Even though there are still a few weeks until Christmas, several Bundesliga teams picked up early presents on matchday 14. Bayern unraveled, Dortmund dominated and the league continues to be exciting. Good week for: The Bundesliga, Lucien Favre, Jadon Sancho, Jonathan Schmid, Timo Werner, Ramy Bensebaini Bad week for: Bayern, Wolfsburg, Florian Kohfeldt, Cologne, Javi Martinez The lowdown: Gladbach secured a stunning comeback win against Bayern Munich to stay top of the table, and seven points clear of the defending champions. Having been outplayed in the first half, the visitors emerged stronger in the second after going a goal down. Hero of the day was Ramy Bensebaini. The Algerian left back scored a powerful header and then a last-minute penalty that saw Javi Martinez sent off. For the second week in a row, Bayern were left wondering how they lost a game. Gladbach and Marco Rose, meanwhile, feel pretty good about life at the top. Dortmund found their groove again, smashing Fortuna Düsseldorf who now look a side in trouble. Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho both scored two and assisted one in a breakout second half from the home side. Wearing a slick all black kit dedicated to the city s mining heritage, Dortmund left the visitors chasing shadows. The win puts them two points clear of Bayern, and five off Gladbach. Now they just need to stay consistent. Christian Streich deserves yet another medal for yet another season of defying the odds. Granted there s a way to go, but Freiburg are fifth with the Christmas break not far away. Jonathan Schmid from a set-piece proved enough for the club that now has one more point than Bayern. Augsburg also deserve credit for upsetting the odds, albeit on a different level. Martin Schmidt has done a great job with a limited squad and the team are firmly placed in the middle of the table after beating a previously resurgent Mainz side. Union Berlin s win against Cologne was a result of yet another solid performance from the hosts. It was also a reminder that despite Cologne s rich history, it s Union who look far more at home in Germany s top flight. Under Urs Fischer, the club have won their last four home games without conceding. They now have seven more points than their Berlin rivals Hertha and are just five points off Bayern Munich. What a season so far for the newcomers. With Gladbach leading the table, there hasn t been much room to talk about the side in second but RB Leipzig may well win the title this season. They have given themselves a great chance, thanks largely to Julian Nagelsmann s ability to manage his team, in particular Timo Werner. The German striker just keeps scoring, and two more against Hoffenheim helped them on their way to their fifth straight win. Watch out. The quotes: "What can I say about it? I m a goalkeeper." Manuel Neuer on Bayern Munich s poor chance-conversion rate "Whoever plays good football needs a good pitch." Bayer Leverkusen s Peter Bosz "This is something for the ages. On December 7, 2019, Freiburg were ahead of Bayern Munich after matchday 14. That s great for a historical follow-up." Freiburg s Christian Streich "It s a bit annoying because I don t like to talk much." Jonathan Schmid on all the interviews he had to do after his goal "It s Christmas, it s in the club shop. It s a great Christmas present. It was appropriate for today. After the home win I was in a great mood, and then I m game for anything. It s the second Advent, three points, nice jumper - everything fits." Augsburg s Martin Schmidt on his choice of attire for the press conference "Work is on the to-do list. And Swabians love to work." Jürgen Klinsmann, who grew up in and around the region of Swabia, on how the next few weeks look for Hertha Berlin The stats: Dortmund have scored in each of their last 31 Bundesliga home games (87 goals). That s a club record. Four of Union s last seven goals have been Sebastian Andersson headers. Jonathan Schmid s direct free kick for Freiburg against Wolfsburg was the eighth direct free