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Ajara Nchout's Valerenga booked a place in the final of the 2020 Norwegian Women's Cup following Sunday's 4-0 thrashing of Avaldsnes despite Rasheedat Ajibade's presence at Intility Arena.

The Cameroon international continued her impressive run this term following her strike in her side's midweek 7-0 triumph over Gintra Universitetas to reach the Champions League Round of 32.

Ajibade, on the other hand, played a crucial role in Avaldsnes' 1-0 quarter-final triumph over Ngozi Ebere's Arna-Bjornar two weeks ago.

Prior to their 23rd meeting in all competitions on Sunday, Avaldsnes enjoyed huge dominance over Valerenga, having recorded 13 wins, three draw and only six defeats to the hosts. 

The Champions League campaigners had a rough start to the encounter as the visitors came close on several occasions to score early but goalkeeper Hannah Seabert proved to be a huge influence between the posts.

In the 20th minute, the tired hosts, who only returned to Norway in Thursday, grew into the match and almost gained the lead when Nchout fired at goal from 20 meters but her effort came off the crossbar. 

Five minutes later, Sherida Spitse gave the hosts the all-important lead, with a powerful shot from the penalty spot before doubling the advantage for the hosts with another strike on the half-hour mark.

Two minutes later, Synne Jensen struck to bury the comeback dreams of Avaldsnes as they shockingly found themselves three goals down before the half-time

After the break, the hosts crushed the visitors' hopes when Dejana Stefanovic netted a fourth of the match sixth minute into the second half to guarantee their semi-final victory.

The result saw Valerenga reached the final for the third year in a row and marked the end of the road for Avaldsnes' Cup quest this term.

After the international break, Valerenga will aim to celebrate their domestic title triumph at home against Arna-Bjornar on December 6, while Avaldsnes will relish a win at Sandviken to wrestle for the title.

Having overcome Avaldsnes, Valerenga will square up against Lillestrom in the final, for the third time in a row in December.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Everton and fans have taken to social media to celebrate with Yakubu Aiyegbeni on his birthday.   

The centre-forward, who is also known as ‘the Yak’, was born in Benin City on November 22, 1982, and is celebrating his 38th birthday.

Aiyegbeni enjoyed success with club and country during his professional career, which spanned over two decades.

The attacker has been sent heartfelt messages by the Nigeria football governing body and the Toffees, while the forward’s supporters have also wished him well as he reaches a new age.

Aiyegbemi made 57 appearances for the Super Eagles and scored a number of amazing goals during his time with the national team.

The attacker helped the West Africans finish third at three Africa Cup of Nations outings, in 2002, 2004 and 2010.

Aiyegbemi also featured at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he missed an open goal from three yards against South Korea in the last group game.

Although he later scored a penalty in the encounter it was not enough to help Nigeria advance in the global tournament.

The forward remains the third-highest all-time goalscorer for the Super Eagles with 21 strikes to his credit.

Aiyegbeni started his career with Gateway in 1994 and also played for Nigeria Premier League side Julius Berger, before moving abroad to continue his development.

 On leaving Nigeria, he joined Maccabi Haifa and won two Israeli Premier League titles with the club before he moved to England to team up with Portsmouth.

He became an instant hit in the English Premier League, where he starred for Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers.

Aiyegbeni last featured for Coventry City before his retirement from active professional football in November 2017.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will one day coach Germany according to Rudi Voller, a man who has himself held that position.

Klopp is currently on a high at Anfield, having led the Reds to the Premier League title last season and while Germany are currently reeling off the back of a 6-0 thumping by Spain, Voller does not predict change any time soon.

Indeed, he says that Joachim Low, who has been in charge of the national team since 2006, remains the correct man for the job, despite coming under massive criticism for recent performances.

“I do believe that Jogi Low can still do it for a while, but at some point it will be Jurgen Klopp,” he told Sky90.

One of the reasons that Low is presently under fire is because of his stance towards Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels, a trio he has frozen out of the national team.

