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Ghanaian wonderkid Jeremie Frimpong was among the goals as defending champions Celtic started the new Scottish Premiership season with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Hamilton Academical on Sunday.

The teenage right-back doubled Celtic's lead in the 31st minute, 11 minutes after Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring at Celtic Park.

The 19-year-old, who was born to Ghanaian parents in the Netherlands, was in action for the entire duration as Neil Lennon's started their league title defence on a commanding note.

Edouard completed his hat-trick in the second half while 86th-minute substitute Patryk Klimala completed the rout for the hosts on the stroke of full-time.

Ivory Coast Ismaila Soro was an unused substitute for Celtic while Zimbabwe's David Moyo played from start to finish for Hamilton Academical.

After developing through the ranks at Manchester City, Frimpong completed a four-year move to Celtic in September 2019.

During his debut campaign in Scotland, he played 18 games in all competitions with two goals to his name in the process.

Frimpong has played for the Dutch youth teams on the international scene and he is eyeing an opportunity to play for the Oranje at the senior level even though he is eligible to represent either the Black Stars or England.

“There is interest in me from Ghana but right now I want to play for Holland [Netherlands] although I won’t write off Ghana,” he said. "I could play for England as well. If that came about it would be between those three but I don’t have Scottish connections.

“I fully believe I can play in that company [Dutch national team]. It would be exciting to be a part of that. They play a lot of young players as well who are really good. The Dutch are building.

“Back in the day they were great and they are keeping it up. I’d love to be a part of it. I’d like to follow Virgil [van Dijk]. There’s a pathway. You get chances here [Celtic].”

Sunday’s commanding victory shot Celtic to the summit of the Premiership table with a superior goal difference of +4.

Frimpong will be hoping to maintain his fine performance when the Bhoys visit Kilmarnock for the next league outing on August 9.

Ugandan Premier League side Busoga United have publicly acknowledged that they owe players dues and have assured all concerned parties that a solution could soon be reached.

The top tier side was reacting to misleading reports in a section of the media as well as social media which could have negatively impacted the club.

The Jinja-based team have insisted that they are doing as much as they can to settle players' dues soonest.

"We greatly appreciate and recognize the immense contribution and extra efforts of our players in helping us finish the UPL 2019/20 season in record position [4th]," Busoga said in a statement obtained by Goal. "We indeed owe players dues and share their frustration over delay.

"It's a scary time just like other clubs or businesses, Covid-19 has hit us hard but we are establishing new avenues for raising finances," the statement continued. "We are committed to ensuring players’ arrears are cleared and confident that this will be handled in the best way possible.

"Players arrears are currently the club’s first obligation and management is fighting tooth and nail to raise funds needed to settle the outstanding dues."

The club has also appreciated the conduct of the players during these tough times, commending them for remaining professional. 

"Our players have exhibited utmost patience despite the very odd times and we greatly appreciate them," the statement read. "We have kept close contact with our players more than ever before and confident that they trust our effort.

"Our players are professional enough and aware of the proper channels to voice their concern and belief in dialogue. 

"We wish to protect our players from all allegations and false prophecies. It is our moments of struggle that define us, how we handle them is what matters! We are FAMILY that shall remain stronger together." 

Covid-19 led to the nullification of the 2019/20 Ugandan Premier League by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations with 80 percent of the matches being played.

At the time, Vipers SC were leading the chase with 54 points after 25 matches, four more than second-placed KCCA FC, who were the defending champions.

While the Venoms will play in the Caf Champions League, KCCA will represent Uganda in the Caf Confederation Cup next season.

Yanga SC's strengthening mission continued with the club completing the signings of Waziri Junior and Yassin Mustapha on Sunday.

Junior is the first striker Yanga have signed in the ongoing transfer window after the Tanzanian had a promising season with relegated Mbao FC.

He has signed a two-year deal, and is expected to represent competition for David Molinga and Ditram Nchimbi.

Junior scored 13 goals in the Mainland Premier League and two in the relegation/promotion play-offs, which they lost to Ihefu FC.

Yanga had initially planned to have Junior sign his deal in Dar es Salaam, but when they got wind that Azam FC were trailing the forward, the club’s treasurer Simon Patrick travelled to the forward's residence and duly secured his signature.

His arrival is set to cast more doubt on Gnamien Yikpe’s future at Yanga with the Ivorian struggling since his January arrival from Gor Mahia.

Yanga have struggled to find a prolific goalscorer, and their experiment with Juma Balinya – a 2018/19 Ugandan Premier League top scorer with 19 goals – did not work before they signed Yikpe.

Meanwhile, left-back Mustapha has signed from Polisi Tanzania for two years, and becomes Yanga's fourth new signing of the window.

He is expected to fight for first-team positions with Adeyum Saleh, who was signed in January from JKT Tanzania.

Saleh was preferred in league games more than his rival Jaffery Mohamed, and Mustafa’s arrival is set to give the incoming coach a larger pool of selection for that position.

