Looking for Soccer News?

Franck Ribery rolled back the years but Fiorentina were stung by a late Inter rally as Antonio Conte's side snatched a thrilling 4-3 win to launch their Serie A campaign.

Former Bayern Munich winger Ribery created second-half goals for Gaetano Castrovilli and Federico Chiesa as Fiorentina looked set to take the points at San Siro on Saturday, only for Romelu Lukaku and Danilo D'Ambrosio to strike late on.

A dramatic game saw Fiorentina lead early on through Christian Kouame, but Lautaro Martinez scored a majestic equaliser in first-half stoppage time and Inter were in front thanks to a Federico Ceccherini own goal soon after the break.

Ribery then began to run the show, first teeing up Castrovilli after a joyous run down the left, and then when his defence-splitting long pass fed Chiesa.

But with seven minutes remaining, Fiorentina took Ribery off, and Lukaku bundled in an 87th-minute leveller before D'Ambrosio thundered in a back-post header to take all three points

Inter's first competitive game since their Europa League final defeat to Sevilla began with them being caught cold in the third minute.

Cristiano Biraghi's cross from the left opened up the home defence and Kouame tapped in from close range after unselfish play from Giacomo Bonaventura.

Inter were awarded an 18th-minute penalty, but the decision was overturned after a video review, with Martinez shown to have been the player who made the first contact when he and Martín Caceres tangled.

Fiorentina were shaken in first-half stoppage time when Martinez ripped a 22-yard strike beyond Bartlomiej Dragowski and into the right corner.

Luck was then on Inter's side in the 51st minute when Martinez's shot from a couple of yards inside the left edge of the penalty area, heading well off target, was deflected in off Ceccherini.

Fiorentina grabbed a sublime equaliser five minutes later, when Ribery's dribbling at speed had Inter's defence backtracking urgently and the Frenchman's short pass released Castrovilli to find the bottom-left corner from 12 yards.

Ribery was at it again in the 63rd minute, roaming through midfield and threading a terrific ball that Chiesa clipped past Samir Handanovic for Fiorentina's third.

Dusan Vlahovic wasted a chance to give Ribery a hat-trick of assists, after the Inter defence were again drawn to the 37-year-old, whose timely release of the ball found his team-mate in yards of space. Vlahovic shot high and wide, and Fiorentina substituted Ribery in the 83rd minute.

Lukaku, who had wasted a string of chances, tucked home new signing Achraf Hakimi’s cross from the right four minutes later.

And it was cruel on Fiorentina when D'Ambrosio headed Inter's fourth a minute later, connecting powerfully with Alexis Sanchez’s deflected cross from the left.

Newly invited Super Eagles goalkeeper Mathew Yakubu conceded three goals as SKF Sered crumbled 3-0 away at FC Nitra in Saturday’s Slovakia topflight game.

The 21-year-old is one of the three shot-stoppers invited by the three-time African champions for October’s friendlies against Algeria and Tunisia.

Sered went to Stadion pod Zoborom on the back of eight games without defeat, however, they put up an abysmal showing to crumble against Gergely Geri’s side.

Yakubu conceded the first goal two minutes into the game after fumbling a long-range shot from Slovak midfielder Martin Adamec.

On the stroke of half time, Michal Fasko’s team turned in a close range shot past the goalkeeper after receiving a pass from Adamac as the hosts went into the half-time break with a two-goal advantage.

In the 52nd minute, the Nigerian was the culprit for his side’s third goal having fouled a goal-bound Nikola Gataric. That earned him a caution from referee Adam Somolani, while Fasko converted the resulting penalty to complete his brace of the night.

Despite a late rally from the visitors, they were unable to rescue themselves from their second defeat of the season.

Yakubu was in action from start to finish for Sered alongside Senegalese defender Tidiane Ba, while his compatriot Bankole Adekuoroye was not considered for selection by manager Peter Lerant.

Following this defeat, they drop to fourth in the Fortuna Liga table having accrued 12 points from eight games, while Nitra are fifth from the same number of outings.

His team would be hoping to return to winning ways when they host struggling Zemplin Michalovce on October 3, 2020.

Yakubu had expressed his delight following his first call-up to Gernot Rohr’s squad.

