International Football
Niger sign off qualifiers with huge win in nine goal thriller
Niger wound off their Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification journey with a 7-2 victory over Djibouti in Niamey on Monday as the West Africans clinched their second victory to move to seven points in Group A.
Adebayor Zakari Adje scored a hattrick with substitute Ibrahim Issa scoring a late brace scored within two minutes. Amadou Wonkoye and Daniel Sosah scored one a piece with Youssouf Ahmed and Siad Yabe scoring the consolation goals for Djibouti.
Adebayor broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a simple side foot finish. Ahmed then drew Djibouti level in the 33rd minute, to hand them some hope of a shock win.
However, the joy of being level on goals lasted just a minute as Adebayor added the second with a fine finish on the volley off an Ibrahim Abdoul Aziz assist.
Djibouti almost drew level in the 59th minute when Mahdi Mahabeh beat the keeper, but Niger skipper Youssef Oumarou cleared off the line.
Two minutes on the turn, Niger put the game to safety with the third goal with Wonkoye scoring with a well taken shot from distance.
Three minutes later they were 4-1 up when Sosah won the ball back and shot in after the keeper spilled a shot from Adebayor.
Adebayor completed his hattrick in the 75th minute with a well taken curling shot.
Djibouti reduced the deficit in the 84th minute when Yabe sneaked the ball under the keeper, but they conceded twice in quick succession, Issa tapping a rebound home in the 86th minute before a cracking shot a minute later made it 7-2.
Elsewhere, Guinea Bissau and Sudan played to a 0-0 draw in a Group I match.
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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