International Football
ANOTHER FAILED COMEBACK BID; GOLDEN EAGLETS OUT OF WORLD CUP
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The fairy tale of the Nigerian Golden Eaglets came to an end, early Wednesday morning as they crashed out 1-3 to a determined Dutch side.
What a contrasting fortunes! The Nigerian side were runaway Group B leaders who suffered an apparent decline in their last group match which they lost after a failed comeback bid against Australia.
The failure hunted them into the Round of 16. In contrast, Netherlands were at the brink of elimination from the group stage until they discovered their form in their last game against USA.
They had agonizing wait before they discovered they were through as lucky qualifiers for the Round of 16. The form is carried on into the game with Nigeria, which has now seen them score seven goals in two matches.
The Dutch has their Sontje Hansen to thank as he scored three goals to be the second hat trick star of the tournament.
Characteristically, the Nigerian match produced an early goal as Hansen found the net for the Dutch after just four minutes.
Olakunle Olusegun fought back for Nigeria, leveling up eight minutes later as if to confirm the comeback ratings of the Nigerian side. That was where the story ended.
The Dutch shot ahead three minutes after Nigeria’s equalizer through in-form Hansen. They took the lead into the second stanza of the game.
The Golden Eaglets made spirited effort, firing full cylinders, but to no avail.
It came from bad to worse for the Nigerian side, eleven minutes to regulation time. After almost two minutes after an incident in the Ngerian penalty area, a VAR review revealed that Ferdinand Ikenna had his hand to the ball while in tango with a Dutch attacker.
The defender was yellow-carded and Hansen was handed a golden chance to wrap up the game for the Netherlands and also to achieve the second hat trick of the tournament and with five goals, to become the leading scorer in the tournament.
With Nigeria’s elimination, Africa has lost two teams in the knockout stage. Angola had earlier been eliminated after a 0-1 loss to Korea Republic.
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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