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Juventus forward Alvaro Morata has heaped praise upon Cristiano Ronaldo after the duo combined in the club's 4-1 win over Ferencvaros in the Champions League. 

The pair, who previously crossed paths at Real Madrid, linked up for Juventus' second goal on Wednesday with Morata ending the night with a brace. 

Morata has been on fire in the final third and now has five goals from as many matches for Andrea Pirlo's side over the past month. 

The Spaniard's good form in front of goal looks set to only be bolstered by the return of Ronaldo, who Morata only had kind words for post-match. 

“I don’t need to tell you what Ronaldo represents and what he brings to the team," Morata told Sky Sport Italia.

"He’s a great teammate, he talks to everyone, helps everyone and is our most important player. We all hope he can continue scoring and take us to the level he has envisaged in his mind.”

On his fine form since returning to Turin, Morata added: “I said when I came back here that I felt like a more complete player and I matured as a person by going through the good and bad in my career. It was all a learning experience. 

“The motivation I want in my football is the same as any person needs in life, to feel wanted and loved. I think I have all that I need at Juventus. I can still improve and I believe we’ll continue to grow together and go far.”

On Wednesday night, Morata led a frontline consisting of Ronaldo and Federico Chiesa, with Paulo Dybala also joining the fray with good effect in the second-half. 

With Juventus blessed with a number of attacking options, their Spanish striker is ready to adjust to whoever he finds himself playing alongside. 

“I know they have their characteristics and I must make the most of their qualities to be in the right place for a goal or a pass," he said.

"I am at the disposal of the team and don’t mind adapting to their characteristics with my movement.”

Pirlo's side are currently second in Group G, three points behind Barcelona, who have won all three of their group games to date. 

Paul Scholes said Manchester United's defending was "like under-10s football" after they gifted calamitous goals during their defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.

United went forward en masse for an early corner and kept nobody back to guard against their Turkish hosts' counter-attacking. As soon as United lost the ball, Edin Visca pumped a long ball upfield from inside his own penalty area and Demba Ba was able to run unchecked from inside his own half before beating Dean Henderson.

"That's completely down to organisation," Scholes said. "At a corner you surely always have someone back on the halfway line."

Speaking on BT Sport, former United midfield general Scholes pointed to assistant manager Mike Phelan telling Nemanja Matic that he should have been covering the possible break.

"It's like under-10s football," Scholes said. "You can understand it if it's the last minute and you're going for a goal."

This took place in the 12th minute, however, and for Scholes there was no excuse.

"It's embarrassing," Scholes said. "What the back four were doing, I've no idea. Defensively they've got to take responsibility. You've got to defend one-v-ones at times at Manchester United and they seem incapable of doing it."

Fellow former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves was equally baffled by the blunder from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a goal like it," Hargreaves said. "The problem is the players are waiting for a cross that doesn't really materialise and they never really get back. One ball up the pitch and Demba Ba's in on his own."

Basaksehir went on to win the match 2-1 and claim their first ever victory in Champions League football.

United, whose good form in Europe has masked their weak start to the Premier League season, remain on six points in Group H. They had previously impressed in a 2-1 victory at PSG on matchday one before thrashing RB Leipzig 5-0 last week.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will aim to make amends for this surprise loss in a fortnight's time - following the international break - when they host Basaksehir at Old Trafford in the reverse of Wednesday night's fixture.

Mamelodi Sundowns were relatively comfortable 2-0 winners over Cape Town City in a DStv Premiership match at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday night.

On the balance of play it was a deserved win for the team from Gauteng, secured with goals by Lyle Lakay eight minutes into the game and Keletso Makgalwa eight minutes before the end of regulation time.

It was a former Cape Town City player, Lakay, who struck the opening goal in the ninth minute, sending a low drive past Peter Leeuwenburgh at the near post, following a free kick routine 25-yards out.

More opportunities followed for the Tshwane side as Peter Shalulile had a shot blocked before Andile Jali’s deflected shot in the 19th minute was kept out by Leeuwenburgh.

There was an even better chance for Sundowns when Rivaldo Coetzee’s searching ball put Shalulile clean through on goal, but as Leeuwenburgh closed the angle he rolled his shot marginally wide.

At the other end there was a brief bit of hope for the Citizens when Craig Martin headed into goal, but his effort was ruled offside.
 
It was soon back to the status quo though as Downs got back on the front foot with chances for Lakay, whose powerful shot drew a very good save from Leeuwenburgh, who also kept out a Kermit Erasmus volley 10 minutes before the interval in the Mother City.

The action was lively after the break as both sides showed their intent although it took until the hour mark for a chance to materialise as Thapelo Morena out-paced the home defence but then fired over the target.

For their part, the Citizens improved upon their first-half display and they went close in the 70th minute through a Fagrie Lakay header which flew wide.