Timu Ya Wananchi had confirmed the acquisitions of Peter Mauya from Kagera Sugar and Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union.

Finally, Kagera Sugar have moved with speed to tie down head coach Mecky Maxime with a new contract to prevent him from moving to Yanga.

The record league champions had already approached the tactician with an aim of making him an assistant coach.

Yanga also had made their intention of signing full-back David Luhende and goalkeeper Ramadhan Chalamanda from the Sugar Millers known.

The two have been given new contracts by Kagera Sugar in a bid to keep ambitious Yanga away.

“It is true the coach [Mecky Maxime] and the players had offers from elsewhere but we gave them new contracts and they will be part of the team for the next two seasons,” Kagera Sugar’s General-Secretary Ally Said told Mwanaspoti.

“Awesu Awesu [who has joined Azam] and Mauya had better offers that we could not match and that is why we let them go.”

The Tanzanian transfer window will shut at the end of August.

Tottenham forward Troy Parrott wants his loan spell at Millwall to be his catalyst for success in the same way that club-mate Harry Kane flourished after time at the Den.

Before breaking into the Spurs side, Kane enjoyed a 27-game loan deal with the Lions, during which he scored on nine occasions.

Although he would not break into the side at White Hart Lane immediately on his return, it set him up for a career that has seen him develop into an England star and one of the game’s deadliest attackers.

Now 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international Parrott wants to enjoy a similar trajectory after agreeing to a one-year loan move following a season in which he featured only four times under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Hopefully I have a good experience and follow in the footsteps he [Kane] did – going back and playing in the Premier League,” he said. “Hopefully I can really buy into it for the season I’m here.”

Parrott’s hopes are up after speaking with manager Gary Rowett, who led his side to eighth in the standings, missing out on the playoffs by just a couple of points.

“I spoke to Gary and straight away I felt I had a good connection with him. I feel like I’m going to enjoy the way he plays and coaches. Just missing out on the play-offs, it shows how good the team is,” the Dublin-born forward noted.

“Hopefully I can help us push for the play-offs, or even promotion.”

Tottenham are said to be seeking back-up for Kane in the centre-forward role, with Mourinho seeking to take advantage of Watford’s relegation by reportedly looking at Troy Deeney. 

Meanwhile, Callum Wilson of another relegated side, Bournemouth, is a player associated with the north London outfit. 

Spurs endured a frustrating 2019-20 season, and while they improved to sixth after flirting with the relegation places following a poor start to the campaign that saw Mauricio Pochettino sacked, a sixth-placed finish synonymous with a spot in the Europa League next term was all they could muster.

The mother of former Orlando Pirates marksman Lesley Manyathela has backed her nephew Lesedi Kapinga to excel at Mamelodi Sundowns.

The 25-year-old winger has become one of the hottest properties in the Premier Soccer League after impressing at Black Leopards in the current season. 

Kapinga's late cousin, Lesley once looked destined to become of the greatest strikers in the history of the PSL until he tragically died in a car accident in August 2003, aged 21.

Lesley was coming off a successful 2002/03 season in which he inspired Pirates to the PSL title and he also scooped the Golden Boot award after scoring 18 goals. 

His mother Gladys understands that there is the pressure that comes with playing for a big club, but she believes Kapinga has what it takes to play for the reigning PSL champions Sundowns. 

“The sports [football] is in the family and what I wish is for him to go forward. I want him to show the world out there that he can make it," Gladys told Far Post.  "Right now, he is at Sundowns and I wish him the best. 

"I want him to play the football that he knows and show the world that he can do it."

Nicknamed Slow Poison, Lesley was a Bafana Bafana international having played nine international matches for his country, and hit the back of the net three times.

Gladys hopes Kapinga emulates his son by playing for Bafana at some point in his career. 

“I will be proud to see him selected in the squad [Bafana]," she added. "I wish him the best and I pray for him that really, God should prosper him."

The PSL award for the top goalscorer was renamed the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot in Lesley's honour following his death.

The national team also temporarily retired the number 19 jersey which Manyathela had previously worn.

While Pirates retired his jersey, number 22, as a sign of respect for the Limpopo-born frontman, who underwent trials with French Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais in 2003.

Kapinga will only be able to make his official debut for Sundowns in the new 2020/21 PSL campaign because he cannot be registered by his new club until then.

The 2019/20 PSL season which was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 is set to resume later this month. 

Harry Redknapp does not believe that former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe will be out of the game for long, suggesting that Premier League sides will have him “at the top of their list” when a job becomes available.

The Cherries ended a five-year stay in the top flight when they were relegated on the final day of the season, despite a 3-1 win over Everton, and in the aftermath, it was announced that Howe had left the club by mutual consent.

That came as a surprise to Redknapp, a former Bournemouth manager himself, and a resident of the area, who was well aware of the impact that the 42-year-old had during his second spell in charge of the club, which had dated since 2012.

“Maybe he felt he needed a break, even if they’d stayed up,” he told TalkSport. “I’m sure there will be plenty of clubs; I think Premier League clubs will, when the right jobs become available, put him at the top of their list.

