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AFC Leopards stand-in coach Anthony Kimani has dismissed suggestions their 3-0 win against Sofapaka was a warning sent to their rivals that they mean business to win the FKF Premier League title this campaign.

Ingwe maintained their unbeaten start to the season after they roared past Sofapaka with striker Elvis Rupia notching a hat-trick at Kasarani Stadium to down Batoto ba Mungu.

The result has left Ingwe fans believing it is their year to win the title they last lifted in 1998, but according to coach Kimani, who is working on an interim basis following the exit of Tomas Trucha, the win was not meant as a warning to their rivals in the league and was attained because of hard work from his players.

“It is not a warning to anyone [beating Sofapaka 3-0], it is trying to work hard and play well in every game that comes our way, and always fight to make sure we play according to plans and get the three points,” Kimani told Goal.

“The league is a marathon, we have just won our third match and we still have several matches to play before the season comes to an end, we don’t want to start talking about the title yet, it is too soon, we want to keep winning our matches and see where we can be at the end of the first leg.

“I also thank God because we have won against a very good side, Sofapaka is not an easy team and everyone knows that, but all the teams in the Kenyan league are good so there is no easy game in the league, we must prepare well and strive to win.”

On whether his defence was to earn credit for the team’s two straight clean sheets, Kimanzi said: “I am happy for my backline, they have done a good job in the last three matches, they have tried to shield the keeper and the good thing is that we are playing as a team and attacking as a team.

“So I feel my players are devoted to helping one another, they are working as a team so kudos to all the players for a good job, even those outside the pitch know what to do when they come in, it is teamwork which is carrying us.”

AFC Leopards broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Rupia, who had scored a brace against Bidco United in the last game, aimed at goal and Kevin Omondi could do little to stop the ball from getting into the net.

It took the former Nzoia Sugar and Wazito FC striker another six minutes to add the second for Ingwe as the league giants looked a solid, resolute, and more determined outfit in the second half.

The day went from good to better for Rupia as he scored the third for AFC Leopards four minutes after the hour mark.

Ingwe are now leading the table on nine points from three matches.

Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari has hailed Thembinkosi Lorch’s influence in Saturday’s 2-1 MTN8 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic at Moses Mabhida Stadium, but quickly reminded his teammates to turn their attention to the Premier Soccer League campaign.

After Siphelele Luthuli's early opener for Celtic, Pirates hit back via Deon Hotto just after the half-hour mark, before substitute Lorch converted from the penalty spot for the Pirates winner eight minutes into the second half.

Lorch was a surprise inclusion on the bench after the club had given an impression that he still had more time on the sidelines following medical procedure on his knee.

Even coach Josef Zinnbauer had earlier last week totally ruled Lorch out of the match but Motshwari saluted his teammate for an effective outing. 

"We played well, especially in the first half. Coming back from 1-0 to victory. And in the second half, we got an early one and I just want to applaud Lorch for coming in, creating a penalty especially after him undergoing knee surgery,” Motshwari told Pirates media.

“And getting a penalty as well, I think he did well for us today. I just want to applaud him and the rest of the guys. We did well in the second half as well as we scored the goal. I wish they [fans] were here to celebrate with us.

“This one was very much important not only for us players but everyone who was involved; the management, fans, our families and for us players. It had been a long time since the club last won a trophy and for us, this group bringing it home, I think they [fans] would be proud of us.”

For a fourth successive match, Pirates came from behind to avoid defeat and crucially this time, they notched an important victory to clinch their first major piece of silverware since lifting the 2014 Nedbank Cup. 

While Pirates are still in celebratory mood, Motshwari has reminded his teammates of league business.

Fourth-placed Pirates host Chippa United on Wednesday as they seek to recover from points lost in their last two matches that have ended in draws.

“Focus has to shift to the league now and try to get maximum points,” said Motshwari.