“It’s a thing of joy to me, it really shows that I’m really working hard and things are going well,” he told Brila FM.

“So, I will continue to do my best when I go to the camp, work together to achieve the goal and aim [of the country].”

Apart from him, Ventspils’ Dele Alampasu and Sparta Rotterdam’s Maduka Okoye are the other goalkeepers invited for the game billed for Austria.

Tammy Abraham revealed the words of wisdom from Frank Lampard that provided the catalyst for Chelsea's comeback in an entertaining 3-3 draw at West Brom .

The Blues were sloppy in defence as the Baggies went 3-0 up inside 27 minutes at The Hawthorns, where Thiago Silva endured a rude awakening on his Premier League debut.

But the visitors were able to breathe a sigh of relief after a second-half revival in which Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored before Abraham netted a stoppage-time leveller.

And the England forward praised the impact his manager made at half-time in picking his side up off the floor.

"We all went in and our heads were down and he had to lift us up," Abraham told Sky Sports after the final whistle.

"He said we didn't look like a team ready to go out and win and we needed to pick each other up in the second half.

"Thankfully Mason got the goal which meant we could believe. I knew we'd get chances but to come back from 3-0 is never easy. The boys deserve credit, they kept going."

The opening 45 minutes was a strange spectacle indeed, with Slaven Bilic's men finding themselves three goals to the good despite having very little of the game.

And Abraham conceded Chelsea had made life hard for themselves, while lamenting a missed opportunity of his own.

"In the first half we made it difficult for ourselves. I had a chance I should have put away and one I should be taking at this level," he said.

"They scored from every shot. We knew we had to come out in the second half and not drop our heads – and that's what we did.

"We need to cut out the mistakes as a team so we don't concede. We need to be strong together and keep encouraging one another."

Chelsea are back in action in the Premier League on Saturday, when they host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted a lack of sharpness was the reason behind Manchester United conceding goals as he ruled out adding a centre-back in the transfer window.

Man Utd secured a 3-2 win at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday thanks to a last-gasp penalty from Bruno Fernandes, who converted from the spot in the 10th minute of additional time.

However, having conceded three times when losing their Premier League opener at home to Crystal Palace, defensive deficiencies were again a topic of conversation after the final whistle on the south coast.

Neal Maupay and Solly March both scored for Brighton, the latter in the 95th minute to make it 2-2, while the home side were denied five times by the woodwork as they had 18 attempts at goal.

Leandro Trossard was particularly unlucky, becoming the first player to hit the woodwork on three occasions in a Premier League match since Cristiano Ronaldo in October 2006, as Solskjaer retained faith in Victor Lindelof despite his difficult outing against Palace.

"We've got many defenders here and I put Eric (Bailly) on to bolster the defence, following the runs of Trossard and Maupay," Solskjaer said in his media conference.

"For me, we've got enough good centre-backs here at the moment.

"When you concede chances and concede goals, there are two different things you can look at - it's either the team shape, or are there any individual mistakes.

"We're not in our best shape of form, our shape isn't there, we're not sharp enough to stop crosses or follow the runs.

"We're a little bit behind, that's more structural mistakes than individual mistakes. I thought Victor did well today."

Man Utd have been linked with a new defender, media reports suggesting they are interested in Porto left-back Alex Telles.

Solskjaer promised the players he currently has in his squad will improve as they play more matches after a shortened pre-season. They play Brighton again on Wednesday, this time in the EFL Cup. 

"We've got to be honest enough to say they created the most chances. Maybe 50-50 possession but they had loads of shots, big chances and that's not what we want. We need to improve a lot in the weeks coming forward," the Norwegian boss said.

"The spirit and character of the boys I don't question at all, the spirit is there. The sharpness and fitness might not be, but it is going to come.

"We've got three or four weeks to catch up and the more games we play, the more 90 minutes we get, we'll be sharper and sharper."

Prince Dube scored with seconds to go, to help Azam FC go top of the Tanzania Mainland League after a narrow 1-0 win against Tanzania Prisons.

The 2014 champions had anticipated a tough game against the administrative side, but Kagera Sugar's 1-0 win against KMC FC motivated them since a win meant they would go top of the table.

However, as Azam's assistant coach Bahati Vivier predicted, it turned out to be a tough affair at the Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga. The hosts dominated with their slick passing amid cheers from the fans who had come in numbers.

