International Football
FLYING EAGLES ARE A MATCH TO WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16
It is 20 years since Nigeria defeated the USA, 2-1 in their only clash at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The Nigeria Flying Eagles are set to inflict another defeat on the Americans who have in their fold, Timothy Weah, the son of the Liberian President, George Weah.
A win which goes with three points guarantees Nigeria’s progress in the competition which the team is trying to win for the first time in 12 attempts.
The venue for Monday’s confrontation with the US is the 15,000 –capacity Bielsko-Biala Stadium in the city of the same name, a facility constructed on the site of an old facility and which hosted its last international game in March 2018, when Poland tackled England in an U20 match.
Coach Paul Aigbogun is banking on the flaming form of his boys, who amassed four goals against Qatar in their first match against Qatar in Tychy on Friday, to consume a desperate Team USA still looking for its first point of the finals. The Americans lost 1-2 to Ukraine also on Friday.
“We had a great game against Qatar and we want to stay in that spirit all through the championship. We will not make the mistake of under-rating any team; our approach remains taking it one game at a time. We go in there and fulfill our game plan of achieving victory.
“It is not going to be an easy match; the Americans are hurt after losing their first game. But we are in good form and we need the three points to assure our place in the Round of 16,” Aigbogun said on Sunday.
Both countries first met at this level in the semi finals of the 1989 edition in Saudi Arabia, with a high –spirited Nigeria side just coming from a miraculous triumph over old Soviet Union in the quarter finals.
The Flying Eagles had come from a 0-4 deficit with 15 minutes left on the clock, to tie the encounter with the Soviets in Dammam and went ahead to win on penalties.
On 28th February 1989, goals by Mutiu Adepoju sealed a 2-1 win over USA at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah to send Nigeria into her first –ever Final match of the FIFA U20 World Cup.
On Monday in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala, victory over USA will send the Flying Eagles into the knockout rounds, and Maxwell Effiom, Henry Offia, Ayotomiwa Dele-Bashiru and Aliu Salawudeen, who all scored against Qatar, will look to add to their tournament tally.
On Saturday night, the Embassy of Nigeria in Poland feted the Flying Eagles, with His Excellency, Ambassador Eric Bell-Gam expressing his joy at the team’s demolition job on Qatar.
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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