Masandawana had an opportunity to extend their lead seven minutes later but Jali was denied by Leeuwenburgh.

It was from a Jali run that Sundowns did finally put the game to bed as he set up Keletso Makgalwa to score the second goal after a great run down the flank and cross in the 82nd minute.

To their credit City rallied hard in the latter stages of the game, but it wasn’t their night as Mpho Makola’s 89th-minute free kick hit the woodwork.

Petr Cech has opened up about his former Chelsea side's long-term rivalry with Barcelona and their efforts to stop Lionel Messi.

Between 2004 and 2012 the Blues faced Barcelona 10 times, with the often counter-attacking Premier League side contrasting with the 'tika-taka' possession football approach of their La Liga rivals.

The two styles led to gripping encounters and very close matches in the knockout stage of Europe's elite competition. Cech, who was in goal for the Blues throughout that period, is now working as Chelsea's technical and performance advisor alongside being an emergency goalkeeper in Frank Lampard's squad.

He played in each of the matches and had a remarkable record of never conceding to Messi. Ultimately, Messi scored past Cech but when he was an Arsenal player, and the keeper opened up about his attempts to stop arguably the world's greatest ever footballer.

“It took him a long time to score past me – 10 games in fact as I was an Arsenal player when he eventually did," Cech told Chelsea's matchday programme ahead of the Blues clash with Rennes.

"He missed penalties, I made saves, he hit the post, but he never scored past me at Chelsea. It was a pleasure to keep a clean sheet against him. When he had the penalty in the Nou Camp in 2012, that was a defining moment.

"I was thinking about what he could do, what he would do. So my strategy was to wait and wait until I could see where he was going to hit it. So when I moved the way he was going to strike the ball, he knew he had to go high to beat me - but he went too high and it struck the bar.

“That game, in general, was huge. When you’re 2-0 down at the Nou Camp with 10 men and it’s still the first half, you’re thinking it’s going to be a long, long night. My friends who were at the game said after that they had discussed the one position they wouldn’t want to be in on a night like that and they agreed it was the goalkeeper.

"It could’ve got ugly as we’ve seen so often for teams in those situations at the Nou Camp against Barcelona.”

Chelsea hung on in 2012 as Messi missed his penalty and John Terry was sent off, with Fernando Torres rounding off a semi-final win over Barcelona in the last minute to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Ultimately, the Blues would go onto beat Bayern Munich in the final on penalties.

Still, with the highs came the lows for Chelsea against the Catalan side and Cech remembered how a 17-year-old Messi scared the life out of his side in 2006.

“It was when Lionel Messi was announcing himself," he added. "He was only 17 years old, but everyone could see what a talent and a threat that he was. He got Asier Del Horno sent off in that game and it damaged us a lot.

"You could see from that, added with the season previous, it was a collection of small moments building into a bigger picture and the rivalry kept growing. Things intensified, especially with Jose being a former Barcelona coach and then being our manager.

"These games just seemed to have everything on and off the pitch. It escalated in 2009 when we were knocked out of the semi-final by Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. We should have had probably five penalties in the game and didn’t even get one before Andres Iniesta scored his late goal. It was painful.

“It got to the point that every year when the Champions League draw was made, we knew that at some point, we would play Barcelona. It seemed like it was every year and because of that, it meant we built a rivalry between the clubs pretty quick."

Istanbul Basaksehir striker Demba Ba has become the second oldest African player to score a Uefa Champions League goal with his strike in their 2-1 win over Manchester United.

The former Chelsea and Newcastle United forward opened the scoring at the Fatih Terim Stadium on Tuesday evening in the 12th minute with his maiden strike of the season.

At the age of 35 years and 163 days, the Senegal international ranks behind Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba, who scored his last Champions League goal in November 2014 at the age of 36 years and 259 days.

Edin Visca, who assisted Ba’s opener, found the back of the net in the 40th minute to give the hosts a two-goal lead but Anthony Martial immediately responded to reduce the deficit for Manchester United 137 seconds later.

After the restart, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men could not find the equaliser as Istanbul Basaksehir held on to the first-half lead to secure their first win in the elite European competition this season.

Tuesday's outing was Ba's first start in the Champions League since August 2014, and he was on parade for 80 minutes before he was replaced by Fredrik Gulbrandsen.

Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo, however, was an unused substitute for the Red Devils as he awaits the opportunity to make his debut in the tournament.

Despite the victory, Istanbul Basaksehir remain at the bottom of Group H with three points after three matches while Manchester United sit comfortably at the summit with six points after the same number of games.

After ending his eight-game goal drought in competitive football, Ba will aim to build on his maiden strike of the season when the Owls host Gencleribirligi for Sunday's Turkish Super Lig fixture.

Istanbul Basaksehir have won their last three league games and they are placed seventh in the top-flight standings with 10 points after seven outings.

