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Lothar Matthaus hopes Leroy Sane has learned his lesson from missing out on the World Cup three years ago, after pointing out defensive deficiencies in his game during Germany’s recent friendly with Denmark.

Bayern Munich winger Sane was a notable omission from the Germany squad for the 2018 tournament in Russia, although he earned a recall shortly after the tournament and is in their squad for the upcoming European Championship.

Former Germany captain Matthaus is a huge admirer of the former Manchester City player’s talents, but questions whether he has the positional discipline to be reliable at international level.

What did Matthaus say about Sane?

Sane played 86 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Denmark last week, before finding the scoresheet as a second half substitute in the 7-1 thrashing of Latvia on Monday.

Reflecting on his performance in the Denmark match, Matthaus said there were aspects of Sane’s game that need improvement – but he also says the 25-year-old is a potential game-changer.

“As long as one player makes the difference, the team accepts his defensive weakness,” he told Goal and SPOX. “Leroy Sane is a player that I basically see as a great footballer with a lot of potential, but he had situations against Denmark in which he did not come back or switched off.

“You can forgive that against Denmark, but if a player has that character, he might do that in the final and then nobody will forgive him anymore.

“I love Sane on the pitch, but there is a discipline or two that he still has to learn. He should actually have learned his lesson after Jogi Low didn't take him with him in 2018.”

Matthaus warns Germany’s rivals

While a nation like Germany can never be considered outsiders, many believe the three-time winners are a team in transition and will struggle to make an impact in the latter stages of the tournament.

Their cause has not been helped by being placed in a tough group alongside Euro 2016 winners Portugal and world champions France.

Matthaus concedes his country face a tough challenge but has a warning to those writing Germany’s chances off before a ball has been kicked.

“We mustn't make ourselves smaller than we are,” he said. “I rate the Portuguese better than when they won the title five years ago, and many players have important roles in big clubs. France is peppered with world class players.

“These three teams are among the tight favourites, but we don't have to hide behind France either. We have a lot of players who have won the Champions League in the last ten months and players who have won a lot of national titles.”

Further reading

Gor Mahia captain Haron Shakava is anticipating a tough clash as they play Kariobangi Sharks on Thursday afternoon in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield Cup at Utalii Grounds.

The two teams met in the league assignment on January 10 with the Slum Boys claiming a 4-3 win. Eric Kapaito, Daniel Sakari, and John Kuol scored for the hosts while K'Ogalo replied through Clifton Miheso, John Macharia, and Joachim Oluoch. 

However, the towering centre-back states the past match will have no role to play in the Cup quarter-final fixture.

"It will be a tight contest... [Kariobangi Sharks] won in the league fixture but this is a different game," Shakava said as quoted by the club's official social media outlets.

"As always, we will be aiming for a win to progress to the next stage."

Head coach Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto has echoed his skipper saying he is anticipating a good game but will not be taking the opponents lightly.

"We will look at the match against Kariobangi Sharks with respect and take a cautious approach...I expect a good game. We look to this match with confidence and ambitions to be in the semi-final."

Meanwhile, Equity Bank caused one of the major upsets in the competition this season when they beat champions Bandari 1-0 to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The Bankers, who reached the last eight following a 1-0 win against Vegpro, scored a 57th-minute goal courtesy of Sande Katumba to knock out the defending champions and proceed to the semi-finals, where they will now meet AFC Leopards, who beat Tusker FC 1-0, courtesy of Isaac Kipyego's goal.

It was Bandari who came into the game as favourites and having beaten Sigalagala 5-0 in the Round of 16, they were tipped to get past the Bankers, who are handled by former Harambee Stars striker John Baraza.

However, it was Equity who took the lead in the 57th minute as Katumba capitlised on a defensive lapse by Bandari to beat keeper Justin Ndikumana with a right-footed effort that sailed into the top corner of the goal.

The winner will represent the country in the Caf Confederation Cup next season.

Jeremie Boga would not be insensitive to interest from Olympique Marseille, according to the president of the Ligue 1 outfit Pablo Longoria.

Following the departure of Florian Thauvin to Mexico’s Monterrey Tigers, the 10-time French league kings are casting admiring glances in the Cote d’Ivoire international’s direction as a replacement.

Although no formal offers have been made for the midfielder, the Sassuolo man looks unlikely to turn down a move to the club according to the French team’s chief.

