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Indian cricket team star Rishabh Pant was in attendance at the Wembley Stadium in London as England beat Germany in an Euro 2020 round of 16 clash on Tuesday night.

Raheem Sterling and skipper Harry Kane's second half goals helped the Three Lions to get the better of their bitter rivals Germany in the crucial knock-out fixture and reach the quarterfinal of the competition.

Pant, who is currently in England with the Indian cricket team, has a few days off after the World Test Championship final which India lost last week. The young wicket-keeper has decided to make the most of his time off by watching some riveting footballing action. 

This was the first time since the 1966 World Cup final that England beat Germany in a major international competition. It was also a sweet revenge of the Euro 1996 semifinal defeat and 2010 World Cup round of 16 defeat which was tainted by Frank Lampard's infamous 'Ghost Goal' controversy.

As Gareth Southgate's men registered a memorable win, Pant watched the match with a couple of his friends at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

Pant took to social media to share his photos:

What next for England?

Gareth Southgate's side will face Ukraine in the quarterfinal on July 3 and if they manage to win that they will meet the winner of Denmark vs Czech Republic in the semifinal.

Why is Pant in England?

The young wicketkeeper travelled with the Indian cricket team to England earlier in June to face New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship. The Men in Blue lost the final by eight wickets. However, their tour has not ended yet as they now have a five-match Test series against England to prepare for. 

England cricketers Sam Curran and Jos Buttler react to Three Lions' win over Germany

England all rounder Sam Curran, who also plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was also tuned in to the football action and took to social media to share his thoughts on the game. 

His teammate Jos Buttler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, also reacted to one of England's most famous wins in recent times. 

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the first ever edition to be held in the middle-east, is an opportunity for the world to come and experience Qatar and its culture in its full splendour, says the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan Al Thawadi. 

Al Thawadi, supremo of the SC, the organisation responsible for the delivery of the World Cup, asserted that Qatar is a very hospitable nation and wants to make sure everyone visiting the nation is able to enjoy the World Cup next year. 

2022 World Cup to build bridges

He went on to highlight how the World Cup, as a tournament, has the power to break down barriers and help people know each other better. In particular, he felt it serves as the perfect way for the world to rid itself of its pre-conceived notions about the middle-east.

"This tournament is an opportunity for building bridges. It is also an opportunity for the outside the world to see who we are. Not only as Qataris but as the middle-eastern people. They might have a preconceived notion about us," he said during an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum.

"But this is an opportunity to travel here first-hand. The World Cup in football is one of the most widespread common denominators. The ability to break down barriers, to help people understand each other on a personal basis and build relations, the World Cup has that. This is one of the most transformative opportunities. We saw that in Russia (in 2018). People had their notions about Russia but they went there and experienced it.

"So we expect that when people come to Qatar, experience the World Cup and what we have and grasp this opportunity and get to know the region as well."

What about alcohol in Qatar during 2022 World Cup?

Some of the more frequent concerns regarding the World Cup in 2022 has been the uncertainty surrounding the availability of alcohol that is considered integral by most European and Latin American fans while enjoying football.  

While alcohol is not freely available in Qatar, Al Thawadi assured fans that the country is taking measures to ensure alcohol is available in designated areas. Al Thawadi went on to explain how Qatar are a hospitable nation and have hosted major international events before including the 2019 Club World Cup which was won by Liverpool.

"It's important to highlight that alcohol is not part of our culture but hospitality is. But alcohol is available in Qatar currently. We have been exploring opportunities in different models where alcohol will be served in certain designate areas.

"It will not be available freely in public. But it will be available in designated area. We had a successful model of this during the 2019 Club World Cup. We had fans coming in from Liverpool, Mexico, Brazil and we had designated fan zones where alcohol was available.

"And it turned out to be successful. We will replicate this in certain areas. It won't be available on the streets. So, whoever wants to have a drink, it will be readily available."

An opportunity to learn Qatar's culture

Qatar's tolerance of public displays of affection (PDA) and dress code in public have also been raised as concerns in many quarters. Al Thawadi went on to highlight how Qatar has an open society and are accustomed to hosting people with different backgrounds. 

While Qatar's aim will be to ensure everyone coming for the World Cup is able to enjoy the tournament comfortably, it is also an opportunity for them to learn about Qatar and its culture.

