CAF Club Competitions: Zamalek knocked out by debutants, Sundowns and Raja Casablanca advance

Five-time African champions, Zamalek, bowed out of the CAF confederation cup tournament in courtesy of a shock defeat by Ethiopia’s Welyta Dicha who are making their first appearance in the tournament. Both sides recorded 2-1 victories in their home countries forcing the tie to reach penalty shoot-out where Zamalek lost 4-3 in front of their Egyptian fans. Pressure is mounting on Zamalek to step up after their rivals Al Ahly won the Egyptian League title a week ago, with about six weeks to spare and are well on course to go further in the CAF Champions League.

Elsewhere, Masandawana(Mamelodi Sundowns) had to dig deep to go past a stubborn Rwandan outfit, Rayon Sports FC and reach the group stages of the CAF Champions League. Rayon Sports had held the Brazilians to a 0-0 draw in Rwanda only to lose 2-0 in South Africa this past weekend. There were no major surprises in an encounter between former champions, Raja Casablanca and Mauritania’s Nouadhibou where the former eased into the last 16 (group stages) with an aggregate win of 4-2.

CAF Champions League is the premier club competition on the continent, similar to Europe’s UEFA Champions League whilst CAF Confederation Cup is Africa’s version of the Europa League.

Abroad: Liverpool bound Naby Keita sinks Bayern Munich

Guinean ace, Naby Keita canceled out Sandro Wagner’s open and set up RB Leipzig’s second goal to snap Bayern Munich’s 18 match unbeaten run in the German League. RB Leipzig are in contention for a champions league spot currently sit sixth on the Bundesliga, two points adrift of fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt. They will most likely miss Naby next season who will join Klopp’s charges in a £51 million move this July. A possible African connection of Keita, Salah and Mane presents a tantalizing prospect for the Merseyside club and viewers all over the world.

Internationals: Yaya Toure is back again!

The 34-year-old midfielder has returned to international football after three years of absence. Yaya announced retirement in 2015 after captaining the Elephants to their first AFCON title since 1992. He reversed that decision in December 2017 and has now been included in Ivory Coast’s 24 man squad to face Togo and Moldova in friendlies. The midfield maestro has fallen a bit out of favor under Pep Guardiola, featuring in only 13 matches in all competitions for Manchester City, coming on as a substitute on six occasions. The West African nation will be hoping that his return will help change the nation’s fortunes after they failed to reach the knock-out stages of the 2017 Orange Africa Cup of Nations tournament or qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. The qualification for the 2019 AFCON tournament is all they have to play for now.

Chelsea win 2-1 in extra time

Antonio Conte proves he has still got it as his team fought hard for him against Leicester City in a match which they won 2-1 in extra time. First, it was Alvaro Morata who was out to prove his critics wrong who have been at his back for not living up to expectations. Some believe that he does not deserve to start for Chelsea ahead of Giroud because he is out of confidence. Nonetheless, it did not prevent him from scoring the opener in the 42nd minute. There was nothing much in the match after the break before Vardy deservedly evened the scores in the 76th minute. 90 minutes passed and still, there was no winner. The match had to go to extra time where N’golo, in an unfamiliar position to the right, whipped a beautiful cross and it was headed home by the Spanish Pedro of all people on 105 minutes. That was it for the night as both teams tried to score more with nothing materializing. Chelsea are up against Southampton next in the semis whom are now under the coach Mark Hughes who won 2-1 against Wigan in his first game in charge. Game on!

Will your favorite players make it to the World Cup?

There is a little less than 2 months left to go to the World Cup and the national team coaches have already started testing out the players that they think could make the final squad that will compete against the world’s best. An international break is right ahead of us and we have seen some familiar faces face the ax as some inexperienced players have been called up and trusted more than the experienced. For England, Gary Cahill who was tipped to become the captain of the team has been left out and has been replaced by players like Tarkowski. David Luiz has not been playing much of late this season and many expect him to be one of the biggest omissions from Brazil’s World Cup squad. What about Mario Goetze?