When everyone thought the spoils would be shared, Zimbabwean forward Prince Dube rose to the occasion and won his team maximum points.

It was the third goal for the forward in the four games the Ice-cream Makers have played. The result put Azam on top of the table with 12 points. They remain the only team in the division to have won maximum points from their opening four matches.

Meanwhile, Dodoma Jiji FC suffered a 3-0 win to the hands of their hosts Polisi Tanzania.

It took Polisi just 11 minutes to get the opening goal when Marcel Kaheza's free-kick was missed by everybody including the goalkeeper. It was a ball floated in from the right after a foul committed by the defenders. 

Former Yanga SC forward Tariq Seif doubled the advantage in the 39th minute. Kaheza fooled the defenders, and the ball was well controlled by the former on his chest, before unleashing a volley which the custodian could do little to keep out.

In the 61st minute, Kaheza completed his brace. George Mpole spotted the unmarked Seif on the right. The striker took his time, spotted the advancing Kaheza, and crossed the ball to him and the latter tapped into an empty net to ensure Polisi earned a 3-0 win. 

Azam are on 12 points while KMC are second with nine after playing four games as well. Simba, who will play Gwambina FC later on, are third with seven points from three games.

Saturday's win took Polisi Tanzania to fourth with seven points while Dodoma Jiji dropped to sixth with the same number of points but they are inferior on goal difference.

Malian descent player Moussa Diaby, Burkina Faso's Edmond Tapsoba, DR Congo descent player Christopher Nkunku and Mali's Amadou Haidara were on parade as Bayer Leverkusen held RB Leipzig to a 1-1 draw in Saturday's Bundesliga encounter.

Emil Forsberg broke the deadlock for Leipzig in the 14th minute but his opener was cancelled out six minutes later by Kerem Demirbay.

Tapsoba and Diaby played the duration for Bayer Leverkusen while Haidara featured from start to finish for the visitors and Nkunku came off the bench for goalscorer Forsberg in the 66th minute.

Haidara produced a solid display on Saturday, completing the most tackles (6), the most dribbles (3) and the second-highest interceptions (2) in Julian Nagelsmann's team.

Diaby, however, registered the most shots (4) for Bayer Leverkusen but was unfortunate to not open his goal account for the 2020-21 season despite having two shots on target.

The result was Leverkusen's second straight draw in the Bundesliga this season after playing a goalless draw against Wolfsburg last Saturday.

RB Leipzig, on the other hand, picked up a point on the road at the BayArena to stretch their tally to four points after two league outings.

Nigerian descent player Ademola Lookman did not make the matchday squad as he faces an uncertain future at RB Leipzig.

Lookman is reportedly linked with a return to England with Fulham targeting a loan move for the former Everton forward who started just one Bundesliga match last season.

Next up for Leipzig is a league fixture against Schalke 04 at home on October 3 while Bayer Leverkusen travel to Stuttgart for their next Bundesliga match on the same day.

Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Eric Choupo-Moting has not been invited for Cameroon's friendly match against Japan on October 9.

Choupo-Moting who is yet to find a new club after leaving PSG at the end of his contract in August, joins Dynamo Moscow's Clinton Njie and Angers star Stephane Bahoken among the absentees in the 24-man team.

Young Boys star Jean-Pierre Nsame returns to the national team set-up after his goalscoring heroics in Switzerland where he scored 32 goals in 32 league matches last season.

The new invitees include Stoke City goalkeeper Blondy Noukeu, Germany-born midfielder Tsiy-William Ndenge, U23 star Samuel Gouet, Granada midfielder Yan Brice Eteki, Royal Excel Mouscron's Serge Tabekou and ex-Bayern Munich forward Franck Evina.

The Indomitable Lions will be camped in the Netherlands from October 5 to 13, and they will play Japan at the Stadion Galgenwaard four days after their arrival.

Full List

Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (Ajax), Fabrice Ondoa (KV Oostende), Blondy Nna Noukeu (Stoke City).

Defenders: Ambroise Oyongo (Montpellier), Harold Moukoudi (Saint-Etienne), Collins Fai (Standard Liege), Jerome Onguene (RB Salzburg), Michael Ngadeu (La Gantoise), Joyskim Dawa (Valmiera), Ahmad Ngouyamsa (Dijon), Serge Leuko (Waasland Beveren).