Hansi Flick feels Bayern Munich paid the price for being too conservative in the first half of their 1-1 draw against Union Berlin and acknowledged his side "can definitely play better" - and has his fingers crossed that star midfielder Leon Goretzka avoided serious injury in the game.

The Bundesliga champions trailed after just four minutes of Saturday's Bundesliga contest at Alte Forsterei as Grischa Promel headed the underdogs into a shock lead.

Robert Lewandowski's 16th goal in as many games this season levelled proceedings just after the hour but Bayern were unable to find a winner in an entertaining clash.

"The first few minutes we were not present on the pitch as we had wanted to be. We could have defended better when we conceded the goal, without question," head coach Flick said in quotes reported by Bayern's official website.

"When the first ball becomes dangerous, our composure is not there. We played the safe pass or a long ball. I wasn't too happy with that. We addressed that during the break.

"We wanted to play with more composure and occupy space better in the second half, to have men over. I was more satisfied with the second half. We can definitely play better.

"Our idea is to put the opponent under pressure. Today we weren't able to implement it as we had planned. It will be a difficult season, we knew that in advance.

"Now we have to take the positives from the situation and improve on the things that didn't go so well."

Bayern, who are top of the table on goal difference ahead of RB Leipzig after 11 games, have now fallen behind in each of their past five Bundesliga matches - a trend forward Thomas Muller is keen to buck.

"We've often gone a goal down recently. It happened very early today. Union fought hard and played man-to-man," Muller said.

"We made life difficult for ourselves, especially in the first 20 minutes. We need momentum again and to bounce back again.

"We have the quality, mentally too, but of course it just happens that we not winning but rather drawing matches. It feels too little given our ambitions."

Bayern lost Leon Goretzka during the match, with Flick hopeful the problem is not a serious injury.

"He felt something twinge during a sprint," Flick said on the club’s official website. "We can't see what it is yet. We'll do more tests in Munich, and we hope it's not a serious injury."

Mikel Arteta has instructed struggling forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not to overthink things as he aims to return to form.

Aubameyang has been prolific for the Gunners during his time at the club, scoring 22 league goals in each of the past two seasons. 

This season, though, has been different, as the Gabon striker has only two Premier League goals in 11 games. Just one of those goals came from open play, and it occurred on the season's opening day. 

Ahead of Arsenal's game against Burnley on Sunday, Gunners head coach Arteta told his star forward that he will perform better if he's able to clear his mind. 

"Sometimes, it’s how much you think," said Arteta. "With strikers like Auba that has to be in a natural way. He doesn’t need to think.

"The action is there, he makes the choice in the right moment, with the correct foot, and puts the ball where it needs to be.

"Sometimes, when you are in this sort of spell, you overthink a bit. There is nothing we can teach him to do differently to what he’s done in the past."

Aubameyang's poor run of form has come with his team struggling as a whole. Arsenal have lost three of their last four Premier League matches and enter Sunday's game in 15th place. 

Though Arteta is aware of Aubameyang's importance to his team's cause, he knows that the scoring burden can't only fall on the striker's shoulders.

“Individually, we’re doing a lot to see where he scores his goals, how they get provided, the areas he needs to attack, and the type of finishes he is efficient with," the Spaniard added.

“When you have a player in this spell, you need others to step up. The problem is when there’s two, three or four players in the same way, it becomes unattainable.

“So you need someone there to help him. Then things come more naturally because the pressure is less.“

Heading into the game against Burnley, the Gunners have scored just 10 goals in 11 league matches. Only the league's bottom three sides – Burnley, West Brom and Sheffield United – have scored fewer goals this season.

Gael Kakuta found the net in Lens’ 3-2 home defeat to Montpellier in Sunday’s French topflight clash.

Going into the encounter against Michel Der Zakarian’s men, the Blood and Gold were hoping to consolidate on their 2-0 triumph at Rennes, nonetheless, they were unable to halt the rampaging visitors.

After a cagey opening minute, La Paillade took a 15th minute lead through English striker of Congolese descent Stephy Mavididi. The 22-year-old striker headed Andy Delort’s cross past goalkeeper Jean-Louis Leca having been left unmarked in the goal area.