The dilemma brought about by Luka Modric

The best way to describe the Croatian midfielder is to call him a midfield maestro. The 33-year old player has been at the heart of Real Madrid ever since Mourinho bought him in 2012. It has not all been perfect though for the former Tottenham midfielder as he was once voted the worst Real Madrid player in his first season after failing to adapt to the league. The Madrid faithful have since regretted for judging him too soon as the player has cemented his position as the box-to-box midfielder. He has orchestrated some of the most brutal attacks on teams like Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona and Manchester United with a simple drop-shoulder dribble and quick pass to Ronaldo which instigated counter-attacks that have led to goals. Unplayable when he is at his best and irreplaceable when he is not available through to suspensions and injuries. The question is who will replace him if Madrid are relying so badly on him? What will happen when he eventually retires because he is not getting any younger? Madrid have already thought about these questions and have since been on the lookout.

Manchester United win 2-0 against Brighton

Criticism for the Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has died down in recent weeks as the player has rediscovered his goalscoring touch and he contributed once again to Manchester United’s win on Saturday. It had been a quiet night for the team who were failing to break the Premier League side’s defense before Nemanja Matic found Lukaku with an inch perfect cross for the striker to nod home just before the break. That made it his 25th goal in his debut season at Manchester United. Mourinho’s men had enough time to add another one 7 minutes before time as Ashley Young’s freekick found Matic at the back post and the midfielder made no mistake as he scored the second to secure a 2-0 win against newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup. Next up is the semifinals and the boys have to be at their best if they are to have a chance against Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool hit 5 past Watford

Excellence personified. Mo Salah was at his best when Liverpool faced a Watford side that was still wounded from a 3-0 loss against Arsenal not so long ago. The Egyptian was ready to make the show his as he scored 4 goals and assisted the other for Roberto Firmino. This means that he is at 28 goals in the EPL, four ahead of the injured Harry Kane and is tipped to edge out the rest in the homestretch. Some have started comparisons between the player and the Argentine great, Lionel Messi but his coach, Jurgen Klopp, thinks that it is too soon to mention such names that have done it for 20 years. He however, mentioned that he believes that his player is on his way to be considered one of the best footballers in the world if he keeps his head down and do what he does best which is scoring goals. The race to be the best in the African continent is already finished with his closest competitor Aubameyang of Gabon also joining the Premier League in January but failing to keep up with Salah’s stats. Is Salah there yet? Tell us what you think.

Transfers: Bafana Bafana talisman relishing PSL return from Belgian side, Oostende

South Africa’s acclaimed midfielder, Andile Jali, has revealed that he would be coming back to the local top flight league, ABSA Premiership after his contract with Oostende comes to a close at the end of the season. The 27-year-old midfielder has featured in Oostende’s 24 of their 30 matches this season, not shy to point out that he has enjoyed playing in front of the Belgian crowd. Jali cited the need to spend more time with his family as the major driver pulling him back to Mzansi.

“I have made up my mind, with my family, my wife. I have made up my mind that now is time to come back to my family.” - Andile Jali

He is currently back in South Africa, recovering from a knee injury and reports are suggesting that the former Orlando Pirates man could join Pitso Mosimane’s Mamelodi Sundowns on his return.

Andile Jali went, saw and conquered.

Russia 2018: Nigeria ‘poaches’ German U-21 defender

Apparently, the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has been trying for months to convince Hertha Berlin center back, Jordan Torunarigha to join his camp. Jordan’s agent has confirmed that they received such a request from the Nigerian Football Federation(NFF) also advising that the 20-year-old defender will listen to his heart on the matter. Torunarigha has climbed through the ranks of Hertha Berlin academy, featuring for the world champions’ youth teams since 2014. Should he accept the request, the defender will get a chance to wear Nigeria’s colors on the biggest stage of them all at a tender age and perhaps follow after his father, Ojokojo Torunarigha, who won 12 caps for the Super Eagles. Last week, Rohr announced a squad for friendlies that included only two home-based players and did receive a fair share of criticism. Could this mount up the pressure?

FIFA World Cup: Morocco is not joking about the 2026 world cup bid

The Kingdom of Morocco has set the record straight about their 2026 world cup bid, alluding that it’s not just a publicity stunt. The chief executive and his team have expressed their determination towards landing the bid.

"We are not here for a communications stunt - we are here to win," El Amrani told BBC Sport.