Midfielders: Yan Brice Eteki (Granada), Tsiy-William Ndenge (FC Luzern), Jean Onana (Royal Excel Mouscron), Samuel Gouet (Altach), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Fulham), Pierre Kunde Malong (Mainz 05).

Forwards: Serge Tabekou (Royal Excel Mouscron), Karl Toko Ekambi (Lyon), Franck Evina (Hannover 96), Moumi Ngamaleu (Young Boys), Jean Pierre Nsame (Young Boys), Ignatius Ganago (RC Lens), Fabrice Olinga (Royal Excel Mouscron).

Stoke City claimed a 1-0 win over Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday with Tom Barkhuizen getting sent off for the first time in his professional career while John Obi Mikel provided the assist.

Both sides came into this match without a win in the English second-tier this season. The Lilywhites first lost at home to Swansea City before drawing at Norwich City last weekend. The Potters meanwhile drew at Millwall on matchday one before losing to Bristol City the last time out.

Both Barkhuizen and Mikel had played the entire 90 minutes in those matches and started for the third Championship game running.

The Anglo-South African was however given a straight red card for a dangerous foul on Stoke left-back Morgan Fox in the 22nd minute.

The disadvantage told on Preston, as Stoke used that to pile on the pressure which resulted in the opening goal six minutes before the half time whistle.

A nice interplay between the trio in Steven Fletcher, Tashan Oakley-Boothe and Mikel resulted in the Nigerian midfield veteran ultimately finding Lee Gregory who tapped home from close range.

It was the former Chelsea player’s first goal involvement for Stoke since he arrived in August.

He lasted the whole game for the third Championship match running and produced 64 touches, the fourth-highest among Stoke players while his passing accuracy of 90% from 45 passes was the highest among the Potters starters.

Mikel’s assist was the one big chance he created in the game and he also had one successful dribble. He successfully played three long balls out of four and won three of six ground duels.

Michael O’Neil’s men will hope to bag their first home league win of the season when they host Birmingham City next Sunday. Before that is an EFL Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa on Thursday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will need to collect more trophies in order to cement a standing as an Arsenal legend, says Nigel Winterburn.

The Gabonese striker has helped the Gunners to FA Cup and Community Shield successes during his time at Emirates Stadium.

Those triumphs have helped to convince the prolific frontman to sign a new three-year contract.

With any uncertainty regarding his future brought to a close, the 31-year-old has been freed to chase down more major honours.

Winterburn believes further medals are going to be required in order to cement a place alongside the greats in north London.

The former Gunners left-back told FreeSuperTips: “If Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang keeps scoring like he has been over the next three years of his contract, then he’ll be heading in the right direction to achieve legendary status at Arsenal.

“I look back at players that people consider as legendary for the Arsenal, then I look at what they won at the football club and they didn’t win that much.

“The number of trophies that some of the players I played with won, in comparison to the amount that Aubameyang could win, it’s clear that he isn’t going to win the same number of trophies.

“Then eventually when he leaves – it depends always on what circumstances you leave; he will then be regarded as one of the legends of the club.” 

Aubameyang has already earned comparisons to some iconic figures from Arsenal’s past.

So impressive has his strike rate been, with 72 goals recorded through 112 appearances, that he has been likened to Ian Wright and Thierry Henry – the men who fill the top two spots on the club’s all-time leading scorer chart.

A star of the present has some way to go before he can claim to sit alongside legends of the past, but his presence should help to keep Mikel Arteta’s side in contention for more notable gongs.

The Gunners got their 2020-21 Carabao Cup campaign up and running last time out with a 2-0 victory over Leicester and have back-to-back league and cup outings against Liverpool to take in next week – starting with a Premier League clash with the defending champions at Anfield on Monday.

Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) has continued with their intention to make sure all Mainland Premier League matches have standard pitches after they banned Ushirika Stadium in Moshi.

The league managers confirmed on Saturday in a statement obtained by Goal that they have banned the venue until further notice for lacking basic needs for a stadium to fully host league matches.