"It's first important to highlight that Qatar has hosted many international tournaments and events. We are accustomed to hosting people from different walks of life, different backgrounds and different countries. We are a very hospitable nation.

"Obviously, there are certain norms. For example, PDA is something not part of our culture. The beauty of the tournament is that the host nation is able to project its culture and most visiting fans generally consider the host nation's culture.

"To ensure that is communicated, we engage with fans and communicate with them."

Al Thawadi again took the example of the 2019 Club World Cup to drive home the point. 

"During the 2019 Club World Cup, some fans had specific concerns, some had widespread concerns due to the lack of knowledge or misconceptions. It is upon us to explain. Most of the fans who came wanted to come back again when they left after the Club World Cup in 2019."

Qatar welcomes all fans during 2022 World Cup

The high-ranking Qatari official was at pains to explain how the country is looking forward to the 2022 World Cup and host fans from all over the world. Al Thawadi stated that all fans coming to Qatar will be comfortable and enjoy the tournament in its fullest glory.

"I want to alleviate the concerns. I sense some uncertainty and apprehension. People have come here and tourism is gradually expanding. This is not an isolated country and it is not a nation that is unaware of other cultures. Everyone who has come here wants to come back and people are excited. 

"The World Cup is an opportunity for celebration and we want everybody who comes to our country to feel comfortable. That's the assurance we want to give people. We are an open society and everybody's welcome."

Anderlecht have signed DR Congo international Isaac Tshibangu from Linafoot outfit TP Mazembe.

The 18-year-old was handed a three-year contract by the Belgian First Division A side, with the option for a further year.

This development will see the winger continue his professional career under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany at the Lotto Park until 2024.

“TP Mazembe confirms the total agreement reached with RSC Anderlecht for the transfer of Isaac Tshibangu,” a statement from the Congolese website read.

“The Congolese international winger has signed a three-year contract with another year as an option with the Belgian.

“He arrived at the Crows as a young player with great potentials but still unknown, at the time, in Ligue 1.”

The player and his father were hosted by club chairman Moses Katumbi on Monday evening.

In his remarks, TP Mazembe boss stated that the Belgium-bound player is a striker to count on while wishing him all the best in his career.

“I wish him all the best as he opens a new page in his football career,” Katumbi said.

“Tshibangu is a humble, assiduous and impeccable striker to count on. May the Lord bless him as he takes TP Mazembe to higher heights.”

Although he is a left-winger, the teenager can play in any other position in the attack. In the 2019-2020 campaign, he accounted for eight goals and four assists in 22 appearances.

In the just-concluded season, he found the net just once in 23 league outings as Dragan Cvetkovic’s men finished second behind league winners AS Vita Club after accruing 66 points from 30 games.

Tshibangu is expected in Brussels no later than July 1 to join the rest of the Purple and White squad.

He becomes the sixth player in Kompany’s squad after Ghana’s trio of Majeed Ashimeru, Dauda Mohammed, Francis Amuzu plus Anouar Ait El Hadj (Morocco) and Albert Sambi Lokonga (Congo).

All things being equal, he could make his bow when the 34-time Belgian champions take on Greek side OFI Crete in a pre-season friendly billed for June 15.

On the international scene, Tshibangu made his DR Congo debut in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Rwanda on September 18, 2019.

Sweden boss Jan Andersson has admitted the 99th-minute red card shown to defender Marcus Danielson in their 2-1 defeat to Ukraine on Tuesday was probably the correct decision.

Danielson's high challenge on Artem Besedin initially prompted a yellow, but VAR moments later upgraded it to a red card offence.

The player claimed he should not have been dismissed as he made contact with the ball in an attempted clearance before his follow-through. Andersson, though, said he consulted with members of his staff about the call and was told it was fair.

What has been said?

"My colleagues in the stand told me it was a red card," Andersson said after the game. "It was a very experienced referee. I haven't seen it yet but I think it's probably right.

"First half we had chances but they managed to get the lead. We equalised before half-time, and in the second half we had four really great chances including hitting the post and the crossbar. "It felt we would score eventually, but unfortunately we didn't."

The manager also claimed Ukraine were "diving a bit towards the end", prompting him to voice his displeasure to opposing head coach Andriy Shevchenko.

How did Ukraine win?

