International Football
FLYING EAGLES TARGET FLYING START AT POLAND 2019
Head Coach Paul Aigbogun has stated that three points from their FIFA U20 World Cup opener against Qatar in Tychy next week Friday would greatly boost confidence in approaching the remaining games of the group phase.
“Our target is to get those three points in our first game and set off on a run. It would be a big booster. Our game plan is to get off on a good footing at the World Cup and then carry on from there.
“The Nigeria Football Federation has done very well to camp the team in an exquisite facility ahead of the FIFA World Cup. We can only repay their support and effort, and the confidence of the people of Nigeria, with a good outing in Poland.”
Seven –time African champions Nigeria will open their FIFA U20 World Cup against Qatar on Friday, with matches against USA and Ukraine to follow in Group D.
On Tuesday, the Flying Eagles continued their preparation for the global tournament with a 1-1 draw against Austrian Bundesliga II side Red Bull Salzburg.
Paul Aigbogun’s lads had to dig deep in the second half to find the equaliser which came off the boot of substitute Tijani Muhammad.
Salzburg had gone ahead midway into the first half and held on to go into the break ahead. It took the Flying Eagles time to settle and when they did they took the game to Salzburg.
The introduction of Tijani Muhammad, Chinonso Emeka, Success Makanjuola and Peter Eletu saw Nigeria control the second half and could have scored more if not for the heroics of the Salzburg goalkeeper.
Aigbogun said at the end that he was impressed with his lads even though there is still work to be done before the tournament starts.
“It took us time to get settled in the game and when we did I think we took control of the game. This Salzburg team is a very tough one. They play in the Bundesliga II and it showed in their game but I’m glad my boys rallied back to get a draw.
” We could have won it if not for their goalkeeper. We had two good chances in the second half and I thought we should have won it at the end. The team is progressing even though there is work to be done.” Aigbogun concluded.
The Flying Eagles will play their final preparatory match against Red Bull Leipzig in Germany on Friday.
Nigeria will fly out of Germany to Poland on 19th May for this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals.
The Flying Eagles are in Group D of the competition alongside Qatar, the United States and Ukraine.
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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