagues – he has not scored any of them.
- Ousmane Dembele had six shots against Huesca, more than any other game in his 88 games for Barcelona in all competitions.

What's next?

Barcelona travel to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in the second of four consecutive away games in LaLiga, with the Basques looking to get off to a winning start under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. Huesca go to Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey a day later.

Mikel Arteta has backed Kieran Tierney to eventually become Arsenal captain.

The Scotland international has been a revelation in north London since his move from Celtic in 2019 and impressed once again on Saturday during a 4-0 win at West Brom.

Tierney opened the scoring at the Hawthorns with a wonderful individual goal and has been a model of consistency this season while others have struggled around him.

Many believe he is the ideal candidate to one day take the armband at Arsenal and Arteta agrees that he has all the attributes to become skipper.

“I think he can be Arsenal captain as he has the respect and admiration of every member of the staff and every player,” said the Gunners’ boss. “It is just the way he is. He does it in a natural way.

“He is a really shy boy as well but he represents all of us in the club; all of the values that we want to instill and are in the DNA in this club.”

Tierney is a quiet figure off the pitch and has admitted he initially struggled to adjust to life in London after leaving boyhood club Celtic.

But on the pitch he is as vocal as they come and has certainly led by example this season with his performances, as he continues to impress.

“Since the moment I joined the club I have seen a player with enormous talent with the perfect attitude and commitment," said Arteta.

“He is a joy to work with and I am so happy for him for the way he scored [against West Brom] and everything he has put in to be better every day towards the team, towards the club.

“He has had some issues to adapt. We tried to help him. It was a challenge for him to leave his house as we all tried to help him.”

Arteta added: “He is shy and so humble. He came here and it took him a while. He had a really bad injury and was away from home but he is a natural leader.

“You see how he behaves on the pitch and when he talks he says the right thing. And he is exactly what we are looking for and I am so happy to have him in the team.

“He can still improve but he is a real threat in attack and really solid in defence.”

Alexandre Lacazette’s future will be decided in the summer, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

The France striker - who is Arsenal’s top scorer this season with nine goals - has less than 18 months remaining on his current contract and talks over an extension have yet to take place.

But Arteta, who saw Lacazette score twice on Saturday during his side’s 4-0 win at West Brom, says there is no rush to get the frontman tied down.

“We have not talked about anything related to his contract,” said the Spaniard. “I am delighted with the way he has performed because he is scoring, has the form and energy at the moment so he needs to keep doing that.

“We will talk in the summer and make a decision then.”

Lacazette has scored five goals in Arsenal’s last four games and was hugely influential as Arteta’s side made it three successive wins in the Premier League on Saturday with their convincing victory at West Brom.

He scored twice in the second half, adding to first-half strikes from Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka to cap another excellent all-round performance.

“He was great,” said Arteta. “He needed that confidence with the goals.

“His work rate is always there, he’s always fighting for the team but he needed that luck for the ball to land to him in the right moments.

“I think he’s in a great moment, we have to take advantage of that and give him minutes because it seems like he’s enjoying it.”

While Lacazette is enjoying a rich vein of form in front of goal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to endure his worst slump in years.

Arsenal’s skipper failed to score again on Saturday, meaning he has just goal in the league since netting a penalty against Manchester United on November 1.

But Arteta insists he is not concerned by his captain’s barren spell and has praised others for stepping up and finding the net in recent weeks.

“I keep saying, we can’t keep putting all the weight on Auba’s shoulders to score the goals,” he said. “We need contributions.

“The midfielders need to score more and give more assists, and we need goals from our wingers as well. Laca is in great form and has scored five goals in his last four games, which is what we need from our strikers.

“Auba had some chances to score on Saturday and it was the same in the last game or so, but I am so pleased because in the final third we looked lively and there was a lot of movement.

“There is good energy, there is a real purpose and everybody is playing forwards. It’s like we are free to play there and the understanding is allowing us to generate a lot of things there.”

Jurgen Klopp says he does not know if Liverpool will look to sign a centre-back this month, despite their injury troubles.

The Reds are currently without all three of their recognised, senior centre-halves, with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez out with long-term knee injuries and Joel Matip recovering from an adductor problem.