Explaining this to Provence as per Footmercato, Longoria also disclosed he does not know the position of the club towards the former France U16 and U19 star.

"No, we never talked about it, because the first rumours were circulated once the season was over,” he said.

“So, I don't know if Olympique Marseille has been in touch with his agent.

“But what I do know is that as a Marseillais, Jeremie follows Olympique Marseille, he is a supporter of the club.

“Throughout the season, we talked about the matches. Even though he left for Chelsea at a very young age, I think he would not be insensitive to interest from Olympique Marseille, if there is one.

“But I don't know anymore and we haven't discussed it."

Boga joined Premier League side, Chelsea, from ASPTT Marseille as a teenager when he moved with his family to London, where his father worked.

After impressing in the Blues’ academy, he earned himself his first professional contract, albeit, he was loaned to Rennes in a bid to have a taste of first-team football.

Further loans saw him represent Granada and Birmingham City between 2016 to 2018.

He moved to Serie A outfit Sassuolo on a permanent transfer for a fee reported to be around £3.5 million on 21 July 2018.

At the Mapei Stadium, he became an instant figure – featuring in 59 Italian elite division games in his first two seasons.

In the just-concluded 2020-21 campaign, he played 27 Serie A games with four goals to his credit as Giampaolo Pazzini’s men finished in eighth position on the log.

Should his move to the French team see the light of the day, he would become the third African in Jorge Sampaoli’s squad after Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Cameroon), Bamba Dieng (Senegal) and Saif-Eddine Khaoui (Tunisia).

Nicole Payne is excited to be invited to Nigeria’s squad for June’s summer series tour in the United States of America.

Initially, the West Virginia University star was not part of the Super Falcons’ 25-player squad for the tournament billed from June 7-17.

However, the withdrawal of star players Patricia George and Osinachi Ohale saw coach Randy Waldrum hand the defender a late call-up.

Despite representing America at U20, U18, U17, U15 and U14 levels, she is poised to make her international bow when Nigeria take on Jamaica on Thursday night at the BBVA Stadium, Houston, Texas.

While expressing her delight with the invitation, Payne revealed that she never expected it to come few months after her elder sister Toni made her Falcons debut in February during the Turkish Women's Cup.

“I was very excited to get the call-up, I’m very excited to be able to compete with the players that are here,” she said on Super Falcons’ Instagram handle.

“I never believed I would get my call-up so soon, but again, it’s a blessing to be here and be able to play with my sister.”

The 20-year-old gave an assessment of the African side after training with them for the first time while hoping to impress against the Reggae Girlz if dressed for action.

“Having trained with them this morning, it was great, it was a very competitive environment, the players are quick and fast,” she continued.

“It was very good to be able to know the girls and be able to play with everybody and prepare for these games.

“I’m gonna go out there and try my best and represent the country.”

After the game against Jamaica, the 11-time African queens slug it out with European side Portugal four days later.

Nigeria’s last game will be against Vlatko Andonovski’s ladies on Thursday, June 17 at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

With the beginning of the 2022 Awcon qualification campaign on the horizon in October, these games will be a useful exercise in determining who merits further inclusion against Ghana.

The team walloped Equatorial Guinea 9-0 in their last international outing on February 23.

Malawi head coach Meck Mwase has conceded it will be a blow to miss three players in their forthcoming international friendly assignment away to Tanzania.

The Flames will play Taifa Stars on Sunday at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium hoping to gauge the players ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations finals and 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Captain Limbikani Mzava, his assistant John Banda and Gerald Phiri of Baroka FC are the players who will not be involved.

"Midfielder Gerald Phiri has been released from camp after being declared unfit due to a hamstring injury," the Football Association of Malawi confirmed.

"Mozambique-based vice-captain John Banda will also not make it for the match after coach Mwase granted the player’s club request to keep him for their League assignment this weekend.

"Captain Limbikani Mzava did not arrive from his base in South Africa on Wednesday as Mwase has excused him after suffering a knock on Saturday during his team’s last game of the season."

"It is a blow not to have the three players who are leaders in the team. But this being a friendly match will give an opportunity for others to show us if they can rise to the occasion," Mwene stated.

Meanwhile, the team has been boosted by the arrival of two key players ahead of the June 13 game.