“Anyone with any sense would look at Eddie and think: ‘Hang on, here’s a young guy who’s 42 years of age. What a record, what a job he’s done.’

“You’ve only got to listen to him, you know what he’s about. He”s a very bright guy, very clever.”

The former Tottenham and Portsmouth boss was also shocked that Howe did not hang around to lead the team in the Championship.

“It’s the weakest looking Championship that I think you could wish to be in. You’re never going to get a better opportunity [to get promoted],” he said. 

“I thought he’d stick around and give it a real go.

“Maybe he felt he needed a break, even if they’d stayed up.

“It’s a difficult one, he’s a Bournemouth boy… he’s spent his whole life in and around the football club.

“He really is a part of the community and a local kid who ended up managing his football team. It’ll be a massive loss, the work he’s done has been amazing. He’s been a credit, fantastic.”

Howe took charge of 190 Premier League matches, winning 56, drawing 43 and losing 91.

Romelu Lukaku believes Inter are heading in the right direction after finishing as runners-up to Juventus in Serie A.

A 2-0 final weekend win at Atalanta secured the runners-up spot for Antonio Conte's men, whose fine late-season form meant they finished only a point shy of Juve, who contrastingly shambled towards the finishing post.

Lukaku scored 23 goals in 36 top-flight outings in his debut campaign for the Nerazzurri following an €80 million (£80m/$94m) switch from Manchester United and hopes the best is yet to come.

"Serie A is finished but we're still building and going the right way," the Belgium striker wrote in an Instagram post.

"Thank you for supporting the team throughout this season. To all of my team-mates, you guys have been wonderful. I would give my all for you guys every single day."

Inter's final haul of 82 points matched their title-winning total under Jose Mourinho in 2009-10, with the club also famously winning the Coppa Italia and Champions League that season.

It is the first time they have earned in excess of 79 points without winning the Scudetto.

However, despite that strong finish, Conte appeared unhappy with the board and publicly criticised them after Saturday's game.

Conte accused the Inter hierarchy of showing a lack of support when the side was struggling for results earlier in the campaign and that they failed to protect him and his players from criticism.

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta responded to Conte's outburst , saying the former Chelsea coach's "work has made itself felt”.

He also expressed his "great pride" at the club's achievement in matching the points tally from their treble-winning year, and said "credit must be given to everyone," including Conte and his coaching staff for their hard work.

With their domestic season now over, Inter can turn their attentions to the Europa League.

Conte’s side travel to Germany take on Spanish outfit Getafe in a single-legged last-16 tie in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.

Both legs of the original tie were postponed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has acknowledged that it will be 'difficult' for his side to reach the Nedbank Cup final, and has emphasised that they will require considerable 'mental strength' to claim a third straight Premier Soccer League title.

What could be an eventful August awaits Sundowns, who mark their return to competitive action with a Nedbank Cup semi-final showdown against Bidvest Wits on Saturday. 

Three days later, coach Pitso Mosimane and his men resume their league campaign by hosting Orlando Pirates at Dobsonville Stadium, before visiting their closest title rivals Kaizer Chiefs at Orlando Stadium on August 27.

While facing what appears to be tough matches, Kekana is cherishing the assignments which he says gives his side considerable motivation.

“We have to beat Bidvest Wits. Our games against Wits are always difficult,” said Kekana as per IOL. “There’s a lot of motivation for us in the last remaining matches, that’s for sure.

"We all understand the importance of winning," he added. "Our mental strength will be required in these last [league] games.

"There are a lot of things that are not football related that are going to be happening. We have to control what we can and that is going to require mental strength. We will try to stay focused and win our matches.”

Second-placed Sundowns have nine remaining league matches, while Chiefs, who lead them by four points, have eight games to complete their campaign.

Downs are gunning for a third straight league title to match SuperSport United who are the only other team to complete three consecutive championship triumphs.

If they win the PSL title, it would be a third league crown for Kekana as captain and overall seventh together with Tebogo Langerman, Anthony Laffor and goalkeeper Denis Onyango.

After claiming the Telkom Knockout earlier this season, the Brazilians could end the season with a treble should they also bag the Nedbank Cup.

“We want to be remembered as the generation that brought a lot of trophies to Mamelodi Sundowns,” Kekana concluded. “We’ve been working very hard to ensure that.

"We have a team that can compete. The key is to win our matches.

"As much as we have a bigger plan of winning the treble but we will take one game at a time.”

Ini Umotong made her debut in style as Vaxjo defeated Portia Boakye and Linda Motlhalo's Djurgardens 1-0 in a Swedish Damallsvenskan encounter on Sunday.

The Nigeria international joined the Swedish outfit on an 18-month deal after parting ways with English side Brighton & Hove Albion, where she scored 19 goals in 59 games during her three-year spell, in June.

Just three days after arriving in Sweden, the 26-year-old was handed her first appearance as a substitute by manager Magnus Olsson as they eyed the second win of the season at Visma Arena.

