International Football
TEAMS BREAK RECORDS AS FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP CLOSES
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
Uruguay 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup ended on a note of several firsts!
Spain, who beat Mexico 2-1 in the showpiece match late Saturday, lifted the trophy for the first time. In the final in 2014 and two-time bronze medallists, the Spaniards finally got it right in Uruguay.
Their victims, Mexico’s best performance before now were two quarterfinal appearances. In Uruguay, they decked their necks with the silver medals.
By beating Canada 2-1 in the earlier third placed match, New Zealand also made history. Five previous qualifications have only fetched the Young Football Ferns group stage knockouts. Now they are the third best female team in the world among the cadets!
Canada had qualified for the quarterfinals three times before Uruguay 2018. This time they went one notch up into the semis and finished fourth.
Africa’s best representatives Ghana lost on penalties to eventual silver medallists Mexico on penalties in the last eight, while Cameroon and South Africa exited at the group stage, the latter at the foot of the table in their group.
Nigeria did not make it to the finals.
Spain, the new champions, relied on first half goals by Barcelona forward Claudia Pina to overcome the tough Mexicans in the final.
The Spaniards quick passing and off-the-wall movement unsettled Mexico.
Denise Castro scored what proved to be a consolation goal for Mexico from skipper Nicole Perez’s corner kick to wrap up the first half.
Opportunities in the second half were few and far between as both sides avoided making mistakes.
Five teams have won the tournament since it started in 2008.
Korea DPR claimed the inauguration edition in New Zealand and the fourth championship eight years later in Jordan. They were runners-up in 2012, but lost to champions Spain in the quarterfinal of Uruguay 2018.
Korea Republic (2010), France (2012) and Japan (2014) were the other winners before Spain joined their elite class in Uruguay.
FIFA will decide the host nation of the seventh championship in the first quarter of next year. It will be either France or Mexico.
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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