Ukraine finally found a breakthrough against 10-man Sweden in the final minutes of extra-time, as Artem Dovbyk nodded past goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

"Both teams played very well. It was an interesting match," Shevchenko said. "Neither side wanted to lose so we got this drama at the end. With this performance and commitment, our team has deserved the love of the whole country.

"We knew how our team should play from the first minutes. We knew who could strengthen us [during the game]. The plan we had developed has worked well."

Up next for Ukraine

Ukraine must now face England in the quarter-final on Saturday at Stadio Olimpico in Italy. The Three Lions defeated Germany 2-0 earlier on Tuesday.

Further reading

Ukraine forward Artem Dovbyk's game-winning goal against Sweden on Tuesday made history as the latest winner scored in European Championship history. 

Ukraine took down Sweden 2-1 in Tuesday's last-16 clash, with the two sides trading goals in 90 minutes as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Emil Forsberg each found the back of the net.

However, a red card for Sweden's Marcus Danielson opened the door for Ukraine, who finally broke down their 10-man opponents with just minutes left in extra time.

A late winner

Dovbyk's goal, which came from a stunning Zinchenko cross, was scored in the 121st minute, making it one of the latest scored in the competition's history.

Timed at 120:37, the goal was the second-latest ever scored at the Euros, behind only Semih Senturk's goal against Croatia in 2008, which hit the back of the net at 121:01.

Tuesday's goal was, however, the latest match-winning finish in Euros history, overtaking France's Michel Platini's game-winner against Portugal in 1984, which came at the 118:53 mark.

Up next for Ukraine

With their victory over Sweden, Ukraine booked a spot in the quarter-final round, where they will face Tuesday's other victors England.

The Three Lions took down Germany 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to book their own spot in the quarter-finals with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane providing the goals.

Ukraine and England will now face off on Saturday in Rome with the winner facing either Denmark or the Czech Republic in the last four.

Further reading

Sweden star Emil Forsberg continued his fantastic Euro 2020 with a star display in Sweden's last-16 match against Ukraine on Tuesday. 

The RB Leipzig playmaker scored in the first half and hit the woodwork twice as he pulled the strings for Janne Andersson's side. 

Forsberg now has four goals in four Euro 2020 matches, sitting one goal behind current top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

What was said?

There was plenty of praise on social media for Forsberg, who has turned out to be one of the top players at Euro 2020 thus far. 

Further reading

Ghana U23 winger Issah Abass has left German Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05 for Croatian fold Rijeka on loan.

The attacker will spend the entire duration of the 2021-22 season with the Rijecki Bijeli after being deemed surplus to requirements at Opel Arena.

He spent the second half of the 2020-21 term with Dutch side FC Twente where he made eight appearances in the Eredivisie.

"Abass Issah will play for HNK Rijeka in the coming 2021-22 season. The 22-year-old Ghanaian is on loan to the Croatian first division club for a year," Mainz have announced on their official website.

"Issah played three competitive games for the 05ER last season before being loaned to Twente Enschede. There, he was in eight games of the Dutch Eredivisie on the field."

Abass began last season with Mainz but after making only two appearances during the first half of the Bundesliga campaign, he pursued a move away to Twente in search of more playing time.

In the entire duration of the term, he failed to find the back of the net.

"For Abass to develop, it is important that he can continue to gain match practice at the highest possible level," said Mainz sports director Martin Schmidt.

"HNK Rijeka is one of the top Croatian clubs and has every chance of playing internationally with their entry into the Uefa Europa Conference League qualification.

"We wanted to give Abass this opportunity."

Mainz secured the services of Abass from Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana in 2018.

In the 2019-20 term, the 22-year-old was sent out on loan to Dutch outfit Utrecht, where he made 15 league appearances, starting 10 of the matches and twice putting his name on the score sheet.

Yet to be capped by Ghana at senior level, the winger will hope to make an impression on Black Stars coach CK Akonnor while out at Rijeka for a first call-up.

He represented Ghana at U17 level before leaving Ghanaian lower division outfit Asokwa Deportivo for Olimpija. In 2019, he featured for Ghana at the U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Sevilla have handed Toni Payne a new three-year contract that will keep her at the Primera Iberdrola side until 2024.

The 26-year-old Nigeria international joined the Spaniards from Dutch side, Ajax in 2018 and in her first three years for Cristian Toro’s side, she scored 16 goals in 81 league games.