Christy Ucheibe shone on her debut for SL Benfica as they defeated POAK 3-1 in Wednesday's Uefa Women's Champions League qualifying round at Gipedo Neas Efkarpias Makedonikou.

Ucheibe was afforded a start on her debut for the Portuguese side following her arrival from Swedish Elitettan side Assi in January.

The Nigeria youth international featured prominently for the Portuguese side and helped Aleksandr Lukhvich's side progress to the Round of 32 on their maiden outing in the 2020-21 campaign.

The Greek giants made a disappointing start to the match as Ucheibe launched a long pass through the middle to Kliemaschwsk Araujo to open the scoring for the visitors after just three minutes of action.

A minute from the half-time break, Silva Sobrinho found the breakthrough from the left before she set up Eyja Lacasse to double Luis Andrade's side's lead.

POAK, however, after the restart staged a fightback as they pulled one back through Thomai Vardali 12 minutes into the second half.

In the 61st minute, Pauleta teed off Catarina Amado to score the third for Benfica and seal their victory over Spyridon Filippou's team.

Nigeria's Ucheibe featured for 81 minutes for Benfica before she was replaced by Beatriz Cameirao, while Cape Verde's Jolina Amani featured for the final 23 minutes after replacing Andreia Faria.

The victory confirms SL Benfica's passage into the Round of 32 of the 2020-21 season of the Uefa Women's Champions League and they will know their foe in the next round on November 6.

Robin van Persie has hit out at the effort he saw from Manchester United in Wednesday's shock 2-1 defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir.

United won their first two Champions League group stage matches but were undone by the Turkish champions in Istanbul.

Demba Ba and Edin Visca gave Basaksehir a two-goal cushion in the first half before Anthony Martial halved the deficit just before the break, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men could not find the breakthrough they needed in the second half, ending their 18-match unbeaten away run.

Van Persie, who starred at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, said his former manager would not have been pleased with the Red Devils' effort on Wednesday evening. 

"They missed the urgency to commit," the Dutchman said on BT Sport. "In my time at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'I don't mind losing as long as my team is not running less than the opponent and I want to see commitment going forward and as well defensively.'

"I'm pretty sure Basaksehir ran more than Manchester United. That should never be the case in any game. That has nothing to do with quality or abilities. That's extra. You need to commit, to be there with 100 per cent focus."

Another former Man Utd star, Paul Scholes, aimed to give credit to United's opponents but confessed that he was "struggling to find a positive" in the Red Devils' display.

"It was very disappointing," Scholes said. "You have to give them [Basaksehir] some credit. They looked really strong in the counter-attack, especially in the first half.

"I'm struggling to find a positive for United. You look around the team there should be enough quality to create chances, at least have some shots on goal.

"When the first XI doesn't work you bring three or four quality players on and none of them had an effect on the game. With Ole it will be interesting to see what he does on Saturday with Everton coming up, another tough game."

United, who currently sit 15th in the Premier League table, will travel to Goodison Park on Saturday to take on Carlo Ancelotti's Everton.

AmaZulu FC registered their first win of the 2020/21 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season when they defeated Black Leopards at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium.

Usuthu grabbed two late goals through their new signing Luvuyo Memela, who was a constant threat to the Lidoda Duvha defence throughout the match.

The former Orlando Pirates winger beat Leopards goalkeeper Jonas Mendes in the 79th minute, before sealing AmaZulu's 2-0 win with another goal with seven minutes left on the clock.

The victory took AmaZulu to the ninth spot on the league standings with four points, while Leopards are placed 16th on the table without a single point.

AmaZulu's KwaZulu-Natal rivals, Lamontville Golden Arrows fought back to hold Baroka FC to a draw at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The score was 0-0 at the interval with the two teams having failed to convert their chances in the first-half.

The deadlock was broken three minutes into the second-half when Elvis Makgopa netted his scored goal of the season to make it 1-0 to Baroka.

However, Arrows pushed for the equalizing goal which they got in stoppage time through Velemseni Ndwandwe, who ensured that the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.

The draw saw Baroka slip down to the second spot on the league standings with seven points, while Arrows are placed fifth on the log with five points.

Meanwhile, Swallows FC are still unbeaten in their return to the elite league after securing a comfortable victory over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila at Thohoyandou Stadium.

The Birds scored twice through Ruzaigh Gamildien and Njabulo Ngcobo in the second half to clinch a 2-0 win which was a second successive victory for Brandon Truter's side.

Swallows are now placed third on the league standings with seven points, while Tshakhuma are sitting in the 13th spot with two points. 

Lastly, SuperSport United returned to winning ways after overcoming Stellenbosch FC at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

The only goal of the match was netted by Teboho Mokoena with three minutes left on the clock and SuperSport held on to secure a 1-0 victory.

As a result, SuperSport are now in the fourth spot on the league standings with six points, while Stellenbosch find themselves 12th on the table with two points.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer declined to comment on speculation his job is at risk after Manchester United lost their second game in four days.