The hosts struggled to create chances against their ambitious visitors, who came close five times and got five corners but could not find a net as the former held on to keep the scores goalless at half time.

After the restart, the visitors continued to trouble the hosts' defenders in search of a goal, forcing Olsson to replace Elin Nilsson with Umotong 12 minutes into the second half of the match.

Despite Boakye almost scoring for Djurgardens in the 59th minute, Vaxjo kept their composure and were gifted a 76th-minute penalty, which Signe Holt Andersen converted to seal the victory.

While debutant Umotong played the final 33 minutes of the contest in Vaxjo's win, her Ugandan teammate Violah Nambi was an unused substitute.

On the part of Djurgardens, Ghana's Boakye was in action for 61 minutes of the encounter before being replaced by Simone Edefall, while South Africa's Motlhalo lasted the duration.

The result means Vaxjo climbed out of relegation places to ninth position on the log, with eight points from eight games, while Djurgardens are seventh with the same number of points.

In their next games, Vaxjo will visit Eskilstuna United, who have Nigeria's Ngozi Okobi and Halimatu Ayinde on their books, while Djurgardens will welcome Orebro on August 8.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been cited as a leading influence in his career by Everton attacker Moise Kean.

Juventus ace Ronaldo, who finished the Serie A campaign with 31 goals to make him just the third player ever to hit that mark for the Turin side, was a team-mate of the Portuguese great during his time in Italy.

So positive the impression that Ronaldo made on the 20-year-old, he was named as the greatest the Italy international has worked with.

“Everyone knows how he is an unbelievable player – he is the best – but you also have to look at the person, and he is a good person. He helped me so much when I was at Juve,” Kean explained to the Toffees’ official website.

When asked who his most difficult opponents were, Kean named a couple of Paris Saint-Germain stars.

“There are two who stand out – Neymar and Angel Di Maria. I came up against them when Juventus played PSG and they are both fantastic players,” he said.

In terms of his greatest personal moments, though, he mentioned a couple of goals that stand out.

“I have had a few nice moments,” he explained. “One was scoring my first goal for Juventus. It was in an away game at Bologna. Scoring my first goal for Everton, in the game against Newcastle, was also a great feeling. I loved celebrating with the Everton fans – I have a great relationship with them.”

Elsewhere, he revealed that he has strong interest in US sport, citing a love of American football and basketball.

“I watch a lot of NFL and NBA. In American football, I like Odell Beckham Jr. In basketball, I am a huge fan of LeBron James,” he said.

Kean had a turbulent first season in English football, managing just a couple of goals in 29 Premier League outings after a high-profile move from Juve. 

He finished the season on a high, however, as he scored a close-range goal against Bournemouth in a 3-1 defeat, adding to the strike he netted previously against Newcastle in January.

AC Milan have entered the race to secure the signature of Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier after the club’s sporting director Paolo Maldini confirmed contact has been made with the player’s agent.

The 27-year-old has been with the Lilywhites since 2017 when he moved from Paris Saint-Germain, and he's been club’s first-choice right-back since Kieran Trippier’s departure to Atletico Madrid last summer, although the Rossoneri have confirmed they're looking to take him to Italy this summer.

“We had talked to [Aurier's] agent last year, there was a chance,” Maldini told Sky Sports Italia after AC Milan’s 3-0 win over Cagliari, when asked about the prospect of signing the full-back. “Now let's think about ending the season, then we will act on the market in the three weeks that the players will go on vacation.”

The Ivorian played 42 times in all competitions this term, 33 of them coming in the Premier League where he scored one goal and provided five assists.

He also scored and assisted in Spurs' 4-2 Champions League Group B win over Olympiacos and provided another assist in a 5-0 win over Red Star Belgrade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Aurier’s performances have been inconsistent, although he did enjoy a brief renaissance under Jose Mourinho as Spurs finished sixth in the league to qualify for the Europa League.

The Rossoneri end the Serie A season as the best side since the resumption of the Italian top flight, going unbeaten in 12 games, winning nine times and drawing thrice, all which saw them seal sixth place and a place in the Europa League qualifiers next season.

Milan are not the only club interested in Aurier with French club AS Monaco, whose recruitment department is overseen by Paul Mitchell, formerly part of the Tottenham backroom staff, also understood to be keen on the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner.

Aurier recently suffered a tragedy after his brother Christopher was shot dead in the French city of Toulouse, but despite the setback, the Ivorian summoned the courage to play 24 hours later in a league game against Newcastle United which ended in a 3-1 victory.

Dani Ceballos has suggested that his future will not necessarily lie with Arsenal, despite helping the London side to FA Cup glory.

Spanish midfielder Ceballos has played the duration of the season with the Gunners and was a key figure as they defeated Chelsea 2-1 in Saturday’s Wembley showpiece, in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got both goals for Mikel Arteta’s side.

His time at the Emirates Stadium, though, was only a loan deal from Real Madrid, and the 23-year-old wants to keep his options open regarding where he plays next season.

