International Football
Zambia Optimistic of World Cup Ticket
Zambia’s coach, Wedson Nyirenda basking in the euphoria of beating Algeria 1-0 in Constantine on Tuesday has declared that the chances of his team to qualify for the World Cup has been brightened.
He made the remarks to the local press as the team arrived Lusaka from the historic win scored against Algeria. According to the Zambia’s Daily Mail, Nyirenda said that he is already plotting Nigeria’s downfall. He remarked the Chipolopolo are a stone’s throw away from making a maiden appearance at the World Cup.
Goal scorer, Patson Daka has virtually turned to a cult hero for the 1-0 win in Constantine. According to the paper, Zambia’s performance at the Tuesday’s match may not have been an extraordinary display but it was gutsy enough for Zambia to scrape through to victory in one stroke of genius by Austria-based striker Patson Daka.
“Anonymous for most parts of the game, the 19-year-old intelligently beat an offside trap and raced into the path of midfielder Augustine Mulenga’s pass to poke the ball past goalkeeper Salhi Abdelkadir to silence the home supporters on Tuesday night.
The victory re-energised Zambia’s quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia as they are now three points shy of Nigeria’s haul of 10 points with two games remaining.
Meanwhile, Zambian president, Edgar Lungu, who was also in the VIP box when the team lost at home to Nigeria last October, has poured praised on the players for the recovery made so far after the slip in the opening match.
He described the team’s performance as representing the model Zambian citizen doing duty abroad. The performance in the World Cup qualifier “shows resilience and commitment the players have to deliver for Zambia”.
In a statement issued in Lusaka by special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda, Lungu said the impressive showing signifies the glorious performances ahead.
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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