Ten minutes later, Pedro Mendes doubled their advantage after slotting home from close range as Leca fumbled a well-taken free-kick by Delort.

Lens reduced the deficit in the 36th minute after goalkeeper Jonas Omlin turned the ball into his net – with Seko Fofona’s shot bouncing off his back before sailing into the next.

In the second-half, both teams came out in desperate of more goals, but it was Franck Haise’s side that levelled matters through Kakuta’s penalty in the 50th minute. Following Omlin’s foul on Fofona, referee Jeremy Stinat pointed to the spot and the former Chelsea man stepped up to beat the opposing goalkeeper.

The home team’s ambition of picking all the available points suffered a massive blow as the visiting side took the lead through Gaetan Laborde in the 69th minute after heading home a corner kick by Florent Mollet.

Despite a late rally from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis giants, they were unable to pick up a point from the five-goal thriller.

Kakuta, who now accounts for six goals in 13 French elite division games was on parade from start to finish alongside Malian defender Massadio Haidara, while Cameroon's Ignatius Ganago came in for Arnaud Kalimuendo after 69 minutes. Whereas, Burkina Faso's Cyrille Bayala and Cape Verde's Steven Fortes were not dressed for action.

On the other side, South Africa's Keagan Dolly replaced Teji Savanier with 10 minutes left to play as Cameroon's Ambrose Oyongo and Congo's Beni Makouana were not listed for the game.

Montpellier are fifth in the log with 26 points from 14 games with Lens occupying the eighth position with 21 points.

The game between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters in the fifth round of 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) will give fans a picture of how good or bad their attackers have been this season. After four games, Blasters are winless whereas Bengaluru have only won one game. And both teams have issues in front of goal. 

Carles Cuadrat's Blues have been unbeaten this season and that has a lot to do with their defence. Sunil Chhetri, one of the stars in the team, has misfired, partially due to the lack of service or link-up play between the attackers.

The India international, who has 40 goals and eight assists to his name in the ISL, has struggled to influence matches like he usually has done over the last few years. He did however, get off the mark for the season with a penalty in the second half of the game against Chennaiyin FC.

Blasters also have a key player who has struggled in the final third and has one goal to his name from 12 yards. Gary Hooper was brought in as a replacement for the club's all-time top scorer Bartholomew Ogbeche and it's not been bright and sunny for the Englishman in Goa. 

As the team takes its time to adapt to Kibu Vicuna's style of play, Hooper has often looked isolated and lost in games. He is rarely involved in Blasters' build-up play and is not found on the end of balls into the box - a conundrum that Vicuna has to solve quickly. 

Vicuna is open to trying out a two-striker system and it won't be something new for him. He used VP Suhair to good effect last season at Mohun Bagan with Papa Diawara upfront and fans could see something in the final third if Hooper's luck in the final third doesn't change. It will be interesting to see Hooper and Jordan Murray being handed a start on Sunday.

Chhetri and new signing Cleiton Silva have started every single game so far for the Blues but the attackers simply haven't clicked as much as Cuadrat would have liked them to. 

With fellow play-off aspirants starting to find their feet, these two teams need their attackers to rediscover their scoring boots. The sooner they can put them on, the better. 

When former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was announced as the head coach of East Bengal, the expectations of football fans in the country rocketed. 

It was a piece of welcome news for the supporters of East Bengal following the late announcement that the club would be taking part in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL). However, after four matches this season, things haven't gone according to plan for Fowler and co. 

East Bengal's pre-season training was delayed by a few weeks due to the time taken to complete paperwork at the club as they headed into their first ISL season. But after four rounds of the 2020-21 season, the biggest concern for the former Brisbane Roar coach will be the issues in front of goal.