"I haven't spoken to Real Madrid yet, but anyone who wears that shirt is happy," Ceballos told El Partidazo de COPE. “Madrid are better than any club in the world. We'll see about my future.

“I'm not thinking about whether or not I can play for Real Madrid, Arsenal or another club.

“Now it's time to disconnect. I have to be calm and think clearly with my family about the coming year.”

Ceballos did confess, however, that Real Betis have been monitoring his progress and have been in close contact for the duration of his time in England.

“I’ve a lot of love for Betis, for everyone that works at the club,” he explained, having turned out in 98 La Liga encounters for the Sevilla side between 2014 and 2017 after coming through their youth system.

“They know the love I have for them and we've been in contact all season. Betis means a lot to me.”

Ceballos has featured on 37 occasions for the Gunners, scoring two goals and grabbing two assists. 

His spell started particularly promisingly as he created two goals in a 2-1 home Premier League success over Burnley, though his fortunes were hit by a muscular injury sustained in November that kept him out until the very end of January.

When Premier League action restarted after the height of the coronavirus crisis, he started every game with the exception of the 2-1 home victory over Liverpool, though he featured off the bench against the champions and still managed to play more than half an hour.

Young Africans have entered the race to sign ex-Gor Mahia forward Dickson Ambundo.

Ambundo is among the two players who have been released by the Kenyan Premier League champions ahead of the new season.

The Tanzanian attacker has now emerged as a top transfer target for Yanga, who are keen to strengthen their squad after missing out on silverware and finishing second on the 20-team league table.

“Yanga have entered the race to sign [Ambundo] and I can tell you they have already held talks and the deal could be confirmed anytime this coming week,” a source, who did not want to be named, told Goal.

“Ambundo was among the players fired coach Luc Eymael had requested the club to sign and the club have said they will go ahead and get his services even without Eymael because they believe he is a good player who can add value to the team.”

Before signing for Gor Mahia, Ambundo also featured for Alliance FC in the Tanzanian league. However, he did not make his mark at K’Ogalo as he struggled to nail down a starting role.

In a recent interview, Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack told Goal that Ambundo was allowed to leave by mutual consent.

“Ambundo is a good player but both parties reached an agreement not to renew his contract, I was keen to have him stay but it could not be the case, as the player had already kept his mind elsewhere,” Polack told Goal.

On Saturday, Yanga confirmed their first signing after beating rivals Simba SC to the services of defender Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union.

Mwamnyeto has been one of the outstanding defenders in the top flight and his prowess rightfully attracted interest from local giants, including Azam FC.

He'd played a pivotal role in Coastal Union’s season, which saw them just concede 30 goals; a fifth-best record, which was only bettered by Simba, Yanga, Azam, and Biashara United.

Having put pen to paper on a two-year deal, he will now set about proving that he proves to be the successor to his international teammate Kevin Yondani.

The 35-year-old has been a regular figure at the centre of defence alongside Lamine Moro, and the addition of Mwamnyeto is a sign that Yanga are now preparing for life without him.

Simba SC sealed a season treble after beating Namungo FC 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga.

The 21-time league champions also won the Community Shield when they defeated Azam FC in August last year.

Captain John Bocco and Man of the Match Luis Miquissone provided the vital goals that ensured the Dar es Salaam side head back home as the champions for the FA competition.

After 35 minutes of failed attempts to break an otherwise tight Namungo backline, Simba finally got a hard-fought opener through Miquissone’s strike.

The Mozambican, who has proved to be an undroppable figure for coach Sven Vandenbroeck, scored an important goal and further showed why his January signing was a masterstroke.

Shomari Kapombe delivered a swinging cross into the penalty box, but Bocco was denied the opportunity to strike as the opponents swarmed around him, but as Namungo focused on Bocco, the ball fell into Miquissone’s path and the winger slotted home.

Bocco added the second goal four minutes after Miquissone had registered the opener, heading into the net and ensured Simba headed into the break with a healthy 2-0 lead.

The Tanzanian, in the absence of Meddie Kagere, worked hard and ensured the club will not miss the Rwandan talisman.

With nine league goals, Bocco has turned out to be Simba’s dependable captain and goalscorer throughout the campaign, even though he has had to battle a knee injury.

As Sven Vandenbroeck fielded a strong side for the domestic tournament finale to conclude his maiden season in charge, Kagere was the only regular starter who was benched, with the goal-hunting responsibilities placed on the shoulders of Bocco, Clatous Chama, Francis Kahata and Miquissone.

Namungo equalized in the 57th minute when Edward Charles Manyama managed to beat Aishi Manula in Simba's goal as the affair in Sumbawanga turned into an end-to-end encounter.

The biggest test perhaps lies ahead for the former Zambian national team coach as he has to ensure Simba prosper in the 2020-21 Caf Champions League.

Last season, under Patrick Aussems, the club was eliminated in the preliminary round by UD Songo of Mozambique.

Miquissone, then on the books of Songo, scored the goal that eliminated Simba in Dar es Salaam in August 2018.