Voller, meanwhile, indicated that he does not think the three players are essential to the strong functioning of the side.

“You have to be open to saying: ‘What makes sense?’ But I don’t think all three are necessary either,” he indicated.

Germany finished second in Nations League Group A4 but managed to win only two of their fixtures in the pool.

Indeed, they had gone into their final match with Spain as the group leaders only to be blown away in Sevilla, with Ferran Torres notably bagging a hat-trick for the hosts. Germany, meanwhile, did not manage a single shot on target and posted just 30 per cent of possession.

Such a result comes off the back of a wretched performance at 2018 World Cup. In Russia, the Germans failed to make it past the group stage for the first time in the modern era.

Low, though, is supported by his success in 2014, when Germany went to Brazil and became world champions thanks to Mario Gotze’s extra-time strike against Argentina.

He has overseen 189 games for Germany and has claimed 120 victories with just 31 defeats, boasting a win percentage of 63.49.  

Racheal Nachula scored her second goal in the 2020-21 season as Zaragoza romped to a 3-2 comeback victory against Collenrense on Sunday.

The Zambia international played a crucial role in helping the Copper Queens qualify for Olympic Games for the first time in March, and has been called up for an international friendly against Chile.

On the heels of a 1-0 win at home over Athletic Club II at Enrique Porta Stadium, Nacho Bracero's side made a false start as Pili Espadas gave the hosts a shock lead in the seventh minute. 

In the 22nd minute, Rocio Garcia netted a second for Collerense as the visitors went into the half-time break two goals down.

After the break, Nachula raced from the left wing into the hosts' box before setting up Annelie Leitner to pull one back with a sublime finish in the 58th minute for Zaragoza.

The visitors continued their fightback as Cara Curtin levelled matters in the 78th minute before Nachula grabbed the crucial winner nine minutes from full-time to complete the comeback for Zaragoza.

Nachula, who featured from the start to the finish, has now scored two goals in four matches for Zaragoza this season.

Besides Nachula, compatriot Hellen Mubanga played the final four minutes, while Nigeria's Peace Efih lasted 65 minutes and Morocco's Hanane Ait El Haj the duration in Zaragoza's triumph.

The result marks Zaragoza's first win of the season and sees them move to fourth position with eight points from four matches.

In their next fixture, Zaragoza will play host to Seagull with the hope of extending their unbeaten run on November 29.

After missing the country’s outing at 2020 Cosafa Cup along with Mubanga, Nachula's strike comes as a boost for Zambia ahead of their two-legged international friendly against La Roja next week.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has insisted there are no excuses for Nicolas Pepe’s red card, and accused the forward of letting his team-mates down.

The Gunners were forced to settle for 0-0 draw at Leeds United on Sunday, but the main talking point was the dismissal of Pepe.

The Ivory Coast international was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor for a headbutt on Ezgjan Alioski.

The contact was minimal, and Alioski made the most of it, but Pepe gave the official a decision to make. 

Arsenal fans made their feelings known on Twitter, with some describing him as "brain dead" and that would appear to be a view shared by Arteta who looked decidedly unhappy with his player during his post-game interview with Sky Sports.

“It is unacceptable,” Arteta said. “I’ve spoken to him; it is unacceptable.”

Arteta concluded his interview by saying Pepe had left his team-mates in the lurch.

“I really like the personality of the team,” Arteta said. “When Pepe let the team down, how we suffered together and stuck to what we had to do.”

Reflecting on his side’s performance, Arteta felt a point was acceptable given the Gunners played the majority of the second half with 10 men.

“Considering how we got Pepe sent off, a draw is okay,” he said. “I never like playing for a draw, but in the circumstances a point is okay.

”In the first 30 minutes we were more dominant and created a lot of issues. But then the game broke a bit and we gave the ball away in difficult areas.

“We suffered and in the second half we were early with 10 men and it was a matter of defending well and staying patient, and using the pace of our players and the spaces they were leaving.”