Solskjaer’s side fell to their first Champions League defeat of the season against Istanbul Basaksehir just days after losing to Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Following that league defeat, Roy Keane speculated the players would get Solskjaer the sack after such a poor performance. After a dismal display in Istanbul they have now lost four of their nine matches in Europe and the Premier League this season.

Asked about whether he agreed with Keane’s comments and he feared for his job, Solskjaer replied: "I decline to comment on such a thing. Of course, it's early on and opinions are out there all the time. You've got to stay strong. I'm employed by the club to do a job and I do that to the best of my ability with my staff."

United’s 2-1 defeat came as they conceded two poor goals in the opening half. The first, scored by Demba Ba, came from some truly embarrassing defending.

“We were playing a short corner and everyone forgets to get back with the players they’re playing against and Demba Ba snuck in behind us,” Solskjaer said about the hosts’ opener.

“Lack of communication and lack of good decisions, you don’t really see those goals at this level. We shouldn’t concede easy goals like this, we know how hard it is to create goals and create chances and when you give easy soft goals like the two we have done today it makes it hard.

“Obviously, it’s not a goal you normally concede. We’ve not done our duties and roles their that’s my responsibility we were going to play a short corner but we forgot our defending duties after we played a couple of short passes.”

While there has been plenty of criticism about the defending Solskjaer also has questions to answer as they struggled to break the Turkish side down.

“We started off in the first 10 minutes and it looked like we had some space and there might be some decent openings but we left ourselves wide open for the two goals and that was disappointing,” Solskjaer said.

“Good response to the goal after their second and then in the second half we thought we could push on and create chances but we just didn’t break them down.”

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Michael Essien has described Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho as the best manager he worked with in his playing career.

Mourinho brought Essien to England for a reported club-record fee after his fine performances in Ligue 1, where he won back-to-back top-flight titles with Lyon.

Essien established himself as a key player for Chelsea under Mourinho between 2004 and 2007 and then reunited with the Portuguese tactician whom he once called his daddy at Real Madrid.

When asked about his best managers, the 37-year-old picked Mourinho, who was appointed Tottenham manager last November as his number one, and he also included Everton's Carlo Ancelotti as another coach he had a great relationship with.

“He [Mourinho] would be the first one for me [in terms of managers I have worked under],” Essien told talkSport.

“He’s a still a great manager. I worked under him and we had a very good relationship, and I had a very good relationship with Ancelotti as well. Those two are very good managers.

“They’ve all played a part in my career and development. It’s great to look back and reflect on what aspects they taught me and I will take that on board [in my coaching career].”

Essien commenced a new path in football in the summer when Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjaelland handed him a player-coach role, which gives him a chance to develop his coaching skills.

The two-time Premier League winner is excited with the new career as he looks forward to being in the dug-out.

“I’ve just started to do my coaching badges and I got a great opportunity to come here. I’m very happy to be here and it’s all about a new transition in my career because I have a lot to give to the young ones,” he continued.

“I love the game and I’ve always wanted to be in the game so why not [become a manager in the future]? When I was playing if you’d asked me if I was going to be a coach, I would have said no but as time goes on, things start changing.

“I’m enjoying my new role now. It’s very different to be a coach than to be a player. I’ve always been a player, so learning the coaching aspect of the game is very good and it gives me an open mind in terms of the game. I’m learning and enjoying it as well.

“My options are open. The most important thing is to learn the aspects of the game, get the badges and keep my options open and see what happens.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United's last two losses have been like "a punch in our stomach" as pressure continues to rise on the manager.

Manchester United were stunned by Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday, with the Turkish side sealing a 2-1 win over Solskjaer's side.

A pair of mistakes from the Red Devils paved the way for both goals, with the failure to get back on a set piece dooming the Red Devils on Demba Ba's opener.

Edin Visca then added a second following a giveaway, making Anthony Martial's goal just before halftime nothing more than a consolation.

United then struggled to create in the second half as they slumped to their second loss in a row following a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.

Solskjaer's side have collected six points from their first two Champions League matches, wins over Paris Saint-German and RB Leipzig, but the group remains open thanks to Wednesday's defeat.

And, in the Premier League, the club currently sits 15th, having won just two of their first six matches while collecting seven total points.

With his team struggling, Solskjaer admitted that the club is hurting, adding that there must be a response this weekend against Everton.

"Disappointed with the result," Solskjaer said. "We picked a team to win the game and hoped we had enough to create chances and we didn’t. Emotion doesn’t matter emotions after you lose. That’s not something we go out to do."

"The last two results have been a punch in our stomach and the only way I know of, and I hope the players as well, the only way to respond is to get your act together for Everton," he added. 

"That’s going to be tough and difficult, I’m glad we’ve got a game on Saturday."

