International Football
Hasaacas stun Rivers Angels to win WAFU B CAF WCL qualifiers
Hasaacas Ladies pulled off a remarkable feat by defeating favourites Rivers Angles of Nigeria 3-1 on a wildly dramatic final night to win the WAFU ‘B’ CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers tournament in Abidjan on Thursday.
The Ghanaians stunned the highly-fancied Angels, at the Stade Robert Champroux in the Ivorian capital, who had been dominant in the competition before the two sides met for the second time in the tournament on a cloudy night.
Striker Veronica Appiah put the Ghanaians into an early lead with a well-timed effort, just at the start of the match, but the Angels hit back seven minutes later through Vivian Ikechukwu goalmouth’s effort.
Defender Perpetual Agyekum scored a stunning free-kick from 30 yards to restore the lead of Hasaacas Ladies four minutes before the break to maintain their hopes.
Azumah Bugre struck with a 20-yard thunderbolt that goalkeeper Whyte Ibubeleye struggled to deal with to complete the spectacular win for the Ghanaian club and secure the historic first title in the maiden women’s clubs championship for the region.
It completed a sweet revenge for Hasaacas, who lost 2-0 to the Nigerians in their first meeting of the tournament, and they were clearly determined to amends for their opening day defeat.
The Sekondi-based team raced into the lead just at the start of the match when attacker Rahman Jafaru controlled a free-kick in the box before her shot ricocheted against the crossbar back into play.
Appiah, who was waiting at the edge of the box, smashed the returning ball into the far post to send the numerous Ghanaian supporters in the stands into raptures.
Angels, who had been tipped by the connoisseurs thanks to their dominant showing prior to Thursday’s match, showed why they were the fans’ favourite.
They pinned the Ghanaians to their half and were rewarded with a free kick near the goal area of Hasaacas which was not competently dealt with by the Ghanaians.
Ikechukwu, who was lurking in the goal area, struck through a forest of legs leaving goalkeeper Faustina Nyamekye bewildered to hand the Angels the equalizer.
Hasaacas should have restored their lead moments later but Doris Boaduwaa made a light work of Angels defenders Mary Saiki and Rofiat Imuran to set Pokuaa Milot up on a one-on-one situation with the Ibubeleye but striker shot feebly into waiting hands of the shot-stopper.
The Nigerian goalkeeper did not have an answer to the thunderous free-kick of dead ball specialist Agyekum, who stunned the Angels from a distance with her swerving kick that went into the top corner to make it 2-1 in the 41st minute.
Hasaacas returned from half-time more confident over their performance on the night. Captain Janet Egyir effectively dealt with some early attacks of Angels as they pressed for the equalizer.
The Nigerian side’s quest for the equalizer permitted Hasaacas to also attack and on 57 minutes Bugre pounced on a poor clearance by Rivers defenders to drive home a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Angels mounted a nervy late attack on the Hasaacas goal area but the Ghanaians held on for the victory with Egyir getting the award for the Woman of the Match.
The two sides will represent WAFU B at the maiden TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League to be played in Egypt later this year.
Earlier in the day Togolese side Amis du Monde defeated USFA of Burkina Faso 2-0 to clinch third place at the tournament.
-cafonline
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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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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