Bukayo Saka had a big chance to win the game for Arsenal when getting beyond the Leeds defence, but he was thwarted by a fine save from Illan Meslier.

“It was the best chance in the game, but the keeper did very well,” Arteta said. “On another day we could have won the game, but the reality is they had a lot of threats on our box and we were lucky in certain moments.”

Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga SC) have wasted a chance to open the gap on top of the Tanzania Mainland League after being held to a 1-1 draw by Namungo FC on Sunday night.

Carlinhos was the first to score for the former champions before Stephen Sey levelled matters.

In previous matches, Azam FC had lost to KMC on Saturday and a win for Wananchi was enough to send them top of the table with a two-point gap. But it was not going to be the case as the visitors came well prepared.

It took Timu ya Wananchi just 13 minutes to show they mean business in front of the thousands of fans who had flocked to the stadium. Tuisila Kisinda managed to get a good ball on the right, brought in a cross which Angola international Carlinhos connected with to give his team a deserved lead.

But three minutes later, Namungo were on level terms. Farid Mussa lost the ball in a dangerous area and Sey took full advantage to put the teams into level terms.

Neither of the two teams could get the winner in the second half despite the many chances created.

The Jangwani Street-based charges are now on 25 points, level with leaders Azam FC, who have a superior goal difference.

Wananchi are the only unbeaten team in Tanzania's top-flight football. They have managed to get seven wins and four draws in the 11 matches they have played.

Defending champions Simba SC are third with 23 points after thrashing Coastal Union 7-0 on Saturday.

Simba got the opener in the seventh minute when Hassan Dilunga, who has not been enjoying first-team opportunities in the recent past, scored to stun the home side in the seventh minute of the game.

The champions doubled their lead in the 25th minute when captain John Bocco found the back of the net in a match Simba looked comfortable on all fronts.

It took the Tanzania international another two minutes to add the third for Simba and earn a brace as his side dictated the rhythm and pace while Coastal Union looked disjointed in their effort to stop the rivals.

Bocco scored again in the 37th minute to earn a hat-trick which came after a sleek forward move by the 2020 treble winners. Bernard Morrison, who started after fully serving a three-match ban, scored the fifth one in the second minute of added time of the first half.

Zambian international Chama, after recently adding two more years to his expiring contract after he had been heavily linked with Yanga SC, scored the sixth goal for the Dar es Salaam side on the hour mark.

He added the seventh in the 85th minute as Simba ran riot at Sheik Abeid Karume Stadium.

Mesut Ozil aimed a brutal put-down in the direction of Piers Morgan during a back and forth between the pair on Twitter.

Ozil has slipped totally out of favour at Arsenal in recent months, and has been using his time on the sidelines to up his social media game.

While his team-mates have been on the pitch, Ozil has often been found tweeting about the games as they progress.

Ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday, Ozil wrote: “Let's goooooo.”

The tweet prompted a response from Gunners fan Morgan, who said: “I wish you would, Mesut. For your sake and Arsenal’s.”

Ozil chose to respond, and his answer could certainly raise a few eyebrows.

“Piers, was that really you, or was your phone hacked?” was Ozil’s response.

Morgan, the former editor of the Daily Mirror, is never short of a retort and he fired back with a couple of tweets of his own.

“First tackle you’ve put in this season - well done!,” he said, which was followed up with a more lengthy response.

Morgan wrote: “I must say Mesut Ozil I admire your nerve in trolling Arsenal fans who pay your wages given you’re getting £350k-a-week of OUR money to sit on your a*se doing f*ck all. Try training as hard as you work on being a clever dick. Then the manager might pick you.”

As Ozil has pointed out with regularity, he says he is training hard in a bid to win back the faith of manager Mikel Arteta - but it has so far been to no avail.

Ozil’s last game for Arsenal was the 1-0 win over West Ham on March 7. 

Arteta has elected to go in a different direction to Ozil but the Spaniard could have done with some of the former Germany international’s creative spark as his side were toothless in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Leeds.