Defeated finalists Namungo, who finished fourth on the league standings, will still look back on a successful campaign as they reach the Confederation Cup by virtue of advancing to the FA Cup final.

The big test for coach Thierry Hitimana will come when the team face continental rivals and try to better the league’s performance in the 2020/21 campaign. 

Going into their final day encounter with relegation-threatened Trapani, Crotone’s Simy Nwankwo still had unfinished business despite the Pythagoreans gaining automatic promotion to Serie A a week earlier.

Locked in a two-way battle with Perugia’s Pietro Iemmello to end top scorer in Serie B, the towering frontman, guaranteed the best-ever league return of his career, wasn’t about to let his one-goal lead slip at the death.

With 20 goals from 36 games before Friday night, the 28-year-old’s keenness to extend his advantage in their final fixture was apparent as he attempted four of his team’s 15 attempts – only Junior Messias from midfield attempted more. Interestingly, he had three fewer efforts in Crotone’s penultimate game in midweek, a 1-0 over Frosinone in their final home game of the season.

Friday night’s 2-0 loss didn't change the final standing of Giovanni Stroppa’s team, who still finished second. Although defeat meant they finished a staggering 18 points behind Filippo Inzaghi’s Benevento, who recorded a 4-2 success over Ascoli.

Fortunately for Simy, Iemmello’s blank in Perugia’s 3-1 loss at Venezia means he won’t be supplanting the Nigerian in the regular season (Perugia face Pescara in the relegation playoffs in mid-August).

Indeed, the gigantic frontman has come a long way from the striker that netted only three times in 21 appearances when Crotone narrowly avoided relegation in 2016/17 but weren’t so lucky the following season as they finished third-bottom with 35 points.

In fairness, their raw statistics when they went down indicated a bit of misfortune: the Pythagoreans scored 40 in 17/18, seven more than they managed the previous year and picked up 35 points, one higher than in 16/17.

The problem was at the back where they let in 66 goals, eight more than they allowed in a dramatic first year in Serie A under Davide Nicola. Only two sides conceded more than the Calabria-based side when they finished in the bottom three – Hellas Verona (78) and Benevento (84) – who didn’t stay in the top flight, either.

As an attacking unit, however, Crotone netted 40 times, more than all but one of the clubs in the bottom half and a staggering 11 higher than 11th-placed Sassuolo who netted 29. Simy scored seven of those in 23 matches, netting double his tally in 16/17, to end joint-top scorer for the side.

He’s become even more prolific in the last two campaigns, albeit in Serie B, hitting the back of the net 14 times last season before scoring his career-best of 20 in a single season.

Despite coming in second-tier football, his haul in the last two years bodes well on the face of it but would the frontman deliver such numbers on his return to Serie A?

A dive into the Pythagoreans’ promotion campaign under Stroppa has seen an interesting shift in approach from their two years in the top flight. In 16/17 under Nicola, Crotone averaged 37.1 percent of possession, unsurprisingly the lowest mean in the division. They fashioned out the lowest big chances (18) and were in the bottom three top-scoring sides having scored 34 times.

The following season, their average possession of 39.5 percent, although slightly higher, remained the lowest in the league. Still, their attacking vibrancy in possession saw them fashion out 36 big chances, double their number in their maiden year, and better than two sides in the competition – Verona and SPAL.

While not the sole reason, it’s no surprise Simy also doubled his tally of three goals in 16/17 to score seven in 17/18.

This term, though, the drastic shift in Crotone’s approach ultimately led to the forward hitting his best return of 20 league goals.

In Stroppa’s first full season in charge, the side from Calabria averaged 60.6 percent possession as they finished second in the table. Their mean wasn’t only the highest in the division, but it was also significantly higher than Benevento’s average of 49.7 percent, which put the champions 12th in the standings for how teams kept the ball throughout the season.

Surprisingly, despite Stroppa’s tendency to dominate the ball, his side created 10 fewer clear-cut chances than Inzaghi’s troops (83 to 93) and were slightly less clinical than the champions.

A bigger worry will be the runners-up’s shoddy defensive record which saw them allow 40 goals in 38 games, a staggering 13 goals more than the league winners who let in just 27. Given their leaky rearguard was a major contributory factor for failing to avoid the drop in 2018, the just-concluded season, despite being under another manager, implied they haven’t learned from mistakes that affected their second season in the top flight.

In an attacking sense, it also remains to be seen whether Stroppa still seeks to dominate games and play on the front foot against teams of better quality or whether he adopts a more pragmatic approach and cede possession to the opposition.

Indeed, the 52-year-old manager’s decision will certainly play a part in Simy prospering or otherwise on his return to the top flight after proving with two prolific campaigns in Serie B that he’s a step above second-tier football.

Despite the threat of not posting as high as this year’s 24 goal contributions next season, fans of the club can draw positives from how he bowed out in 17/18 when he netted six of his seven goals in the final eight fixtures of the campaign.