Midfielder Fabinho has been filling in admirably in defence, with Klopp looking to coax performances out of two inexperienced players alongside the Brazilian. Rhys Williams, 19, made his Premier League debut against Tottenham last month, while Nathaniel Phillips has started three times in the league, including last week’s 0-0 draw at Newcastle.

Plenty, including former Reds star Jamie Carragher, have urged Liverpool to act in the transfer market, but club sources have indicated that it is unlikely that any major business will be conducted in January. Links with Lille’s Sven Botman have been dismissed.

Asked about the possibility of any incomings this month, Klopp told reporters: “We have solutions in the squad obviously but we struggled still with injuries. For most of the time with centre-half position, it can happen like this - when it starts, it does not stop.

“We have solutions with the squad but if we can do something in the window, I don’t know. It is like that.

“It is a very difficult transfer window, as you can imagine. Not all of the clubs have real money. Just doing something makes no sense. Doing the right thing makes sense. So far, we have really liked what we have done.”

Despite their issues, Liverpool remained top of the Premier League as 2021 got underway, and can open up a three-point gap with a win over Southampton at St Mary’s on Monday night.

That would be a valuable victory, with contenders – Manchester United and Manchester City especially – beginning to assemble behind them. Having won the title by some distance last season, Klopp is ready for a much closer race this time around.

“Yes, for sure,” he said. “Last season was very tough for us as well. It was not as though we thought, ‘Oh my god this is easy’. It was really tough and this year is tough again.

“I am not surprised it is that close. We have our situation and all the other clubs have their situation. Our season is so far so good. Not more, not less.

“We try to be ready for each game. Now Southampton will ask for different things. Then Aston Villa [in the FA Cup], then Man Utd.

“This season is a tough one for the supporters. If you are a neutral, you will love it, I am pretty sure because it will go to the wire probably, but it is tough for all of us - which is the reason why it is so close!”

Frank Lampard is running out of time as Chelsea manager, according to Roy Keane. 

Lampard's side turned in a woeful display on Sunday, falling 3-1 at home to Manchester City in a match that was out of reach by half-time.

The defeat continued a concerning run of form for the Blues, who have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches and sit eighth in the table.

Lampard led Chelsea to a fourth-placed finish last season in his first campaign at the helm, which was seen as a strong performance in a season that saw Chelsea hit with a transfer ban. 

But, after a summer spend of more than £200 million on new recruits, more was expected of the Blues in 2020-21.

Though all of Chelsea's new players need time to settle, Keane was dismayed by Chelsea's overall effort against City, and noted the club's track record of going through managers quickly.

"Frank will be concerned for what he saw today," Keane told Sky Sports. "Today you’re thinking with the attacking players, I thought they’d put up a performance, but there was a lack of energy.

"When you’re losing a game 3-0 and not putting a tackle in, it’s a huge concern. He’s got senior players out here, players who have won the World Cup, how they didn’t sort it out, making tackles, pulling people in, sitting in. That would be the big concern for me.

"Chelsea don’t give managers time. It’s in their DNA and history not to give them time."

“Frank always comes across well. I didn’t realise the word patience existed at Chelsea, particularly for managers."

Keane added that while managers like Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at City were afforded time to build their projects, Lampard may not be given the same luxury given his lack of a comparable track record as a manager.

“I don’t think Frank’s going to get much time. There’s huge pressure this year, you have to give players time to settle coming from foreign countries," Keane added.

“Last year he had a free pass, but they’ve spent money and it brings added pressures, no matter who the manager is.

“Every team has injury problems, he’s got to get ready. When you start questioning work-rate and desire, no matter how good a team you are, you’re going to slip up.

“He’s new to it. He’s 42 years of age. Klopp came from Dortmund and won big prizes over there. He’s up against all these managers – [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, Guardiola. These guys have got CVs behind them. He won’t get the time Klopp got."

Bayern Munich came from behind for an eighth successive Bundesliga match as the champions overcame struggling Mainz 5-2 at Allianz Arena.