“TPLB has banned the use of Ushirika Stadium based in Moshi from hosting any top-tier matches, or even competitions owing to missing vital requirements as explained in the rules governing the game in the country,” read a statement from the TPLB and obtained by Goal.

“The Board has given the management 21 days to make renovations in the stadium in the aforementioned areas before the Inspection Committee visits the facility for inspection.”

As a result, Polisi Tanzania, who host their home matches at the venue, will not be allowed to use the facility and have been given an alternative by the board.

“Following the decision we ask Polisi Tanzania, who use the venue as the home ground, to start using Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium in Arusha for their on-going matches for the 2020-21 league campaign.

“After renovations have been done, the decision will be reviewed.”

Ushirika becomes the fourth venue to be suspended by TPLB after Mabatini based in Mlandizi, Pwani, Karume, and Gwambina Stadiums.

Karume Stadium based in Mara was banned from hosting any competitive matches owing to the poor playing surface compared to Gwambina, whose playing surface was classified as substandard by TPLB.

Gwambina FC, who were promoted to the top-tier for this campaign, have been advised to use either CCM Kirumba or Nyamagana Stadiums, both based in Mwanza, as their home ground for the time being.

In a recent interview, TPLB CEO Almas Kasongo confirmed they are working closely with Azam TV, who are the official broadcasters of the top-tier, to have selected venues outside Dar es Salaam to host night matches this season.

“We thank Azam TV for taking a leading role on facilitation to install flood-lights so people can also watch league games at night,” Kasongo told reporters.

“For the time being, only Simba SC, Young Africans (Yanga SC) and Azam have the opportunity for their matches to be played at night since their venues have the required infrastructure to embrace such duels.”

They are working closely with Azam TV, who are the official broadcasters of the Mainland Premier League, to have selected venues outside Dar es Salaam to host night matches this season.

The current season saw teams reduced from 20 to 18 so as to enable ample time to prepare between league matches.

Nigeria national team coach and former Bordeaux manager Gernot Rohr has thrown his weight behind Samuel Kalu to rediscover his form for the Ligue 1 side.

The 23-year-old has been with the Girondins since the summer of 2018 when he teamed up with the side from Belgian First Division club Gent.

The winger has featured in more than 40 league games for Bordeaux since his arrival at Matmut Atlantique.

Kalu is a consistent performer for the Nigeria national team under German tactician, Rohr, and has played in 13 games for the West African side since he made his debut against Libya in 2018.

The forward was one of the stand-out players for the Super Eagles at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, helping them to finish third in the tournament.

Kalu, however, struggled to replicate his eye-catching Super Eagles displays for the Girondins last season, starting 15 games and scoring only one goal for the side.

The forward, who has been linked with Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce this summer, is starting to enjoy more game time under manager Jean Louis Gasset.

The winger has featured in four league matches in the 2020-21 season, starting three of the outings and opened his account against Lens last time out.

Rohr has no doubt of the ability of the forward and has backed him to regain his confidence for the Girondins.

"There's this Kalu who is playing very, very well with me and Nigeria, who lost a bit of confidence last season," Rohr told Girondins magazine.

"It was not going very well with the staff from the previous season. There, he is trying to find a little of his means, both physical and moral.

"It is resurfacing. With the new staff, he will have more possibilities to play in his real position, which is the position of a pure winger, dribbler, centralizer, who can even score goals as he did with us.”

Rohr is hoping the 23-year-old will feature prominently when Bordeaux take on Nice in their next league game on Sunday.

"I hope to see him again on Sunday against Nice,” he continued.

Rohr has named Kalu in the Super Eagles squad that will take on African champions Algeria and Tunisia in friendlies next month.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has attempted to explain Paul Pogba’s slow start to the season, with the Manchester United midfielder taking in another forgettable outing at Brighton.

Inconsistency at club level has been an issue for the France international throughout a second spell at Old Trafford.

Fitness issues have worked against him at times, with Solskjaer suggesting that the World Cup winner still is not up to full speed.

Pogba returned to action on the back of ‘Project Restart’ over the summer, but had been short on competitive minutes for some time prior to that.

He has now been denied a proper pre-season heading into the 2020-21 campaign and has looked sluggish through his early performances.

The 27-year-old made little impact on proceedings during United’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Brighton, with only the intervention of VAR seeing him spared the indignity of conceding a second-half penalty.