Fowler has two out-and-out Indian strikers he can use in the squad but neither of them has been able to make a mark so far. He stuck with Balwant Singh for the first three matches before giving Jeje Lalpekhlua a start for the fourth. Jeje started his first match in over one-and-a-half and he looked out of touch against the strong defence of Jamshedpur. Aaron-Amadi Holloway is part of the squad but hasn't been in the matchday squad so far with Fowler claiming that he is yet to get in shape.

It is problematic that East Bengal are winless after four games. And they have not scored a single goal in those games, making their start look worse. 

By going four games without scoring a goal, Fowler's team has matched the record of Mumbai City FC from the inaugural edition of ISL in 2014. The Islanders had gone the same number of games without scoring from November 9-28th. 

There are only two teams who have done worse in this regard. Earlier this year, NorthEast United fired blanks in five matches, from January 8 to February 10, 2020. During what was a wretched 2018-19 season in which they finished at the bottom of the table, Chennaiyin registered multiple draws and defeats without scoring goals. They ended the season with three back-to-back goalless games and continued the run at the start of the following season to extend it seven matches without a goal. 

East Bengal have now matched the second-worst goalless run by a team in a single season and Robbie Fowler will be hoping that his team can get off the mark in their next match to avoid registering the joint-worst goalless run in ISL over the course of a single season. 

FC Goa had no right to leave the pitch with only one goal next to their name in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match against Odisha on Saturday. Goa were the better side from the first minute to the last. They bossed all areas of the pitch, looked solid throughout and secured three points without facing much of an opposition from Stuart Baxter's team. They did it all without key midfielder Edu Bedia who was rested for the game. 

There was a lot to take away for Baxter from his side's poor performance. They had too much respect for Goa and it is puzzling why the approach was not altered either after the break or even towards the end. 

Shubham Sarangi, not for the first time this season, had a forgettable outing as a right-back. The midfielder-turnt-defender lost track of Alexander Romorio who assisted the only goal in the game at the stroke of half-time. 

Romario found Angulo in the centre of the box with a neat pass from the right side and once again he proved why Goa weren't wrong in placing their faith in him to replace the legendary Ferran Corominas. His delightful first touch followed by a simple finish to give his team the lead (and three points) was certainly a moment you can watch on loop.

Lenny Rodrigues bossed the pitch in the first half and Brandon Fernandes kept the ball alive in the final third to deny the Odisha defence time to relax. Even after the restart, Odisha looked a confused side and allowed Goa to play their football. 

Manuel Onwu looked completely ineffective upfront and Diego Mauricio, better known as Drogbinha, was clueless as a winger. There was no spirit in any of Odisha's individual outfield displays. The only player who looked up to the task was goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh who pulled off close to half a dozen stupendous saves to deny the Gaurs a smashing lead. 

After the hour-mark is usually when coaches alter their gameplan and make changes but Baxter seemed to be either equally clueless on the touchline or stubborn enough to stick to his plan A which was clearly not working. It must also be mentioned that Baxter doesn't have much quality on the bench either and whatever he does, they weren't introduced earlier. 

With the likes of Nandhakumar Sekar and Marcelinho on the bench, Odisha remarkably made their first substitution in the 85th minute! And that too was a swap of midfielders as Saurabh Meher replaced Vinit Rai. Although five changes are allowed this season, Baxter made his second and final change by bringing Marcelinho on for Mauricio in the 88th minute. 

Nothing Odisha did against Goa made sense. The management will be hoping it was one of those days or if it isn't, they have a difficult season ahead. 

Bucs suffered an early setback when the Free State team took the lead through Siphelele Luthuli after just three minutes played in Durban.

Then, after 23 minutes, there was another blow for the Soweto side when holding midfielder Thabang Monare was forced off injured.

He was replaced by Thembinkosi Lorch, who proved to be the difference as he got Bucs back on the front foot; the Sea Robbers equalising in the 33rd minute through Deon Hotto before Lorch got the winner from the penalty spot early in the second half.

"I said that if Orlando Pirates win the game it's going to be off the bench," Modise, a winner of the two MTN8 finals, one with Pirates and one with Cape Town City, stated in the SuperSport TV studio after the match.

