International Football
ITALY’S RECORD WINNING RUN ENDS WITH BOSNIA DRAW IN NATIONS LEAGUE
Italy’s all-time record run of consecutive wins came to an end on Friday (Sept 4) with a 1-1 draw in their opening UEFA Nations League match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Roberto Mancini’s side had won their last 11 matches coming into the clash at the all-but empty Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, with their last fixture a 9-1 hammering of Armenia in their final qualifying match for the postponed Euro 2020.
Stefano Sensi levelled for the hosts midway through the second half after Bosnia forward Edin Dzeko had opened the scoring but the ‘Azzurri’ couldn’t find the finishing touch in the League A, Group 1 match to stretch their streak of wins beyond the coronavirus-enforced break in international football.
“We’re disappointed not to win, but there was no sharpness… our winning streak had to end sooner or later, and we’re glad it came with a draw and not a defeat,” said Mancini.
Italy came into the game missing Marco Verratti, Sandro Tonali and Federico Bernadeschi, while Mancini preferred Andrea Belotti to head the attack rather than European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile.
Belotti had very little to work with as the hosts struggled to break down a stubborn if unadventurous Bosnia shorn of their star midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who tested positive for Covid-19 after signing for Barcelona from Juventus last month.
Under new coach Dusan Bajevic, the away side did little more than launch long passes for Dzeko, who plays in Italy with Roma. They didn’t register a single shot on target in the first half.
However after giving Italy a warning seconds after the break when Armin Hodzic clipped the post from a tight angle, the away side struck first through Dzeko.
The 34-year-old scored his 59h goal for his national team by lashing home after a 57th-minute corner which was allowed to be flicked on twice by a dozing Italy defence.
A stroke of luck put Italy back level 10 minutes later, with Stefano Sensi’s shot flying past Ibrahim Sehic thanks to a big deflection off the unfortunate Toni Sunjic.
The equaliser seemed to wake Italy up and Sehic had to be at his best to deny Alessandro Florenzi in the 71st minute when the Roma full-back burst through but couldn’t force his shot past the Konyaspor stopper.
Florenzi’s Roma teammate Nicolo Zaniolo came on for Federico Chiesa soon after and in the 75th minute came within inches of giving Italy the lead when he steered his header from a mishit Insigne shot just wide.
Italy next take on the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Monday after the Dutch beat Poland 1-0 in their match to top the group.
-AFP
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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