International Football
TAKE AWAYS IN THE NIGERIA-ZAMBIA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Both Nigeria and Zambia meet on Saturday in Uyo in what is easily the most important match for the two teams in the race to the Russia 2018 World Cup. Both need a win to remain in contention. A win for Nigeria guarantees outright qualification. A win by Zambia stretches the struggle to the last match day in November. The two teams are therefore under pressure more than they have been in the previous four match days.
Sports Village Square takes an insightful look at the make or mar encounter and comes out with the following points of interest.
- Saturday’s match will be Nigeria’s 103rd World Cup qualifying match.
- The game will be Zambia’s 97th World Cup qualifying match.
- Nigeria has had an unbeaten run of 33 matches in the World Cup qualifying series. This is the longest in Africa. Nigeria last lost a World Cup qualifying match in Luanda on June 20, 2004 when Angola had a 1-0 win in the race to Germany 2006.
- Both Nigeria and Zambia are English speaking and are former Africa Cup of Nations holders. Nigeria won thrice in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Zambia won once, in 2012.
Both teams played the final match of 1994 Africa Cup of Nations which Nigeria won by 2-1. When Elijah Litana scored for Zambia in the third minute, it was the first time Nigeria trailed in the entire tournament. Emmanuel Amuneke equalized for Nigeria two minutes later before scoring the winner two minutes into the second half in what was his only match of the tournament.
Nigeria and Zambia contested the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final match. Emmanuel Amuneke waltz past Zambia’s Harrison Chongo. Amuneke’s two goals earned Nigeria a 2-1 victory.
- Zambia became the first team to inflict a humiliating defeat on Nigeria after the 7-0 loss to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955. On July 15, 1973, barely six months after Nigeria won the gold medal of the football event of the All Africa Games, Zambia came from a goal down to beat Nigeria 5-1 in Lusaka in a 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. It was the first ever encounter of both teams.
- Yakubu Mambo was not just the first scorer at the National Stadium, Lagos he was the first Nigerian player to score against Zambia. A feat he performed barely five minutes into the 1973 encounter which Nigeria eventually lost 1-5.
Record man, Yakubu Mambo became the first scorer against Zambia on July 15, 1973 in Lusaka
- Nigeria’s late midfield maestro, Muda Lawal was for a long time Nigeria’s most capped player. He had 86 caps. His last international outing was against Zambia in Lusaka on August 18, 1985.
Muda Lawal played his last international match against Zambia on August 18, 1985.
- Joseph Yobo equalled Muda Lawal’s 86 international appearances playing against Zambia on November 14, 2011 in a friendly match in Kaduna. Nigeria won the match 2-0.
- The late Stephen Keshi led Nigeria to 52 matches as a coach to both the frontline Super Eagles and the CHAN squad. In those matches he won 25 matches. Sports Village Square recalls that his first victory as a coach for Nigeria was the 2-0 defeat of Africa Cup of Nations-bound Zambia in Kaduna on November 14, 2011.
- Former Nigeria’s skipper. Joseph Yobo became the first Nigerian player to clock 100 international appearances. Sports Village Square recalls that his first international cap was against Zambia in Ndola on March 24, 2001. Nigeria drew the game 1-1.
- Joseph Yobo debuted for Nigeria in a match against Zambia in 2001. He also equalled Muda Lawal’s appearance record in another match with Zambia.
- When Nigeria met Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first ever World Cup qualifying match pitching both teams.
- It was against Zambia that the Super Eagles played their last competitive match at the National Stadium, Lagos. That was the January 13, 2001 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in which Austin Okocha lost a penalty kick in the eventual 1-0 win.
- Alex Iwobi was a scoring debutant for Nigeria in the last match with Zambia in Ndola.
- Zambia eliminated Nigeria from the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya after a 3-0 defeat in which Nigeria needed a draw to advance,
- Nigeria eliminated Zambia in the semi finals of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria and also at the quarter final stage of the 2010 edition in Angola.
- Zambia eliminated Nigeria from qualifying for the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Nigeria retaliated by preventing Zambia from getting to the 2002 edition in Mali.
- When Nigeria beat Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first time Nigeria beat Zambia at home.
- Zambia have never beaten Nigeria at home.
- Nigeria used Zambia as stepping stones to win Africa Cup of Nations twice in 1994 and 2013.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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