International Football
WAFU CUP: 22 –GOAL SUPER FALCONS DRIVE FEAR INTO BLACK QUEENS
Nigeria and Ghana go toe-to-toe in the semi finals of the WAFU Women’s Cup tournament for the second year running and the Black Queens are the ones truly in awe after watching the African champions ship 22 goals past opponents in three group phase matches in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan.
Both teams are in the top drawer of African women football, and last year, the Queens got the better of the Super Falcons to reach the final of the WAFU Cup.
However, this year has been a different ball game, with World Cup –bound Nigeria bashing their counterparts from Burkina Faso 5-1 and defeating Mali 2-0, either side of a record 15-0 mauling of the dames from Niger Republic.
Both teams avoided each other at the Women Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana towards the end of last year, as the host nation headed Group A and the Cup holders headed Group B. The Black Queens fell by the way side at group stage as the Falcons successfully defended their title.
Thursday is a huge opportunity to rekindle the famed Nigeria/Ghana rivalry, at the Stade Robert Champroux, as both teams seek a place in the WAFU Cup final.
The Queens are sure to pay the most attention to USA –based student Uchenna Grace Kanu, who has increased her tournament goal haul to nine, after scoring one of the two goals in the defeat of Mali on Tuesday evening.
The other semi final match is between host nation Cote d’Ivoire and Mali.
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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