International Football
YUSUF AHMED COMMENDS EAGLES AS TITLE FAVOURITES
Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed, better known as “Fresh” has praised the resoluteness of the Super Eagles following their 2-1 win over Angola on Sunday that took Nigeria to the semi-finals of the African Nations Championship for only the second time ever.
“The boys have really and truly done Nigeria proud. There are still battles to conquer but we must commend them for overcoming strong opposition right from the group stage to make it to the last four.
“Of course, it is one match at a time. But I am happy that we have a team that has been showing excellent spirit and resilience, and I see them going all the way.”
Nigeria have been in the CHAN’s last four only once before – when the squad coached by Stephen Keshi eventually took the bronze medals at the 2014 finals in South Africa.
Come –back kings, Nigeria have now emerged as real title favourites after a creditable day-in-the-office against Angola on Sunday.
The Super Eagles once more exhibited the globally –renowned ‘Nigeria spirit’ by coming from a goal down to triumph, for the second consecutive game at the 5th African Nations Championship.
Against Equatorial Guinea in their last group phase encounter in Agadir on Tuesday, Nsi Eyama’s bullet header put the Eagles behind five minutes before half time. But Anthony Okpotu sneaked between two defenders to level up in the 59th minute and further goals from Dayo Ojo and Rabiu Ali ensured Nigeria finished top of the table.
Angola had designs coming into Sunday’s match, with the plan being to use their pace and run hard at the Nigerian defence and force Stephen Eze, Kalu Okogbue, Osas Okoro and Ikouwem Utin to commit errors. That plan did not work against a tested back –line.
Utin, playing his first match of the tournament in place of the injured Daniel James, was calm and collected, and launched attacks brilliantly. He fitted well into the equation. Even when centre –back Kalu Orji Okogbue got injured, substitute Timothy Danladi acquitted himself well and showed that Nigeria indeed have strength-in-depth.
Old war –horse Rabiu Ali, showing no signs of slowing down, and Dayo Ojo worked hard in the midfield, same for Emeka Atuloma and substitute Augustine Oladapo. Another substitute, Gabriel Okechukwu, got the winner in extra time.
Wednesday’s semi-final against Zambia’s conqueors, Sudan in Marrakech will test the Super Eagles’ mettle further, but a team that has held its own while leading and came back from deficit in consecutive matches have tasted the swings possible in a match and have nothing to fear.
Anthony Okpotu, top scorer in the Nigeria elite division last season, has fought hard and worked hard in this competition, and is Nigeria’s leading scorer with two goals.
He has the potential to do more, of course, and that opportunity presents itself as Nigeria aim to bypass Sudan into Sunday’s Championship match at Casablanca’s Stade Mohamed V.
The Eagles have improved with every game, from a scoreless draw wih Rwanda in their first match, to pipping 2014 champions Libya with a late goal and then coming from behind to defeat Equatorial Guinea and Angola.
“Our progress has been remarkable. A team that gets better with each game is likely to emerge champions at the end of a competition. We are looking forward to the Eagles making us proud by winning this trophy for the first time,” Fresh’s deputy in the Technical and Development Committee, Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, told thenff.com.
Wednesday’s clash in Marrakech will kick off at 8.30pm Nigerian time.
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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