Bengaluru FC shared spoils with FC Goa in their inaugural fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL) after Juan Ferrando's side completed a resounding comeback in the second half at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Sunday. 

The visitors opened the scoresheet with Cleiton Silva scoring in the first-half and Juanan then added another in the second half. However, a brace from Igor Angulo dashed Bengaluru FC hopes of bagging home all three points. 

Bengaluru FC head coach Carles Cuadrat, however, backed his players as he said that they fought for every point without showing any signs of complacency.

"Of course not no complacent, my players fought for every point and that is what they were wishing for from the first minute. You know the thing is that it has been a short pre-season for all of us and they have been giving their best. They have quality players and this kind of thing happens," Carles Cuadrat said after the match.   

FC Goa looked like a different side altogether in the second half with Brandon Fernandes making the most of his appearance off the bench that lasted 30 minutes. Cuadrat was not surprised by his oppositions' gameplay as he believes that they have been studying Bengaluru's system well. 

"No, I am not surprised, I was sure that they were studying our system and we tried to change little things to try to surprise them and I think it was working. I think we created a lot of counter-attacks but we were missing in the last phase to really create the chance for a goal. I'm quite happy with the match plan, I think it was working for us," said the Bengaluru boss.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has explained why Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee is the best fit to lead Harambee Stars.

Mwendwa, after being re-elected into office for another four years in October, announced the exit of Francis Kimanzi as the head coach of the national side and appointed Mulee in his place.

He has now stated why they went for the services of the former Tusker coach.

“I was given a special job by Kenyans to determine the leadership of Harambee Stars and from time to time we need to make changes. We agreed by mutual consent that Kimanzi leaves,” Mwendwa told Radio Jambo.

“I have seen Kimanzi has joined a new team [Wazito FC] and I wish him all the best there as we need coaches like him to take charge of such teams.

“The perception is that whenever a coach leaves, there was some kind of conflicts but that was not the case between us and Kimanzi.

“In future, you never know he might come and do some good job for us again. He is among the best and few coaches with experience just like Mulee.

“I needed a Kenyan with knowledge and experience and that Kenyan was Mulee. We were not going to hire a white coach this time around and Mulee was the best candidate to lead this team at this time. We have given him the job and that chapter is closed.”

Mwendwa listed transition, World Cup and African Cup of Nations’ qualifications as the main reasons why they needed a coach of Mulee’s calibre to take charge of Harambee Stars.

“Mulee is the last Kenyan coach who took us to Afcon and we have been frustratingly looking for a local coach who can do such a job and now we have given him the job,” the FKF chief added.

“Barring any disaster, he has got an opportunity to try and take us to the World Cup in 2022.

“That is a big job because our team is on a transition given that some of the players are nearing the sunset days of their careers and there is need for great coordination that Mulee should do especially looking at the U23, U20 and the U17 teams.

“Seven players from U17 have graduated into the U20 side and in the senior team Brian Bwire, Musa Masika and Benson Omalla have joined from the U20 side.

“That shows some good coordination from the junior sides and the senior side.”

Mulee is yet to win a game as he drew 1-1 against Comoros before losing the second encounter 2-1 in Moroni.

A late Berekum Chelsea equaliser denied Asante Kotoko three points in their Ghana Premier League (GPL) showdown on Sunday.

Emmanuel Keyekeh broke the deadlock for the visiting Porcupine Warriors in the 15th minute but Emmanuel Clottey's effort in stoppage time ensured the sharing of the spoils in the matchweek two tie at the Golden City Park in Berekum.

Kotoko and Chelsea have each drawn their opening two games of the season, leaving them seventh and eighth on the league table, respectively.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Issah Ibrahim scored in the third minute of injury time to snatch a 2-1 home triumph for Dreams over Medeama. Joseph Esso opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute before Godfred Kwadwo Asamoah's 74th minute effort drew the away side level.

Aduana Stars' first taste of 2020-21 GPL action, having had their matchday one opener against Hearts of Oak postponed, ended in a 1-1 draw away at King Faisal.