In the last game of the 2020-21 campaign, Payne was Sevilla’s hero having scored the winner as her team recorded a 2-1 comeback triumph over Espanyol.

And as the Andalusian side eyes a better outing next season, they deemed it fit to keep the former United States of America youth international in their squad.

“Toni Payne renews her commitment to Sevilla FC Femenino until June 2024,” a statement from the club website read.

Reacting to this development, Payne is excited to remain at the club and has vowed to keep helping Las Rojiblancas.

"I am excited to continue here and thus be able to continue helping the team, I feel very comfortable in Seville,” she said.

“I've been here for three years; I like the club's project and I want to keep growing in this place."

"I have learned a new style of football, I have improved a lot by learning from my coaches and my teammates and I want to continue doing it,” she continued.

“When I arrived here, we were fighting to stay in the First Division and now this year we are higher in the standings, it is an ambitious project and a big club.

"My goals with the team are to compete with any rival in the league and keep improving looking to win the three points every game to play the Cup year after year. 

“Personally, I have played for Nigeria this season and next season I want to continue doing it and with it improve in Seville.”

Sevilla ended the just-concluded season in eighth position after accruing 45 points from 34 games.

Gareth Southgate's tactical tweaks were vindicated by England's triumph over Germany on Tuesday, but the manager admitted he knows he would have been "dead" if he had got it wrong.

England took down Germany 2-0 on Tuesday with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane each scoring in the second half to seal a spot in the quarter-finals.

Before kickoff and throughout a tense first-half, Southgate came under fire for opting to use a 3-4-3 system, one which did eventually lead England to victory over their rivals.

What was said?

“You know you change the shape, you pick certain personnel in place of others and if it goes wrong you’re dead," Southgate told BBC One. "We had to go about it in the way we believed. We wanted aggressive pressure all over the field and we felt that to match them up was the right way of doing that.

"We felt that speed in behind Harry would cause them problems. I thought that Bukayo [Saka] and Raheem really created that jepoardy in behind their backline right from the start. We also defended brilliantly and our goalkeeper was immense. It was a tremendous performance.”

What did Southgate change?

Southgate had previously stuck with a four-at-the-back system to guide England through their three group stage games.

He set up the Three Lions in a 4-3-3 in each of their first two matches, a win over Croatia and a draw with Scotland, before inserting Jack Grealish into a 4-2-3-1 for the third game against the Czech Republic.

'A brilliant afternoon'

Southgate went on to hail his team for making the country proud, moving past the demons that Germany had created throughout the two teams' history, but he says wins like Tuesday's won't matter if England slip up down the line as he called for his team to build on this momentum going forward.

“I just thought it was a brilliant afternoon,” Southgate said. “We talked about bringing enjoyment to the nation and afternoon’s like that are what it’s all about.

"The players were absolutely immense right through the team. The fans were as well - only 40,000 but it was as good an atmosphere as I can remember in Wembley.

"We played extremely well, I think we deserved the win but I’ve had to say to them straight away, 'Look, I’m the party pooper, because if we don’t capitalise on Saturday now then it doesn’t count for anything'."

He added: "When I got in the dressing room, they were talking about Saturday already. It has been an immense performance but at a cost emotionally and physically. We need to make sure we recover well. It is a dangerous moment for us.

"We will have that warmth of the feeling around the country that we will only have to turn up to win it but it will be an immense challenge. I think the players know that. They have been to the latter stages before and know how difficult that has been. Their feet are on the ground but they should feel confident from the way they played and manner of the performance.

"We came here with an intention and we have not achieved that yet. We haven't put together a semi-final win after a quarter-final win since 1966. These boys keep writing history and I think we have a chance again. We have only been to one European Championship semi-final and we have a chance to do something special."

Further reading

Declan Rice claims England silenced the doubters with their 2-0 win over Germany at Wembley in the Euro 2020 round of 16. 

The Three Lions won two and drew one of their group-stage games, but drew criticism for their conservative style after scoring just twice in those three matches. 

Although England again struggled to generate many chances against Germany on Tuesday, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane were clinical when it counted to seal a spot in the last eight.

What was said?

"It's incredible, a lot of people had written us off in the group stage," Rice told BBC One. "Complaints about the performances, not scoring enough but we want to put people wrong, with a full house everyone had the fire in the belly to one, knock Germany out and two, progress in the tournament.