"It's unfortunate that Monare got injured, but Lorch came in and did the business for them. He changed the game for them," Modise elaborated.

"They changed positions as [Fortune] Makaringe went back to his normal position (in the centre of midfield) and that became a problem for Celtic, how to deal with that."

The former Bafana Bafana midfielder believes Bucs should now be able to build momentum and challenge for more honours, having ended a six-year wait for a trophy.

"With Orlando Pirates, they've got no business today not winning the trophy, with the kind of players that they have, the team that they have assembled," he said.

"And congratulations to them - its high time that Orlando Pirates have a trophy and I foresee a good season for them because of the confidence that he will bring to the squad after this win."

Modise also paid tribute to Phunya Sele Sele and feels they have provided inspiration to the minnows of the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

"I think also credit must go to Bloemfontein Celtic," he said. "It gives courage to so-called small [clubs] that you can do the best with the players that you have. Having been in two finals in a short space of time, that should encourage the smaller teams with a smaller budget."

Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer was impressed by his side's hunger and performance in the 2020 MTN8 final on Saturday evening.

The Buccaneers came back to defeat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 in the final with first-half substitute Thembinkosi Lorch scoring the winning goal. 

Ben Motshwari was named Man of the Match after producing a solid performance in midfield in a match which was played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

"I think [it was a] difficult game. It's not easy when you concede in the second minute or first minute but we came back quickly," Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV.

"We had a good first half, had chances. Second half we were in control, then you saw Lorch, Ben, were top today, it was a team effort today. 

"Then we scored a second goal and we defended which is normal, but also we had a lot of counter-attacks. We had a little bit of luck in the last minute, [Richard] Ofori made a good save," he continued. 

"It was a good game. We have a title. Thank you to the chairman, thank you to Irvin [Khoza and] Floyd [Mbele]. Thank you to the team."

Lorch replaced Thabang Monare, who had picked up an injury six minutes before the half-hour mark and Zinnbauer explained why the central midfielder started the match. 

"We had a lot of different games and today we deserved to win this game. Monare is an experienced player and we wanted his experience," he said. 

"Lorch came in and brought more offence into the game. I hope Monare doesn't have such a serious problem with his knee.

"I've learnt a lot since being here. It's a good experience for both me and the team. We are happy. We have a title. It's important for us. It's important for the supporters."

The German tactician dedicated the win to his son Fabio Zinnbauer, who was reportedly involved in a car accident last month and he also praised his charges' hunger. 

"They were so hungry for a title and I think nine years ago we last won the MTN8 and now we have done it again," he added. 

"This is for my son, Fabio. I thank God for this game, but I hope you give me my son back."

Pirates will face Chippa United in a PSL match at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has described Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City as his side's best performance against their city rivals during his tenure.

In a derby match of few chances and little thrust or drama, United bounced back from the disappointment of being dumped out of the Champions League in midweek to claim a point at Old Trafford on Saturday.

City showed little by way of attacking threat and sorely missed the injured Sergio Aguero, with United comfortable for long spells of the game. 

United also created little, aside from the penalty won by Marcus Rashford which was subsequently overturned due to the forward being offside.

Solskjaer was happy with how his side battled back from the loss to RB Leipzig, and felt it was their best effort against City on his watch.

“In my time against City, that is the best performance we’ve had,” Solskjaer, whose side did the double over City last term, told Sky Sports . “Not the best result, but the best performance.

“I know we beat them a few times last season, but these were different games. This is the most we have been in the game, as in possession-wise and control and we kept them away from our box more.

"They had a few big moments. David [De Gea] a great save, standing up, and Harry [Maguire] a good block so that’s two big chances they had and maybe a foot offside for Marcus.

“Tactically, we knew they were going to give us some problems and I thought we were excellent defensively.”

Reflecting on the defeat to Leipzig and response against City, Solskjaer said: “It is a big disappointment, a big setback and a mental challenge for everyone when that happens. 