kick goal of Schmid s career. No current Bundesliga player has scored more. Bayern have now lost 21 games in Mönchengladbach. The record champions have not lost more games anywhere else. RB Leipzig had 25 shots on goal against Hoffenheim, a record high for them this season. Thorgan Hazard is now the all-time leading Belgian goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 34 goals. Claudio Pizarro is the first Bundesliga player to have faced 38 different opponents. The weird: The VAR saga will endure, but late on Sunday Paderborn felt the joy of the technology working in their favor. In an otherwise drab game, Paderborn stole a late win in curious fashion. A long-range shot deflected off Streli Mamba to land at the feet of Sven Michel, who tapped in. The original decision was offside, but the VAR stepped in and noticed that Bremen defender Gebre Selassie was keeping Mamba onside and so the goal was given, which allowed Paderborn to seal just their second win of the season. Michel and the Paderborn fans were sent into delirium, proving that the technology can be a hero and not always the villain.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on Saturday the Olympic national team for football, the winners of the African Cup of Nations Under-23 who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, alongside various other Egyptian athletes to award them the “Egyptian Sports Medal”. Those awarded were the players of the national squash team who won the world championships for adults and juniors, the national karate team that won the World Youth Championship, and the participating national Paralympic mission to the World Championship held recently in Australia, in addition to their coaches. The President praised the achievements made by these sporting champions, and their contributions towards strengthening Egypt s position on the regional and international sporting scene. He stressed his appreciation for Egypt s athletes, as they represent role models for youth in pushing on to achieve their goals and in excelling. Sisi ordered the relevant bodies to provide the necessary capabilities towards the Egyptian athletes, ensuring they have full support to achieve further sporting achievements. The honored athletes expressed their pride to receive this honoring from the president. They said that this honor represents an additional incentive for them to raise Egypt s reputation even further in the sporting world. The honoring ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy, and heads and officials of the relevant national sports federations.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the final list of candidates for the African Player of the Year award, which includes Egypt s football superstar Mohamed Salah. From Algeria, Manchester City star Riad Mehrez and Ahli Jeddah s Saudi star Youssef al-Bailili will compete against Senegal s Sadio Mane, Liverpool star, and Calido Coulibaly, Napoli s defender. The winner will be announced during the ceremony to be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 in Hurghada, in the presence of a number of prominent African legends. The list includes Cameroon s Andre Onana, Ajax player, Morocco s Hakim Ziach, Ajax player, Algeria s Ismail Ben Nacer, Milan player, Senegal s Caledo Coulibaly, Naples player, and Gabon s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal player. The CAF awards celebrate African footballers and officials who have distinguished themselves this year. The list of nominees is compiled by a panel of media and technical professionals, the CAF said. Salah won the African Player of the Year award two times in 2018 and 2017. The CAF Awards feature several categories for men s and women s football besides the African Player of the Year, such as: Coach of the Year, Youth Player of the Year, National Team of the Year, Goal of the Year, Africa Finest XI, Federation of the Year, and several new award categories which recognize exceptional contributions towards African football and inspiring individuals.

