International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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International Football
Senegal becomes the first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly
Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly.
Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England’s loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for a handball in the build-up, was their first defeat in four games under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
“Not good enough,” captain Harry Kane told ITV. “We had moments, but with and without the ball things aren’t clicking, we’re not finding the right tempo. We’ve lost that aggressive nature that we had.”
England — with 10 changes from Saturday’s 1-0 lacklustre World Cup qualifying win over Andorra — took the lead when Kane struck in the seventh minute after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Anthony Gordon’s shot but spilled the ball into the striker’s path.
The hosts conceded for the first time under Tuchel when Sarr caught Kyle Walker napping to poke in Nicolas Jackson’s cross in the 40th minute.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd when Diarra latched onto a ball over the top then fired through goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s legs. Sabaly struck deep into stoppage time, prompting boos from England fans after the final whistle.
“We’re not going to panic but we know we need to be better,” Kane said. “New ideas, there’s new players coming into the team that don’t have experience at international level.
“It’s a mixture of things but no excuses. We need to find it quick, the World Cup is going to come around really fast so every camp is really important right now.”
Senegal peppered Henderson with nine shots on target to England’s four, including an early header from Sarr that the goalkeeper pushed wide of the post.
Gordon squandered a glorious chance to give England a two-goal lead in the first half when he mis-hit Walker’s cross from close range.
Mendy made a great late save to deny England what would have been an equaliser from Bukayo Saka before Senegal added their third.
“Disappointing result, not sure if maybe didn’t deserve a little bit more result-wise,” Tuchel said. “But felt again a bit frozen, not active enough for a long time of the match.
“We conceded the first two goals, very easy goals, that we needed to defend better. The reaction was good after we were down, suddenly more active, freer, fluid, and aggressive towards the opponent’s goals. We had then big chances to equalise.”
-Reuters
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A capacity crowd in Fez turned out to back the Atlas Lions as Morocco claimed a hard-fought 1–0 win over a resilient Benin side in a key international friendly. The match, part of preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), offered a valuable test of tactical flexibility and squad depth for both teams.
Morocco dominated the first half, controlling possession and applying sustained pressure deep in Benin’s territory. Despite several promising sequences, clear chances were limited—until a moment of brilliance in first-half stoppage time shifted the narrative.
Ayoub El Kaabi broke the deadlock in the 47th minute, latching onto a precise cross to fire home an acrobatic scissor kick that left the Benin goalkeeper with no chance. The strike sent the Fez crowd into celebration and rewarded Morocco’s control throughout the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts continued to press for a second goal after the break, but missed opportunities and Benin’s organized defending kept the scoreline narrow. Despite the visitors’ late efforts to equalize, Morocco held firm to secure a deserved victory.
Friday’s earlier 2–0 win over Tunisia showed flashes of quality but raised questions about the team’s overall cohesion. These two matches offer head coach Walid Regragui a chance to evaluate personnel, tweak tactics, and strengthen team chemistry ahead of AFCON.
With strong fan support, a talented squad, and a clear vision, Morocco remains focused on building consistency and momentum in the lead-up to continental competition.
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Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka will feature in a much-changed England team for the friendly against Senegal on Tuesday, manager Thomas Tuchel said.
England laboured to a lacklustre 1-0 win over Andorra in World Cup qualifying on Saturday.
“After the last (Premier League) game of the season I had a little strain,” Saka told reporters on Monday. “Fair play to England, they managed me well. The manager left me out (on Saturday) and said I will play tomorrow.
“I love coming to England camps and playing for England. It has been a bit of frustrating year with injuries but I am here now and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Tuchel was very critical of his team’s “lack of urgency” after the win over Andorra which put them in command of Group K.
“I protect my players, I said no names of players, it is not an individual matter,” Tuchel said at the team’s training base at St. George’s Park.
“But as a team we did not reach our standards. I felt we didn’t play seriously enough in what we needed to do in a World Cup qualifier.
“Why should we sugar coat it? You have been in the stadium, why should I tell you that we had a good game? No harm done. We can handle criticism.”
England should face a tougher test against Senegal.
The African side, who lost 3-0 to England at the 2022 World Cup in the only previous match between the teams, are unbeaten in their last 23 matches across all competitions.
England have won all three games under Tuchel and their last six matches in all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in each of the last five.
Saka sidestepped a question about how Tuchel’s managerial style compares to his predecessor Gareth Southgate.
“I don’t really like to compare, if I’m honest,” Saka said. “Since I have come into the camp (Tuchel) has been quite demanding, quite intense on the pitch and off the pitch he’s been more relaxed.
“He’s a nice guy, he let us enjoy ourselves and created a nice environment for all the players to enjoy.”
The team spent Sunday evening watching Portugal beat Spain in the Nations League final.
“It was high level in the final. High-quality football,” Tuchel said. “That’s the benchmark, we will try to hunt that, to reach that and I’m convinced we have everything it takes to match that when we play these teams.”
-Reuters
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