International Football
World Cup-bound Ghana hammered 4-1 by Japan
World Cup-bound Ghana Black Stars were on Friday hammered 4-1 by Blue Samurai of Japan in a pre-World Cup Kirin Super Cup in Osaka.
With that result. Tunisia, another African flag bearer who beat Chile 2-0, will face Japan in the final match of the invitational tournament.
The result paved the way for the North Africans to face Japan in the final of the four-nation tournament designed as part of their build-up to the 2022 World Cup.
Ghana will play Chile on Tuesday as the losers in the opening match of the tournament will fight for the bronze medal of the tournament put together by the Japanese federation.
Tunisia demonstrated why they should be in the final when they outclassed Chile with goals from defender Ali Abdi and midfielder Issam Jebali.
Abdi, who plays for French side Caen, gave the Carthage Eagles the lead just before half-time before Jebali sealed the victory in the 89th minute.
Goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen saved a penalty late in the game to ensure that Tunisia plays in Tuesday’s final against Japan.
The Blue Samurai were at their sharpest when they defeated the Black Stars in Friday’s other game as the four-time African champions presented a depleted squad.
Ghana coach Otto Addo travelled with just 18 players for the tournament two matches after several players withdrew from the tournament for various reasons.
But the Black Stars still had captain Andre Ayew and talented Mohammed Kudus as well as other experienced players Mubarak Wakaso and Daniel Amartey in their team.
The home side dominated the early exchanges and took the lead through Miki Yamane but Jordan Ayew responded in the 44th minute with a powerful strike.
There was enough time for Kaoru Mitoma to curl in from the edge of the box for Japan to regain their lead just before the break.
Further goals from Kubo and Daizen Maeda after the break sealed the fate of the Black Stars who are preparing for their fourth appearance at the global showpiece.
Tunisia will be making their sixth appearance at the World Cup and will face former winner France and Denmark as well as a yet-to-be-known opponent.
Ghana qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the fourth time last month and was drawn in Group H with Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea.
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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