"South Africa-based strikers Richard Mbulu and Gabadinho Mhango and midfielder Tawonga Chimodzi who plays club football in Cyprus have on Wednesday joined the Flames camp at the Mpira Village in Blantyre ahead of Sunday’s international friendly match against Tanzania," the Federation revealed.

"Mbulu joined the team on Wednesday morning while Mhango and Chimodzi jetted into the country later in the afternoon."

Below is the full squad for Malawi:

Goalkeepers

Brighton Munthali – Silver Strikers

William Thole – Be Forward Wanderers

Ernest Kakhobwe - Nyasa Big Bullets

Defenders

Stanely Sanudi – Be Forward Wanderers

Peter Cholopi – Be Forward Wanderers

Eric Kaonga – Ekwendeni Hammers

Nixon Nyasulu – Nyasa Big Bullets

Nickson Mwase – Civo Sporting

Dennis Chembezi – Polokwane City

Charles Petro – FC Sherrif

Paul Ndlovu – MAFCO

Midfielders

Chikoti Chirwa – Red Lions

Rafik Namwera – Be Forward Wanderers

Chimwemwe Idana – Nyasa Big Bullets

Yamikani Chester - Be Forward Wanderers

Vitumbiko Kumwenda - Be Forward Wanderers

Tawonga Chimodzi - Omonia Aradippou,

Strikers

Vincent Nyangulu – Be Forward Wanderers

Gabadinho Mhango – Orlando Pirates

Khuda Muyaba – Polokwane FC

Richard Mbulu – Baroka FC

Antonio Conte has revealed why he turned down the chance to manage Tottenham, with Spurs having been keen to appoint the former Inter boss. 

The Italian coach delivered Inter's first Serie A title for 11 years in 2020-21, only to exit weeks later amid reports the club would be forced to sell first-team players due to financial pressures.

Conte looked set for a return to the Premier League - where he previously won the title with Chelsea - as he entered into talks with Spurs, although the 51-year-old ultimately decided against taking over the north London club.

What has been said?

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport,  Conte said: "Generally, I like challenges and I’ve accepted many of them during my career.

"Even the top clubs I coached were never the favourites when I arrived. However, if there’s something that doesn’t convince me I prefer not to accept, regardless of the money."

Why did he leave Inter?

Inter president Steven Zhang has previously stated that Conte left because he was not happy with the club's desire to cut costs due to the financial pressures imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Zhang said earlier this month : "We must reduce costs and control risks. This obviously also influences the transfer market strategy. Our different views on the situation led to the separation.

"What wasn't fundamental for him, was for the club, and vice-versa. Conte is a top coach, but as president I have to think about the solidity of the club."

Conte has now had his say, explaining that he still respects Zhang and only wants the best for Inter.

He said: "What I can say is that my project never changed, but it would be nonsense to discuss this now. I don’t want to create controversy or talk about transfers. I respect Zhang and I thank him for choosing me. I love Inter, the club and their fans.

"I wish [new Inter manager] Simone Inzaghi the best of luck because he is a very talented and ambitious coach, I wish all the best to the Nerazzurri."

Conte at Inter & what now for Spurs?

The Nerazzurri finished a single point behind Juventus in Conte's first season in charge, while also losing the Europa League final to Sevilla.

They bounced back last season, winning the Italian top-flight crown in impressive fashion, earning 12 more points than city rivals Milan, who finished second.

After leaving Inter, Conte was targeted by Spurs after they sacked Jose Mourinho last season. However, a number of key issues , such as transfer funds and the future of star striker Harry Kane, prevented a deal being done.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici, meanwhile, is still expected to join the north Londoners, while they have now moved to target former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca as they look at finally appointing a new permanent head coach.

Further Reading

Simba SC's spokesperson Haji Manara has claimed Mamelodi Sundowns, TP Mazembe and Al Ahly have expressed interest in signing AS Vita defender Djuma Shaaban.

The outspoken Wekundu wa Msimbazi official stated the defender, who Goal understands is close to agreeing on a deal with Yanga SC, had initially confirmed that both Simba and their archrivals had approached him about a possible transfer.

"[Djuma] Shaaban is worth $500,000 and that is a calculation without his monthly salaries," Manara wrote on his Facebook page. "I hear my brother Ghalib [Yanga's Hersi Said, who is tasked with sealing transfer deals for the club] has been informed accordingly.

