International Football
Costa Rica 2022: Falconets will leave no chance for errors against Cameroon
Nigeria will look to avoid an upset when they take on Cameroon in the second leg, fourth round of the African qualifiers for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, Costa Rica 2022 this week.
The Falconets thrashed the Central African Republic 11-0 on aggregate before seeing off Congo with a 4-0 first leg win but were held to a 0-0 first leg draw by Cameroon at Stade de la Reunification on 22 January, 2022.
The two-time world silver medalists are aiming for a 10th outing in Costa Rica and coach Christopher Danjuma insists his side will leave nothing to chance at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
“We are preparing adequately and everyone expected is on the ground and doing great,” Danjuma exclusively told CAFOnline.com.
“We are in an excellent mood with everybody on fire because this is the chance to inch close to grabbing the U20 Women’s World Cup ticket and the mentality is to settle for nothing short of victory.
“The match is extremely important to us because Nigeria has always been present at every World Cup edition since its inception. This is a trend that we hope must continue.
“Some of these young ladies were not privileged to play at the cancelled 2020 edition due to coronavirus outbreak but now this is the life time opportunity at the stage to achieve their dreams.”
In 2019, the two teams had met for the first time in the African Games final in Morocco, where the Nigerians edged the Cameroonians to the gold on 3-2 onpenalties after a 0-0 draw.
Following a drab scoreless draw with the Baby Lionesses in Douala, Danjuma is upbeat about his side’s readiness to subdue the Central Africans.
“We know a great deal about the Cameroonian team which helped us in drawing out a plan as to what we should be expecting and how to go about it,” the tactician, who also doubles as Nasarawa Amazons head coach continued.
“One lesson we learned from the first leg match was that a game has to win during regular time by making sure all the opportunities that come our way is taken and conceding no goal and to always be in front scoring goals throughout the game.
“This is the qualifiers and the target is to be in Costa Rica for the main tournament come August this year. The goal now is that we are consumed by the desire that everything we feel and have about this tie is beating Cameroon and going to the final round.”
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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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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