Solskajer made several changes to his starting XI, as he benched Paul Pogba and started Dean Henderson for Wednesday's match.

He turned to Donny van de Beek and Nemanja Matic in the midfield, with Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Martial in the attack, while Axel Tuenzebe stepped into the defence.

And Solskjaer says that he doesn't believe that the changes contributed to the club's downfall.

"Look at the number of changes, we trained and prepared well," he said. "We had a game on Sunday, then tonight and very early kickoff on Saturday so we decided to make a few changes.

"Nothing different to what we’ve normally done. Tactically, we just didn’t perform."

It was yet another frustrating evening for Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt as his side were held to a 0-0 league draw by Premier Soccer League (PSL) newcomers TS Galaxy at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.

It was the Glamour Boys' third league match of the season and also the third time they've failed to hit the net. This followed a 3-0 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns and a 1-0 win over Chippa United which came courtesy of an own goal by Gregory Damons.

Against Galaxy, Chiefs had their chances but lacked cool and composed heads in the opposition box as the likes of Lebogang Manyama, Khama Billiat, Bernard Parker and Leonardo Castro continue to fire blanks.

The one man who could potentially be putting away those chances, based on the 13 he scored in the league last season, is the injured Serbian marksman Samir Nurkovic.

"Last year they [Chiefs] scored 48 goals, 23 from set-pieces," Hunt told SuperSport TV after the match when asked about his side's failure to capitalise on a series of free-kicks they earned against Galaxy.

"You can see why - the top goal scorer [Nurkovic] is obviously not playing. I think he scored half of them [the set-piece goals]. So there's your problem. Unbelievable chances, you've got to be taking them.

"He's the guy who scored most of them last season, not playing, so that's a problem and he won't be ready for two or three months.

The Chiefs coach did at least feel that his team finished the game on the front foot, which may be a good thing with Sunday's second leg of the MTN8 semi-finals against Orlando Pirates looming large. Chiefs have a three-goal disadvantage to overturn.

"The longer the game went I thought we got stronger," Hunt said. "But certainly overall, what we got out of the group. that's all we can do, get maximum out of the group on every game. That's all I can do.”

Mamelodi Sundowns Manqoba Mngqithi was not fully satisfied with his team’s performance in their 2-0 victory in the DStv Premiership against Cape Town City in the Mother City on Wednesday evening.

It was a first league win for Sundowns in four matches against City, the three points secured by a Lyle Lakay goal in the ninth minute and a goal by Keletso Makgalwa in the 83rd minute.

There were some aspects of play which pleased Mngqithi, including the clean sheet his side kept.

And he also spoke of his satisfaction at the way his players were able to nullify the Cape Town City threats such as Fagrie Lakay, Craig Martin, Bradley Ralani and Thabo Nodada.

“We dealt with the situation very well in terms of managing the transitions, and breaking the press a little bit,” he told SuperSport TV after the match.

Mngqithi’s issues were that his side were not more clinical, that they didn’t kill off the match earlier, and that they were not always purposeful enough in their own transitions.

“I’m very unhappy - the game was a little bit scrappy,” he said. “We allowed them moments when they could easily have come back, when we could have really buried the game earlier on.

“We are still not taking care of the ball as much as we should. Losing possession too cheaply at times, we get excited after good pressing moments but when we regain possession we are not playing forward with intent to cause harm to the opponents,” he later added.

The coach accepts, though, that it’s still early in the season and did find some other positives from Wednesday’s match.

“Its work in progress, Once again one must commend the work that is done by the coaches we work with [Rhulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela]," Mngqithi enthused.

“The set-piece we scored with Lakay they worked on and it really encouraging to see that things we working on in training are coming off.

“And to work with people with so much experience and knowledge and detail. And also the medical team to get players back on time.”

Lionel Messi marked his 150th European appearance for Barcelona with a goal as Ronald Koeman's side saw off stubborn opponents Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in Wednesday's entertaining Champions League clash.

The superstar forward scored from the penalty spot for the third Group G game running and Gerard Pique added a second, but only after Barca had been given a number of scares.

Returning goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen produced a handful of top-class saves, the best of the lot to keep out Vitaliy Buyalskiy's free header in the first half, while Tomasz Kedziora had a goal ruled out.

Dynamo named a depleted squad due to a coronavirus outbreak in the camp and pushed their opponents all the way thanks to Viktor Tsygankov's strike 15 minutes from time, though Barca held on to make it nine points from nine.

Denys Popov tripped Messi in the box early on and the Argentina international tucked the spot-kick away from Ruslan Neshcheret into the bottom-right corner.

Pedri hit the underside of the crossbar after being picked out by Sergino Dest and Antoine Griezmann fired wide from six yards as Barca looked for a quickfire second.

Neshcheret was making only his second senior appearance and kept out a couple of efforts from Messi before half-time, either side of Ter Stegen's reaction stop to deny Buyalskiy.