"I am also aware TP Mazembe, Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns have already spread their bait to attract him because they are interested. Now I want to see whether Said is serious with his Yanga. Next season, we would like to see quality players like Shaaban in our league. 

"Now GSM [Yanga's sponsors] bring him on board so that when Simba beat you, they do so against a quality side."

Goal understands Said is in Kinshasa to complete the deal with AS Vita. In an Instagram post, the Yanga official posted a photo with DR Congo's minister of sports Serge Konde on Thursday.

"Reporting from Kinshasa, I am Engineer Hersi 'Djuma' Said of Yanga," the official captioned the photo.

In a recent interview, Shaaban stated he was ready to listen to both Simba and Yanga and sign with either club that will complete talks with him.

"It's true that Simba expressed interest while I was already in talks with Yanga, but I haven't made a decision yet," Shaaban was quoted as saying."We were almost done with Yanga after we had agreed on most parts of the deal.

"Simba inquired as to whether I had signed with Yanga, and I informed them that I had not, but that we are in advanced talks.

"I directed them to my manager as my duty as a player is to play. Both Yanga and Simba are big teams and I have friends on both sides, which means I will be ready to play for the side that seals the deal with me."

Yanga already have two players from DR Congo in Mukoko Tonombe and Tuisila Kisinda who were signed before the current season began and have had a great impact on the team. Simba signed Chris Mugalu from the Central African nation and the striker has been the preferred choice over Meddie Kagere.

South Africa begin their first step of their bid to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup when they host Uganda in an international friendly match at Orlando Stadium on Thursday.

It is a new era for Bafana Bafana who are now under new coach Hugo Broos who will, however, now be available for Thursday's encounter as he is in his native Belgium receiving a second Covid-19 jab.

Coaching responsibilities against the Cranes are on assistant coach Helman Mkhalele.

After South Africa agonisingly failed to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations finals under Molefi Ntseki, Broos came in and has started a fresh project with younger players targeting qualification for the World Cup although he has tried to lower expectations on this bid.

The national team last qualified for the quadrennial global football tournament in 2002 but participated at the 2010 edition as hosts.

They now seek a return to the World Cup and the Uganda friendly is the first step before they travel to Harare to face Zimbabwe in the qualifiers proper in September, before hosting Ghana a few days later.

Their opponents Uganda are also getting ready to begin their qualifying campaign, for a maiden appearance at the World Cup.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

Squads & Team News

Match Preview

This is a battle of teams nursing wounds from their failures to qualify for the next Afcon finals and are seeking a reprieve with World Cup qualification.

While Bafana are starting afresh under Broos, Uganda are also seeking to begin on a clean slate although they are still under an interim coach.

Uganda begin life without former captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango as well as Hassan Wasswa who both retired in April.

They are also moving on without ex-coach John McKinstry who parted with the team in the wake of Afcon qualification failure.

The Cranes have not tasted victory in their last five games which reads three defeats and two draws, while Bafana have not won in their last two matches inside a five-game schedule in which they have managed two victories, a draw and two losses.

Thursday's match will the fourth meeting between the two sides and South Africa have dominated previous encounters since their first clash in 2004 when a Benni McCarthy penalty saw Bafana edge the Cranes 1-0 in a 2006 Fifa World Cup qualifier in Kampala.

The reverse fixture had Bafana winning 2-1 at FNB Stadium in March 2005.

It took 14 years for the two sides to meet again and it was South Africa who came out victorious at the 2019 Cosafa Cup tournament where Uganda were guest participants.

A Bafana squad predominantly composed of Under-23 players beat the Cranes 4-2 on penalties in the plate semi-finals after the score was 1-1 at regulation time.

The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 has forged an exciting new partnership with the world’s biggest football content and media business Footballco, where its flagship digital platform Goal will come on board as the Official Football Website Partner of the tournament.

This is the first time South East Asia’s top football tournament will be joining hands with the football platform to increase the reach of the Championship.

Goal will gain exclusive access to the tournament, including special behind-the-scenes access as well as rights to use archive videos to capture and produce compelling content for the tournament - where it is expected to reach its 10 million website and app users in South East Asia with a social reach of 50+ million in the region.

“We are delighted to partner with the AFF Suzuki Cup which will undoubtedly allow us to bring the 50 million South East Asian fans Goal reaches each month, much closer to the tournament that they care about the most.," Andy Jackson, VP of Media for APAC, Footballco, said.