Solskjaer concedes that the most expensive asset at his disposal is not firing on all cylinders, but feels there are obvious reasons for that and believes a spark will be found if patience is shown.

He told reporters when quizzed on Pogba after taking in a dramatic contest at the Amex Stadium: “He missed a lot of pre-season because of his illness.

“He's not had internationals or the friendly against Villa.

“The two 65 minutes he's had will help him along and he'll just get better and better.”

Pogba is not the only issue for United to address at present, with their leaky back four looking far from watertight once again when edging out the Seagulls – with the woodwork coming to their rescue on five occasions.

Solskjaer has been urged to address those problems by bringing in another centre-half, but the Norwegian is not convinced that he needs to be reinforcing in that area before the summer transfer window slams shut.

He added, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof having started on the south coast: “We've got many defenders here and I put Eric [Bailly] on to bolster the defence, following the runs of [Leandro] Trossard and [Neal] Maupay.

“So, for me, we've got enough good centre-backs here at the moment.

“When you concede chances and concede goals there are two different things you can look at: it's the team shape or are there any individual mistakes.

“For me, we're not in our best shape of form, our shape isn't there, we're not sharp enough to stop crosses or follow the runs.

“We're a little bit behind and that's structural mistakes more than individual mistakes. I thought Victor did well today.”

Chuba Akpom made a goalscoring debut for Middlesbrough as Bright Osayi-Samuel earned Queens Park Rangers a 1-1 draw in a Championship encounter.

Akpom who completed a permanent move from Greek outfit PAOK last Saturday, was handed his first start by Neil Warnock on Saturday and he immediately made an impact.

The former Arsenal youth star opened the scoring in London for Boro in the 19th minute, courtesy of an assist from Patrick McNair.

Nine minutes later, Osayi-Samuel got Mark Warburton's side level with his maiden strike of the season.

Akpom and DR Congo's Britt Assombalonga were in action for 90 minutes while Egypt midfielder Sam Morsy was introduced as a second-half substitute, four minutes after the hour-mark.

For QPR, Osayi-Samuel made his third appearance in the second division in this campaign and he has played every minute of their games alongside Sierra Leone's Osman Kakay.

Akpom created the most chances for Middlesbrough in the game, with three shots while Osayi-Samuel starred for the hosts with the most dribbles (8), most key passes (3) and the joint-highest shots on target (2).

QPR are yet to win a league match since their opening day 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Osayi-Samuel will be hoping to help the London outfit return to winning ways against Sheffield Wednesday on October 3.

Meanwhile, Saturday's result makes it back-to-back draws for Middlesbrough and they are without a win since the start of the 2020-21 Championship campaign.

They host Barnsley at the Riverside Stadium next Saturday.

Yanga SC's partner GSM's investment director Hersi Said has explained why Carlinhos has struggled in the last three Mainland Premier League matches.

Carlinhos was signed in the last transfer period but has not earned a regular place as Said reveals the Angolan struggled because of food matters. According to the official, the forward has not been accustomed to the local delicacies but the club has found a new way of helping the 25-year old.

“That [solving food issues] has been successful especially because we received a lot of help from the Angola embassy. They have indeed been grateful all throughout the process as they have even offered us a chef,” Said told Mwanaspoti.

“The new chef has already started his job and apart from that, he will train our other chefs so that they can be preparing the same food for our players when they are in camps.

“Carlinhos has been struggling a lot and that is why he has not been able to show his real talent since he signed. You all understand football is a game that is highly judged by what one does on the training ground.

“For one to be successful he needs to eat good food and I think now Carlinhos is ready to deliver. We know how good he is and we are promising our fans that soon, they will see a good player in him.”

Meanwhile, Mtibwa Sugar head coach Zuberi Katwila has revealed his side’s readiness to face Yanga on Sunday. Katwila is drawing hope from their 1-1 draw against Simba SC and believes they can perform against Timu ya Wananchi.

“Yes, Yanga have many foreign players, but whenever we have been playing against them they have always struggled to get a better result,” Katwila told Mwanaspoti. “I have confidence in my players' abilities and I know they can do a good job.

“Simba also have a lot of international players but we fought and drew against them. They are the defending champions, yes but they faced a tough time against us.

