International Football
Morocco secure valuable 1-1 draw in DR Congo
Morocco scored a crucial away goal in the 75th minute against 10-man DR Congo to earn a 1-1 draw in Kinshasa in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup play-off tie.
Brentford’s Yoane Wissa gave the hosts the lead in the 11th minute following a deflection off the head of Morocco captain Romain Saiss.
In the second half, the Atlas Lions’ Ryan Mmaee – who has a Moroccan mother and Cameroonian father – then put the ball over the bar from the penalty spot, before Tarik Tissoudali spared his blushes with a late equaliser.
DR Congo finished the game with 10 men after Glody Ngonda, who will now be suspended for Tuesday’s second leg in Casablanca. was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card five minutes from time.
The Leopards had taken the lead somewhat against the run of play through Wissa, who cut inside on the left and took a shot from the edge of the area that brushed Saiss’ head before glancing past Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Three minutes after the break, Wissa came close to doubling the lead for DR Congo as he drove into the area before curling just wide of the post.
Morocco had a golden opportunity to equalise in the 53rd minute when they were awarded a penalty after the ball struck forward Cedric Bakumbu’s outstretched arm as it came off the head of a Moroccan.
However, Mmaee blazed the ball over the bar following a stuttering run-up for a miss that may be regretted.
A last-ditch lunge by Mmaee’s brother Samy Mmaee thwarted Dieumerci Mbokani at the other end as he looked set to find an empty net at the far post, before Paris St-Germain star Achraf Hakimi headed narrowly wide.
Saiss made amends in the 75th minute when his sliding tackle denied Bakambu, with the striker through one-on-one with Bounou, before the Moroccan captain set up the counter-attack for the equaliser.
The ball was launched forward towards Ayoub El Kaabi, who nodded it into the path of his fellow substitute Tissoudali to crash into the net.
Just four minutes later, DR Congo could have restored their lead only for Bakambu’s header to be well saved by Bounou.
The second leg will be played on Tuesday 29 March with Morocco aiming for a second consecutive World Cup finals appearance, and sixth overall.
Two-time African champions DR Congo have not qualified for the tournament since 1974, when the country was known as Zaire, as they became the first sub-Saharan nation to qualify for a World Cup.
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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