Bright Adjei shot the visitors into the lead two minutes prior to half-time but Boateng Frimpong hit back for the home side after the break. The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute when Isaac Kwain was sent off.

Karela United marked their return to the refurbished Crosby Awuah Memorial (CAM) Park with a 1-0 home triumph over Inter Allies, courtesy of a Diawisie Taylor 76th minute effort. The striker has scored in both games played thus far.

On Friday, a 3-0 win over Legon Cities propelled Great Olympics to the top of the league table. Gladson Awako, Maxwell Abbey Quaye and Samuel Ashie Quaye were on target for the hosts at the Accra Sports Stadium.

At the Nduom Sports Stadium, Elmina Sharks were held to a 1-1 draw by Liberty Professionals who, having missed a penalty on the hour mark, drew a 90th minute equaliser from Kwaku Karikari after Benjamin Tweneboah's first-half opener.

Earlier on Saturday, Hafiz Konkoni Wontah's 28th minute goal helped Bechem United to a 1-0 home win over Wafa. The winners are currently third on the league table.

Eleven Wonders are just behind Olympics on the table following their 2-0 home victory over Ebusua Dwarfs. Mohammed Tetteh Nortey and Prince Okraku scored to ensure three points for their side.

On Tuesday, Hearts of Oak will host Ashanti Gold in the last game of matchday two at the Accra Sports Stadium. 

Nicolas Pepe was sent off but Bernd Leno frustrated wasteful Leeds United with a string of fine saves as Arsenal ground out a goalless Premier League draw at Elland Road.

Pepe, who struck the crossbar in th first half, was shown a red card for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski early in the second half on a dismal Sunday afternoon in West Yorkshire.

Toothless Leeds were the better side before Pepe's dismissal but they were unable to claim a first win over the Gunners since 2003, with Leno outstanding and Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford and Raphinha all striking the woodwork.

Arsenal defended well with 10 men to salvage a point, but they have gone over seven hours without scoring a goal from open play in the top flight, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang feeding on scraps after being given the chance to start down the middle.

Aubameyang felt Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty for handball against Liam Cooper late on, but VAR disagreed before Bamford headed against the post in a frantic finish.

Bamford poked tamely at Leno as Leeds warmed to the task after a sloppy start in the rain before a cross from Arsenal winger Pepe came back off the bar

Leno brilliantly palmed away Bamford's volley with the Whites well on top, while Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Luke Ayling snatched at opportunities to open the scoring before the break.

Arsenal needed to show more intensity, but they were dealt a major blow when Pepe was dismissed by referee Anthony Taylor following a VAR check after clashing with Alioski off the ball.

Leno came to the Gunners' rescue again to turn a rasping drive from Dallas over the bar and Ayling could not sort his feet out when he had a golden chance laid on a plate for him by Raphinha.

Rodrigo replaced Ayling just after that missed opportunity as Marcelo Bielsa threw caution to the wind and the Spain forward smashed the bar with a superb left-footed strike 11 minutes from time.

Cooper was relieved when Aubameyang's effort hit him on the arm in the area but struck his leg first before Illan Meslier superbly denied Bukayo Saka when he raced clear.

Bamford rose to nod against the woodwork with three minutes of normal time to play and Raphinha, making his first start, also rattled the post in stoppage time as Arsenal clung on.

What does it mean? Leeds must be ruthless, Arsenal show steel

Leeds will wonder how they failed to see off the Gunners and Marcelo Bielsa's men have now won just one of their last six matches.

They had 25 shots, but only four were on target, striking the frame of the goal on three occasions as Arsenal were put under immense pressure but showed character to dig in for a point.

Both sides remain in the bottom half, with Arsenal 11th and Leeds 14th.

Leno inspired as Gunners roll their sleeves up

Arsenal have been too fragile in recent seasons, but they showed the sort of battling qualities that have been lacking on a grim afternoon.