Sweden footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has fuelled speculation that he is set to return to Italy, where he has played for AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, by saying in an interview: "see you soon in Italy". The 38-year-old striker confirmed his departure from Los Angeles Galaxy last month following the club s elimination from the Major League Soccer playoffs. "I ll join a club which must get back to winning, which must renew its history and is in search of a battle against everyone and everything," Ibrahimovic told GQ Italia. "That is the only way I ll be able to find the necessary motivation to surprise you again. "It s not just about choosing a team, as there are other factors that need to line up, including in the interests of my family. "I ll see you in Italy soon." According to reports in Italy, Ibrahimovic has been offered a six-month deal to come to the aid of struggling former giants AC Milan, who are 11th in the Serie A table. Napoli are also a possible destination as last season s runners-up sit seventh, after a run of six league games without a win. "I love to make the difference," he added. "I don t just want to do one or two things well, I want to do all of it." Ibrahimovic played for two seasons between 2010 and 2012 with AC Milan, helping them to their last Serie A title, and scoring 42 goals in 61 league appearances. He also won three league titles with Inter Milan, and two with Juventus, which were both revoked following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.

Zamalek announced early on Tuesday that it is assigning French coach Patrice Carteron to lead the team after terminating the contract of Serbian coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic by mutual consent. Carteron, who is scheduled to arrive in Cairo today, will be assisted by former club players Samy El-Sheshiny and Amir Abdel-Aziz, according to Zamalek s official website, which did not reveal further details about the Frenchman s contract with the Whites. This will be Carteron s third time in Egypt, as he led Wadi Degla in 2016 and Ahly in 2018. He will be the fourth coach to have led both Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek. Under the helm of the 49-year-old Carteron, Ahly reached the final of the Confederation of African Football Champions League, but lost against Tunisia s Esperance, which led the Reds to sack him. He managed to win the CAF Champions League with Congo s TP Mazembe in the 2014-2015 season, and won with the latest club he had led, Raja of Morocco, in the CAF Super Cup 2018-2019. After less than four months, Zamalek terminated Micho s contract on Monday, following a string of poor results including a 3-0 away defeat to TP Mazembe in the African Champions League last weekend. The 50-year-old tactician, who took charge of Zamalek in August 2019, had a brilliant debut of his tenure with a blistering 6-0 victory against Somalia s Dekedaha in the preliminary round of Africa s elite club competition. He went on to claim his first title with the club in less than a month after beating Pyramids FC in Egypt s Cup final. Zamalek s season has gone downhill since they lost the Super Cup title to Ahly 3-2. The team struggled in the league to slip to fourth after being held 1-1 by newly promoted side FC Masr and conceding a stunning 2-1 defeat by bottom side Enppi. The pressure has been mounting on the former Uganda and Rwanda coach who saw his tactics questioned by the fans and media following his numerous changes to the lineups and schemes. Micho used 27 players over the course of 13 games winning eight times, drawing once and conceding four defeats. Caretron s first challenge with Zamalek is expected to be when they host Primero Agosto of Angola on Saturday in the second group stage game of the African Champions League ahead of a busy December schedule. The Whites seem at a crossroads now as the club is also facing a financial crisis that pushed Tunisian full back Hamdi Nagguez towards the exit door as he decided to unilaterally terminate his contract over unpaid dues. Reports have revealed that other players have requested a meeting with officials to discuss the crisis. Zamalek currently lie fifth on the Egyptian Premier League table with 10 points from five matches, while champions Ahly come second with 12 points from four matches.

Zamalek s Tunisian fullback Hamdi Nagguez has terminated his contract with his team after winning a lawsuit against the management over his delayed fees, the player s lawyer Anis bin Mime announced on Monday. "Hamdi Nagguez terminated his contract with Zamalek club and he is now a free agent who has the right to join any team," Anis bin Mime announced via his twitter account early on Monday. "We also lodged a complaint to FIFA asking for the player s delayed fees from Zamalek." The Tunisian fullback lawyer confirmed that his client sent a formal letter to Zamalek asking for his delayed fees, but the Egyptian club s management ignored the player s request, so he decided to inform FIFA about his case and terminated his contract with the team. Nagguez also wrote on his Instagram account that he terminated his contract with Zamalek because the club did not pay his financial dues for over two months, thanking the team s fans and wishing his teammates good luck. The Cairo giants Zamalek signed Nagguez on a three-and-a-half-year contract durin the summer transfer window of 2018 season coming from Etoile du Sahel. After losing to TP Mazembe, Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour announced that he would not pay the players dues until the team returns to winning ways. Zamalek are suffering a poor run in the Egyptian Premier League and the African Champions League, as the team recently lost 3-0 to TP Mazembe of DR Congo away from home in the first round of the group stage after losing to struggling side Enppi 2-1 in the domestic league.

Egyptian League Champions Ahly will face archrivals Zamalek in their anticipated Cairo derby on 19 February, the Egyptian Football Association revealed on Sunday. "Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek will be played on 19 February; the final day of the league s first round at Cairo s international stadium," read a statement by the EFA. The derby was initially scheduled to be played on 19 October, but it was postponed indefinitely at the time due to security reasons. The postponement decision caused an outcry at the time by several clubs and officials, especially from Ahly, against the disruption of the competition s schedule. "The new dates of the Egyptian Premier league matches have been set with coordination with security authorities," added the EFA s statement. Ahly currently lie second at the Egyptian Premier League table with 12 points after four matches, just one point behind leaders Arab Contractors who played one match more. Zamalek lie at the 5th place with 10 points from five matches.