"We have a number of new and exciting editorial initiatives in the pipeline leading into this year’s tournament that will build excitement and anticipation amongst fans by celebrating the rich history of the tournament, shining a light on the emerging stars as well as presenting Suzuki Cup sponsors with the opportunity to benefit from the unrivalled scale we offer in the region.”

Late last year, the AFF announced that the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 will be held from 5 December 2021 to 1 January 2022, following the postponement of the tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We know that football fans in ASEAN have been anxiously waiting for football to return after the pandemic," Tilman Wendt, Executive Director, Digital & Brand Marketing - SEA, SPORTFIVE, said. 

"With the AFF Suzuki Cup centred around the thrilling regional football rivalries and the great passion of fans, the partnership with Goal is a great opportunity for us to not only amplify the tournament campaign #RivalriesNeverDie but also a chance to create unique stories to engage with Goal’s digital audience across South East Asia. By combining Goal's and SPORTFIVE's capabilities, we are confident that we can maximise the content for the benefit of our fans.”

The AFF is continuing to work closely with the various Member Associations and partners to provide further updates on the 2021 tournament as soon they are available.

Harambee Star Francis Kahata has revealed he had learned from the media that he was replaced from Simba SC's Tanzania Mainland League squad.

The creative midfielder, who parted ways with Gor Mahia for Mnyama in 2019, signing a two-year contract in the process. However, things started getting out of hand when the reigning league champions exceeded the number of foreigners in the team.

"I just read the news on social media platforms since I was in Kenya for holiday," Kahata told Mwanaspoti.

"That I will be playing Caf [Champions League] matches only because Simba had exceeded the foreigner's quota for domestic competition. After returning to Tanzania, I talked to my agent who also engaged the management [but nothing changed]."

Despite being linked with a move to Tanzania heavyweights Azam FC, Goal understands the experienced midfielder is in talks with Al-Merikh of Sudan, among other clubs.

After being released by Mnyama, the 29-year-old is now free to enter into transfer talks with any club and Sudan's side has emerged as one possible destination for the forward as talks have begun.

"Kahata is in talks with not only the club mentioned but with several others," a source close to the player told Goal. "Finding a club is a matter of when not if for Kahata because of his quality. 

"He served Gor Mahia exceptionally and went to Simba and did an impressive job and that made his CV glitter. Therefore, when clubs learned he was free, they came and asked for talks."

The Harambee Star joined Wekundu wa Msimbazi just after participating in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt and went on to win the Premier League, the Tanzania Cup, and the Community Shield. 

The winger fell down the pecking order at the Msimbazi giants, especially with the arrival of Bernard Morrison, Luis Miquissone, Larry Bwalya, and Clatous Chama's impressive performances.

Kahata is currently in Kenya as his agent is engaged in finding a suitable club for him ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Kenya international Anthony Akumu has expressed his desire to stay with Premier Soccer League side Kaizer Chiefs.

Although Akumu wants to stay with Amakhosi, he has left his fate in the hands of the club's hierarchy, and if he is released, the former Gor Mahia star has stated that he will look back and be grateful to have served the Premier Soccer League side.

"I’d really like to be here in the new season and beyond. I want to finish my contract here. But if the club decides otherwise, I will just accept it and look back to say I am grateful that I was part of this wonderful club,’’ Akumu told Sowetan Live.

"This is one of the biggest teams in Africa and to be part of it is amazing… it’s one thing that is a privilege, but you and I understand how football works. So, in case of the decision to let me go, I won’t take it badly at all.’’

Although Akumu is an established deep-lying midfielder, he was converted into a centre-back at most times by the then head coach Gavin Hunt, who was sacked and his place taken up by the returning Stuart Baxter. The multiple Super League winner with Zesco United stressed that he was not concerned by the change of position as his desire is always to serve under the coach's instructions.

"I am a midfielder, a central midfielder, but I can also play as a central defender, I played there before I came to Chiefs. When a coach puts you in a different position to the one you’re used to, it means he’s seen something in you,’’ added the Harambee Star.

"I think I did my best… I helped the team where I was supposed to. I know our overall season didn’t go well because we wanted to finish in the top two, but we ended up at number eight, which isn’t that bad because we’ll play in the MTN8.’’

