International Football
Hasaacas stun Rivers Angels to win WAFU B CAF WCL qualifiers
Hasaacas Ladies pulled off a remarkable feat by defeating favourites Rivers Angles of Nigeria 3-1 on a wildly dramatic final night to win the WAFU ‘B’ CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers tournament in Abidjan on Thursday.
The Ghanaians stunned the highly-fancied Angels, at the Stade Robert Champroux in the Ivorian capital, who had been dominant in the competition before the two sides met for the second time in the tournament on a cloudy night.
Striker Veronica Appiah put the Ghanaians into an early lead with a well-timed effort, just at the start of the match, but the Angels hit back seven minutes later through Vivian Ikechukwu goalmouth’s effort.
Defender Perpetual Agyekum scored a stunning free-kick from 30 yards to restore the lead of Hasaacas Ladies four minutes before the break to maintain their hopes.
Azumah Bugre struck with a 20-yard thunderbolt that goalkeeper Whyte Ibubeleye struggled to deal with to complete the spectacular win for the Ghanaian club and secure the historic first title in the maiden women’s clubs championship for the region.
It completed a sweet revenge for Hasaacas, who lost 2-0 to the Nigerians in their first meeting of the tournament, and they were clearly determined to amends for their opening day defeat.
The Sekondi-based team raced into the lead just at the start of the match when attacker Rahman Jafaru controlled a free-kick in the box before her shot ricocheted against the crossbar back into play.
Appiah, who was waiting at the edge of the box, smashed the returning ball into the far post to send the numerous Ghanaian supporters in the stands into raptures.
Angels, who had been tipped by the connoisseurs thanks to their dominant showing prior to Thursday’s match, showed why they were the fans’ favourite.
They pinned the Ghanaians to their half and were rewarded with a free kick near the goal area of Hasaacas which was not competently dealt with by the Ghanaians.
Ikechukwu, who was lurking in the goal area, struck through a forest of legs leaving goalkeeper Faustina Nyamekye bewildered to hand the Angels the equalizer.
Hasaacas should have restored their lead moments later but Doris Boaduwaa made a light work of Angels defenders Mary Saiki and Rofiat Imuran to set Pokuaa Milot up on a one-on-one situation with the Ibubeleye but striker shot feebly into waiting hands of the shot-stopper.
The Nigerian goalkeeper did not have an answer to the thunderous free-kick of dead ball specialist Agyekum, who stunned the Angels from a distance with her swerving kick that went into the top corner to make it 2-1 in the 41st minute.
Hasaacas returned from half-time more confident over their performance on the night. Captain Janet Egyir effectively dealt with some early attacks of Angels as they pressed for the equalizer.
The Nigerian side’s quest for the equalizer permitted Hasaacas to also attack and on 57 minutes Bugre pounced on a poor clearance by Rivers defenders to drive home a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Angels mounted a nervy late attack on the Hasaacas goal area but the Ghanaians held on for the victory with Egyir getting the award for the Woman of the Match.
The two sides will represent WAFU B at the maiden TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League to be played in Egypt later this year.
Earlier in the day Togolese side Amis du Monde defeated USFA of Burkina Faso 2-0 to clinch third place at the tournament.
-cafonline
The ‘Finalissima’ match between Spain and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East, while the South American side rejected multiple alternatives, UEFA said on Sunday.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forcing several sporting events to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The contest between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.
UEFA said they held discussions with the organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.
“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement.
Qatar’s Local Organising Committee said airspace disruption and travel restrictions led to the cancellation of its Qatar Football Festival, where the host country, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Serbia were also set to play friendly games this month.
The Football Association of Serbia later announced they would play away in Spain on March 27 and host Saudi Arabia four days later.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES REJECTED BY ARGENTINA
The Finalissima’s cancellation was not just about Qatar’s security concerns, however, with UEFA saying they explored other feasible alternatives, but they proved to be ‘unacceptable’ to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).