Premier League leaders Liverpool and champions Manchester City are heading into an intense month of fixtures with neither looking close to their best. Liverpool laboured to a 1-1 draw with Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, lacking the intensity and attacking potency that has been at the heart of their success under manager Juergen Klopp. City stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in the same competition, with no sign of the zip and verve that has characterised Pep Guardiola s team over the past two title-winning seasons. Both looked like sides who could do with a rest, a nice week in a warm-weather resort recharging their batteries, but the price of competing at the highest level -- at home and abroad -- is a gruelling December that offers no respite and plenty of potential bumps in the road. City need no reminders of the dangers that lie in wait for them in Newcastle on Saturday -- one of their four defeats last season came in a 2-1 reverse at St James Park in January. With their all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero sidelined by injury, Guardiola is banking on his only other striker, Gabriel Jesus, delivering goals and keeping fit through the coming month. He also needs his team to rediscover the slick passing game and dominance of midfield that has been their hallmark but has been sorely missing in recent weeks. Injuries are part of the process at this time of year especially and Liverpool suffered a blow with their key holding midfielder Fabinho picking up an ankle injury against Napoli. It is unclear how long the Brazilian will be sidelined for but they will probably be without him at home to Brighton on Saturday. Against Napoli, only Roberto Firmino looked in top form and that will be a concern for Klopp as he heads into a month in which his team also have to contend with two games in Qatar in the Club World Cup. To add to the workload, both teams have derby matches on the horizon with Liverpool hosting Everton on Wednesday and City taking on Manchester United on Dec. 7. It looks the ideal moment for second-placed Leicester City to take advantage and push themselves into the race. Brendan Rodgers side are a point ahead of City and eight behind Liverpool and on Sunday they face an Everton team whose manager Marco Silva will be worrying he might not even survive to Wednesday s Merseyside derby. Another manager under intense pressure is West Ham s Manuel Pellegrini who won t be looking forward to Saturday s visit to in-form fourth-placed Chelsea. Manchester United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side in need of a convincing performance after struggling for large parts of their 3-3 draw at Sheffield United. Jose Mourinho will look to make it three wins out of three since taking over at Tottenham Hotspur when Bournemouth visit North London on Saturday.

Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard is set to be fit for the Clasico against Liga leaders Barcelona after tests showed he had bruised but not twisted his ankle as first feared. Hazard was one of Real s top performers in Tuesday s 2-2 Champions League draw at home to Paris St Germain but hobbled off after being tackled by Belgium team mate Thomas Meunier. The 28-year-old was substituted midway through the second half and Real coach Zinedine Zidane said he was worried about the injury and thought Hazard had twisted his ankle, throwing his availability for the Dec. 18 Clasico into doubt. Real s concerns were eased by the medical report released by the club on Wednesday, which stated Hazard had a bruised right ankle although it did not say how long he would be sidelined. Newspaper Marca said the 100 million euro (£86 million) player was set to miss the trip to Alaves on Saturday but would be back for Real s following game at home to Espanyol on Dec. 8. Real are second in La Liga, level with Barca on 28 points after 13 games and visit their rivals at the Camp Nou next month after the fixture was rescheduled from Oct. 26 over security concerns following political unrest in Barcelona.

Zamalek club president Mortada Mansour has sanctioned the team s players after their embarrassing 2-1 defeat by last-placed Enppi on Monday. The game had been postponed for more than a month due to the Africa U23 Cup of Nations tournament in Cairo, which was won by the Young Pharaohs. Despite the long period which Zamalek could have invested in enhancing their strategies, they conceded the fastest goal of the season at only 23 seconds in, and failed to score during the match apart from a penalty kick. They also failed to prevent their nets from receiving Enppi s winning goal in the final minutes. "Zamalek s board provided all the possibilities for success, there are no dues for any player. There is a greedy player that wants a contract of 20 million pounds, and will not make strife," Mansour said at a press conference on Tuesday. "I have deducted 2 percent from each player for several reasons. The technical staff [also] made mistakes and will be punished after they return from Congo. "There will be no bonuses for any player until the end of the season after yesterday s farce. There will be no changes in contracts for any player," he added. Zamalek is scheduled to travel to Congo on Wednesday in preparation for their first game in the group stage of Confederation of African Football s (CAF) Champions League against TP Mazembe Premiro de Agosto on Saturday. Group A also includes Zambia s ZESCO United. Zamalek are currently fourth in the Egyptian Premier League table on 10 points.