Barcelona were given a couple of warnings early in the second period as Ter Stegen was equal to Tsygankov from a one-on-one and Kedziora's headed goal was chalked off as a corner had curled out of play.

Vladyslav Supriaha was the next to be thwarted by Ter Stegen, shortly before Neshcheret tipped over Messi's free-kick from the best of his saves in what was turning out to be a battle of the keepers.

Pique thought he had finally killed off Dynamo when guiding Ansu Fati's cross into the back of the net, only for Tsygankov to tap in at the other end after Benjamin Verbic's saved shot rolled into his path.

The visitors could not find a late leveller, though, with the Catalan giants managing the remainder of the game well to all but book a place in the last 16 of the competition.

What does it mean? Barcelona on brink of knockouts

This is a game that will very much be remembered for the performances of both keepers - Ter Stegen making six saves to Neshcheret's 11.

Indebted to Ter Stegen, Barca retain a three-point lead over Juventus - 4-1 winners over Ferencvaros in Budapest on Wednesday - while Dynamo are eight points worse off in third at the midway point.

Koeman's men may have made their joint-worst start to a LaLiga season since the competition shifted to three points for a win, but they have a perfect record in Europe and must now transfer that form into their flagging domestic campaign.

Ter Stegen's return

Barca have been shaky in Ter Stegen's absence this term, with stand-in Neto simply not having the same calming presence at the back, as highlighted by his error in the 1-1 draw with Alaves last time out.

This display shows just why many rate the German as the best number one on the planet, and yet he was arguably not even the best goalkeeper on the pitch today - Neshcheret, aged just 18, claiming that honour on a day to remember.

Griezmann's sitter

Barcelona were given a real scare by Dynamo but it surely would have been an entirely different game had Griezmann converted his easy chance from six yards shortly after Messi's opener.

Despite being fielded through the middle, the France international struggled to get involved in the game, managing just 22 touches of the ball before being withdrawn after an hour - the fewest of any outfield player up to that point.

What's next?

Barcelona host Real Betis on Saturday in their final LaLiga outing before the international break, while Dynamo take on Shakhtar Donetsk in a top-of-the-table clash in the Ukrainian Premier League the following day.

New Legon Cities acquisition Asamoah Gyan believes the club does not automatically become title contenders by their strong presence in the transfer market.

The Royals have been hailed for what has been tagged arguably the biggest transfer deal in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) by their signing of their former Sunderland and Udinese forward.

Legon went through a struggle in the league last season, their misery ended by the premature termination of the football season due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

"Saying you can challenge for the league is very easy," Gyan said, as reported by Footballghana.

"You can purchase all the best players in the world but without knowing what you like, we cannot be successful.

“We have to play some matches before we will know whether we can win the league or not.

"The most important thing is that management are doing their best because they’ve signed players they think can help the progress of the team."

Gyan's first and only previous stint in the GPL was with Liberty Professionals whom he left for Udinese in 2003.

"I’m a professional football player; Legon Cities is also a professional football team," the striker explained.

"They made an offer; I felt their offer will help me and the league as well. Now I’m home and will get the opportunity to see my family.

“They have a project for Ghana football and it is not going to benefit those playing in the country alone, it will benefit a lot of people.

"I’m proud to be part of Legon Cities, so as a professional footballer I’m doing my job.

"We always want to achieve something as footballers. A lot of players look up to me, seeing me on the field is a massive booster. I would try as much as possible to deliver my message and experience [to the rest of the team] so we can work together and have a good season."

In the last 17 years, the 34-year-old also featured for French outfit Stade Rennais, Sunderland in the English Premier League, Al Ain and Al Ahli Dubai in the UAE, Shanghai SIPG in China, Turkish side Kayserispor and most recently NorthEast United in India.

He is presently Ghana's most-capped and all-time top scorer, having made 109 international outings and found the back of the net on 51 occasions.

Legon are set to kick off the upcoming GPL season with a clash with Berekum, a match which could mark Gyan's return. 

Timo Werner scored two first-half penalties as Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start in Champions League Group E with a 3-0 win over Rennes on Wednesday.

Frank Lampard's side drew 0-0 with Valencia in their opening game before crushing Krasnodar 4-0 last week and got off to a fine start against their Ligue 1 opponents, with Werner slotting home from the spot in the 10th minute after he had been fouled by Dalbert. 

The Brazilian was then dismissed after receiving a second yellow card for handball in the area four minutes before the interval, Werner stepping up to slam home his seventh goal of the season in all competitions. 

Tammy Abraham added a third five minutes into the second half as Chelsea moved onto seven points at the summit of Group E, level with Sevilla. 

Chelsea were given the opportunity to take an early lead when Dalbert tripped Werner in the penalty area, the German following up his penalty against Krasnodar last week with another successful spot-kick that proved too powerful for Alfred Gomis. 

