International Football
SUPER FALCONS MAINTAIN THEIR WOMEN’S AFRICAN CUP RECORDS
In battering Equatorial Guinea on Saturday to book a place in the semi finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Falcons of Nigeria have maintained the enviable record of being the only team to have gone past the group stage at every edition since the inception of the competition in 1998.
Nigeria beat Equatorial Guinea to maintain semi-final records
According to statistics rolled out by CAF, Cameroon, which incidentally will face Nigeria in one of Tuesday’s semi-final matches, has reached the semis at every edition except in 2000 when the competition was held in South Africa.
Also, South Africa which ranked third in the number of semi-final appearances missed out on the semis in 1998 and 2004.
The Black Queens of Ghana become the third hosts to exit the competition at the group stage after South Africa (in 2004) and Namibia (in 2014).
South Africa’s 7-1 win over Equatorial Guinea is their biggest victory at the final tournament. Previously, it was the 5-0 victory over Egypt at the group stage in 2016.
Equatorial Guinea bowed out of the competition with an unfamiliar record of the worst defence in the history of the biannual tournament, conceding 18 goals (goal difference -17) at the group stage.
Prior to that Egypt in 1998 (conceded 14, goal difference -12) and Morocco in 2000 (conceded 13, goal difference -12) had the poorest defence record at the group stage.
Zambia got their first ever win at the final tournament, after beating Equatorial Guinea 5-0 in Cape Coast.
This is the first time Mali has won two games at the final tournament, beat Ghana (2-1) and Algeria (3-2), also the first time they have gone beyond the group stage.
After 12 matches at the group stage, a total of 43 goals have been scored, an average of 3.6 per match. In both 2014 and 2016, it was 35 goals at the same stage.
South African forward Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana leads the scorers chart with four goals. Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala and Rachael Kundananji of Zambia have three goals each.
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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