Having ostensibly improved in the last two seasons, the forward might feel he has unfinished business in the top flight, but the jury is still out on the forward’s ability to dominate against the top sides in the country.

In fairness, how well Crotone adapt to not having as much possession on their return to Serie A will undoubtedly influence Simy’s ability to thrive in the Italian top flight after two seasons away. The goals have flowed in the last 24 months but the forward’s assumed improvement is now set to be put to the test against the nation’s best in the top flight.

Cristiano Ronaldo appears committed to at least another season with Juventus as he wants to win a third Scudetto with the club.

Ronaldo joined Juve from Real Madrid in a shock €100 million (£88m/$115m) transfer two years ago and has maintained strong form despite seemingly entering the twilight years of his career.

The 35-year-old scored 21 Serie A goals in 2018-19, before bettering that by 10 this term as Juve clinched a ninth successive league crown.

In doing so, he set club history as he became just the third player to notch more than 30 strikes in a single season, following in the footsteps of Felice Borel (31 in 1933/34) and John Hansen (30 in 1951/52).

Indeed, his exploits in front of goal have been eclipsed only by Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski in European football this season, with the Rome-based striker denying the pair the Golden Shoe by registering on 36 occasions.

Mild speculation had suggested in recent months that Ronaldo, who did not feature in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Roma in the final Serie A fixture of the season, might be considering moving on again, with the Portugal great and coach Maurizio Sarri reportedly enduring a rocky relationship at times this season.

But Ronaldo has given an indication that he plans to stay for the 2020-21 season.

Writing in an Instagram post published after Juve lifted the Serie A trophy on Saturday, Ronaldo said: "Happy to win the last two of the nine consecutive Serie A titles for Juventus!

"It seems easy but it isn't! Year after year with talent, dedication and hard work you can achieve your goals and be better than before! Let's go for my third."

Juve could yet end a 24-year wait for Champions League success this season as well. The two-time European champions last won the trophy in the 1995-96 season.

The Old Lady head into Friday's last-16 second-leg clash with Lyon 1-0 down, but will fancy their chances of overturning that deficit in Turin given their opponents have played just one competitive match - Friday's penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de la Ligue final - since March.

Roma have a player who has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or on their books in Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Fabio Capello.

The coach, who led AC Milan to the 1994 Champions League title, as well as Roma to a historic 2001 Serie A crown, has compared the 21-year-old playmaker to Kaka and says he has all the attributes to reach the very top.

Capello was speaking after Zaniolo played a virtuoso role in Roma’s 3-1 win over Juventus, the player’s first start since an ankle ligament injury in January, during which he set up Diego Perotti after a driving run.

“This Roma talent has extraordinary physicality, power and pace, mixed in with quality. He has the potential not just to win the Golden Shoe in future, but something more,” the 74-year-old told Sky Sport Italia.

“Kaka didn’t have the same strength as Zaniolo, as he was more technical and expressed himself better in the final third.

“I am in love with Zaniolo, because he has everything at the highest level: power, quality and pace. There are players out there with a lot of potential, but not like him.

“Looking at the assist for Perotti against Juventus, to reach the edge of the area after running from midfield with the ball at his feet and still having the cool head to make that precise pass, that means he has great vision and a really precise feel for the ball.

“I don’t see other young players as good as Zaniolo around at the moment, so yes, I think he has the potential to become a Ballon d’Or winner.”

Tottenham and Inter have previously been credited with an interest in the youngster, who posts six goals and two assists in 26 Serie A performances this season, though head coach Paulo Fonseca says that this will not happen.

“We don't want to sell Zaniolo or [Lorenzo] Pellegrini,” he told Sky Sport Italia after a 6-1 victory over SPAL.

“They are important for the future of Roma.”

Roma finished the season fifth in Serie A, eight points distant of fourth-placed Lazio, who claimed the final Champions League berth.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu wants to keep attacker Ansu Fati at the club “for life”.

The 17-year-old winger has had an exciting introduction to top-team football in his debut campaign, scoring eight goals in 32 outings in all competitions and showing flair in the tradition of the Catalan club.

Such is the impression that the teenager has made, there have been reports of a €100 million (£88m/$115m) bid made for him by an unnamed club, thought to be Manchester United, but Bartomeu has said there has never been any formal talks over a talent he hopes will never leave the Catalans.

“There have been no formal offers but there has been interest from some clubs,” he confirmed to Sport. “Barcelona’s answer has been: ‘No.’”

“He’s essential for the future of the club. Ansu is not for sale. He represents the academy the players come out of, learn from and consolidate themselves in the first team.

“He’s unique because he jumped from the youth team to the first team. There are not many players like him and Barcelona cannot sell him, even if it would be an economic solution for the club in the times of this pandemic.

“At no time have we considered selling him. On the contrary: what we have to do is help him in his growth and get him to sign a new contract in the future, so that he plays here for life.”

Ansu signed a deal in December that runs until 2022, though Bartomeu confirmed that the plan is to tie him down to fresh terms as quickly as possible.