“So, I can only tell Yanga to be prepared that a football match is determined within 90 minutes.”

Mtibwa Sugar have one win in three matches and it came against Ihefu FC. They drew 0-0 against Ruvu Shooting while Yanga have seven points from a draw against Tanzania Prisons, and 1-0 wins against Mbeya City and Kagera Sugar.

Jack Wilshere should be considering a move to MLS, says Joe Cole, but the ex-West Ham midfielder has suggested that Serie A or La Liga may be more suitable landing spots for him.

The former Arsenal star has entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Hammers.

He is also struggling to convince David Moyes of his worth after enduring all too familiar injury struggles while in the East End.

It has been suggested that he could be released by the Hammers, with other options being favoured.

Cole feels an American adventure should appeal to Wilshere if another door opens for him, with the ex-England international having spent time in the States with NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies towards the end of his career.

“I really like Jack, he’s a fantastic player and I think he’s very similar to myself, in that when he came onto the scene it was all very exciting for everyone,” former West Ham midfielder Cole told talkSPORT.

“I feel for Jack because he hasn’t even been able to really get there, he’s never really played regularly in his career and he’s 28 now.

“His injuries have been so much, I think he just need to play football now and enjoy himself.

“He’s got a young family and he would absolutely love the States, particularly if he goes to a place like Miami or Tampa, somewhere warm.

“It actually makes your body feel a lot better playing in those climates.

“I’m a big fan of Jack’s and I’d just love to see him playing football, that’s his natural habitat and he’s such a talented player.”

Wilshere is eager to continue testing himself at the highest level and has hinted that he will look to stay in Europe if he severs ties with West Ham.

He told The Times: “I just want to play games and get back to the level whether that's at West Ham or somewhere else, different country, a different culture maybe.

“I still feel like I've got something to give whether that will be in England, in Italy, Spain or anywhere.

“I want to prove people wrong and most of all for myself to see if I can get myself to a high level again.

“I want to show people what I can do. Any footballer that says he's happy being on the bench is lying. I want to play.

“I want to get a run of games, 15-20 games which I still think I can do and have an influence on games and get that confidence back.”

Ronald Okoth has urged the authorities to respect the "players office" regarding the opening of Nyayo stadium.

The facility was closed about three years ago for renovation but was re-opened on Saturday, September 26 by President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, to many people's surprise, the tent was erected on the playing surface.

"Nyayo Stadium, one of the best stadiums I enjoyed playing in was closed for renovation for three years," Okoth, who played for top clubs in the country like Mathare United, Sofapaka, and Western Stima, tweeted on Saturday.

"On the day of its reopening, they have just erected a tent on a newly refurbished pitch. Hopefully, no military parade thereafter.

"Respect our office even though it has no roof."

Nyayo Stadium is located in the Nairobi city centre and has hosted league and Harambee Stars games whenever it was in operation.

Kenya’s famous club encounter - the Mashemeji Derby between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia - have always been held at the stadium and its unavailability saw the matches shifted to the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

The Caf Champions League matches pitting Gor Mahia and their opponents were held at Kasarani. KPL clubs Bandari and Kariobangi Sharks also hosted their Confederation Cup rivals at the stadium.

The reopening of the facility is set to add more options to the league organisers who have had to depend on Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos, Mbaraki Stadium in Mombasa, Bukhungu Stadium, and Mumias Sports Complex in Kakamega County.

Nzoia Sugar’s Sudi Stadium, Afraha Stadium in Nakuru, Zoo’s Kericho Green Stadium, Moi Stadium in Kisumu, South Nyanza’s Awendo Green Stadium, Chemelil Sports Complex and Tusker’s Ruaraka have been other stadiums available for use in the recent past.

"We have had a problem with availability of grounds and in such situations, everything is always in a mess. Most teams are located in Nairobi and their home ground is usually the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos," Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo told Goal.  

"Having a ground in the city centre is very good especially for Nairobi teams because it will greatly cut the cost of travelling to stadiums located in far-flung areas."  

Ivory Coast will play Belgium and Japan during the next international break in October, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF)  has confirmed.

The Elephants were initially scheduled to play Nigeria on October 9 in Austria but the Nigerian football authority confirmed on Friday that their West African neighbours pulled out of the encounter due to internal problems.

