International Football
Messi’s goal not enough as Chile hold Argentina in World Cup qualifier
Lionel Messi scored a penalty but Argentina missed out on the chance to take over the top spot in South American World Cup qualifying from rivals Brazil after a 1-1 draw with Chile on Thursday (June 3).
Messi also clipped the woodwork and forced three impressive saves out of Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo but Alexis Sanchez earned the dogged visitors a point in Santiago del Estero.
The draw leaves Argentina a point behind Brazil, the only remaining side with a perfect qualifying record, who host Ecuador on Friday.
Chile are down in sixth, still two points off the qualification places having won only one of their five matches so far.
Argentina captain Messi said he was happy with the result, despite failing to win.
“The team had a good dynamic, it wasn’t easy playing again after so much time,” he said. It was more than six months since the last round of qualifiers after two match days were postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He added: “It was a special match given it was the first without Diego.”
Diego Maradona, the legendary 1986 World Cup-winning captain, had died in November.
Sanchez ends Argentina jinx
The visitors, who were missing veteran midfielder Arturo Vidal – hospitalised with Covid-19 – had the first clear sight of goal on 15 minutes but Eduardo Vargas fizzed a low effort narrowly wide from 20 metres.
Argentina were on top, though, and the hosts were awarded a penalty following a VAR check when Guillermo Maripan recklessly brought down Lautaro Martinez in the box.
Messi casually rolled the ball low to the left of former Barcelona and Manchester City ‘keeper Bravo, who dived the wrong way on 24 minutes.
The lead lasted only 12 minutes before Inter Milan forward Sanchez tapped home into an empty net from four metres out after a stretching Gary Medel turned Charles Aranguiz’s free kick back across goal.
“I was missing a goal against Argentina, I’d never scored one before so I’m very happy,” Sanchez said after the game.
In first-half injury time, Messi came close to restoring Argentina’s advantage with a free kick from 20 metres that was heading for the top corner until Bravo leapt to tip the ball away one-handed.
The hosts continued to carve out the better opportunities in the second period but Bravo saved comfortably from Angel di Maria and Martinez.
At the other end, Sanchez fired over the bar with a long-range free kick.
His Inter team-mate Martinez was a livewire in the box and lashed a shot wide before coming inches from turning in a devilish cross into the danger zone.
Bravo denies Messi
Ten minutes from time, from an identical position to his first-half free kick, Messi went even closer to scoring but rattled the corner of bar and post with Bravo beaten.
The Barcelona magician came to life in the closing stages and forced Bravo into a sprawling save down to his left and then a minute later, a leaping block high to his right.
On Tuesday, Argentina travel to Colombia while Chile host Bolivia.
Without the suspended Edinson Cavani, whose partner gave birth to his fourth child earlier in the day, Uruguay laboured to a 0-0 draw with Paraguay that kept the two sides locked on seven points and battling for the final automatic qualification spot.
In a game of few clear chances, Uruguay actually had the ball in the net through Jonathan Rodriguez in the first half in Montevideo but it was controversially ruled out for an offside against Matias Vina.
Marcelo Moreno scored a brace as Bolivia climbed off the bottom of the table with a 3-1 win over Venezuela in La Paz.
Jhon Chancellor had equalised for Venezuela in the first half after Moreno’s early opener but Diego Bejarano put Bolivia back in front on the hour mark before the hosts’ hero sealed the victory late on.
Having lost their previous two games by an aggregate score of 9-1, Colombia reignited their push for Qatar 2022 with a 3-0 victory over Peru, who had Miguel Trauco sent off, in Lima.
Both sides finished with 10 men as goals from Yerry Mina, Mateus Uribe and Luis Diaz gave Colombia victory, despite Daniel Munoz’s dismissal.
-AFP
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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