THEY SAID IT ...

"I think Bruce is growing in stature and working very hard as a young man. We're very close to each other, we used to be in the development together. So before the game, I told him that it's key for him to keep a clean sheet. I told him to make sure we don't concede and it will go a long way, especially for your career, and it happened exactly how we planned it. Maybe that is why he broke down after the game because he was obviously happy not to concede.”

Kaizer Chiefs’ acting co-coach Arthur Zwane on the African Champions League heroics of goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma.

“It’s about managing the squad, making sure everyone is feeling as fit and sharp as possible. In my case, it was a tough couple of games and it’s about making sure I’m right for the rest of them. I didn’t have any issues. I didn’t feel physically I wasn’t up to it. I felt going into those games as good as I’ve felt all season, if I’m honest.”

Harry Kane plays down concerns over his fitness after two drab Euro 2020 performances and that he has been distracted by his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur.

"The moment has come, one of the most difficult in my life, to say goodbye to Real Madrid. I arrived hand in hand with my father. It's impossible not to get emotional. Thank you, Real Madrid. I will always carry you in my heart. It's the end of a wonderful, unique period in my life.” Sergio Ramos bursts into tears at his farewell press conference this week.

“That’s Italy! Our country has 60 million coaches and it’s impossible to slip away from them. But at the same time, it speaks for how deeply involved Italians are with their national team, especially when it comes to final competitions. Italians love football so much and that’s fantastic.” Italy manager Roberto Mancini on the pressure of carrying the hopes of a football-crazy nation

“We don’t have any problem to deal with such situations. The difficulty was that the team ate their last meal three hours before the match, and after it was postponed for an hour, the team did not eat for four hours, and for this, we lacked energy in the last minutes of the second half. I asked the players to calm down, because their role is to play football.”

Al Ahly’s warm-up before Saturday’s African Champions League match in Tunisia was interrupted by teargas as police clashed with fans, but coach Pitso Mosimane said he had seen it all before.