Hansi Flick's side have not taken the lead in a league game since October and might have been staring down the barrel of a second defeat of the season had Danny Latza beaten Manuel Neuer early in the second half.

Mainz had a 2-0 lead at that stage, with Jonathan Burkardt and Alexander Hack scoring in the first half, but Joshua Kimmich and Leroy Sane restored parity in the space of five minutes.

Robin Quaison struck the woodwork as 17th-placed Mainz fought back, though Bayern ultimately had too much.

Niklas Sule's deflected strike and Robert Lewandowski's double – the first of which came from the spot – settling a thrilling contest firmly in Bayern's favour.

Against the run of play, Mainz struck first – Burkardt getting the better of Jerome Boateng and thumping beyond Neuer.

Bayern were convinced Boateng had been fouled, but the VAR disagreed, though Mainz's lead would have been swiftly cancelled out had Finn Dahmen not palmed over Lewandowski's strike.

But Bayern were dealt another blow before the interval, Hack capitalising on some dreadful marking to head home from Daniel Brosinski's free-kick.

Latza should have put Mainz out of sight three minutes after the restart, only to drill straight at Neuer from point-blank range, and the visitors were punished when Kimmich headed in from Lewandowski's flick.

Bayern quickly doubled down – Sane cutting in from the right to curl in a crisp, low finish.

Neuer's crossbar came to Bayern's rescue from Quaison's blistering shot and the hosts made their fortune count as Sule's volley skewed in off a defender a few moments after Leandro Barreiro's own goal was disallowed for Alphonso Davies straying offside.

Barreiro's luck ran out in the 74th minute when he wildly scythed down Serge Gnabry, giving Lewandowski the chance to wrap up the win.

Having sent Dahmen the wrong way from 12 yards, Lewandowski then met Thomas Muller's cross to add a fifth with seven minutes remaining and send Bayern back to the Bundesliga's summit.

What does it mean? New year, same Bayern

Though their habit of going behind in games may soon come back to bite Bayern, who have kept just one clean sheet in 13 league matches, they just had too much power and quality for Mainz on Sunday.

Bayern have recovered 18 points from losing positions in their last eight league outings, and hold a two-point lead over second-placed RB Leipzig, who beat Stuttgart on Saturday.

Lewandowski keeps on rolling

Having capped off a superb 2020 by pipping Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Best FIFA Men's Player award, Lewandowski picked up where he left off.

He created Kimmich's goal with a deft flick-on and took his penalty in typically composed fashion before sweeping in on the volley late on. He is now on 19 league goals for the season from just 14 games and all three of his attempts were on target.

A mixed bag for Barreiro

Barreiro impressed going forward for Mainz, creating three chances – more than any other player for the visitors.

However, he also conceded possession on 15 occasions – a team-high – and committed three fouls, including a ludicrous lunge on Gnabry, while he was fortunate to not have an own goal to his name, too.

What's next?

Bayern travel to Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday, while Mainz host Eintracht Frankfurt a day later.

FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza has stated they are in Tanzania to finish the job they started in Zimbabwe when they face Simba SC in a Caf Champions League match on Wednesday.

The Platinum Miners managed to secure a slim advantage from the first leg after they edged out the Wekundu wa Msimbazi 1-0 with the goal coming from Perfect Chikwende in the 17th minute at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.

Speaking to reporters after landing in Dar es Salaam for the return leg fixture set for Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Mapeza has maintained their main task is to complete the job they started back home by eliminating Simba from the competition.

“We have come to do the same task of seeking victory and we are ready to get the win and qualify,” Mapeza told reporters at Julius Nyerere Airport.

“There is nothing else we need, all we know is our opponents are psychologically prepared and we know they are a tough team to play at home, we respect them but we are not afraid of them.

“We got a 1-0 win back home, we should have scored more but even the slim advantage is good for us because we will strive to score goals away, we will push them and the more they move forward, we have the chance to kill them off on counter-attacks.”

Asked on what style he will deploy against Simba, Mapeza explained: “Don’t worry, we know how to deal with them, I have been following their games and I know how to handle them, it will be a good game and our main target is to reach the group stage.”