"Maturity comes in, you have had a yellow card and you have to stay composed and focused.

"Raheem Sterling is proving so many people wrong, scoring so many goals. Harry Kane is made for the big occasions, scored the goal that put the game to bed."

England defender Harry Maguire added: “It’s a magnificent moment for myself, the team, the fans. It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone in this country so to put smiles back on faces, at home and here in the stadium, is to enjoy a great moment, a feeling.

"We’re not done with it yet, though, because we’ve got another big game on Saturday.”

What's next for England?

After defeating Joachim Low's side, England will now await the winner of Sweden's last-16 tie against Ukraine in the last eight. The winner of that match will be paired with the winner between Denmark and Czech Republic in the semi-final.

England's quarter-final will take place in Rome but should they win that match, they would have the chance to play both the semi-final and final at Wembley.

Further reading

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos admitted his side "lacked effectiveness" as they crashed out of Euro 2020 on Tuesday.

Kroos and Germany were undone by England in the round of 16, with the Three Lions earning a 2-0 win over their long-standing rivals behind goals from Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.

After stumbling through the group stage but still emerging alongside France and Portugal, Kroos admitted that he didn't feel his side brought their A-game on Tuesday.

What was said?

"It was a very even game until the goal against us," Kroos told MagentaTV. "Both teams neutralised each other. Maybe we lacked effectiveness. We progressed from a difficult group but this is very disappointing right now."

Low bows out

Germany manager Joachim Low coached his final game on Tuesday, having previously announced that he would be leaving the national team after this tournament.

Low had previously led Germany to triumph at the 2014 World Cup, but will now depart the team after disappointing efforts at the 2018 World Cup and at this summer's Euros.

"It is a disappointment for all of us. We hoped for more, the faith in the team was absolutely there. We had two great chances, but, unfortunately, we didn't score any goals," he said. "We're sorry we're out of the tournament but we've worked hard for the past four weeks, and everyone has pulled along well.

"I can't blame anyone. I am sorry that the great enthusiasm at home is now gone. The disappointment weighs heavily. An hour or two has to pass before you can say a few words to the team. All players are utterly disappointed, so are we.

"We have a lot of young players who will learn from it. At the home European Championships in 2024, some will be at their absolute top level, also in terms of experience."

'A bitter evening'

Those sentiments were echoed by Kai Havertz, who was one of Germany's more dangerous players on the day.

Havertz says that Tuesday's loss is one that will stay with Germany, but he says that the team remains united.

"We had some chances after the goal against but we didn't convert them," he said. "A bitter evening. We are all in one boat. We are united. England don't have a bad team, but you go out in the round of 16 it is disappointing, of course."

Further reading

Legendary Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brian Baloyi is against the reappointment of Stuart Baxter as the club's head coach.

The British tactician is back at the Naturena-based giants as a replacement for Gavin Hunt, who was dismissed by the club late last month. 

With Baxter awaiting his work permit, Hunt's former assistants, Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard guided the Soweto giants to a top-eight finish in the PSL, before steering the team to the Caf Champions League final where they will face Egypt's Al Ahly on July 17.

Baloyi is "tired" of seeing the same coaches at PSL clubs and feels that former Bafana Bafana international Zwane deserves a chance to take charge of Chiefs as the head coach. 

“For me, I’m tired of this rotation of coaches and players. We keep saying Arthur Zwane is a young coach, he’s turning 48 in September,” said Baloyi on Daily Sun. 

“You still haven’t given him a chance to coach. In other countries, when you talk about young coaches they are in their early 30s. You have young coaches in their 30s who are coaching their national teams.

“Even Doctor Khumalo, when he went to coach [Baroka FC], he got the job when he was in his 50s and we still called him a young coach?" he asked. 

“Do they have to be in their 50s or 60s and then given a chance to coach in the PSL? It is about time that coaches like Arthur, if he is not given a chance at Chiefs go to another club, to be a head coach.”

The former Chiefs goalkeeper has no problem with PSL clubs bringing in foreign coaches, who have never coached in the country before. 

“I’m just not talking about Chiefs, if you see how we are rotating coaches, how coaches in the same season come to a club, he’s fired and six months later he resurfaces at another club, a year later he’s back at the same club,” he added.

