International Football
NIGERIA’S COMEBACK KINGS OUT TO PROVE THEIR PEDIGREE – FIFA
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets are on the march again as they face European champions, Netherlands at midnight on Tuesday. The Nigerian side sealed their place in the last 16 with two emphatic comebacks
Three minutes into their debut at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup – a competition that they’ve won an unmatched five times – Nigeria conceded. Gyorgy Komaromi tapped in David Laszlo’s soaring cross at the far post, and Hungary were up on the U-17 juggernauts.
In the second match it looked as if they had turned the tables. Ibrahim Said capitalised on a goalkeeping error to put the Golden Eaglets ahead five minutes after the opening whistle. That lead lasted 51 minutes of match time, until Johan Mina’s penalty goal put the Nigerians in the hole again.
Two matches, two deficits. They were staring at defeat with less than 15 minutes to go on both occasions. And on each, the Africans produced stirring comebacks.
Against Hungary, captain Samson Tijani was the primary difference-maker, netting Nigeria’s first and last goals of a 4-2 victory, the latter coming via free-kick from 30 yards.
“We don’t relent,” Tijani told FIFA.com of his team’s proclivity for late rallies. “We don’t give up easily. We force ourselves to keep pushing until we get the win.”
Said embodied the motto in Nigeria’s second win, completing the only hat-trick of Brazil 2019 thus far with a pair of goals in the 85th and 89th minutes.
His second was the standout, a curling, dipping golazo from outside the left edge of the box. Final score: Nigeria 3, Ecuador 2.
“In my mind, I kept thinking, ‘We should not be losing’,” said Said of the match against La Tri. “It gave me the fire to score a goal like this, along with the help from my team-mates.”
Combining the two wins that ensured their place in the knockout phase, the Golden Eaglets outscored their opponents 5-0 in the final 15 minutes of the match. For Tijani, Said and head coach Manu Garba, when it comes to this competition, Nigeria are special.
“The will to win every game is part of the DNA of every Nigerian team, and my team here in Brazil is no exception,” Garba told FIFA.com before the tournament began.
“It gives us more confidence to push harder, knowing what our country has worked for and that they are behind us,” Tijani said. “So we’ll keep pushing.”
The Nigerians have drawn a formidable opponent in the Round of 16 – one that pulled off a different kind of comeback to reach this stage.
The Netherlands lost their first two matches in Brazil by a combined score of 6-1. Down but far from out, the European champions pummelled USA 4-0 in their final group fixture to burst through.
The Dutch will be coming off their best performance of the tournament when the two sides meet on Tuesday. Nigeria, meanwhile, fell 2-1 to Australia in the their Group B closer. The faith of the Golden Eaglets, however, remains unshaken.
“I know this team and these players possess the effort to keep fighting back, no matter the situation,” said Tijani.
Both of Nigeria’s last-minute triumphs came at Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico. You can guess the location of their showdown with the Oranje.
“We want to bring this World Cup back to Nigeria,” Said said. “I want to make my country proud of the team.”
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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