International Football
SUPER EAGLES SET FOR 17TH CLASH WITH TUNISIA
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
When the Super Eagles face the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in their second friendly duel of the current FIFA window, Sports Village Square reports that it will be the 17th time both teams will be meeting.
All but one of the clashes have been at competitive level, the only one that was a friendly encounter was friendly encounter was the 5-0 defeat of Chris Udemezue selected Green Eagles in a 29 September 984 clash.
Overall, it is still advantage Nigeria whose team has seven victories as against Tunisia’s four. The other five encounters of the teams ended in draw.
When they meet on Tuesday at the Jacques Lemans Arena in the Austrian city of St. Veit an der Glan, will the Super Eagles extend their win margin?
The last encounter of both teams was last year’s Africa Cup of Nations’ classification match which Nigeria won 1-0 following an early goal by the now internationally retired Odion Ighalo who found the net after three minutes of kick off.
The match, www.sportsvillagesquare.com reports is the only Africa Cup of Nations’ outing for the current in-form Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen who incidentally is not available for Tuesday’s match.
His absence and that of Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo is felt by Nigeria’s Franco-German coach, Gernot Rohr.
According to a media release by the NFF, the coach lamented the absence of the key players but all the same hope to have a good result ahead of their next competitive match against Sierra Leone next month.
“We definitely must put up a greater effort against the Tunisians. It is an opportunity for some of the players to rise up to the occasion, stake a claim.
“They are ready to go and I believe we would see a much better game on Tuesday”, a release signed by NFF’s Ademola Olajire quoted the coach as saying.
Nigeria capped four new players against Algeria. Rohr also started first-cap Frank Onyeka along Alex Iwobi and defender Oluwasemilogo Ajayi in midfield and had Paul Onuachu as a lone striker.
While Nigeria will be going into Tuesday’s match with a bruised ego, Tunisia’s confidence is boosted by their 3-0 defeat of Sudan the same day of the ‘kick and rush’ exhibition of Nigeria against Algeria.
Tunisia have not beaten Nigeria in a competitive game since the 2004 AFCON that they hosted, when they edged the Super Eagles on penalty shoot-out after both teams tied 1-1 in regulation and extra time at the Stade Olympique in Rades, outside Tunis.
Matches between Nigeria and Tunisia have always been supercharged, the 2004 encounter no less so.
After Jay Jay Okocha gave Nigeria the lead from the spot, Tunisia restored parity with only eight minutes left, Khaled Badra also poking in from the spot. Osaze Odemwingie missed during the shoot-out and the Eagles had to be content with the bronze medals after beating Mali.
Tunisia went to defeat Morocco in the final for their only continental title so far.
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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