UEFA first offered to stage the match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid with a 50:50 split of supporters in the stadium.
A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs — at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America in 2028.
However, the AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.
“Ultimately, UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March… or on the alternative date of 30 March. This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.
SPAIN WERE READY TO PLAY
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said they had offered Argentina “all possible options” in collaboration with UEFA to ensure the match went ahead, adding that they had the organisational capacity to stage the clash on short notice.
“From the very outset, the Federation has expressed its absolute commitment to ensuring this match goes ahead, as it believes it brings prestige and international reputation at a crucial time in a World Cup year,” the RFEF said.
“Furthermore, it has worked tirelessly to achieve this. Spain was prepared to play, as has always been stated.”
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11.
The 2022 edition of the Finalissima was held at Wembley Stadium in London where Argentina beat Italy 3-0.
-Reuters
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Soccer chiefs from Europe and South America will hold a final meeting before a Thursday deadline to decide whether and where this month’s “Finalissima” between Spain and Argentina will be played, with London emerging as the leading candidate after doubts over Doha, multiple sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The match between European champions Spain and Copa America holders Argentina had been scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
However, it has become increasingly unlikely that Qatar will host the fixture after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) has been pushing for a swift resolution, mindful that the March international break is viewed as vital preparation ahead of the June-July World Cup in North America.
“I know that negotiations are underway,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told Spanish Public Radio (RNE) on Monday. “The first thing, as a society, is to stop the conflict, but once you are immersed in it and you don’t know how long it will last, the solution would be, as long as you can’t play there, to find another venue as soon as possible.
Wembley Stadium staged the previous edition in 2022, when Argentina beat Italy, but it is set to host England v Uruguay on March 27. London, however, has other stadiums capable of staging the showpiece, leaving the English capital as the most likely alternative should Doha be ruled out, sources confirmed.
ALTERNATIVE OPPONENTS CONSIDERED
While keen to face Argentina and high-profile players such as Lionel Messi, sources told Reuters that Spain had made clear their priority was not to waste the last window of international fixtures before the World Cup and they were already contemplating alternative opponents.
With Spain also due to face Egypt three days later, any change would require agreement between the RFEF and European soccer body UEFA, South American confederation CONMEBOL, global governing body FIFA and the Argentine FA (AFA).
The RFEF, AFA and UEFA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
A spokesperson for South American confederation CONMEBOL told Reuters that several meetings between the parties had taken place in recent days but did not confirm Thursday’s deadline or London as the preferred venue.
Madrid was initially proposed by the RFEF but rejected by the AFA, who preferred a neutral venue rather than giving Spain home advantage.
Morocco offered to stage the game, but the RFEF was unwilling to back their Mediterranean neighbours amid tensions behind the scenes over the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Morocco and Portugal will co-host. Both Spain and Morocco are campaigning to stage the final.
Miami was also considered, with Messi based there at Inter Miami, but Hard Rock Stadium is hosting the Miami Open tennis tournament at the same time.
-Reuters
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International Football
Spain-Argentina ‘Finalissima’ in Qatar at risk amid US, Israel attacks on Iran
The match between Spain and Argentina, tagged “Finalissima” in Doha, is in doubt after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The contest between European Championship winners Spain and Copa America champions Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, with potential big-name draws including Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
“Qatar Football Association announces the postponement of all tournaments, competitions and matches, effective from today and until further notice,” the association said in a statement on Sunday.
“The new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course through the Association’s official channels.”
The final call on whether to postpone the game rests with event organisers UEFA and CONMEBOL.
The Bahrain Football Association postponed all its matches until further notice, while the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday announced it was delaying Champions League Elite fixtures in the region.
The Asian Champions League Two, currently at the quarter-final stage, has also been impacted, along with games in the Challenge League.
Countries across the Middle East have been on high alert since Saturday, when the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, aimed at diminishing Iran’s military capability.
Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. targets around the region, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Sunday, Qatar’s interior ministry reported a fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile.
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