Dalbert's dismal first half went from bad to worse shortly before the interval when he received a second booking for handling Abraham's shot inside the penalty area, referee Felix Zwayer reaching the decision after consulting the pitchside monitor. 

Werner stepped up again and lashed into the roof of Gomis' net to double Chelsea's advantage.

Hakim Ziyech blazed a half-volley over from eight yards shortly after the restart before Abraham turned home Reece James' cross inside the six-yard area to put the Blues 3-0 up.

Gomis denied substitute Olivier Giroud late on as Chelsea ultimately failed to add further gloss to what was the most comfortable of victories.

What does it mean? Blues barely break into a sweat

Champions League games are not meant to be this easy. Rennes might well point to the dismissal of Dalbert as the turning point, but Lampard's men were already cruising at that stage. They restricted Julien Stephan's side to just two shots on target and enjoyed 57 per cent possession in a dominant display. 

The result means Chelsea have now suffered just one defeat in their last 16 Champions League group games at home. 

James on relentless form

James was superb at right-back for Chelsea, his wonderful cross for Abraham's goal one of six he delivered during an all-action display. He also gained possession a team-high eight times and completed 92.3 per cent of his passes. 

Dalbert's torrid 40 minutes

The on-loan Inter defender endured a tumultuous first half, giving away two penalties and receiving a red card. The fact he completed 100 per cent of his 17 passes will be of no comfort at all. 

What's next?

Chelsea host struggling Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday before the international break, while Rennes face a daunting trip to Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain on the same day.

Former Ghana Africa Cup of Nations- winning attacker Mohammed Polo believes the west Africans are unlikely to end their long wait for a trophy at the next continental gathering.

Four-time champions Ghana have endured a series of misses and disappointments since last time ruling the continent in Libya in 1982.

New Black Stars coach CK Akonnor, whose first game at the helm of affairs ended in a 3-0 loss to Mali in a friendly fixture last month, has been tasked to lead the team to success at the next tournament in Cameroon two years from now.

"To be frank, Ghana is not respected anymore on the continent. Mali scoring us 3-0 justifies what I am saying," Polo who helped Ghana win the Afcon title in 1978, told Bryt FM.

"Some years back, other countries had great respect for our game but as we speak it is no more because they are able to score us with ease.

“During our time, countries on the continent, especially the North Africans, had to cheat before they can score you. It is about time we started organising ourselves well.

"I can emphasise North Africans countries are currently ruling the game on the continent.

“I think we are sleeping, a country that has been likened to Brazil. We had players that were compared to world-class players like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi and others.

"We need to start organising ourselves if we want to win a trophy but for now I don’t think we can end the trophy drought anytime soon."

After the disappointing loss to Mali though, Akonnor and his payers bounced back with a 5-1 thrashing of Asian champions and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in a second friendly tie.

The Black Stars return to action next week with a double-header header of games against Sudan in the 2022 Afcon qualifiers.

Their last appearance at the continental showpiece ended in heavy disappointment as a Round of 16 loss to Tunisia ensured Ghana failed to reach the quarter-final of the tournament for the first time since 2006.

In 2017, they reached the last four.

Football Manager, the popular football management simulation, has introduced FMFC, its newest feature that will allow fans to get closer to the game. 

FMFC will give fans access to exclusive content, gameplay insights and feature drops as the highly anticipated release of FM21 nears. 

“The Football Manager community is heavily engaged with us and extremely passionate about the game so we wanted to create a place where we can bring the community closer to our work and reward them for their support which has been even more appreciated this year," Sports Interactive’s studio director Miles Jacobson said.

"We can’t wait to see FMFC grow over the months and years to come.”

Sports Interactive is the developer of Football Manager, the world’s leading football management simulation title.

Fans can sign up for FMFC on Football Manager's website, and all fans who sign up before November 9 will be automatically in the draw for a chance to win a top-spec gaming laptop and one of 100 copies of FM21 for PC/Mac.

FMFC will deliver exclusive content to fans that aims to be relevant to their needs, such as insider tips and guides suitable to the games they play. They will also receive contract bonuses in the form of member-only incentives and competitions.

FM21 is set to be released on November 24 after some uncertainty over whether the pandemic would delay the game this year. 

Though it was slightly delayed, Jacobson is satisfied that the game will deliver a unique and better experience than ever before.

“Football Manager 2021 is a historic release for us as a studio," Jacobson said.

"We’re bringing FM to more platforms than ever before and giving more people the chance to manage their favourite club – whether that’s on their PC, from the comfort of their sofa or on their phone or tablet.”

Furthermore, users will be granted Early Access to Football Manager 2021 two weeks before the launch date after pre-purchasing the game from a SEGA approved retailer before November 24.

There will be a pre-purchase discount of 10 per cent available to users to buy the game early.