“He signed the contract as a Barcelona B player. Now the plan is to transfer him to the first team,” said the Blaugrana chief. “He’s going to the first team because he’s earned it.

“Along with Riqui Puig and Ronald Araujo, he represents La Masia, which makes young players capable of growing into the first team. They show that, although some people say it doesn’t work, continues to generate footballers. 

“Generations don’t always come out, but now there are three players who are here to stay.”

But while the teenager has shown much promise, Bartomeu does not want to give him any grand labels, such as the superstar to take over from Lionel Messi.

“He’s only 17, let’s not put pressure on him,” he said. “Now he has to play and train with the best. Let him get into the team. The role that awaits him will be decided by him when appropriate. It is still early.”

Wayne Rooney says Sir Alex Ferguson's "suicidal" tactics led to Manchester United's Champions League final defeats against Barcelona.

Ferguson won two European cups during his 27-year reign at Old Trafford, with the first success coming in 1999 against Bayern Munich at Camp Nou before a triumph over Chelsea in Moscow nine years later.

The Red Devils beat Barca in the last four to earn a place in the 2008 showpiece, with a Paul Scholes goal enough to send them through 1-0 on aggregate.

United set up to frustrate the Spanish giants and look for openings on the break, which proved to be an effective strategy as they minimised the threat of talismanic trio Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Andres Iniesta over the two legs.

However, the two teams met again in the final a year later, and Ferguson altered his system in an attempt to honour the club's time-honoured philosophy of free-flowing attacking football.

Goals from Eto'o and Messi gave Barca a 2-0 victory in Rome, a result which ultimately flattered the Red Devils given Barca's dominance on the night.

The Blaugrana repeated the trick two years later at Wembley, as Pedro, Messi and David Villa found the net to cancel out a fine Rooney strike in another one-sided game.

Speaking ahead of Real Madrid's trip to Etihad Stadium on Friday, where they will be aiming to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Manchester City, the United legend admitted that Ferguson took the "wrong approach" in both finals against Barca.

"It's always hard for a club like Real to go into a game saying 'we'll surrender the ball'. It is the same for United," Rooney told The Sunday Times. "But we lost two Champions League finals going toe-to-toe with Guardiola's Barcelona, by trying to press high and get round them, which was suicidal.

"I remember Alex Ferguson saying 'we're Man United and we're going to attack, it's in the culture of this football club' and thinking 'I'm not too sure about this'.

"I think all the players knew, deep down, it was the wrong approach, that we were abandoning the way that had brought us success in that 2008 semi-final, and sure enough both times we got outplayed."

The Red Devils' all-time record scorer went on to reference Liverpool's 2-0 win against Tottenham in last year's final as proof that pragmatism often reaps rewards on the biggest stages.

"There is being true to the club, but then there's sitting back afterwards and thinking 'we lost'," Rooney added. "For me, it doesn't matter how you do it in these big Champions League games, as long as you win — look at how Liverpool ground it out in last year's final — and I think [Madrid boss Zinedine] Zidane has the same mindset."

Manchester City "may never have a better chance to win the Champions League", according to Wayne Rooney, who has backed Pep Guardiola's side to beat Real Madrid in the last 16.

City will welcome Madrid to Etihad Stadium for the second-leg of their round of 16 tie on Friday boasting a 2-1 aggregate advantage.

Guardiola got his tactics spot on in the reverse fixture at Santiago Bernabeu, as Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne scored late goals to earn the four-time Premier League champions a huge away victory.

However, Zinedine Zidane picked his players up after that result to dethrone Barcelona in La Liga, and he is now targeting the fourth European cup of his managerial career.

Madrid won ten successive games to overhaul their arch-rivals and win a 34th Spanish title after returning from lockdown.

City will be missing star striker Sergio Aguero through injury in the second leg, but Real will also be without a talisman with Sergio Ramos ineligible due to suspension.

Rooney can't see Madrid keeping the Blues at bay without their captain, and has predicted that Guardiola will mastermind another positive result which will take them one step closer to an elusive Champions League crown.

"City may never have a better chance to win the Champions League," the Manchester United legend wrote in his latest column for The Times. "Sergio Ramos is suspended which is a huge loss to the Real defence and I think City will score. Whether they are solid enough at the back themselves is my only question.

"Real will target their centre-halves and it's a worry that this season every other [Premier League] 'Big Six' club beat City. This shows Guardiola's team can struggle to keep the best sides out."

Rooney says that although Zidane has proven in the past he is capable of inspiring European turnarounds, he cannot see City losing from such a strong position.

The Derby midfielder added: "I saw Zinedine Zidane do it in his first spell as Real coach when he played against Guardiola-style teams in big games, and it brought him successes.

"Yet my money is still on City. They don't have to chase the game. They don't have to score. They can even afford to lose 1-0 and go through, and in the first leg they surprised Madrid by sitting in themselves.

"It was the first time I've seen Guardiola play like that and I've a feeling he'll do the same at the Etihad. It could be a game of cat-and-mouse."