Harry Kane hopes proven winner Jose Mourinho can deliver the trophies that Tottenham crave after taking over as manager from Mauricio Pochettino. The Portuguese, back in the game after 11 months out, led his new club to a 3-2 win at West Ham on Saturday -- their first Premier League away win since January. Kane was a staunch supporter of Pochettino, crediting him with making him into one of the top strikers in the world, and visited the Argentine at his home after his dismissal. "It s a week I ve never really had in my career before," said the England captain. "It was a big shock on Tuesday night for everyone, the players included, and then it was a quick turnaround. "All of a sudden we ve got a new manager, one of the best managers there s been in the game, so automatically you have to turn your head towards that and focus on the game." Pochettino, who took Spurs to the Champions League final in June, ended his five-and-a-half year stint with no silverware. Kane has expressed his desire to win trophies at Spurs and is hoping that Mourinho, a former boss of Chelsea and Manchester United, can help him achieve his goals. "The gaffer s won at every club he s gone to -- there s no hiding away from that," Kane said. "He wants to win. He s a proven winner. I ve made it clear that I m at the stage of my career where I want to win trophies. "I ve made it clear I want to win them here and it s a big year for us." Kane said Mourinho s reputation for winning silverware gave the players confidence. "It s almost a fresh slate for everyone now to show the manager what they can do and hopefully the players can thrive on that," he said. Midfielder Eric Dier said the players were lucky to be able to work under Mourinho, whom he called the "perfect" replacement for Pochettino. "His record is unbelievable and he transmits that confidence. The way he speaks, you believe it, you feel it from him," Dier said.

Egypt s U23 national football team played the recent Africa Cup of Nations under pressure, said star winger Ramadan Sobhi after lifting his first-ever trophy as a skipper. The in-form Ahly winger scored an extra-time winner and provided an assist as Egypt beat Cote d Ivoire 2-1 to win the Cup title for the first time in Cairo on Friday. "I am happy to win my first-ever title as Egypt s skipper," Sobhi, 23, told beIN Sports TV channel after the match. "The elimination of the senior national team from the Africa Cup of Nations at home last summer put us under pressure during this tournament. "We were trying to please the fans and we had no other choice but to win the title," he added. Sobhi, who is on loan at Cairo giants Ahly from English second-division side Huddersfield Town, scored three goals for the young Pharaohs and played a key role in guiding them to win the prestigious title. His outstanding performances earned him both Man of the Competition title and Man of the Match in Friday s match. "There was a limited number of fans in the stands in the opening match, but once we delivered a good performance the fans came to support us in the rest of the matches," explained Sobhi, referring to a packed Cairo stadium as the team cruised from one victory to another in the tournament. Egypt had ensured a place at the Olympic Games for the 12th time after defeating South Africa 3-0 in the semi final on Tuesday. "Ensuring a place at the Tokyo Olympics wasn t enough. I told the players we must snatch the Cup, especially that the tournament is played at home," he concluded.