Akumu has scored twice in 35 games for Amakhosi and is expected to be part of the squad that will take on Wydad Casablanca in the Caf Champions League semi-finals in June.

Former England goalkeeper David James believes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should pick Three Lions shot-stopper Dean Henderson as Manchester United’s long-term number one.

The United boss has faced a dilemma over his goalkeeper situation, with David de Gea under pressure since Henderson returned to Old Trafford after impressing on loan at Sheffield United.

Both goalkeepers are away at Euro 2020, but Solskjaer is expected to choose a full-time incumbent for the role for next season, with the possibility that United could cash in on whoever loses out over the summer.

What’s been said?

“I would go Henderson, he's 23 and at Premier League level he's obviously shown that he can perform, with Sheffield United and also now a number of occasions with Manchester United,” James told Goal.

“There's some getting used to playing for Manchester United, which is slightly different to playing for Sheffield United, but the capability that he's already got and the potential that he has is far greater than what David de Gea offers.

“De Gea isn't a bad goalkeeper, it's not about that. I just think from a manager's perspective, you're looking at where the club's going to go forward.

“De Gea has been phenomenal for Manchester United, but to stay performing at that level is so difficult. I think with the Dean Henderson there's an opportunity there for Manchester United to go forward.”

De Gea’s status slips

Spain boss Luis Enrique will face a choice between the 30-year-old and Athletic Club's Unai Simon as his first choice for the European Championship.

It underlines how far De Gea has slipped since he was regarded by many as the best goalkeeper in the world, but James believes he can rediscover his best form.

“He can get back there. He's 30 years old, so there's plenty of time for him to reproduce the form that he had before,” the former Liverpool and Manchester City goalkeeper said.

“Speaking from experience, I got into England squad at 36 and played in a World Cup at 39. I'd left Liverpool at 29, but my career got better from 30 to 39 years old.

“De Gea's got plenty of time, providing obviously he keeps himself fit.

"Whether he'll be the best in the world again? He's he got some stiff competition out there from the likes of Ederson, [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, Alisson and [Manuel] Neuer still at at 35.”

Dettol are encouraging fans to make good hygiene habits part of their matchday ritual this summer, so we can all play on. Search @Dettol_UK for more information.

Further reading: 

Leicester City Women's defender Ashleigh Plumptre has expressed her desire to meet with Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi, who play for the men’s team while also revealing her interest to play for Nigeria.

The 23-year-old is currently having her second spell with the Foxes and in the 2020-21 season, she helped the club to win the FA Women's Championship title, earning a two-year contract for her fine showings in the campaign.

Since her return to the Foxes in 2019, she has been unable to link up with Super Eagles stars Iheanacho and Ndidi whom she described as her role models.  

"With Leicester Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Ihenacho have been a good roles model for me,” Plumptre told BBC.  

“It’s funny we haven't met but that's all because of Covid but at some point hopefully we'll be able to meet each other,"

Plumptre has featured for various England youth teams but he is still eligible to represent Nigeria through her father and hops to get a chance to play for the Super Falcons in the future.

"The idea of me being able to play for Nigeria, with that being an option, I would happily grab that with both hands," she continued.

"What representing something that really means to somebody is very important. Obviously, there's a lot of things I can openly say that I don't know about Nigerian culture but I want to learn because I know that it's in me, and it's in my sister and in my dad.

"We can only get it from my granddad, he's the only thing that we know in terms of Nigeria. I've obviously visited Nigerian relatives in America and in England.

"Seeing this little journey my sister and I have been on, and the understanding of our family heritage, not just that but watching Nigerian documentaries and learning about the past is incredible."

Plumptre also hailed the quality in the Super Falcons squad and praised Asisat Oshoala for her exploits abroad.

"When you look around there are several Nigerian players playing at the top level of the women's game," she pointed out.

"With the Super Falcons I have been following them and the continued progress the team is making. But one player that I remember is Asisat Oshoala.

"She was at Liverpool when I played for Notts County, then I was about 16 and the big thing was having Oshoala over at Liverpool.

"That was the big name and then she obviously went to Arsenal. And everybody knew of her and how talented she was. For me an English person, she was Nigerian football to me."

Sunil Chhetri scored a brace against Bangladesh on June 7 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha to ensure a 2-0 win for India in a 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers.

This was India's maiden win in the ongoing 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers.

