International Football
SUPER FALCONS ARE A MATCH AWAY TO WORLD CUP TICKET
Just one more victory, the Nigerian Super Falcons will continue their tradition of featuring in the FIFA Women’s World Cup as the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations get to the semi-final stage.
On Saturday evening, an emphatic 6-0 defeat of two-time African champions, Equatorial Guinea set up a semifinal clash which is a repeat of the 2016 Final in Yaoundé as Nigeria and Cameroon face off in the on Tuesday.
A win of the match qualifies Nigeria for the World Cup and offer a chance to defend the title won two years ago in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Desire Oparanozie signaled it would be another day of several misses when she poorly hit the ball with only the goalkeeper to beat after two minutes.
Asisat Oshoala’s sky –high, long range free –kick followed four minutes later, but all –action forward Francisca Ordega, Player of the Match in the 4-0 defeat of Zambia on Wednesday, shot Nigeria into the lead after 10 minutes with a poacher’s strike from a Rita Chikwelu pass.
Two minutes later, Asisat finished well from a Desire Oparanozie pull –out to make it two for the Super Falcons, but this was followed by Ngozi Okobi wasting another glorious opportunity in the 19th minute.
Oshoala netted her second of the day and Nigeria’s third when she cooly angled the ball from Halimat Ayinde’s pass, but then booted another good chance wide on the half hour.
Oshoala completed her hat –trick in the 34th minute, nodding twice from another Oparanozie pull –out to make it four for the champions.
In the second half, the Nzalang Nacional, who lost 1-7 to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana on Wednesday in Cape Coast, looked brighter, but then Oparanozie’s fierce shot that took a deflection on its way into the net from a brilliant Ordega move and pass took the fight out of them.
Substitute Anam Imo sliced her shot horribly off target seconds after coming into the fray, and after Rita Chikwelu got the sixth by running well onto a pass from Ngozi Ebere to outfox the goalkeeper, Oshoala wasted another one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper.
In the other match of Group B played in Accra, South Africa and Zambia tied 1-1, meaning the Zambians head home while South Africa head back to Cape Coast to tackle Mali in Tuesday’s second semi final.
GHANA 2018 SEMI FINAL MATCHES
TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Cameroon Vs Nigeria – Accra
South Africa Vs Mali – Cape Coast
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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