Kick Off

Liverpool managed to come from behind twice and secured a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United in their Premier League opener at St James Park Stadium on Sunday evening. The Reds' defence were pierced open in the fifth minute when a turnover of possession led to a counter-attack and a burst of speed on the right by Anthony Elanga ended with a stern finish into the bottom-corner.

Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla believes a good attitude from the players was key to securing their 1-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg on Sunday afternoon. Abafana Besthende, who eliminated the tournament record holders Kaizer Chiefs to reach this stage of the competition, were resilient from the onset and grabbed the winner midway in the first half through Sede Dion.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso bemoaned lapses of concentration in their 1-0 loss to Golden Arrows in the first-leg of the MTN8 semi-final on Sunday afternoon. Although, having made a good start to the match – the forced substitution of Arrows goalkeeper Edward Maova for Thakasani Mbanjwa took the rhythm out of the game least of all that of the Brazilians.

The All Blacks have named their team for their clash against the Lions, on Tuesday. There’s a familiar name at flyhalf with Richie Mo’unga, flown out as an injury replacement, starting for the first time on tour. READ | The All Blacks’ clever defensive tactic that caught the Boks cold Mo’unga will be partnered by another injury replacement, Noah Hotham, who starts at No 9, while veteran Beauden Barrett is named at fullback.

A former Zamalek star has backed Rulani Mokwena to lead Pyramids FC to the Egyptian Premier League title this season. Pyramids began their league campaign with a 3-0 victory Ghazl El Mahalla on Saturday night. Read: Rulani leads Pyramids to big win on league debut The 2025 CAF Champions League winners finished second in the Premier League behind Zamalek last season. However, former Zamalek star Tarik Yahya feels Pyramids are in a better position compared to rivals Zamalek and Al Ahly this campaign.

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabiso Malatsi has opened up on how he remembers Michael Nkambule, following his passing just over a week ago. Nkambule was laid to rest last weekend, as the football fraternity flocked to Daveyton to pay their last respects.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus highlighted a key area in defence where the All Blacks surprised the Springboks in their 33-16 win at Ellis Park in the first Test in the Greatest Rivalry Series on Saturday. While the Springboks had periods of dominance, they couldn’t make it count, with New Zealand taking their chances whenever they were presented with them.

Mamelodi Sundowns entertain Golden Arrows in the first-leg of the MTN8 semi-finals at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It is been a solid start to the campaign for the Brazilians who edged Marumo Gallants on Wednesday to go into third spot in the Betway Premiership while continuing their unbeaten start to the season.

In this edition of My First, former Moroka Swallows and Black Leopards coach Zeca Marques shares with KickOff his first experiences in his coaching career. What was your first ever coaching qualification? It was something I did under the late Ted Dumitru in the African Soccer Academy. That was long time ago. Your first coaching gig? It was a club in the eastern leagues, they were in the Premier League. They were called Inter Primrose. Here I coached a team called Black Bees in the old Mvela League.

Congolese striker Fiston Mayele has explained why he decided to join Al Ahly Tripoli after leaving Pyramids FC. Mayele officially bid farewell to the 2025 CAF Champions League winners this week ahead of his move to Libya. Read: Ex-Downs star keeps Simba's winning start alive Mayele claims he was intrigued by the project, especially after talking with the club president. “I feel really welcomed here.