International Football
Kanu’s brace hands Nigeria’s Super Falcon advantage against Ghana
Nigeria made a bright start to their quest to qualify for Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2022 after a 2-0 victory over eternal rivals Ghana in Lagos on Wednesday.
Reigning African champions bounced back from September’s Aisha Buhari Cup loss to South Africa in a style thanks to a double from Uchenna Kanu in the first round, first leg match at Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan.
For Ghana, they were seeking to avoid a second-ever absence from the continental showpiece, after failing to qualify for the 2012 edition of the competition staged in Equatorial Guinea but stumbled.
The 18th competitive fixture involving two of the continent’s giants lived up to its billing although the hosts enjoyed the bulk of ball possession in the opening 15 minutes of the encounter.
The anticipated breakthrough came for the Super Falcons when Francisca Ordega’s set up Kanu to spilt the Black Queens defence and gave the lead to Randy Waldrum’s side in the 22nd minute.
The nine-time winners maintained their pouring attack on the visitors and were rewarded with the second through Kanu’s second of the match from a fine assist from Toni Payne four minutes later.
The Ghanaians threatened the hosts before the break through Grace Asantewaa and Princella Adubea but could not break the solid defence marshalled by Onome Ebi and Osinachi Ohale plus goalkeeping brilliance of Chiamaka Nnadozie.
With a first-leg advantage victory, Nigeria recorded their 11th win over their West African rivals in 18 meetings and will aim to consolidate on their home lead to ensure their passage to the next round.
On the part of Ghana, coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo’s ladies will hope to overturn the two-goal deficit in the return leg at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 24.
The winner of the high-profile doubleheader after the Accra second leg showdown will set up a second-round date with either Niger or Cote d’Ivoire.
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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