International Football
11 Amazing facts ahead of Ghana – Nigeria World Cup play-off
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria and Ghana meet this Friday at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi in the first of a two-legged encounter to determine which team goes to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Ahead of the match, we bring to you some points of interest.
- This match will be Nigeria’s 111st match in the World Cup qualifying series, an African record.
- This match will be Ghana’s 89th match in the World Cup qualifying series.
- Ghana is attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the fourth time after featuring in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
- Nigeria is aiming for a seventh appearance in the World Cup after featuring in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
- Nigeria became the first Anglophone African team to compete at the World Cup in 1994.
- Both Nigeria and Ghana debuted in the World Cup qualifying series on the same day when Ghana beat Nigeria 4-1 in Accra on 28 August 1960.
- Friday’s match will be the ninth encounter of both teams in the World Cup qualifying series having met twice in the qualifying editions for 1962, 1970, 1974 and 2002.
- When they met on 10 May 1969 at the then Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, Nigeria came back from a first half goal deficit to win 2-1 with Sebastian Brodrick-Imasuen and Muyiwa Oshode scoring two goals within three minutes in the second half. Nigeria advanced following a 1-1 draw in Accra.
- The most tempestuous World Cup qualifier of both countries was the 10 February 1973 match I Lagos, when Ghana came from 2-1 down at half time to snatch a 3-2 win five minutes to regulation time. The angry crowd invaded the pitch and burnt the Ghanaian team bus. FIFA awarded the match 2-0 to Ghana who advanced following a goalless outing in Accra.
- As at the end of the group stage of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, no African side has racked up as many qualifying victories as Nigeria, whose overall record of 62 wins in 110 games equates to a win rate of 56.36 per cent.
Nigeria have twice beaten Ghana on home soil. The first was on 24 August 1975 in the first match of Ghana-Nigeria Sports Festival. Goals from Ogidi Ibeabuchi and Emeka Onyeadika enabled Nigeria beat Ghana 2-1 before their home crowd. The same result was achieved on 30 October 1983 when Rashidi Yekini made his international debut. Goals from Chibuzor Ehilegbu and John Omughele gave Nigeria a 2-1 win in Accra.
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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