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Thuso Phala kept South Africa s winning run going ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Zambia on Sunday.

Having already beaten the Ivory Coast ahead of this month s tournament, Shakes Mashaba s side recorded another impressive win thanks to Phala s first international goal with nine minutes to play.

Mandla Masango had the game s first opportunity after 17 minutes, but the Kaiser Chiefs midfielder dragged his effort wide without testing Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

South Africa threatened again before the break with a flowing move involving Oupa Manyisa, who delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area that Thabo Matlaba was unable to connect with.

Chisamba Lungu and Emmanuel Mayuka both threatened the South Af…

What the papers say

Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Thiago Alcantara. The Daily Mail, citing Spanish outlet Sport, says the Spanish giants are eager to reunite with the Liverpool midfielder, with club bosses at Anfield believed to be willing to listen to offers for the 32-year-old. Alcantara came up through Barcelona’s youth system and made 68 appearances for the first team.

The Mail also reports that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad are preparing a bid for Reds midfielder Fabinho. Via The Athletic, the paper says the offer would be worth £40million, with any decision on a potential transfer likely to happen quickly.

Meanwhile, Liverpool may be in the market for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. According to the Daily Mirror, manager Jurgen Klop…

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Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago has been keen to stress the importance of their final-day La Liga clash with relegation-threatened Granada on Saturday.

The deposed champions head into the clash at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes still not secure of third place and a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Diego Simeone s men are three points clear of fourth-placed Valencia who visit another side in danger of the drop in Almeria but have a worse head-to-head record against Nuno s side.

Granada are two points clear of second-bottom Almeria and third-bottom Eibar and will be safe should both those sides suffer last-day defeats.

Wins for either of that duo could throw Granada s league status into doubt, although they do have the benefit of a superior hea…

Thomas Muller will be ready and raring to go for pre-season training in July after having an operation on his right thumb.

The Bayern Munich forward struggled for form in the 2016-17 campaign, scoring just five Bundesliga goals en route to a fifth top-flight title in a row for the club.

Bayern tweeted on Tuesday to confirm the Germany international had undergone a minor procedure and would be back for the beginning of their 2017-18 preparations.

Muller, who joined Bayern s youth set-up in 2000, has six Bundesliga winners medals and won the Champions League with the Bavarians in 2013.

. has undergone a minor operation on his right thumb. He ll be ready to go again when training starts in July!

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)

…

Arsenal are interested in signing Pau Torres from Villarreal in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that the Gunners are one of three clubs from the Premier League who are keen on securing the services of the 25-year-old Spain international centre-back at the end of the season.

The report has claimed that Arsenal are looking for a left-sided central defender to compete with Gabriel and potentially form a partnership with William Saliba at the heart of the Gunners’ backline. Arsenal tried to sign Lisandro Martinez from Ajax in the summer transfer window, but the Argentina international centre-back switched to Manchester United instead.

So far this season, Torres has made six appearances in La Liga for Villarreal. During the 2021-22 campaign, the 2…

Real Madrid should allow Gareth Bale to leave on loan, says the club s former president Ramon Calderon.

Bale fell out of favour at Madrid after Zinedine Zidane returned for his second spell in charge in March.

But his lofty wages reportedly as high as £350,000 a week mean few clubs will likely be able to afford the Wales star.

Madrid have been spending heavily on reinforcements with France international Ferland Mendy their latest signing, the left-back joining Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Eder Militao in heading to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Manchester United have long been linked with a move for Bale, but reports suggest the Premier League side are no longer considering a move. 

Calderon therefore feels a loan deal could suit both Madrid and Bale,…

Roberto Martinez insists this is Belgium s golden generation and does not see any similarities with England s flops of the mid-2000s.

This group of Belgium players has long been lauded, but the Red Devils best performance of recent years saw them finish only third at the 2018 World Cup.

As pressure builds on the side at the 2022 finals, where there have been reports of veteran stars quarrelling, coach Martinez has come to their defence.

He sought to highlight the contributions of Belgium s leading men off the pitch, as well as on it, and suggested the England team given the same label under Sven-Goran Eriksson were not comparable.

It s interesting, because when I arrived in 2016, there was talk of a golden generation , Martinez said on Wednesday.