Ivory Coast will now travel to Brussels to take on Belgium on October 8 at the King Baudouin Stadium before battling Japan five days later at the Stadion Galgenwaard.

Next month's matches in Belgium and the Netherlands are expected to prepare the 2015 African champions for their double-header fixtures against Madagascar in their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ivory Coast's most recent international outing ended in a 2-1 defeat to Ethiopia in their second Group K game last November, and they sit third in the group with three points after two matches.

“After a little more than 10 months of inactivity, the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire will resume service during the next international break scheduled for October 5 to 13,” read a statement on the FIF website.

“Two friendly matches are planned for this purpose. The first against the Belgian team on October 8 at the Roi Baudoin Stadium at 20:45 local time and the second Japan-Cote d'Ivoire on October 13 [time to be confirmed] at the Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht in the Netherlands.”

The games would be Patrice Beaumelle's maiden outings as the national team coach since he succeeded Ibrahim Kamara at the helm in March.

Beaumelle, who assisted Herve Renard in helping the Elephants conquer the continent in 2015, has been tasked to lead the country to the next Afcon tournament in Cameroon after signing a one-year contract.

Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty with the last kick of an astonishing game as Manchester United stole a 3-2 win over a Brighton and Hove Albion side who struck the woodwork five times.

The Portuguese kept his cool in the 100th minute to settle matters at the end of a dramatic encounter at the Amex Stadium in which United rode their luck to the extreme.

Brighton, showing no signs of fatigue despite facing a fifth game in 13 days, hit both posts and the crossbar in the first half before breaking the deadlock via Neal Maupay's nerveless Panenka penalty after Fernandes fouled Tariq Lamptey.

United – needing a response to their limp opening-game loss to Crystal Palace – levelled within 187 seconds, though, Lewis Dunk unfortunate to divert past Mat Ryan from close range after Fernandes' set-piece caused problems.

Referee Chris Kavanagh chalked off a penalty he had awarded early in the second half after reviewing the incident himself, allowing Paul Pogba to breathe a sigh of relief after Aaron Connolly took a tumble.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men made full use of the reprieve as Marcus Rashford, having just seen a goal disallowed, brilliantly danced his way into the box and fired home via a deflection off Dunk.

Graham Potter was cursing his luck when Solly March and Leandro Trossard hit the post and bar respectively, before jumping for joy when the former headed in a stoppage-time equaliser.

But the drama was not over and Maupay handled Harry Maguire's header, which was cleared off the line by March. The final whistle had gone but a VAR check resulted in a spot-kick from which Fernandes wrapped up the points in a game that will live long in the memory.

What does it mean? United paper over the cracks

This performance will persuade nobody that United are going to be a genuine threat this season – the visitors were clearly second best.

Brighton hit the woodwork five times, which is a record in a Premier League match since Opta began collecting such data in 2003.

On another day, this could so easily have been another chastening loss for United.

Trossard emulates Ronaldo...

Following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo is generally considered a good thing, but for Trossard it will be a source of huge frustration.

He became the first player since Ronaldo to hit the woodwork three times in a Premier League match, the Portugal star having done so for United against Newcastle United in 2006.

Adam Webster also saw a header tipped onto the bar by David de Gea on a frustrating day for the Seagulls.

Fernandes a cut above

Along with Rashford, Fernandes is one of the few United players who will emerge from this game with credit.

As well as getting the winner, he provided an assist and has now had 17 goals involvements in 16 Premier League appearances.

Key Opta Facts

- United have given away a penalty in consecutive Premier League games for the first time since March 2009; it's the first time the Red Devils have conceded one in both of their first two games in a Premier League campaign.
- De Gea has saved just two of the 29 penalties he has faced in the Premier League. Of goalkeepers to face at least 25 spot-kicks in the competition, only Paul Robinson has saved a lower proportion (6.1 per cent to De Gea's 6.9 per cent).
- United have won each of the last four Premier League meetings with Brighton, their joint-longest winning streak against a current top-flight side (also 4 versus Leicester City).
- Since the start of last season, United's Premier League games have produced 20 penalties, the most of any team in that time (15 for, five against).

What's next?

It will be a case of deja vu for these two sides, who meet again in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.