“Are we in short supply of coaches? Or don’t we want to give people a chance? If we are in short supply of coaches, then let’s get coaches in other countries who have never coached here before.

"In this league, there are 10 coaches who have been rotated in the last 20 years."

Baxter has coached SuperSport United in the PSL and he also had two spells as Bafana Bafana's head coach.

Raheem Sterling has joined Gary Lineker as the only players to score each of England's first three goals of a major tournament.

Sterling scored the opener in the 75th minute against Germany on Tuesday, with Harry Kane adding a late strike to send the Three Lions into the Euro 2020 last eight with a 2-0 win at Wembley. 

The Manchester City man scored the game's only goal in two 1-0 wins in the group stage, helping England reach the last 16 as group winners.

What was said?

“We knew we needed to put a big performance in against a very good German side and I thought we've done that today,” Sterling told the BBC. “Scoring for your country is always special and it’s definitely a special moment for me.

“I celebrated and for half a second I thought, ‘Don’t let it be offside!' I’m really happy it went in and I’m really happy we got the win.”

Sterling becomes the man for England

Sterling scored England's first Euro 2020 goal in their opener against Croatia, before the Three Lions drew 0-0 with Scotland. 

The 26-year-old then netted England's only goal in their Group D finale against the Czech Republic in another 1-0 win, before his opener against Germany on Tuesday. 

Kane's late goal was the first scored by any other England player in the tournament, securing a place in the last eight. 

After scoring just twice in his first 45 England matches, Sterling now has 15 goals in his last 20 games for the Three Lions.

What's next for England?

After defeating Joachim Low's side, England will now await the winner of Sweden's last-16 tie against Ukraine in the last eight. The winner of that match will be paired with the winner between Denmark and Czech Republic in the semi-final.

Further reading

The attacker left Veltins Arena for Stadium Ludogorets Arena on a short-term deal last summer after struggling for first-team opportunities at the former.

It is the second time he has had to leave Schalke on a permanent contract after the club sold him to Paderborn in 2018 before exercising a buy-back option to bring him back to Veltins Arena after a year.

“Bernard Tekpetey has joined Ludogorets Razgrad on a permanent deal. The Ghanaian forward had originally moved there on a two-year loan deal last summer, but the Bulgarian champions have now agreed to sign him permanently. The 23-year-old’s contract at Schalke would have run until 2023,” Schalke have announced on their official website.

Last season, Tekpetey made 25 league appearances for Ludogorets, starting in 17 of the matches and scoring twice to help the club with the Bulgarian top-flight. He also contributed as The Eagles won the Super Cup.

“This transfer makes a lot of sense for all parties. Bernard has settled in really well at Ludogorets and won the title with them last season. Letting him go permanently was also beneficial to us financially. We would like to wish Bernard all the best for the future,” said Schalke sporting director Rouven Schroder.

Tekpetey signed for Schalke from Ghanaian lower division outfit UniStar Academy in 2016. In November that year, he made his professional debut for The Royals in a Europa League clash with French fold OGC Nice.

He made three league appearances in the German Bundesliga that 2016-17 season, before being farmed out on loan to Austrian side Rheindorf Altach in the 2017-18 term.

In summer 2018, Tekpetey was sold to then German Bundesliga 2 side Paderborn but was bought back by Schalke after just one year.

He spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf before joining Ludogorets last summer on loan.

The 23-year-old is a full Ghana international, having made his debut in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations clash with Egypt.

Konrad de la Fuente has joined Marseille from Barcelona in a €3 million transfer, the clubs have confirmed. 

The U.S. men's national team winger (USMNT) has signed a four-year contract with the Ligue 1 outfit and will wear the No 20 shirt.

The 19-year-old starred for Barcelona B last term but played only three matches with Barca's senior team.

What was said?

"FC Barcelona and Olympique de Marseille have reached an agreement for the transfer of Konrad de la Fuente for €3 million," a Barcelona statement read. "Barca will receive a percentage of the player's future sale."

Marseille also confirmed the move, saying: "Right-footed, Konrad can play on the right or left wing as well, which makes him a very versatile player. [He is a] dribbler, technical and fast; this native Floridian has all the qualities required to outsmart his opponents."

Konrad's career so far

Born in Florida, Konrad moved to Spain and joined Barcelona at age 10. The winger then proceeded to move through the ranks at La Masia, becoming one of the club's top young prospects. 