Simba qualified for the second round after a 1-0 aggregate win over Plateau United of Nigeria while Platinum made it to the next round after a 4-1 aggregate win over Costa De Sol of Mozambique, winning the first leg played in Maputo 2-1 before claiming a 2-0 win in the return leg played in Harare.

On Wednesday, Simba sent a warning to Platinum after demolishing Ihefu FC 4-0 in a one-sided Mainland Premier League contest, with the goals coming from Mohamed Hussein, Meddie Kagere (two), and Chris Mugalu.

Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck is confident they will turn the tables and claim a place in the group stages.

“We lost 1-0 away but we now have 90 minutes to battle and make things right,” Vandenbroeck told reporters in Dar es Salaam. “We know what to expect from our opponents and we are ready to make Tanzanians proud, we want to reach the group stage and we have to win the match.”

Last season, Simba failed to make it past the preliminary stage after losing on the away goals rule to UD Songo of Mozambique.

ATK Mohun Bagan reclaimed their spot at the top of the Indian Super League (ISL) table after they cruised to a win against NorthEast United on Sunday.

Roy Krishna once again bagged the 'Man of the Match' award for his team after he scored the opening goal of the match. Bagan's second was an own goal by Highlanders skipper Benjamin Lambot.

Coach Antonio Habas was happy with the performance of his team and suggested that while the team could have managed the game better in the first half, they came out with flying colours in the second 45 minutes.

"The team played a good match. Maybe in the first half, the match could have been more balanced but in the second half, Bagan were superior," said Habas.

ATK Mohun Bagan have scored nine of their 10 goals in the second halves of matches this season and Habas explained that the lack of fans in the stadiums might have had an impact on the intensity shown by his players.

"Sometimes it is very difficult to get the pace without the fans in the stadiums and the players subconsciously do not have the same intensity without supporters. This can be an important thing."

The Spanish coach did not seem to be worried about the fact that star striker Roy Krishna has scored most of the goals for the team. He said, "Roy (Krishna) is a very important player for us and whoever scores it is for the team. I am not worried about that."

The two-time ISL champion also explained why he decided to keep Manvir Singh and Pronay Halder on the bench for the game. 

"He (Manvir Singh) played three matches continuously and it is the same with Pronay Halder. They needed rest so they were on the bench. During the match when the opponent is tired,` that was the moment to play them."

NorthEast United head coach Gerard Nus is concernet with the manner in which his team lost against ATK Mohun Bagan in their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match on Sunday. 

After a goalless first half, Roy Krishna opened the scoring with a header from a corner-kick, not long before Benjamin Lambot scored an own goal from another corner. The Highlanders failed to mount a fightback and could only muster one shot on target in the entire game. 

"It (the defeat) is concerning because we want to win. We want to be competitive. We are building a squad for the future with a lot of young players. Not many players were together, they basically met three months ago.  Every game is a chance for us to get better. We stick to the things that we do well and we keep improving," Nus said after the game. 

He further added, "I think we played in the same way in both halves. Those set-pieces cost us the game."

Nus is hoping to focus on the positives from the team's performance before their next game against Hyderabad on Friday. 

"You are playing against a great team with great players. They won the title last year. They had that consistency, a lot of credit to them. I can see a lot of positives on our side.

"I dont think the fighting spirit has dropped. At the end of the day, scoring goals is the hardest part of football. We are really happy with the players we have, we are working hard to improve them."

Atletico Madrid returned to the summit of LaLiga as Luis Suarez's dramatic 90th-minute goal sealed a 2-1 win over 10-man Deportivo Alaves on Sunday. 

Diego Simeone's side dropped to second following Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday, but a fourth consecutive top-flight victory restored a two-point advantage over their city rivals with still two games in hand. 

Marcos Llorente put the visitors ahead after 41 minutes with his latest long-range effort – his five from outside the penalty area since the beginning of 2020 more than any other LaLiga player. 

Alaves brushed off Victor Laguardia's 63rd-minute red card to pull level six minutes from time through Felipe's outrageous own goal, but Suarez popped up at the death to snatch a memorable win for Los Rojiblancos.

