International Football
Live updates on Nigeria 1-1 Ghana
79th minute, as it stands, it is advantage Ghana.
62 minute: Moses Simon in for Lookman.
Ghana gets their first corner of the game.
2nd Half: GHANA: Ayew out Owusu. NIGERIA: Onyeka out for Abdulahi Shehu
Captains of both Nigeria and Ghana are the ones to have scored so far.
Its half time. Scores 1-1.
Meanwhile in Dakar, Senegal lead 1-0 from a third minute goal against Egypt. Like in Abuja, aggregate scores are 1-1.
Calvin Bassey has been very clumsy and will probably be replaced later in the match.
37th minute VAR disallowed Goal for Nigeria by Osimhen
Ekong
22 minute. VAR awards penalty kick for Nigeria.
Ghana’s first attempt at goal has yielded fruit.
Thomas Partey scores for Ghana in the 11th minute,
First corner to Nigeria after five minutes.
Free kick conceded by Frank Onyeka of Nigeria.
Now the kick-off by Nigeria
A minute silent being observed for the victims of Kaduna Railway incident.
Exchange of penants going on. Waiting for the kick-off.
The crowd joined in the rendantion of the Nigerian anthem. The moment we have been waiting for. The starting XI of both teams are out. The anthems are on.
The referee for the match will be Tunisia’s Sadok Selmi. This means that the Nigeria-Ghana duels are officiated by North Africans.
The last time both teams met in a World Cup qualifier in Nigeria, the Super Eagles won 3-0 in Port Harcourt. Coincidentally, it was on a 29th date like the one of today. Will history repeat itself?
This is the first international match involving the Super Eagles since their 2-2 draw with Guinea in the qualifying match for 2012 Africa Nations Cup. The game was played on 8 October 2011.
Players are already on the field doing the traditional warm up. The Nigerians and the Ghanaians are warming up now. The stadium is jam-packed.
This is the match many have been looking forward to. One of the greatest and longest running rivalry of national football teams. Both also belong the the top echelon of football nations in the continent.
Unfortunately, one of them will drop out in the qualification for the World Cup. Follow the Live play-by-play of this World Cup play-off as Nigeria host Ghana at the Moshood Abiola Sports Stadium in Abuja.
Eguavoen makes five changes to Nigeria’s XI to play Ghana tonight.
NIGERIA: Francis Uzoho – Ola Aina, William Troost Ekong, Leone Balogun Calvin Bassey, Frank Onyeka, Oghenekaro Etebo, Joe Aribo, Emmanuel Dennis, Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen.
What this means is that Etebo is having his first start in 298 days for the Super Eagles. For Bassey, Lookman and Dennis this is their first full debut
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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