“We knew today was going to be a big game so everyone was up for it.”

Paul Pogba was a surprise selection in light of the recent comments from the France international's agent, but Solskjaer said he wanted players in the team who are comfortable on the ball under pressure.

“We did well on the ball and that is the reason behind the selection,” he said. “We wanted players out there who could alleviate pressure on the ball and I thought we did that well.”

Ahmed El Messaoudi found the net as FC Groningen overpowered RKC Waalwijk 2-0 in Saturday’s Dutch Eredivisie clash.

The Morocco international came into this clash having found the net thrice in his last two games for Danny Buijs’ men.

Against the visitors, he continued with his impressive form in front of goal as Groningen sealed all points at stake.

The hosts had more ball possession in the first half, albeit, were unable to get past RKC who seem comfortable with their defensive approach. They were almost punished after 20 minutes as goalkeeper Sergio Padt was forced to make a save as Melle Meulensteen shot a rebound dangerously towards the left corner after a free-kick.

Groningen came out blazing in the second half, and it was El Messaoudi who handed them a 54th-minute lead.

The 25-year-old profited from a corner kick taken by Jorgen Strand Larsen before unleashing a shot past goalkeeper Kostas Lamprou.

Fourteen minutes before the end of the game, they got their second goal through Daniel an Kaam.

Both teams created opportunities but were poor in the final third – missing several clear-cut opportunities.

While El Messaoudi who has now garnered four goals in 12 top-flight outings was on parade from start to finish, his compatriot Mohamed El Hankouri was not listed for the encounter by manager Buijs.

For visiting Fred Grim's team, Morocco’s Anas Tahiri, Comoros Said Bakari and Belgium winger of DR Congo descent Cyril Ngonge saw every minute of action. Tahiri’s countryman Ayman Azhil who is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen was not listed for the tie.

Owing to the outcome of Saturday’s game, Groningen have now moved to fifth in the Eredivisie table with 23 points from 12 games, while Waalwijk dropped to 12th after accruing 12 points from the same number of matches.

El Messaoudi would be hoping to make it five goals from four games when his team visits struggling Emmen on December 15 at De Oude Meerdijk.

After completing a season-long loan move to Fortuna Sittard in the 2018-19 season, the Atlas Lions man joined Groningen on a three-year contract from KV Mechelen for an undisclosed fee.

He had previously featured for Lierse and Standard Liege after begging his career at the JMG Academy Lier.

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has said he couldn't afford to take a chance with Christian Pulisic after he was omitted from his side for Saturday's trip to Everton.

Pulisic has struggled with injuries this season and with Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi currently out, Lampard said he wasn't going to risk the U.S. international for the game at Goodison Park. 

He did express some hope, however, that Pulisic could return for Tuesday night's Premier League clash against Wolves. 

"Christian has a bit of awareness in his hamstring," Lampard said to reporters prior to the game. "He’s been training through the week but he felt some awareness and we simply can’t risk him.

"We have seen two wingers go down recently, Ziyech last week and Callum in training. We are coming up to a busy period in the season. As we keep saying, players are getting a lot of muscle injuries.

"Christian wasn’t quite ready, but hopefully for Tuesday night, we will find out next week."

Pulisic has endured an injury-hit season, as he's been limited to just eight total appearances for the Blues. He missed several games at the beginning of the campaign while recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered in last term's FA Cup final, while he then missed more time in October and November with another hamstring problem.

The U.S. international played 60 minutes against Leeds last weekend after entering the match in the first half for an injured Ziyech. He would go on to score in the second half as the Blues won 3-1.

Following that match he was left on the bench for Chelsea's midweek draw against Krasnodar in the Champions League.

After the Krasnodar match, Lampard said that Pulisic's hamstring had again become an issue, though he refrained from calling it an injury while insisting he would be ready to face Everton.

"Christian is a work in progress," Lampard said ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. "I don't want to call this an injury that he had in midweek. If the game had been a different type of game, then maybe I would have used him.