Simeone started with Joao Felix on the bench and the Portugal forward's spark was sorely missed for much of the first half.

The visitors did forge ahead four minutes before the interval, though, with just their second effort on target.

Llorente collected Suarez's pass, cut inside from the right and found Fernando Pacheco's bottom-left corner courtesy of a substantial deflection from Laguardia for his seventh goal of the season across all competitions.

Laguardia was then dismissed for a wild lunge on Thomas Lemar shortly after the hour mark, referee Juan Martinez Munuera upgrading the defender's initial yellow card after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.  

Despite that setback, the hosts – who had earlier hit the post through Florian Lejeune's header – pulled level in the 84th minute when Felipe thundered into his own net from substitute Joselu's low cross into the area. 

Atleti roared back in the closing stages, however, and Suarez tapped in Joao Felix's cross from almost on the line to keep the charge for a first league title since 2013-14 on track.
 

What does it mean? Suarez maintains fine form to keep Atleti on track

It was not pretty but Simeone will hardly care. Atleti could easily have let their heads drop after Felipe's comical own goal but Suarez – who has been involved in 11 goals (nine goals, two assists) in his opening 12 LaLiga games for the club – had other ideas. 

The result marks the 12th consecutive year Atleti have not tasted defeat in their first LaLiga game of a calendar year, with eight wins and four draws following a 3-1 defeat to Valencia in January 2009. 

Koke in imperious form 

Koke was outstanding at the heart of Atleti's midfield. No visiting player made more tackles (five), clearances (two) or interceptions (three) than the Spain international, while his 10 possession gains were four more than any other player on the pitch. 

Laguardia's rashness costs Alaves 

The Alaves defender endured a game to forget. It was his effort to block Llorente's shot that ultimately helped the ball into the bottom corner, while his out-of-control challenge on Lemar did his side no favours at all, despite Felipe's best efforts.

Key Opta Facts

- Atletico have scored more own goals than any other LaLiga team in all competitions this season with three, two of them from Felipe (one for Jan Oblak).
- Simeone's side did not allow the opposition a single first-half shot for the first time in LaLiga this season. The four total Alaves shots were the fewest Atleti have faced this term.
- Alaves have failed to win in their past 11 LaLiga games against Atleti (D4 L7), their longest current winless run against an opponent in the top flight.
- Atleti have won five of their past six away LaLiga games (L1), as many wins as in their previous 19 games away from home in the competition (W5 D11 L3).
- Alaves coach Pablo Machin is winless in his five LaLiga games against Atleti (D3 L2), with his team both scoring and conceding in each of those games.

What's next?

Both sides are in Copa del Rey second-round action on Wednesday, with Atleti travelling to Cornella and Alaves away to Deportivo La Coruna.

Anthony Nwakaeme and Caleb Ekuban found the back of the net in Trabzonspor’s 2-1 victory over Fatih Karagumruk in Sunday’s Turkish Super Lig game.

Nwakaeme was handed his 12th league start and delivered a fine performance to help the Black Sea Storm clinch their sixth win of the season.

The Nigeria international has been in sizzling form since he teamed up with the Medical Park Stadyumu outfit in the summer of 2018.

The forward has registered 21 league goals in his last two seasons for the Black Sea Storm and against Fatih Karagumruk he notched his fourth goal of the 2020-21 campaign.

Ekuban, meanwhile, was afforded his 10th league appearance and utilized the opportunity to increase his goal tally to four.

The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but despite their efforts, the first half ended 0-0.

Moments after the restart of the match, Nwakaeme broke the deadlock, firing a fine strike past goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano after he was set up by Serkan Asan.

Jure Balkovec then levelled proceedings for Fatih Karagumruk with an individual effort and with nine minutes before the end of the encounter, Ghana international Ekuban scored the winning goal.

Nwakaeme featured for the duration of the game while Ekuban made way for Kamil Corekci in the 90th minute.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo international and on-loan Stoke City forward Benik Afobe played for seven minutes after replacing Abdulkadir Parmak.

Senegal international Badou Ndiaye, also on loan from Stoke, featured for the duration of the game but could help Fatih Karagumruk avoid defeat.

