Chelsea are not getting on at all well in pre-season. Xabi Alonso is already under criticism, and on top of that a bizarre oddity occurs in a friendly.
Omar Marmoush scored two second-half goals in three minutes as Manchester City completed their Asian pre-season tour with a 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in Seoul. Trailing to Jorge Dominguez's opener, Enzo Maresca's side roared back through Marmoush's double before Rayan Ait-Nouri sealed the win in stoppage time ahead of the Community Shield.
Chelsea's penultimate pre-season fixture in Malaysia descended into confusion following a dramatic 3-3 draw against Johor Darul Ta'zim. Fans inside the stadium were left baffled as a mandatory post-match penalty shootout was unexpectedly scrapped, prompting furious touchline exchanges before both squads departed the pitch without resolving the tie.
Amakhosi returned to the MTN8 Cup competition after missing out for two seasons, but their comeback ended in disappointment as they were knocked out by Abafana Bes'thende. The Soweto giants were left to rue their missed opportunities in the final third, with their lack of cutting edge ultimately costing them dearly and ruling them out of the Wafa Wafa and leaving them without a domestic cup competition to compete for at this stage of the season.
Babina Noko came from behind to eliminate Usuthu from the MTN8 quarter-final in a seven-goal thriller on Sunday afternoon. The Limpopo-based side joined big guns Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in the last four of the competition.
The Bafana Bafana youngster came off the bench on the hour mark and scored his first league goal for the club just four minutes later to put his side 3-1 up. The goal follows on from his penalty shoot out winner from the week before when The Unionists lifted the Belgian Super Cup.
Banyana Banyana were eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament by hosts Morocco who joined Algeria in booking their place in the semi finals and a spot at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