The talismanic Indian striker scored his 73rd and 74th international goals in the second half of the game and in the process went past UAE’s Ali Mabkhout who has 73 goals and Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi who has 72 goals to their names.

The only player who has scored more international goals than Chhetri is Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo (103) among active players.

As the 36-year-old Indian star scripted yet another record in his illustrious and long international career, we scrutinise Chhetri's 74 international goals.

The most number of goals, the forward has scored against are Chinese Taipei and Maldives (six goals each). His best conversion rate is against Vietnam as he scored a hat-trick in the only game he played against them. 

The toughest opponent the Indian striker has scored a goal against is Asian giants South Korea against whom he had scored in the Asian Cup 2011 in Doha. Chhetri's goal had put the Blue Tigers in front but South Korea eventually won 4-1.

Distribution of Sunil Chhetri's 74 international goals 

How are India doing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?

India started their World Cup qualification run with a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Oman at home, followed by a historic goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha. In their third and fourth matches, the Blue Tigers managed 1-1 draws against both Bangladesh and Afghanistan and then they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Oman away from home. How are India doing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?

They resumed their campaign losing 0-1 Qatar on June 3 and have now beaten Bangladesh 2-0 in their seventh match of the group stage. In their final match, the Blue Tigers take on Afghanistan on June 15. All the matches of India's group are hosted by Qatar.

India take on Afghanistan in their final Group E clash in the second round 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

In June qualification, India resumed their campaign with a 1-0 loss against Qatar before bouncing back with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh courtesy of a brace by skipper Sunil Chhetri.

How to watch India vs Afghanistan

Team profile

Afghanistan started playing full-fledged international football only from 2002. Before that, they had merely participated in the 1948 Olympics and played a 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualifying game which they lost to Jordan.

There was an 18 years gap after which football returned to a war-torn Afghanistan. Their first major competition since returning to the mainstream was in the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup where they lost all three group stage matches to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Their first major win came against Kyrgyzstan during the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round. Unfortunately, they lost to Nepal in the next round. Afghanistan’s next adventure was against Turkmenistan in the first round of the 2006 World Cup qualification. The Afghans suffered a humiliating 13-0 defeat in the two legs and crashed out of the competition.

The biggest moment in Afghanistan came in 2013 where they won their first ever international trophy at the SAFF Championship held in Nepal. It is also their only international trophy till date. The Afghans won the competition unbeaten, defeating India 1-0 in the final.

The very same year, Afghanistan saw a massive rise in the FIFA rankings. They rose 46 places from 186 in 2012 to 140 in 2013, their highest ever FIFA rank.

Recent performances

Afghanistan enjoyed good form in 2017. They had two friendly matches against heavyweight nations like Jordan and Vietnam and managed to draw both. While they played out an exciting 3-3 draw against Jordan, they had held Vietnam to a goalless draw.

Their good form continued in 2018 as well as they defeated Cambodia 2-1 and had drawn against Palestine.

2019 was not the best of years for Afghan football. They started the year by taking part in the Airmarine Cup hosted by Malaysia. They lost the semifinal tie 5-0 to Oman and then lost to hosts Malaysia in the third-place play-offs.

In the World Cup qualifiers, they started their campaign with a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Qatar in Doha but they came back strong by registering slender 1-0 win over Bangladesh. They lost 3-0 to Oman in their third match. Then they drew 1-1 with India before losing 1-0 to Qatar.

Afghanistan prepared for the June qualifiers witha short camp in UAE where they played against Indonesia (3-2 win) and Singapore (1-1 draw). 

After the qualifiers resumed in June 2021, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bangladesh.

It has been difficult for Afghanistan both on and off the field as the team has been forced to relocate to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, owing to security concerns in their own country.

Lessons from the past

India enjoy a healthy track record against Afghanistan. The two teams have faced each other eight times out of which India have emerged victorious on six occasions. They have drawn once and lost on one occasion.

In the 2011 SAFF Championship, India and Afghanistan had played a 1-1 draw in the group stages and in 2013 SAFF final, the Afghans had outplayed the Indians to pick up a memorable 2-0 win in Kathmandu.