Although he has dual Spanish-American citizenship, Konrad opted to play for the U.S. at international level and has represented the country at various youth levels.

In November 2020, the winger made his first senior appearance for USMNT when he started a friendly against Wales. 

With his contract at Barca set to expire next summer, the teenager has opted for a move to France where he will seek more regular senior club minutes. 

Further reading

Former Orlando Pirates academy director Augusto Palacios fails to understand why one of his products Thabiso Monyane has struggled for game time under coach Josef Zinnbauer. 

The 21-year-old attacker started just one match in the PSL during the recent 2020/21 season with Zinnbauer opting for seasoned and experienced players.

Having coached Monyane in the Pirates development academy, Palacios, 69, feels that the promising player has been deprived of the opportunity to develop and improve under the German tactician. 

"All players need to get the opportunity to play consistently, if a player doesn't get an opportunity it means he won't show his talent," Palacios told Goal. 

"You give a young player one chance, second chance and then you decide against playing him. The player is frustrated and he has the talent. 

"Especially Thabiso, he lost his place in the Olympic squad because he was excluded from the Pirates team. I don't know the reason, I don't know what the coach [Zinnbauer] was doing." 

Monyane, who is an experienced player and youth international, was excluded from the recent South Africa national under-23 squad that faced their Egyptian counterparts in two international friendly games earlier this month.

The former Augusto Palacios Apprentice Academy player helped South Africa win two Cosafa Under-20 Championship titles and he also represented his country at the 2015 Caf Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations and 2019 Fifa World Cup finals. 

Palacios is of the opinion Monyane has what it takes to be a regular in the Pirates starting line-up having come through the Soweto giants' youth system. 

"I believe Thabiso can contribute to the success of Pirates. He has played in all youth structures. He has played for under-17 and under-19 youth teams [at Pirates]," he continued. 

"He has played in the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, the MultiChoice Diski Challenge and he was then promoted to the first team.

"It is not only about Thabiso, but for any young player, because you don't want to promote a player to keep him on the bench or keep him outside the matchday squad," he added. 

"In that case, his promotion to the first team doesn't make sense."

Zinnbauer has used Monyane mainly as a right-back and Palacios, who has coached Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs, believes the youngster is being played out of position. 

"His positions are right-wing and striker. Those are the positions I know he can play. Those are the positions I trained him in," the Peru-born tactician concluded. 

Monyane was handed his PSL debut by coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic against Bloemfontein Celtic in August 2019 and he went on to make 18 appearances in the league in the 2019/20 season.
 

Gor Mahia coach Carlos Vaz Pinto has been crowned the May FKF Premier League coach of the month.

The Portuguese mentor guided the defending champions to a 100% record in the month, as they registered four wins in as many matches. K'Ogalo began the month with a hard-fought 1-0 win over inconsistent Nairobi City Stars at the Utalii grounds before defeating Sofapaka 2-1 in Wundanyi.

They narrowly edged Vihiga United 1-0 in their third match at the Mumias Sports Complex before defeating Wazito by a similar margin at Utalii. As a result, the coach is walking home with a Ksh. 50,000 which he has promised to share with his players.

"Thank you for this award, but it is for my team; players, and the technical bench. I did not achieve it alone, it is a collective responsibility," Pinto told Goal.

"The players put in a lot of effort, they showed their commitment in matches and because of that, we deserve this. When the coach wins the monthly award it means the people around him worked very well and because of that I feel good and the whole team, of course, deserves this.

"And it is for the above reason that I will be sharing the prize money with all the players and my technical bench while 10% will go to charity."

The tactician also reiterated the team is taking a game at a time and expressed optimism on the successfully defending of their league title this season.

"All the players are giving their best to ensure the team is growing. They compete against themselves for position and because of that they deserve what they achieved in May," Pinto continued.

"We can still be champions but at the moment we are taking it one game at a time and sustaining the winning mentality."

The K'Ogalo coach beat Zedekiah Otieno of KCB to the award with AFC Leopards coach Patrick Aussems coming in third.

Otieno, who was the December coach of the month, led the Bankers to collect seven points out of a possible 12, the same as Aussems, but the former had better goal returns.

Francis Kimanzi, Andre Casa Mbungo, and Stanley Okumbi are the other coaches to have won the award this season.