Leno has had his critics, but the goalkeeper made superb reflex saves and deserved the fortune that Arsenal benefited from.

Rob Holding and Gabriel made 14 clearances between them and key interceptions, while Dani Ceballos - who this week denied having a training ground bust-up with David Luiz - won 15 duels, showing he was up for the fight.

Aubameyang starved of service

Much was made of Aubameyang being switched to a central role for the clash in West Yorkshire, but the captain was starved of service.

The Gabon international had three shots, but had to fashion opportunities for himself with Leeds dominant for much of the game.

Arsenal have now scored just one goal in their past five top-flight matches and that was a penalty from Aubameyang.

Key Opta Facts

- This was only Leeds United’s third goalless draw in 101 league matches under Bielsa, also drawing 0-0 with Middlesbrough in August 2018 and Sheffield Wednesday in October 2019.- Since Bielsa took charge of Leeds in 2018, the Whites have kept 41 clean sheets in 101 league games (excluding play-offs), more than any other side in the top four tiers of English league football in this time.
- Leeds had 25 shots against Arsenal; only Man Utd v Newcastle (28) and Leeds themselves v Aston Villa (27) have had more in a single Premier League game this season so far, with Leeds’ 25 the most by any side without scoring in a match in the division since Man City’s 26 against Southampton in July.
- Pepe was given the first red card of his career in Europe's top five leagues, in what was his 146th such appearance.
- Since Arteta joined Arsenal in December 2019, the Gunners have received five Premier League red cards, at least two more than any other club in this time.

What's next?

Arsenal travel to Norway for a Europa League encounter with Molde on Thursday before facing Wolves next Sunday, while Leeds take on Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has criticised the effort of striker Alexandre Lacazette, claiming that the forward does not give his all.

Prior to Sunday’s Premier League clash with Leeds, the 29-year-old Frenchman had scored three times in the top flight this season.

Indeed, he tallied against Fulham, West Ham and Liverpool in the opening three fixtures of the season but has produced nothing since.

Merson says that should be an indication that it is time to try Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through the centre.

“Lacazette plays like, I watch him and it’s ‘I’m coming off after 70 minutes … so pfft,’” Merson told Sky Sports.

“I just think you’ve got to get Aubameyang (in the middle).

“I played out on the wing in my career for part of it.

“You either have so much of the ball you can’t get enough of it or you never see it for 20 minutes and you’re sitting there doing nothing.

“When you’ve got your most talented player playing out there, he’s too easy to pick up.

“Teams are getting used to him now he gets it out on the left, he cuts in and bends it in the top corner.

“They are stopping that, so they’ve got to get him in the middle of the pitch.”

After a strong start to the Premier League season, which saw the Gunners win three of their first four matches, they have stalled of late.

Indeed, they have just one win in their last five matches after a 0-0 draw at Leeds on Sunday, and have tumbled down to the middle of the standings.

After their clash with Leeds, the Emirates side will travel to Molde for a Europa League clash, with victory sending them through to the knockout stages with two matches to spare.

Thereafter, they will play host to Wolves in the Premier League next Sunday.

The pressure, meanwhile, is mounting on Mikel Arteta’s team as they attempt to get out of their current rut, with forwards Lacazette, Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe bearing the brunt of the criticism as they try to get back up and running again.

Maduka Okoye put up an impressive showing for Sparta Rotterdam as the Castle Lords brushed aside ADO Den Haag 6-0 in Sunday’s Eredivisie outing.

Inspired by two goals each from Lennart Thy and Mario Engels, Henk Fraser’s men strolled past the visitors as they recorded their second win of the 2020-21 campaign.

Abdou Harroui had the first chance at goal but his header off a corner kick by Sven Mijnans rarely threatened the goalkeeper.

Sparta started the game on a dangerous note, although they only got their breakthrough in the 44th minute courtesy of Thy, who fired a low cross from Luuk Koopmans past goalkeeper Luuk Koopmans.