Morocco is setting out to be the second African country to host the FIFA World Cup tournament after South Africa 2010. They are not new to bidding processes, having already campaigned to host the tournament on four occasions. This time, they will have to outcompete a joint bid by Canada, USA and Mexico and perhaps the public backing by former FIFA boss, Sepp Blatter could help them get this one over the line. The process involves the aspiring country submitting bids which are then reviewed for legitimacy and then the decision left to FIFA’s 207 member associations through a voting process. This year’s 2026 hosts on the 13th of June 2018, in Russia. The 2022 World Cup Finals will be held in Qatar.

Zimbabwe: Hardlife Zvirekwi suffers serious injury to his hand

The Warriors international, Hardlife ‘Nairobi’ Zvirekwi got a scare on his career as a result of a car crash after failing to negotiate a curve. Hardlife popularly known as Nairobi amongst the locals was returning from a friend’s birthday celebration in Harare when the mishap fell on him. The doctors have had to amputate his hand will miss the first half of the 2018 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League competition. The CAPS United captain, led the Makepekepe, “Green Machine,” to their a league title in 2016, also winning the award for the top footballer in Zimbabwe for that year. Prayers for Zvirekwi, we hope you have a speedy recovery.

Internationals: As far as African football is concerned, Tunisia still reign

FIFA’s latest monthly rankings have reviewed that Tunisia still occupies the top spot in men’s football. The Carthage Eagles last cup triumph came in the AFCON 2004 but they have been consistent enough in their performances to keep their place amongst the elite. All of North Africa’s five countries made it to the top 10, except Libya while Southern African countries occupy spots other than the top 10. This year’s five world cup representatives featured in the top seven and Southern Africa. Here is the full list:

African rankings (global position in brackets):

1. Tunisia (23)

2. Senegal (27)

3. DR Congo (39)

4. Morocco (42)

5. Egypt (44)

6. Cameroon (51)

7. Nigeria (52)

8. Ghana (54)

9. Burkina Faso (56)

10. Algeria (60)

South Africa: Cape Town City edge Pirates to reach the Nedbank Cup quarter final

Benni McCarthy’s Blue and Gold Army has once again set the record straight that they belong among the big boys as far as South African football is concerned. Ayanda Patosi’s solitary goal was enough to see off the inform Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates and progress to the last 8. Cape Town City got re-formed in 2016 and we have already seen them win the Telkom Knockout cup, finish as runners’ up in the 2017 MTN 8 cup and now the possibility of another cup is undoubtedly wetting their appetite. Maybe the win was inspired by McCarthy’s return from Pep Guardiola’s camp or purely the ingenuity of Ayanda Patosi, who has now scored winning goals for his team in three consecutive matches. Either way, the Cape Town boys will be happy to await to learn of their opponents in Thursday’s draw featuring, First Division side Ubuntu Cape Town, Free State Stars, Baroka FC, Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, Maritzburg United and Mamelodi Sundowns for South Africa’s equivalent of the English FA cup.

The Austrian side terminates Stoger’s team

RB Salzburg held on to a goalless draw to eliminate one of the title favorites from the competition. The club won the first leg 2-1 away and many were hoping to see a mean-attacking Dortmund that sought to regain control over the tie and qualify to the next round. With all due respect to Salzburg, a Dortmund vs Atletico Madrid clash in the last 8 would have been more attractive but fair play to them. They did bits in their first leg and shuttered Dortmund in the return. They deserve to go through to the next round.

In other news, Atletico Madrid won 5-1 on Thursday to make it an 8-1 aggregate against Lokomotiv Moscow as they cruise to the quarterfinals. Fernando Torres was the star of the show as he scored a brace in a match where Saul Niguez, Correa and Griezmann all scored past Kochenkov. Rybus’ goal was not enough to rub the blushes of a poor Russian side. Do you know who else has made it to the last 8? Drop your comments below