"We know his abilities and that's very clear. He showed them when he came on against Leeds in midweek. I just have to find the best way of getting it out of him consistently. Christian had a tiny bit of awareness off the back of the Leeds game on one of his hamstrings but he's training normally, so we should be as we were."

Dominic Solanke scored a brace as AFC Bournemouth romped to a 5-0 triumph over Huddersfield Town in a Championship match on Saturday.

The Nigerian descent returned to the scoresheet at Vitality Stadium after the Cherries' goalless draw against Swansea City on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old striker opened the scoring at Vitality Stadium in the eighth minute and five minutes later, he doubled the hosts' lead before laying an assist for David Brooks who made it 3-0 in the 21st minute.

Goals from Junior Stanislas and Sam Surridge after the restart completed the rout for Jason Tindall's side who bounced to victory at home, after their 3-2 loss to Preston North End a fortnight ago.

Saturday's brace stretched Solanke's tally to eight goals in the second division this season, seven goals behind top scorer Brentford's Ivan Toney.

The former Chelsea forward surpassed his best record of seven goals in 25 Eredivisie matches with Vitesse in 2015-16 and he is currently enjoying his best return in a league campaign this term.

Solanke was later replaced by Rodrigo Riquelme in the 71st minute while Zimbabwe's Jordan Zemura made his Championship debut as an 87th-minute substitute and Nigeria's Nnamdi Ofoborh was an unused substitute.

Meanwhile, the victory boosted Bournemouth's quest for promotion to the Premier League as they sit second in the Championship table with 34 points from 18 matches, three points behind leaders Norwich City.

Solanke will aim to maintain his goalscoring form when the Cherries welcome Adebayo Akinfenwa’s Wycombe Wanderers to Vitality Stadium for their next league match on Tuesday.

Wycombe are enduring an eight-game winless streak in the Championship with their last victory dating back to November 4 when they defeated Birmingham City 2-1.

Orlando Pirates captain Thulani Hlatshwayo couldn't have asked for a better start to his time with the Buccaneers, having led them to the 2020 MTN8 title just a few months after arriving at the club.

Pirates beat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 in a captivating final at a rainy Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening, thanks to goals from Deon Hotto and Thembinkosi Lorch.

Bucs had found themselves on the back foot after conceding as early as the fourth minute. But they bounced back and showed great character to end the club's six-year wait for a trophy.

Hlatshwayo made his name in South African soccer after graduating through the Ajax Cape Town ranks and then later enjoyed great success with Bidvest Wits.

Now 30-years-old, for the boyhood Orlando Pirates fan who hails from Soweto, it was a dream come true to win silverware as skipper of the Sea Robbers.

"It's overwhelming, in my first season, first cup," he told SuperSport TV after the game. "And now hoping for more, and obviously now the focus goes back to the league because we haven't really got into the momentum of the league - so the focus goes there now.

"We know how big this team is, and obviously the questions were asked, ‘What are you going to change?’. We kept saying 'success', and we are happy to have the first trophy of the season," the Bafana Bafana captain concluded.

Apart from the early Celtic goal, Hlatshwayo and his central defensive partner Ntsikelelo Nyauza were solid on the night and made some vital tackles and blocks.

Nyauza paid tribute to the Pirates supporters with the victory.

"I'm happy, very happy for the organization, for the technical team, for the management, we needed this more than anything. It's more than a trophy - it's for the supporters, it's for the new players who came in," said the 30-year-old.

"And you know, this year wasn't an easy year. The Covid and all that, we must just bring happiness to the people out there, thank you very much."

NorthEast United are set to take on Chennaiyin FC who have lost their last two matches, in the first of Sunday's double header in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco.

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

NorthEast United Possible XI:

Injured - None
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Luis Machado, Kwesi Appiah   

Chennaiyin FC Possible XI: 

Injured - Enes Sipovic, Isma Goncalves
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Anirudh Thapa, Rafael Crivellaro