International Football
Morocco are second African team to reach World Cup qualifying final round
Morocco became the second nation to guarantee their place in the third and final round of the African Qualifiers of FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022, after beating Guinea 4-1 in Rabat on Tuesday night in a rescheduled matchday 2 Group I match.
Substitute Selim Amallah brace, Ayoub El Kaabi opener and another sub Sofiane Boufal acrobatic kick were enough to give Morocco their fourth win in as many matches, while Mamadou Kane scored Guinea’s consolation goal.
The win took Morocco to maximum 12 points, eight more than second-place Guinea Bissau with two games remaining, as the Atlas Lions joined Senegal in the final round scheduled in March 2022.
Despite playing in their capital Rabat, Morocco were considered visitors, as Guinea opted to play there due to political situation at home that caused the game to be rescheduled from the past month.
The game’s first chance fell to Morocco after 15 minutes, when substitute Selim Amallah, who was on the pitch for less than a minute, passed to Imran Louza, whose shot missed the target narrowly.
Morocco took the lead after 20 minutes. Achraf Hakimi’s cross from the right side found Ryan Mmaee’s whose header rebounded from the crossbar, only for El Kaabi’s to send another header that passed the line to give the Atlas Lions a deserved lead.
Against the run of play, Guinea equalized at the half hour mark. Amallah lost the ball to Mamdou Kane and the right back sent a shot from 25 yards that was deflected by Romain Saiss to deceive Yacine Bono in goal for Morocco and make it 1-1. It was the first goal Morocco concedes in the qualifiers.
Three minutes before halftime Morocco restored the lead. Louza’s free-kick was met by Soufiane Chikha who headed to Amallah to send home from close range.
After the break, Mohamed Kamara shot from the edge of the box could have gave Guinea an equalizer after 57 minutes but the ball went just wide.
And it became 3-1 after 65 minutes. From a corner kick Louza found Amallah whose shot rebounded from the crossbar into the net to complete his personal brace.
A minute from full time, substitute Sofiane Boufal put the icing over the cake with an acrobatic bicycle kick finish from Faycal Fajr cross, as Morocco qualified to the final round in grand style.
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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