International Football
JAY JAY OKOCHA’S NEPHEW, IWOBI TAKES NIGERIA TO RUSSIA 2018
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria on Saturday became the first African team to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup after an energy sapping 1-0 defeat of brave Zambian side that put up stiff resistance.
Before a capacity crowd at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, millions of Nigerian football followers have Alexander Iwobi, the 21 year old nephew of Austin Jay Jay Okocha to thank.
He came off the bench midway the second half and instantly made impact as blasted home the clincher in the 73rd minute after an interchange of passes from Victor Moses and Abdullahi Shehu.
Incidentally, he scored the opening goal in the 2-1 win that the Super Eagles had recorded a year ago against Zambia in Ndola. Game appeared going even with both sides until Iwobi came in to replace Simon Moses.
Before then, the Super Eagles had been put on edge as chances after chances were being lost owing to anxiety and the tension created by the high stakes. The fluidity that had characterised previous encounters with Algeria and Cameroon were glaringly absent as the Zambians punctuated virtually every tricky interchange of passes.
Point man, Odion Igalo did not really get the spaces he deserved to optimise his game as he was often crowded by the rampaging Zambians.
The adventurous postures of the Zambians also added to the frustration that enveloped the arena. Coach Gernot Rohr had begun with the same line-up against Cameroon.
Nigeria scales through having attained an unassailable 13 points even with a match to go with bottom stuck Algeria which has lost every match apart from the opening day duel with Cameroon which ended 1-1.
The Super Eagles are six clear points ahead of second placed Zambia while Cameroon which also beat Algeria 2-0 occupies the third position on six points, just one behind Zambia’s.
Nigeria’s next match will be next month against Algeria in North Africa – a match which is just to fulfil the fixtures. Zambia will be hosting Cameroon in an inconsequential encounter in Lusaka.
In qualifying on Saturday, Nigeria became the first African side to do so.
The African Group B from where Nigeria qualified was seen by many as the toughest group.
But Nigeria was dominant, remaining unbeaten throughout and only dropping points thanks to a Cameroonian penalty on the road in Yaoundé.
The 4-0 win a few days earlier against the reigning African champions was a particular highlight. In beating Zambia on Saturday, Nigeria have extended their unbeaten streak in the World Cup to 34 matches.
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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