The visitors came back stronger in the second half, however, it was the hosts who doubled their lead through Mijnans in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later, Bryan Smeets assisted Netherlands youth international of Moroccan descent Harroui before Thy completed his brace in the 59th minute courtesy of Deroy Duarte’s assist.

In the six-goal demolition, substitute Engels completed the rout with a late brace as struggling Ruud Brood’s team returned home with heads bowed low.

Okoye was in action from start to finish for his side, while Harroui was replaced in the 68th minute by Laros Duarte. Cape Verde duo of Lorenzo Fonseca and Jeffry Fortes were not dressed for action by manager Fraser.

Thanks to this result, Sparta Rottedam occupy the 10th spot in the Eredivisie log having garnered nine points from nine games, while ADO Den Haag languish in the relegation zone with just four points from the same number of matches.

Sparta would be hoping to build on this impressive result when they travel to the Philips Stadion on November 29 for their fixture against Ibrahim Sangare's PSV Eindhoven.

On their own part, Den Haag, who have lost their last three league games, welcome Heerenveen to the Cars Jeans Stadium on November 28.

Okoye, 21, who began his career at Bayer Leverkusen, penned a two-year contract with the Castle Lords after impressing at Germany’s Fortuna Dusseldorf.

On the international scene, he boasts of five Super Eagles caps since his maiden appearance in a friendly game against Brazil.

Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo will be in the technical area as Gor Mahia play APR Rwanda in the first preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) banned current coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves for not having Caf A coaching qualification papers. K'Ogalo have now acted and decided to bring onboard the Mailmen tactician as they sort out their issue with the Brazilian.

"Gor Mahia have agreed with a Kenyan premier League coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo to be the stand-in coach for the team against APR of Rwanda in a Caf preliminary tie," the club confirmed on Sunday evening.

"This is coming after Caf disqualified head coach Roberto Oliviera for ‘lack’ of required qualification, as per Caf guidelines, to lead the team in any Caf assignment – according to new regulations."

Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier confirmed the former defender joined on a temporary basis as the club settles the problem with their full-time coach.

"We have settled on Sammy Omollo to be the stand-in coach for the team in Rwanda as we try to sort out the current coach’s issue with Caf," the administrator stated.

"That means, Sammy, will lead the technical bench as Robertinho is not allowed to be on the touchline until the issue is sorted." 

Ironically, the two coaches met in a friendly game on Saturday at the Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi, where Omollo managed to lead his team to victory.

It was the Mailmen who started strongly and their efforts paid dividends when former Ulinzi Stars forward Elijah Mwanzia connected with a rebound. K'Ogalo looked lost and were uncharacteristically off colour.

The new K’Ogalo coach has been in football management for the last 25 years and his arrival was expected to help Gor Mahia launch an advanced Caf Champions League campaign in the 2020/21 season.

The Kenyan champions will leave the country later in the week for Rwanda to play the hosts in Kigali.

The aggregate winner will advance to the next stage of the competition. Gor Mahia have never reached the Caf Champions League group stage. 

Gor Mahia coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves believes his charges are ready for their Caf Champions League preliminary round against APR Rwanda.

K'Ogalo were involved in a three-team round-robin friendly at Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi on Saturday. The team went on to score just one goal in the two matches which came against newly-promoted Nairobi City Stars. Kenneth Muguna scored the lone goal from the penalty to cancel out Abdalla Salim's header.

The Kenyan champions went on to lose their second game to Posta Rangers by a solitary goal scored by Elijah Mwanzia.

"We played well, considering the fact that I played a second-string side," Oliveira, who is commonly referred to as Robertinho, told Goal.

"It was a good game, full of chances despite missing my strikers like Tito Okello, Nicholas Kipkirui among others. This should not worry about our fans because we are ready to play APR.

"The two weeks will be vital for us, we need to polish a few areas to ensure we stand a chance of winning the game to advance to the next round."

The 60-year-old tactician refused to speak about his situation with the Confederation of African (Caf) football. The latter has so far denied the Brazilian permission to be on the touchline when they play the Rwandan champions.