Arsenal win 3-1 at home

Arsene Wenger set up his Arsenal team to play out their way into the quarter-final. It was clear from his tactics that the team went into the match just to dominate possession and frustrate Milan with an aim to counter them on the break. Calhanoglu’s goal came as a shocker for the Gooners and acted as a wakeup call for the home side as Danny Welbeck was tripped in the 18 area and scored the resulting penalty kick. The referee blew the whistle for halftime with the teams at level pegging. The second half was not the same. Granit Xhaka did what he does best in the 71st minute as he scored a long-range effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma who should have done better as the ball slipped under his arms and into the net. At 2-1, it was a mountain to climb for Gattuso’s men and Arsenal rubbed the salt on the wounds when Danny Welbeck scored the third in the 86th minute. That goal confirmed the elimination of the Milan giants who really deserve better. It is a shame that such a match between the two clubs has lost the hype as the teams have dropped a level and are no longer competing at the highest level. Next up is the UEFA Europa League draw. Will Arsenal have what it takes to sweep past everyone that comes their way and qualify for next year’s UEFA Champions League? Only time will tell.  

UEFA Champions League draw could bring out explosive matches

Spanish Marca has been looking at the UEFA Champions League draw and assessing top-notch clashes that could be juicy for the tournament in the quarterfinals. It has been confirmed that former AC Milan and Chelsea forward, Andrey Shevchenko will be the one to reveal the balls for the draw on Friday. Only 5 of the 8 teams left have won this competition before with Real Madrid leading the rest with 12 titles. Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool have all lifted the trophy on 5 different occasions. Juventus have only two. It is important to note that AS Roma, Manchester City and Sevilla have not yet enjoyed much success in this European competition but some of these teams have reached the semis and final of this tournament before. Some of the potential ties after the draw could be an El Classico which is Real Madrid vs Barcelona. This fixture is the biggest rivalry in the world and would be ideal to be reserved for the latter part of the competition like the semifinals. Next up could be Real Madrid vs Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has undeniably set up a fierce team that is capable of beating anyone on their day and it would be nice to see how they fare against the defending champions. Visit the link to see the rest of the potential fixtures.

Messi plat du jour yet again

“We are all so blessed to get to watch Lionel Messi play every week”. This is a statement that I am almost forced to repeat week in and week out. It’s very similar to that of a LeBron James. For writers, it is a pleasure to talk about these generational talents. Every week is a new chance to attempt to describe the almost extraterrestrial- like skill we get to witness every single time they both lace up their shoes. Tonight was merely another example that Messi is playing a different game than the rest of us, as he lit up the Camp Nou with another vintage Champions League performance.“

Messi is now the fastest to 100 UEFA Champions League goals after a two-goal display against Chelsea in the second leg of their Round of 16 fixture. The Argentinian forward scored his 99th goal within the first three minutes of the competition; a nearly impossible goal with his right foot through the legs of Courtois. No manners from Lionel, as he seems to keep inventing new ways to disgrace goalkeepers. Even though it may have appeared a fortunate goal, I have believed for a while now that Messi is so inhuman, that the concept of luck is foreign to him. I remember the exact date when he convinced me that even his most fortunate looking piece of skill was executed intentionally, almost as if to prove he could do it. It was 16 January 2014, where, after dribbling around a set of defenders, then passed it forward into the box in front of him. I could have sworn he was giving a through ball to Cristian Tello. Rather it was to himself, before rounding the keeper and slotting it home, giving Barcelona its second goal of the game that evening, which you can relive for yourself here.

I think that his best and most vintage moment during the second leg against Chelsea came 19 minutes and 29 seconds in when Messi jumped on a mistake from Fabregas in midfield before quickly exing out two Chelsea defenders then continuing on to set up Barcelona’s second of the night through Dembele. That burst that he showed to shift the ball once around Christiansen, and then a second time around Azpilicueta, before he found himself in Chelsea’s eighteen-yard box assisting Dembele. I honestly haven’t seen this burst every week in La Liga this season. Not because he is declining physically, but rather it seems most of the time, his game is now at a level where he doesn’t need to hit top gear to impose his will on matches. 

Ray Hudson’s muse rounded out the goals, with another vintage left-footed finish, yet again megging the Belgian shot-stopper and scoring his 100th goal in Europe’s top competition. He now joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only other player to achieve this feat. Chelsea never stood a chance tonight, and I’m sure Conte found his own way to communicate that to his men post-match.