Ousted from previous jobs for fomenting friction, Jose Mourinho is returning to coaching trying to show he is rejuvenated with the smile back. Will Tottenham be getting a mellowed manager, rather than the one who stoked internal feuds at Chelsea and Manchester United? Mourinho s exile from management ended after being appointed on Wednesday by Tottenham within 12 hours of the announcement of Mauricio Pochettino s firing. ``I couldn t be happier and look forward to the challenge, Mourinho said in a video released by Tottenham. ``What can I promise? Passion, real passion. ``Passion for my job, but also passion for my club, that s the way I have been all my career and I want to try, obviously, everything to bring happiness to everyone who loves the club. Mourinho has always delivered happiness in the form of trophies and title successes. But several of his stints have also seen the atmosphere around the team sour as his relationship broke down with club officials, players and even fans. There was the ``palpable discord that curtailed Mourinho s second spell at Chelsea in December 2015. A turbulent 2{-year spell followed at Manchester United that ended in December 2018 when the club tired of the volatile coach constantly picking fights and criticizing his own players as the team struggled. But he won three Premier League titles during his two spells at Chelsea, and lifted the Europa League trophy as the highlight of his time in Manchester. He now arrives at a club without a track record of winning titles, with no trophy lifted since the 2008 League Cup. While Pochettino transformed Tottenham, achieving an unprecedented four consecutive Champions League qualifications as the team rose in status, a trophy eluded the Argentine during his 5{-year stint. He led the club to its first Champions League final last season, only to lose to Liverpool. Rather than being a springboard for a sustained challenge in the Premier League to deliver Tottenham s first championship since 1961, Pochettino sounded increasingly unsettled. Having said on the eve of the Champions League final he could choose to walk away from Tottenham, that decision was taken out of Pochettino s hands 173 days later when he was fired on Tuesday night. Tottenham s improbable run to a first European Cup final masked a drop-off in form in the Premier League that has seen the team win just six of its 24 games since February, straddling the end of last season and the start of this season. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said he turned to Mourinho to bring ``energy and belief back to the club. ``He has a wealth of experience, Levy said, ``can inspire teams and is a great tactician. Mourinho takes charge of Tottenham for the first time on Saturday at West Ham with the team 14th in the Premier League after 12 games, 11 points off the four Champions League qualification positions where Tottenham grew accustomed to finishing under Pochettino. ``It s a privilege when a manager goes to a club and feels that happiness in relation to the squad he is going to have, said Mourinho, who oversaw his first Tottenham training session on Wednesday. Since leaving Porto for Chelsea in 2004, Mourinho has always worked at clubs with big budgets so Tottenham is not necessarily a natural fit. Pochettino had to battle against the biggest teams in Europe while working with strict financial constraints, particularly as Tottenham prepared to move into its new stadium last season. The club has prioritized developing young talent from within the academy, including striker Harry Kane and midfielder Harry Winks, and Mourinho knows he has to follow the same philosophy. ``There is not one manager in the world who does not like to play young players and help young players to evolve, Mourinho said. ``The problem is sometimes you get into clubs and the work that is below you is not good enough to produce these players. Tottenham s players will certainly respect Mourinho s resume, which also includes league titles with Porto in Portugal, Inter Milan in Italy and Real Madrid in Spain. He has won the Champions League with two clubs, Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010. It is Mourinho s man-management that has mostly been questioned in the latter years of his coaching career, given his penchant for publicly criticizing his own players. The 56-year-old Portuguese is surrounded by a new coaching staff at Tottenham, with Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos joining from Lille. Mourinho signed a contract to the end of the 2022-23 season with Tottenham but has never spent more than 3{ years in a single stint at one club. While Mourinho says Tottenham has ``good players that the majority of the big clubs in Europe would be looking for , the squad needs a revamp after growing stale because of the lack of recent recruitment. He will need to quickly fix Tottenham s leaky defense and get more out of the team s underperforming midfielders, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen. The main playmaker, Eriksen appeared to be on his way out of the club as he seeks a new challenge but working under Mourinho might offer that. Mourinho, who still has a house in London, will be back coaching the Champions League next week, too, with Tottenham needing one win from its final two group-stage games to qualify for the knockout stage. The team is out of the English League Cup, having been eliminated by fourth-tier Colchester in one of a number of humiliating results under Pochettino this season.

Egypt s U23 national football team fought hard to reach Tokyo s 2020 Olympics, according to coach Shawky Gharib, who promised to do his best to win a medal for the country in the Olympic Games. The young Pharaohs defeated South Africa 3-0 on Tuesday to qualify for the U23 Nations Cup final and reach the Olympic Games for the 12th time. "We did a lot of work for this achievement. The qualification to the Olympics is a gift for Egyptians. We did a lot," Gharid told beIN sports TV channel after the match. "Every match has its own strategy. We managed to put pressure on South Africa s defence, which is the strongest in the tournament. "I told the players in the break that we hadn t seen that number of fans in the stands since the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt, and that we would qualify even if we die trying," he added, referring to the reportedly 70,000 supporters who were in the stands at Cairo Stadium on Tuesday. Egypt will be facing Cote d Ivoire in the Nations Cup final on Friday, with Ghana and South Africa battling it out in the third-place playoff, which will determine Africa s third representative in Tokyo. "We achieved our first target [the qualification], and now is the time for the second one [the Nations Cup title]," said Gharib. Egypt was aiming to book a place in Tokyo 2020 after the team missed the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. The Egyptian team last took part in the Olympic Games in 2012, reaching the quarterfinals before losing 3-0 to Japan in Manchester. "I will do my best to win a medal at the Olympics like I did with Egypt s Youth team when we won the bronze in the 2001 World Cup," he concluded.

