International Football
FLASHBACK: 90 SECONDS TO GLORY AS SUPER EAGLES MISS WORLD CUP QUARTER FINALS
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have scaled the group stage hurdles in three of their six World Cup appearances.
But they never got into the quarterfinals as Cameroon did at Italia ’90 or followed the footsteps of Senegal at the 2002 edition and the most recent stellar performance of Ghana’s Black Stars who were even at the brink of getting to the semifinals in 2010.
The nearest Nigeria ever got into scaling the Round of 16 hurdles came on this this date, 5 July 1994, when the Super Eagles were just 90 seconds to qualification for the quarterfinals.
Suddenly, they saw their golden chance in smokes at the Foxboro Stadium in the outskirt of Boston at the USA ’94 FIFA World Cup.
Playing against the then three-time former champions, Italy, the Super Eagles took a first half lead through Emmanuel Amuneke and held on grimly to the tiny and fragile lead.
The goal came in the 25th minute when Amuneke connected a corner kick from Finidi George whose parabolic shot from the right wing swerved past Italy’s Paulo Maldini and got to the path of Amuneke who tapped past Goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani.
At a point, the Italians were reduced to 10 men when in the 75th minute, substitute player, Gianfranco Zola retaliated a foul on him and was instantly expelled by the Mexican referee, Arturo Brizio.
The clock began to tick down to the last minute. Italian coach, Arrigo Sacchi was shouting himself hoarse at the touchline. The Super Eagles who had grown in confidence, suddenly began to toss the ball around and entertaining the crowd in an apparent intention of humiliating the former World Cup winners.
They paid dearly for it. An angry Sunday Oliseh had conceded a throw in which found Roberto Mussi who pushed forward down the Nigerian left side of the defence. He found Roberto Baggio in the penalty box who tapped a low drive past a sprawling Peter Rufai in goal, just 90 seconds to regulation time.
The equalizer pushed the game into extra time in which Nigeria conceded a penalty kick in the 100th minute. Baggio was on hand to score, inflicting a 2-1 defeat on Nigeria. It was Clemens Westerhof’s last outing with Nigeria.
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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