With the victory, Trabzonspor moved to the seventh spot on the Super Lig table after gathering 23 points from 16 games.

Nwakaeme and Ekuban will be expected to continue their impressive performances in front of goal when the Black Sea Storm take on Goztepe in their next league outing on January 6.

Nwakaeme has only made one appearance for the Nigeria national team despite his consistent club performances.

The forward will hope to get a recall for the Super Eagles in their next 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Bandari have confirmed the exit of coaches Nasoro Mwakoba and Razak Siwa.

The duo, according to the club, has left after the expiration of their contracts. Siwa and Mwakoba have exited after head coach Ken Okoth ended his stay with Bandari and joined Sofapaka.

Odhiambo joined Batoto ba Mungo, a side he helped earn Kenyan Premier League promotion in 2008 and won the title in 2009, after the exit of another former player John Baraza.

Baraza and Sofapaka parted ways after a poor season's start and Odhiambo was brought on board to steer the club.

Bandari settled on the former AFC Leopards head coach Casa Mbungo who left the local giants in December 2019 after financial issues became unbearable at the den.

“We announce today [Sunday] that the club has parted company with assistant coach [Nasoro] Mwakoba and goalkeeper trainer [Razak] Siwa after the expiry of their contracts,” Bandari announced in a statement obtained by Goal .

“The management and board of trustees would like to thank the two amazing coaches for their great service to the club. Siwa served for a period of six years while Nasoro was with us for nine years, both contributing to the club's success.

“We wish them all the best in their future endeavours. The club will, therefore, provide direction concerning its technical bench alongside unveiling a new head coach early next week.”

Earlier, Goal revealed why the dockers would wait in order to unveil Casa Mbungo as Odhiambo’s replacement.

“Mbungo will not arrive as planned in Mombasa because Rwanda have strict Covid-19 regulations which he has to undergo before boarding the plane to Kenya,” a source privy to the transfer move, and who did not want to be named, told  Goal  on Saturday .

“He took his Covid-19 test on Friday and he is still waiting for the certificate and results and it means he can only arrive on Sunday or Monday meaning the unveiling cannot be done as planned.”

Bandari were in action on Sunday against Western Stima and picked a 2-0 victory despite losing three players to injuries .

Wilfried Singo was among the scorers as Torino defeated Parma 3-0 in Sunday’s Italian top-flight encounter.

The Cote d’Ivoire youth international’s early strike propelled the Maroons to a massive away win against their hosts at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

Having gone on a run of seven matches without victory in the Serie A (three draws and four defeats), Marco Giampaolo’s men went to Tardini with the ambition of bringing their poor run to a halt.

It took them just eight minutes to take the lead after Singo fired past goalkeeper Luigi Sepe having been teed up by Andrea Belotti. That accounts for his second strike for the team since he joined them in the 2018-19 season.

That goal was a morale booster that saw them dominate ball possession and eventually went into the half-time break with a slim goal advantage.

Parma came out stronger in the second-half, albeit, the combo of Yann Karamoh, Andreas Cornelius and Juan Brunetta could not get past goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu who was rarely tested thanks to a solid backline marshalled by Brazil’s duo of Bremer and Lyanco Vojnovic.

Two minutes from full time, Armando Izzo sealed victory after profiting from an assist from substitute Amer Gojak. With the Crusaders’ backline caught flat-footed, the Italian defender headed home a well taken corner kick by Gojak.

In the fifth minute of added time, Gojak completed the win with a cool finish after he was found by Belotti inside the goal area.

Featuring in his 12th game of the 2020-21 campaign, Singo was in action from start to finish while his compatriot Ndary Adopo and Cameroon's Nicolas Nkoulou were not dressed for action.

For FC Parma, Cote d’Ivoire football great Gervinho did not make the matchday squad, whereas his countryman Drissa Camara was an unused substitute.

Thanks to their latest result, Torino crawled out of the relegation waters with just 11 points from 15 games, while Parma occupy 16th position having accrued 12 points from the same number of outings so far.

Following an impressive outing with Cote d’Ivoire during the 2019 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, Singo was handed his first professional contract by the seven-time Italian kings.