The Egyptian national team coach Hossam El-Badry asserted that the national team would qualify to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations despite the poor performance in the first two rounds after drawing with Comoros and Kenya. "Egypt will be among the qualified teams to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in the end," El-Badry told post game press conference. Egypt tied with Comoros 0-0 in the second round of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at Malouzini Stadium, to be the second successive draw after their 1-1 game against Kenya last Thursday. "We are facing tough circumstances in the latest period which caused this result. The national team are suffering from many tough situations, most notably the absence of a number of players," the Ahly former coach said. Egypt are now second in their Group G standings with two points, while Comoros lead the group with four points, after they had defeated Togo 1-0 in the first round. "Some people attack me without any ideas, and say that everything was provided to the national team and that there are no problems, which is totally wrong. I didn t talk about it not to justify the poor performance," he added. El-Badry assured that the pause of the Egyptian Premier League and Pyramids players not participating in the national team affected the performance of the players negatively.. The Egyptian Premier League is now paused due to the U23 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Egypt from 8 to 22 November. Meanwhile, Pyramids players didn t participate during Kenya and Comoros games because El-Badry refused Pyramids request that the players join the national team s camp later than the scheduled date.

Egypt would find themselves in an unlikely embarrassing situation should they fail to overcome minnows Comoros in Monday s African Cup of Nations qualifier, having been held to a shock opening draw with Kenya. On paper, the record seven-time African champions were expected to easily top the group from the day the draw was made after they were paired with Kenya, Comoros and Togo. However, a lethargic opening display in a 1-1 draw against Kenya last week in Alexandria raised alarm bells, casting doubts over Egypt s ability to claim what were expected to be straightforward victories. The Pharaohs struggled to break down Kenya, lacking spark and imagination without talisman Mohamed Salah, who will also be absent against Comoros as he nurses an ankle injury he picked up in Liverpool s 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester City. Another source of creativity, winger Ramadan Sobhi, also remains absent as he takes part in the U23 Nations Cup with Egypt s Olympic side, with the senior team also lacking an out-and-out striker due to the injury of Portugal-based Ahmed Kouka and Masry s Ahmed Gomaa. "We dropped two points but there is still a long way to go," coach Hossam El-Badry said after the draw with Kenya. "The players were not physically fit due to the lengthy break of the Egyptian Premier League but I m sure we will improve in the coming period." Egypt s qualification for the 2021 Cameroon finals would no longer be deemed a formality if they stumble against Comoros away from home in an afternoon kick-off on Monday. Their task to bag all three points will not be easy as Comoros kicked off their qualifying campaign with a bang, defeating Togo 1-0 to go on top of Group G. They haven t been also defeated at home since losing 1-0 to Burkina Faso in June 2016. Last year, they held giants Cameroon and Morocco to home draws.

Egyptian national team have left on a nine-hour flight to Comoros for Monday s scheduled game in the second match in Group G in the qualifiers of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Cameroon. The Pharaohs started their qualification campaign with a 1-1 draw against Kenya on Thursday at Borg El-Arab stadium in Alexandria in Group G, which includes Comoros and Togo. Comoros tops Group G with three points after beating Togo 1-0. Egypt and Kenya sit in second place with one point each. The national team held a morning training session led by coach Hossam El-Badry before leaving to Comoros with players who participated in Kenya s game last night taking part in rehabilitation sessions. Egypt s striker Ahmed Gomaa was ruled out from the trip due to a knee injury he sustained during the morning trainings.

Egypt started their 2021 qualifying campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw by Kenya at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium on Thursday. Mahmoud Kahraba Abdel-Moneam opened the scoring for the Pharaohs, three minutes before the break, while Kenya s Michael Olunga leveled the score for the visitors seven minutes after the hour-mark. The Pharaohs seemed affected by the absence of Liverpool s classy winger Mohamed Salah, who missed the game due to injury, as they failed to impress against Kenya (108th in FIFA ranking), a team that they outrank by almost 60 places in the FIFA October ranking. Egypt s newly appointed coach Hossam El-Badri introduced Hussein El-Shahat on the right flank, but the Ahly winger failed to fill the void left by Salah s absence. The Pharaohs chances were few in the first half. Kahraba, who got a surprising call-up by coach El-Badri despite his lack of playing time with his Portuguese side CD Aves, had a chance in the 19th minute, but his close-range shot went easily into the hands of the Kenya keeper. The visitors responded quickly as Ayub Timbe and Olunga threatened to open the scoring on two occasions in the 22nd and 23rd minutes respectively, but Egypt s keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi rescued his side on both occasions. Three minutes before the break, Kahraba intercepted a back pass from defender Erick Ouma to get past the onrushing keeper and to score easily in an empty net. The Pharaohs started the second half with a slow rhythm, failing to overcome Kenya s high pressure. El-Badri introduced Ahmed Zizo Hassan at the expense of Hussein El-Shahat in the 56th, but the Zamalek winger failed to make his presence felt. Besiktas midfielder Mohamed Elneny was El-Badri s second substitute in the 65th minute when he replaced attacking midfielder Mohamed Magdi as the Pharaohs coach tried to control the midfield. Two minutes later, Kenya forward Michael Olunga intercepted a poor pass from Elneny to level the score. The Pharaohs pulled on the attack to regain the advantage, but Trezeguet s close range shot was blocked only to fall into the path of Elneny s, whose shot was deflected into the corner. The Egyptian side struggled during the last 10 minutes of the game against a defensive-minded side who were content to share honours with the hosts. Egypt are now second in group G with a single point, two points behind leaders Comoros, who claimed a 1-0 away win over Togo earlier in the day. Egypt will face Comoros on Monday.

