International Football
Titanic battle! Group D now a two-horse race by Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon
Wins for Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire mean that both are the only two left in the race for the lone World Cup play-off place from Group D of African qualifying.
Cameroon shrugged off a delayed arrival in Morocco to beat Mozambique 1-0 with Centre-back Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui netting the winner in the 68th minute.
Logistical issues had caused delays leaving Douala, which meant the Cameroon squad only landed in Tangier less than 12 hours before kick-off.
However it was Ivory Coast who retained top place in the group with a 2-1 win over Malawi in Cotonou, Benin.
The Elephants opened the scoring after just two minutes through Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe, with South Africa-based Khuda Muyaba equalised 18 minutes later for the Flames.
AC Milan’s Franck Kessie secured the three points for Ivory Coast when he scored from the penalty spot in the 66th minute.
The defeats for Mozambique and Malawi mean neither side can qualify for the World Cup.
Ivory Coast top the group on 10 points just one ahead of the Indomitable Lions going into the final two qualifiers in November, with the final tie a potential winner takes all between the two in Cameroon.
Only the group winners will reach next March’s play-offs, where Africa’s five representatives in Qatar will be decided.
Mozambique and Ivory Coast are among 11 countries who have been ordered by the Caf to play home games on neutral soil because local stadia are unfit for use.
Burkina Faso kept up the pressure on Algeria in Group A with a 2-0 win over Djibouti, who are now another side who cannot reach the play-offs.
Issoufou Dayo and then Adboul Tapsoba, with his fourth goal in his last three internationals, ensured the win for the Stallions in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, with Burkina Faso another nation unable to host international matches.
Djibouti played the 23 minutes of the match with 10 men after Aptidon Daher was shown a straight red card.
The win moves Burkina Faso to the top of the group with 10 points but African champions Algeria will regain top spot on goal difference if they can beat hosts Niger on Tuesday.
Niger, who lost 6-1 in Algeria on Friday, must beat the Desert Foxes to have any chance of progressing to the play-offs.
Gabon off mark as Bettamer backs Libya to pip Egypt
Elsewhere, captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored as Gabon beat Angola 2-0 in Franceville to register their first win in Group F.
The Arsenal striker lashed in a back-post volley in the 74th minute and To Carneiro’s own goal doubled the Panthers’ lead six minutes from time.
Gabon move on to four points in the table and leapfrog Angola, who have three points.
Egypt top the group on seven points – one ahead of Libya, who host the Pharaohs in a crucial tie in Benghazi on Monday (19:00 GMT).
Striker Mo Bettamer believes Libya are capable of pipping Carlos Quieroz’s side to top spot in Group F.
“We still have our destiny in our own hands,” Bettamer told Sportshour on the BBC World Service.
“The players from the Libyan league have stepped up and it’s been a good campaign so far.
“When we first saw the group there were good teams in it, with Gabon with [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and Egypt with Mohamed Salah.
“We have got the players to do well and get a result.”
Libya lost 1-0 to Egypt in Alexandria on Friday, but Bettamer hopes home advantage will come into play when the two sides meet again.
“Football is a big thing in Libya, especially with what is happening politically over there,” the 28-year-old added.
“Football is keeping people on the edge of their seats, and everyone is excited about what can happen in these World Cup qualifiers.”
Elsewhere in African World Cup qualifying, Burkina Faso can move ahead of Group A leaders Algeria if the Stallions avoid defeat against Djibouti in Marrakech.
-BBC
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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