World Cup
The beginning of the end of 2026 World Cup dream
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
While some other contending teams are asserting their status and having goal feast and harvest of points, the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles are demonstrating what they are best known for – Consistently Inconsistent – apologies to the late Professor Ayodele Awojobi.
Cote d’Ivoire Nigeria’s main group opponents in the forth coming Africa Cup of Nations spoke loud and clear as they demolished Seychelles 9-0 in their World Cup qualifiers. Egypt dismantled Djibouti 6-0. Tunisia hammered Sao Tome &Principe 4-0, the same result Senegal had over South Sudan.
Those big teams did not leave anything to chances. The big scores will later count in their favour if their is need for tie-breaker.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles only laboured to 1-1 draw in their two opening matches against lower ranked teams – Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Their World Cup qualifying hopes are thus put on life support.
It has been a disaster that had waited to happen. Since José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro, the Portuguese journeyman took over, his only emphatic success had been in encounters with Sao Tome & Principe, the 50th ranked among CAF’s 53 affiliates.
Against other teams, even lower ranked ones, it had been very arduous. The once glamorous African team has turned a laborious side under Peseiro.
Consider Africa’s 26th ranked Guinea-Bissau beating Nigeria at home. Peseiro’s laborious outfit had to depend on the lottery of penalty kick to be back on track for Africa Cup of Nations qualification.
It was almost an horror outsmarting Sierra Leone in the two legged encounters of the Afcon qualifiers. Whatever the outcome of South Africa’s second match, Nigeria will certainly be trailing Bafana Bafana when both clash in Matchday 3 next year.
The unfolding results is not only an indicative of what to expect at the end of the 10-match series of the World Cup qualifiers, it is an harbinger to what will happen in January at the Africa Cup of Nations.
If the Super Eagles cannot beat lowly rated Lesotho and Zimbabwe, what is the expectation in the duel with giants, Cote d’Ivoire on their home soil? It was a struggle aided by the lottery of penalty kick against Equatorial Guinea last March.
Shall we expect another penalty to upstage Guinea-Bissau when they face the Super Eagles on Monday January 22?
It will be double jeopardy for Jose Peseiro to continue to handle the Super Eagles. His appointment should be terminated immediately, no matter the repercussion.
Why is it that clubs and national teams find it easy to sack coaches and managers, but it turned to a Greek puzzle if Nigeria were to do the same?
It is well known for a long time that goalkeeping is the major problem afflicting our national team.
Logically, you expect a reasoning coach to experiment with all his invited three goalkeepers in the two-match 180 minute friendly matches.
But as if afflicted with myopic reasoning, Peseiro insisted on off-form and possibly ageing Francis Uzoho who in seven consecutive matches has now conceded seven goals.
One of the most damaging ones was the 30 yard freekick that the goalkeeper ought to have seen the ball sailing from afar.
Undoubtedly, Uzoho’s psyche is damaged and is not psychologically tuned to be first choice goalkeeper. He needs to be rested while Peseiro needs a red card.
With two points from obtainable six, and with prospects of South Africa getting the maximum before facing the Super Eagles next year, we need to act fast.
World Cup
Uruguay’s Suarez bids farewell in goalless draw with Paraguay
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Paraguay held Uruguay to a goalless draw in their South American World Cup qualifier on Friday, with striker Luis Suarez bringing his 17-year international career to an end at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo.
The 37-year-old forward reached 143 appearances for his country, finishing as their all-time leading scorer with 69 goals.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who finished third in the Copa America, played without five players from their starting line-up, including Darwin Nunez, who were suspended for their involvement in clashes with fans following the defeat to Colombia in the continental showpiece in July.
Uruguay wasted several chances, most notably a first-half right-footed volley from Suarez that struck the post after Facundo Pellistri’s cross.
Paraguay also created clear-cut opportunities, with Miguel Almiron coming closest only to be denied by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, but neither side managed to capitalise.
Uruguay remain second in the World Cup qualifying standings on 14 points, four behind leaders Argentina. They face Venezuela on Tuesday, while Paraguay take on Brazil.
-Reuters
World Cup
Brazil return to winning ways with dreary win over Ecuador
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Brazil got back to winning ways in the South American World Cup qualifiers with a drab 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Friday thanks to first-half goal by Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.
After its first streak of losses in three successive qualifiers, Brazil did just enough to earn the win that lifted the struggling five-time World Cup champions to fourth in the standings with 10 points.
They are eight points behind leaders Argentina and only two points over Ecuador in sixth, the last spot guaranteed a berth at the 2026 finals.
Playing their first match after a disappointing Copa America defeat to Uruguay in the quarter-final, Brazil had another lacklustre performance, dominating possession but failing to create clear chances throughout the match.
Brazil misplaced too many passes and struggled to connect up front, out of ideas on how to beat Ecuador’s rock solid defensive block.
Ecuador were relentless while applying a physically aggressive pressure high with three hardworking forwards, making the locals uncomfortable when putting the ball in play. They Brazil almost no room to get inside their box either, forcing them to roam the ball horizontally around their penalty area and resort to strikes from long range.
Brazil’s only two shots on target on the first half were made by Rodrygo, who, after stinging the goalkeeper’s hands from a free kick early, were lucky to break the deadlock in the 29th minute. His effort fired from the edge of the box deflected off a defender and arched around the wrong-footed goalkeeper before hitting the right post and finding the back of the net.
Ecuador almost levelled in a counterattack right before the break, but defender Gabriel Magalhaes denied Moises Caicedo’s effort with a last-minute goal-line clearance.
Brazil came back even worse in the second half, with an uninspired Vinicius Jr creating their only shot on target in an absolutely morose 45 minutes, with boos greeting the final whistle.
“We needed this win, doesn’t matter if it was ugly or not. I’m happy with the victory and to have scored, and I hope it helps us getting better and progressing to the level that we want to reach moving forward,” Rodrygo told Brazilian TV Globo. Brazil will face Paraguay at Asuncion on Tuesday while Ecuador is set to host Peru in Quito on Monday.
-Reuters
World Cup
Home grounds of Barcelona, Real Madrid among 11 proposed World Cup 2030 venues
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Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) has proposed 11 stadiums as candidates to host matches during the 2030 World Cup, including the home arenas of LaLiga clubs Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Spain, who will co-host the tournament with Portugal and Morocco as well as centenary hosts Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, will also have 45 additional grounds as team bases, the RFEF said on Friday.
Other LaLiga clubs whose home arenas have made the list include Sevilla, Malaga, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Las Palmas and promoted Espanyol.
Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium, despite being the fifth-largest stadium in LaLiga with a capacity of 49,430, was not included in the list of potential venues.
“In order to define the venues, all the possibilities have been analysed, including the option of expanding to 13, an option that must be taken unanimously by the three federations,” the RFEF said in a statement.
The tournament will have a maximum of 20 venues, the RFEF added.
Co-hosts Morocco last year announced plans to build a stadium near Casablanca and upgrade six others before the World Cup.
-Reuters
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