"I do not want to talk about the situation right now," Robertinho continued.

"Our main focus currently is on the Champions League and I am preparing the team for that."

The former Rayon Sports tactician arrived to take over the reins after Steven Polack and Gor Mahia mutually ended their one-season association.

Robertinho was in charge of Rayon Sports when they denied Gor Mahia a place in the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup as he masterminded a 2-1 win at Moi International Sports Complex in 2018.

He takes the K’Ogalo mantle after a number of coaches including Jose Marcelo Ferreira had been linked with the top job. He is expected to link up with the players who have been training in order to start preparations for the Caf assignments.

K'Ogalo are targeting the group stage of the Champions League as well as the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League title.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not believe there will be a runaway Premier League champion in the 2020-21 season.

Liverpool powered to the title by a mammoth 18 points last term. The previous season the Reds and Manchester City drew 25 points clear of the rest of the league, while in 2017-18 Pep Guardiola’s City routed the division by 19 points and in 2016-17 Chelsea were well clear in winning the title.

It is early in the current campaign, but only four points separate the top six in the division - and the lead has changed hands on a regular basis.

Solskjaer saw his side leap four places to 10th in the table courtesy of a gritty 1-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, and he feels it will be a tight battle for the title - a sentiment echoed by Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

"The league this season is going to be inconsistent with ups and downs," he told BT Sport. "It's unpredictable - we've seen some results today and it's not really settling.

"Like Jose said, one win moves you up the table, one defeat moves you closer to the bottom.

"It's very tight, it's very early on and points are more important than performances sometimes."

The victory over the Baggies courtesy of a twice-taken Bruno Fernandes penalty was United’s first home win of the season, and it came as a relief to Solskjaer.

“Well it's important to get the first win at home," the Norwegian said. "I think a lot has been said and written about it and I think you could see towards the end we were a bit edgy that we needed to hang on to this win. We could have, probably should have, scored a couple more goals to make it an easier finish. At 1-0 you're never sure and it's a tight call both ways.

“It's always tense and it's fine margins. I'm delighted with the clean sheet and we could have made it more comfortable but the international breaks never help.”

While saying that results are more important than performances, Solskjaer admitted that his side will need to improve if they are to be involved in the title race. 

“Three points, home win, no more talk about that but we need to keep consistent performances, better performances than this,” he said. “We know that. If we want to move up the table, we have to play better.”

Simba SC midfielder Bernard Morrison has promised more goals after he opened his club account as they smashed Coastal Union 7-0 in a Mainland Premier League match staged on Saturday.

The Ghanaian midfielder was yet to score a goal for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the league since his controversial transfer from rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC0) in the summer window.

Morrison’s move was clouded in controversy as Yanga are still claiming the player had signed a contract with them until 2022, though the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) ruled in favour of his move to Simba.

Heading into the Coastal Union fixture, Morrison was coming back from a ban that saw him miss three matches including the Kariakoo derby.

However, he was drafted into the starting squad against the Coastal-based side and was on the scoresheet as captain John Bocco also grabbed a hat-trick, Clatous Chama scored two goals, the other goal coming from Hassan Dilunga.

Morrison has now told the club’s social media platform he was very happy to open his account with the champions and promised more goals in future matches.

“I'm really happy to have scored my first league goal for the club,” Morrison told the club’s social media pages. With the good players we have, I know I can score more so this is just the beginning of greater things to come.”

The ban by the TFF came about after Morrison was involved in a physical altercation with Juma Nyoso of Ruvu Shooting in a match they lost by a solitary goal.

Apart from the three-match ban which saw him also matches against Mwadui FC and Kagera Sugar, Morrison was also fined Tsh500, 000.

He later apologised to Simba fans by stating on his social media pages: “I'm really sorry for my actions in the previous game, I ask for your forgiveness. We all do things for the love of the club but we sometimes get it wrong.

“I'm with you the fans and the team for the next three games in spirit. All the best team Simba.”