Egypt boss Hossam El-Badry said on Wednesday he has "many solutions" to fill the void left by the injured Mohamed Salah when his side face Kenya and Comoros in the Africans Nations Cup qualifiers. The Pharaohs start their qualifying campaign at home to Kenya on Thursday before meeting Comoros away from home four days later. Salah, who joined up with the team on Tuesday, was declared unfit for both games after aggravating an ankle injury in Liverpool s 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. "Salah has an ankle problem," El-Badry told the pre-match news conference on Wednesday. "He is not fit to play with the team ... but we have four players in his position and they are capable of replacing him." El-Badry also said he is confident Egypt would be able to overcome Kenya and Comoros. "We are confident that we will achieve our mission," he adedd. Egypt were drawn in Group G with Kenya, Comoros and Togo. The first two teams in the 12 groups of the Nations Cup qualifiers will reach the tournament, which will take place in Cameroon in the summer of 2021.

Egyptian clubs Masry and Pyrmaids FC were drawn in one group in the African Confederation Cup group stage according to the draw that was conducted Tuesday at CAF s Headquarters in Cairo. Masry and Pyramids were drawn in Group A, which also includes Mauritanian debutants Noadhibou and Nigeria s Rangers. Costal side Masry, who are competing in Africa s secondary competition for the fourth successive time, booked their place at the group stage after beating Cot d Or of Seychelles 6-0 on aggregate in the preliminary round. Masry s best achievement in the Confederation Cup history was reaching the semi final against Congo s Vital club in 2018. Meanwhile, Pyramids FC, who are making their first ever appearance in the tournament, reached the group stage with a 5-1 aggregate win over Young Africans of Tanzania in the playoffs. The Port Said-based club Masry will kick off their groups stage campaign by facing Mauritania s Noadhibou away on 1 December, while Pyramids will take on Nigeria s Rangers. Masry and Pyramids will face off in an all-Egyptian confrontations in the third and fourth rounds of the groups stage on 29 December and 16 February according to Masry s official twitter account. Group stage matches will kick off on 1 December 2019.

Blaise Matuidi has been ruled out of France s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Moldova and Albania after fracturing a rib cartilage, the midfielder s club Juventus announced on Monday. "Blaise Matuidi will not participate in the National Team retreat with France, after he withdrew from yesterday s match against Milan," the Italian champions said in a statement on their English language website. "The midfielder today underwent an MRI scan today, which showed a fracture of the cartilage of the tenth rib." Juventus did not state for how long the 32-year-old would be out of action. Matuidi picked up the injury in the 1-0 win over AC Milan that kept Juve top of Serie A, and failed to make the trip to Paris ahead of the two Group H clashes on Thursday and Sunday which could seal qualification for next summer s finals. "Unfortunately I am out of the side, but I m certain that the @equipefrance will qualify," Matuidi said on Twitter. Coach Didier Deschamps has picked Arsenal s uncapped Matteo Guendouzi in Matuidi s place, and is sweating on the fitness of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who suffered a groin injury in Tottenham s 1-1 Premier League draw with Sheffield United. Les Bleus squad will meet at the historic Clairefontaine training camp with France second in their group, level on 19 points with leaders Turkey and four ahead of third-placed Iceland with two matches to play. With two teams qualifying from each group, a win against bottom side Moldova at the Stade de France this week would guarantee a spot in the finals. They will also qualify if Iceland fail to beat Turkey.