International Football
Qatar 2022 World Cup enters the fast lane
Oh how time flies! In fact, time flies faster than the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2022!
This Sunday, the Qatar 2022 enters its second week and all the 16 teams og Groups E, F, G and H will be in action for the next two dayss.
By then, some of those who will crash out along with the hosts, Qatar would have emerged. Some of the matches on the card are super explosive;
For instance, two European heavyweights will lock horns in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches.
Two former World Cup champions, Spain (2010 winners) and Germany (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014) go head-on collision.
The Sunday match is a clash of champions. While Spain thoroughly enjoyed their tournament opener, recording their biggest FIFA World Cup finals victory with a 7-0 win against Costa Rica, four-time winners Germany endured a shock 2-1 defeat by Japan.
In Group F, Croatia and Canada meet for the first time. This is a destiny-shaping encounter.
While Croatia, the 2018 runners-up, opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Morocco, Canada were beaten 1-0 by Belgium, a missed penalty by Alphonso Davies leaving them still awaiting their first goal and point at the finals.
Belgium are the only team in Group F to have scored in their opening game. Michy Batshuayi’s strike earned the 2018 semi-finalists a 1-0 win against Canada after Morocco had opened their FIFA World Cup 2022 account with a goalless draw against 2018 runners-up Croatia.
The countries have met once before at the finals, with Belgium claiming a 1-0 win in Orlando in 1994.
The moods of Japan and Costa Rica are somewhat contrasting as they approach their second Group E encounter. While the Asian side sensationally came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1 in their opening game, their opponents from Concacaf suffered their heaviest FIFA World Cup defeat, going down 7-0 to Spain.
Morocco will attempt to lift Africa from the pit today as they face Belgium. African football followers are already getting worried as indications seem to be pointing towards a mass crashing out from the group stage as it happened four years ago.
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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