Football Manager 2021 Touch will be available in December for Nintendo Switch, while the Xbox release date is not yet known.

RB Leipzig gained a measure of revenge for their 2019-20 Champions League semi-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, coming from behind to claim a potentially crucial 2-1 win in Group H.

PSG, despite being without both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar through injury, started brightly at Red Bull Arena and took an early lead through Angel Di Maria.

However, the game turned on a tale of two penalties, with Di Maria failing to make it 2-0 from 12 yards before former PSG midfielder Christopher Nkunku levelled in the 41st minute.

Leipzig were then given a chance to complete the turnaround from the penalty spot and it was one Emil Forsberg did not waste, sealing a victory that moves them level on points with group leaders Manchester United and three points clear of PSG, who finished the game with nine men after Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe were sent off.

Careless defending from Dayot Upamecano gifted PSG the opener after five minutes, Moise Kean intercepting his attempted backpass and deftly playing in Di Maria to break the deadlock.

Only a tremendous double save from Keylor Navas prevented Leipzig from levelling almost immediately as Amadou Haidara and Angelino were denied from close range in quick succession.

Yet Leipzig continued to look extremely vulnerable at the back and were thankful to Peter Gulacsi for preserving a one-goal deficit as he got down low to keep out Di Maria's spot-kick after Upamecano handled Kean's shot in the area.

Di Maria and Kean each had the ball in the net but saw goals ruled out for offside and PSG's inability to punish Leipzig's poor play at the back proved costly when Nkunku rifled into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the area.

A great run down the left from Forsberg ended with him blazing over the bar but he did have the decisive say in the 57th minute, sneaking his penalty into the bottom-left corner after Kimpembe handled a ball into the PSG box.

Gueye received a second yellow for fouling Haidara in a battle for a 50-50 ball and PSG's frustrations were heightened late in stoppage time when a cynical foul saw Kimpembe given his marching orders for his second bookable offence.

What does it mean? Leipzig gain advantage in wide-open group

Manchester United's surprise defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir left this group very much up for grabs and Leipzig will feel much better about their hopes of progressing after this comeback.

Having lost 3-0 in the semi-finals last season, it looked like this game would end in similar fashion as PSG dominated in the first half. However, Leipzig grew into the game after Di Maria failed with his penalty and were good value for the three points. With two defeats from three games, last season's finalists are facing a significant challenge to reach the last 16.

Forsberg a force

Forsberg was instrumental in Leizpig's turnaround. In addition to scoring the decisive penalty, he also played two key passes and had an impressive passing accuracy of 92.9 per cent in the PSG half.

Gueye and Kimpembe see red

Gueye became the first PSG player since Marco Verratti in March 2018 against Real Madrid to receive a red card in the Champions League. Kimpembe followed him in injury time, capping a miserable night that also saw him concede the crucial penalty.

What's next?

Leipzig, two points behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, host Freiburg on Saturday, when PSG welcome Rennes to the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1.

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids says Thembinkosi Lorch's injury does not look good ahead of Sunday's Soweto Derby clash against Kaizer Chiefs.

The Bafana Bafana international picked up an injury in the first-half against Bloemfontein Celtic in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match on Wednesday night.

Lorch has now joined Frank Mhango, Tshegofatsho Mabasa and Thulani Hlatshwayo on the injury list at the Houghton-based giants.

Davids, who was in charge of the team in the absence of head coach Josef Zinnbauer, provided an update on Lorch.

“That’s it, we have to second guess now a decision to stick with a similar team knowing that it was an intensive game against Kaizer Chiefs," Davids told SuperSport TV. 

“Now with injuries, Lorch it doesn’t look good but we’ll get the information from the doctors after the game."

Terrence Dzvukamanja was also substituted after picking up an injury in the second-half, but Pirates were able to secure a 1-0 win over Celtic.

Davids was happy to see Bucs secure a win despite his players struggling with fatigue following the team's 3-0 win over Chiefs in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg match on Saturday.

“You could see they were much fresher, much sharper to the ball. Our fatigue really, with the intensive match against Kaizer Chiefs," he said. 

“You could see in the first half going into the second half we were too slow, we were too slow to the ball. Too slow with our passing and it was not really as it should be."

Pirates broke the deadlock when Paseka Mako set-up fellow second-half substitute Siphesihle Ndlovu, who hit the back of the net with a well-taken shot from outside the box in the 78th minute.

“Definitely the substitutes came in and made a difference, a bit more aggressive in midfield, a bit more direct in attack. It was not about pretty football tonight," he added.

“It was about the points and I think that’s what the boys did in the second half especially. Once we made the changes, we took control of the game and yes, we deservedly win."

It was Pirates' first win of the season in the league having recorded draws against AmaZulu FC and Stellenbosch FC before facing Celtic.

The Buccaneers will take a 3-0 aggregate lead into their second-leg clash against Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Sunday.