International Football
Titanic Clash as Nigeria Face Ghana in WAFU Cup Final
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It may not be a classic in a normal continental fixture, but a clash of Nigeria’s selected side against their Ghanaian counterparts evoke passion any day.
The final match of the revived WAFU Nations Cup on Sunday will therefore not be an exception even if the two countries are not featuring their best known talents.
Sports Village Square recalls that beyond the quest to win the WAFU Cup, national honour is at stake as clashes of both sides evoke passion since the first encounter 66 years ago in the then Jalco Cup played annually till 1959.
Even though the recent encounters seem to skew in favour of Nigeria, Ghana won most matches overall. This Sunday’s clash will be the 63rd involving national selections of both sides at Grade A or B encounters.
Sunday’s match is at Grade B level as it involved limited selections of players in the domestic league. Nine years ago when both first clashed at limited selection stage – the inaugural African Nations Championship qualification series, Ghana prevailed as Nigeria let off an initial two goal lead in Accra to lose 2-3.
In the return leg played in Calabar, Nigeria could only manage a goalless draw and crashed out on 2-3 aggregate.
Three years later at a WAFU Cup clash in Abeokuta, South West Nigeria, the Nigerian team won 2-1. When both clashed at the semi-finals of African Nations Championship in South Africa three years ago, Ghana prevailed in 4-1 in an ensuing penalty shootout after regulation and extra time score line stood at 0-0. But last week, the Nigerian team B side beat Ghana 2-0 in a Group A encounter of the current WAFU Cup.
Ghana, besides playing on home soil, will naturally be aiming for a revenge on Sunday. This, the Nigerian coach, Salisu Yusuf seems to know. According to a media statement from the NFF Media Department, Salisu Yusuf, is not perturbed: “We know what they will be up to and what they will be ready to give to take the trophy. We are more than ready to confront them and give them more than they expect.
“The Super Eagles have become used to winning, from winning the CHAN ticket to conquering Sierra Leone and even Ghana here to reach the final, and we cannot stop now. We want that winning mentality to remain all the way to the CHAN finals early next year.”
Even though the WAFU Cup could have served as dress rehearsal for the Nigerian side ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations holding in January, information at the disposal of Sports Village Square indicates that most of the current players may no longer be eligible as they are at the brink of signing overseas contracts.
GHANA – NIGERIA: Head-to-Head
P W D L F A
Ghana 62 23 21 18 91 68
Nigeria 62 18 21 23 68 91
20 Oct.1951 (JalcoCup) Nigeria 5-0 Ghana
11 Oct.1953 (JalcoCup) Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
30 Oct.1954 (JalcoCup) Nigeria 3-0 Ghana
30 Oct.1955 (JalcoCup) Ghana 7-0 Nigeria
27Oct.1956 (JalcoCup) Nigeria 3-0 Ghana
27Oct.1957 (JalcoCup) Ghana 3 -3 Nigeria
25 Oct.1958 (JalcoCup) Nigeria 3-2 Ghana
10 Oct. 1959 (OQ.) Nigeria 3 -1 Ghana
26 Oct. 1959 (OQ.) Ghana 4-1 Nigeria
22 Nov.1959 (JalcoCup) Ghana 5 -2 Nigeria
28 Aug. 1960 (WCq) Ghana 4-1 Nigeria
10 Sept. 1960 (WCq) Nigeria 2 -2 Ghana
9Oct.1960 (Nkrumah Cup) Nigeria 0-3 Ghana
29 Oct.1960 (Zik Cup) Nigeria 1-1 Ghana
8 April. 1961 (ACNq) Nigeria 0 -0 Ghana
30 Apr. 1961 (ACNq) Ghana 2-2 Nigeria
17 Dec. 1961 (F) Ghana 5 -1 Nigeria
10 Nov.1962 (F) Nigeria 0 -0 Ghana
23Feb.1963 (Nkrumah Cup) Ghana 5-0 Nigeria
30 Oct.1965 (Zik Cup) Nigeria 0-4 Ghana
7 Nov.1965 (Zik Cup) Ghana 3-0 Nigeria
28 Jan.1967 (Zik Cup) Nigeria 2-2 Ghana
12 Feb.1967 (Zik Cup) Ghana 2-0 Nigeria
22 Oct.1967 (Zik Cup) Ghana 2-1 Nigeria
23 Dec1967 (Zik Cup) Nigeria 2 -2 Ghana
10 May 1969 (WCq) Nigeria 2-1 Ghana
18 May 1969 (WCq) Ghana 1-1 Nigeria
8 Jan.1973 (2AAG.) Nigeria 4-2 Ghana
10 Feb. 1973 (WCq) Nigeria 2-3 Ghana
*Awarded 2- 0 to Ghana
25 Feb. 1973 (WCq) Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
11 Aug. 1974 (Festival) Nigeria 1-1 Ghana
17 Aug. 1974 (Festival) Nigeria 0-1 Ghana
24 Aug1975 (Festival) Ghana 1-2 Nigeria
30 Aug.1975 (Festival) Ghana 3-0 Nigeria
4 Sept.1977 (Ecowas) Nigeria 2-1 Ghana
8 Mar. 1978 (ACN) Ghana 1-1 Nigeria
21 July 1978 (3AAG) Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
1 May1983 (ECA.anniv) Ghana1-0 Nigeria
15 Oct. 1983 (OQ.) Nigeria 0 -0 Ghana
30 Oct. 1983 (OQ.) Ghana 1-2 Nigeria
5 March 1984(ACN) Ghana 1-2 Nigeria
27 Jul. 1986 (F) Ghana 2 -0 Nigeria
2 Sept.1990 (ACNq) Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
13 April 1991 (ACNq) Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
23 Jan. 1992 (ACN) Ghana 2-1 Nigeria
9 March 1994 (F) Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
28 Aug. 1999 (F) Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
11 Mar. 2001(WCq) Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
29 Jul.2001 (WCq) Nigeria 3-0 Ghana
3 Feb. 2002 (ACN) Ghana 0-1 Nigeria
15 Dec. 2002 (F) Ghana 0-1 Nigeria
30 May 2003 (LG Cup) Nigeria 3-1 Ghana
23 Jan. 2006 (ACN) Ghana 0-1 Nigeria
6 Feb 2007 (F) Ghana 4-1 Nigeria
3 Feb 2008 (ACN) Ghana 2-1 Nigeria
30 Nov. 2008 (Chan q) Ghana 3-2 Nigeria
14 Dec. 2008 (Chan q) Nigeria 0-0 Ghana
28 Jan. 2010 (ACN) Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
12 May 2011 (WAFU) Nigeria 2-1 Ghana
11 Oct. 2011 (F) Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
29 Jan. 2014 (Chan) Ghana 0-0 Nigeria (aet; 4-1 pso)
18 Sept 2017 (WAFU) Ghana 0-2 Nigeria
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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