International Football
Hasaacas stun Rivers Angels to win WAFU B CAF WCL qualifiers
Hasaacas Ladies pulled off a remarkable feat by defeating favourites Rivers Angles of Nigeria 3-1 on a wildly dramatic final night to win the WAFU ‘B’ CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers tournament in Abidjan on Thursday.
The Ghanaians stunned the highly-fancied Angels, at the Stade Robert Champroux in the Ivorian capital, who had been dominant in the competition before the two sides met for the second time in the tournament on a cloudy night.
Striker Veronica Appiah put the Ghanaians into an early lead with a well-timed effort, just at the start of the match, but the Angels hit back seven minutes later through Vivian Ikechukwu goalmouth’s effort.
Defender Perpetual Agyekum scored a stunning free-kick from 30 yards to restore the lead of Hasaacas Ladies four minutes before the break to maintain their hopes.
Azumah Bugre struck with a 20-yard thunderbolt that goalkeeper Whyte Ibubeleye struggled to deal with to complete the spectacular win for the Ghanaian club and secure the historic first title in the maiden women’s clubs championship for the region.
It completed a sweet revenge for Hasaacas, who lost 2-0 to the Nigerians in their first meeting of the tournament, and they were clearly determined to amends for their opening day defeat.
The Sekondi-based team raced into the lead just at the start of the match when attacker Rahman Jafaru controlled a free-kick in the box before her shot ricocheted against the crossbar back into play.
Appiah, who was waiting at the edge of the box, smashed the returning ball into the far post to send the numerous Ghanaian supporters in the stands into raptures.
Angels, who had been tipped by the connoisseurs thanks to their dominant showing prior to Thursday’s match, showed why they were the fans’ favourite.
They pinned the Ghanaians to their half and were rewarded with a free kick near the goal area of Hasaacas which was not competently dealt with by the Ghanaians.
Ikechukwu, who was lurking in the goal area, struck through a forest of legs leaving goalkeeper Faustina Nyamekye bewildered to hand the Angels the equalizer.
Hasaacas should have restored their lead moments later but Doris Boaduwaa made a light work of Angels defenders Mary Saiki and Rofiat Imuran to set Pokuaa Milot up on a one-on-one situation with the Ibubeleye but striker shot feebly into waiting hands of the shot-stopper.
The Nigerian goalkeeper did not have an answer to the thunderous free-kick of dead ball specialist Agyekum, who stunned the Angels from a distance with her swerving kick that went into the top corner to make it 2-1 in the 41st minute.
Hasaacas returned from half-time more confident over their performance on the night. Captain Janet Egyir effectively dealt with some early attacks of Angels as they pressed for the equalizer.
The Nigerian side’s quest for the equalizer permitted Hasaacas to also attack and on 57 minutes Bugre pounced on a poor clearance by Rivers defenders to drive home a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Angels mounted a nervy late attack on the Hasaacas goal area but the Ghanaians held on for the victory with Egyir getting the award for the Woman of the Match.
The two sides will represent WAFU B at the maiden TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League to be played in Egypt later this year.
Earlier in the day Togolese side Amis du Monde defeated USFA of Burkina Faso 2-0 to clinch third place at the tournament.
-cafonline
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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