International Football
Algeria were only 10 seconds late to the World Cup
The final night of African qualifying for the World Cup produced high drama and upsets on Tuesday, though the continent’s line-up in Qatar will have a familiar look about it.
Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia participated at the last finals in Russia in 2018, while Cameroon and Ghana were at the finals four years before that.
Both Cameroon and Ghana produced unexpected away success to qualify, eliminating the more fancied Algeria and Nigeria.
Cameroon secured their place with the last kick of the match, deep in extra time in Blida, as Karl Toko Ekambi swept home a speculative cross.
It left Algeria, who were African champions in 2019 and had breezed through the earlier stages of the World Cup preliminaries, crestfallen.
“We were only 10 seconds away from the World Cup. We collapsed,” Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi said after the 2-1 home loss.
“We put our lives on hold for this match and this success and we only had qualification on our minds. It is going to be hard to get through the next days.”
Ghana profited from a goalkeeping error to also advance on the away goals rule, their 1-1 draw in Nigeria setting off rioting by home fans in Abuja.
“We had a bit of luck in a really tough match and had to fight our way through. But our defensive line was excellent,” said former international Otto Addo, appointed coach just one month ago.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify is likely to see wholesale changes to their football leadership. The team dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge and looked a spent force before the final whistle.
Senegal repeated their penalty shootout success over Egypt as Sadio Mane again got the better of his Liverpool team mate Mohamed Salah.
Dakar’s new stadium was filled to capacity hours before the clash which saw Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 for a 1-1 draw on aggregate after extra time.
That set up another shootout between the teams, some six weeks after Mane had netted the decisive kick to win the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
He was again the talisman as he fired home to give Senegal a 3-1 shootout victory. Salah had put Egypt’s first effort well wide of goal.
Tunisia denied Mali a first World Cup finals appearance with a 1-0 aggregate triumph while Morocco enjoyed an emphatic 4-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Casablanca after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
-Reuters
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Nigeria set to truncate another Benin Republic Dream After Super Eagles’ Triumph
Flamingos Set to Kick Off FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Campaign Against Canada
Brazil to face Senegal and Tunisia in November friendlies in Europe
- U20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Flying Eagles Bank on ‘Magic of October 8’ to overcome Argentina
- World Cup1 week ago
CAF Rule Change May Boost Nigeria’s World Cup Qualification Hopes
- World Cup3 days ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria, Argentina Renew Rivalry as Flying Eagles Target Quarter-Final Spot in Chile
- World Cup7 days ago
BREAKING! Lookman Suspended for Crucial Benin Clash
- World Cup1 week ago
Logistics reduce Super Eagles 23-man squad
- World Cup6 days ago
Judgment Day Beckons in Group C: Only One Ticket, Three Contenders, Infinite Drama
- World Cup6 days ago
Super Eagles Stranded in Angola After Aircraft Suffers Cracked Windscreen