Afghanistan squad 

Ovays Azizi, Faizal Hamidi, Hamidullah Wakili, Milad Intezar, David Najem, Zohib Islam Amiri, Abdul Najim Haidary, Hassan Amin, Zelfagar Nazary, Hussain Alizada, Sharif Mukhammad, Abassin Alikhil, Omid Popalzay, Mohammad Naeem Rahimi, Samir Samandari, Farshid Haydari, Amiruddin Sharifi, Mustafa Zazai, Fardin Hakimi, Fareed Sadat Ahmad Oman Haydary, Noor Husin, Maziyar Kouhyar, Farshad Noor, Fayzal Shayesteh, Adam Najem, Noraollah Amiri, Hossein Zamani, Zubayr Amiri, Jabar Sharza.

Afghanistan team news

Afghanistan come into the tie on the back of a heartbreaking 1-1 draw against Bangladesh where they lost their 48th minute lead courtesy of Amruddin Mohammed Anwar Sharifi's (48'), as Topu Barman (84') equalised for the Bangla Tigers at the death. Anoush Dastgir's side then conceded the third spot in the group to India as the latter defeated Bangladesh on June 7.

In the last meeting against India as well, The Lions of Khorasan had suffered a late setback in their home tie after Zelfy Nazary scored at the stroke of half-time (45+1') but for Seiminlen Doungel equalise at the death (90+3') for the Blue Tigers.

Sunil Chhetri played a key role in India's win over against Bangladesh on Monday to help the Blue Tigers secure their maiden victory in the ongoing 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers in Doha, Qatar.

The Indian skipper scored a brace to surpass Lionel Messi and UAE star Ali Mabkhout to reclaim his second place in the list of highest international goalscorers among active players.

It wasn't the best of performance for the Indian star who had missed two sitters early in the match. But he made amends by scoring two quality goals to seal crucial three points for the Blue Tigers.

Chhetri was seen celebrating with the Indian coach Igor Stimac after his opening and the player revealed what he told his coach at that time.

What did  Chhetri tell Stimac after scoring the opening goal against Bangladesh?

"I was just telling him, delete what I did from Brandon's (Fernandes) cross. I knew how disappointed I was, how easy a chance it was and the minimum it required was hitting the target. That was a very easy chance and at a time when the team needed that goal and I shouldn't have missed it. I just apologised for the first miss," informed Chhetri.

He continued, "We trained for this for the whole week. We knew this is what Brandon can do and we just need to hit the target. Manvir (Singh) didn't do it in the first half and I missed a couple of chances. Thankfully we still got the two goals later."

'Stimac encourages us to keep possession of the ball'

Chhetri opined that the Blue Tigers need to be braver and keep more possession of the ball in order to improve further.

"We have to be a little bit brave with the ball. I think we understand defending, we understand our diets and how to take care of ourselves. Everyone saw how well we defended but we have to be a little bit braver. We have to keep the ball and stitch more passes. It will come with some more matches. We have a very young side and it will happen.

"The onus is on the player. The coaching staff has done a brilliant job. Our head coach encourages us to keep the ball. Our immediate step should to be a little bit braver and keep the ball," said the Indian skipper.

Chhetri picks Bhutia and Jeje

The veteran Indian striker chose Bhaichung Bhutia and Jeje Lalpekhlua as the best strike partners he has ever played with.

"I will be biased towards two players, Bhaichung Bhutia and Jeje Lalpekhlua because I have spent the most time with them and they have been brilliant. And out of those two, I'll choose Bhaichung because he was that good and he helped me a lot. Playing with them made life simpler for me," stated the Indian star.

'If somebody is good, Stimac will give him a chance'

The Indian skipper spoke about the challenges the team faced during the Igor Stimac era but he also praised the Croatian coach's courage in giving opportunities to several new Indian players. 

"It is difficult when want to play in a certain way and you also have to play against higher-ranked teams and simultaneously get results. It is a difficult balance to maintain. But inside the camp, we only try to remain in sync with the coach. You cannot guarantee results but if we are in sync with what the coach wants then we are good to go.

"As far as result are concerned it has not gone well, but look at the silver lining. Here we have a coach who is not worried about giving chances to players. Previously there used to be criticisms that players are not given chance but now if you do well in the I-League or the ISL, you will be given a chance. Sometimes I feel, he doesn't even care. If he feels somebody is good he will always give the boy a chance. His idea is to get the top 14 players and then make changes here and there. When it clicks, he will get the first 14 and it will be more stable," opined Chhetri