International Football
Since Nigeria’s historic win…for the 25th year running, Europe misses Olympic Games’ football gold medal
Since Nigeria broke the European domination of the football event at the Olympic Games 25 years ago, no European team has won the men’s football event. Before then, for 68 years, all winners had come from Europe.
Europe has again missed the goal as Brazil retained their Olympic football title with substitute Malcom scoring an extra-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the men’s gold medal match on Saturday (Aug 7).
After the game ended 1-1 in normal time, Malcom raced onto a diagonal ball from Antony and got the better of Jesus Vallejo before driving the winner into the far corner in the 108th minute to ensure Brazil repeated their Rio 2016 triumph.
Dani Alves, Brazil’s 38-year-old captain, who had led the team as an over-age player in a bid to win a major global tournament with his country, collapsed to his knees at the final whistle and buried his face in his hands.
The Brazilian players made up for the absence of fans in the 65,000 Yokohama stadium by going through the full repertoire of celebratory songs after the final whistle.
An Olympic gold in football will never match a World Cup title but for 120 minutes there was no doubt that this match meant plenty to both sides.
Brazil were awarded a penalty in the 39th minute when Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon came out to punch clear a cross but crashed into Matheus Cunha, only for Richarlison to blast the spot-kick high over the bar.
The South Americans grabbed the lead on the stroke of halftime, however, when a deep Claudinho cross was hooked back across the area by Dani Alves and Cunha brought the ball down to slot home.
Spain threatened little but got on level terms in the 61st minute when substitute Carlos Soler broke down the right and whipped a cross to the back post where Mikel Oyarzabal connected with a sweet left-foot volley that whistled past Santos.
With Brazil looking to break on the counter and Spain moving the ball well, the game was tightly balanced in the latter stages but the Spaniards came closest to grabbing a win in normal time.
Oscar Gil’s cross shot from the right caught out Santos and struck the top of the bar in the 86th minute and two minutes later Bryan Gil’s thundering shot from outside the box blasted against the bar.
That meant extra-time and the introduction of Malcom by Brazil coach Andre Jardine, which proved to be crucial as the Zenit St Petersburg winger wrote his name into Brazilian football folklore.
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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