International Football
FALCONETS BRUSH ASIDE MOROCCO, TO FACE SOUTH AFRICA
Three goals scored from counter –attacking positions steered the Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets, to a 5-1 trouncing of their visiting Moroccan counterparts at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Saturday evening.
A 45 –minute rainstorm swept through the stadium and environs just before kick –off, necessitating a delay that actually led to a meeting in which the Match Commissioner, Soudatou Djallo-Kalkaba from Cameroon had ruled that the match would be played on Sunday.
However, a dramatic change in weather led to a change of heart, and the match began 83 minutes behind schedule.
In the event, the Faconets started like a house on fire, with Rasheedat Ajibade, Anam Imo and Monday Gift combining brilliantly.
One of those moves saw Ajibade finishing off with a simple tap –in after Gift’s cross from the left after five minutes.
Nine minutes later, Gift herself was not to be denied, holding off Esaadia El Barrah to slot past goalkeeper Houda Benazid for Nigeria’s second.
The Moroccans were not deterred. The brilliant Fatima Tagnaout gave them hope when her free –kick from the right was helped into Nigeria’s net by goalkeeper Onyinyechukwu Okeke with 10 minutes left in the first period. This goal heartened the Moroccans as they ran all over the turf looking for an equalizer.
In the second period, the Falconets had missed a hatful of chances before substitute Charity Reuben heaved the ball over a defender and rammed the ball into the net in the 77th minute.
Just as the fourth official showed three minutes time –added on in the second half, Ajibade latched onto the ball and beat the Moroccan defence for pace before slotting past Benazid.
A minute later, she combined with Reuben on another counter –attack, passing to the latter to push into an empty net for Nigeria’s fifth.
The Falconets will now clash with their South African counterparts in the final round of the African qualifiers. The South Africans hammered Burundi 5-0 for a 5-2 aggregate. South Africa will host the first leg on 13th January 2018.
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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