International Football
WILL ARGENTINA SPOIL MIKEL OBI’S 80TH INTERNATIONAL CAP?
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Super Eagles’ skipper, Mikel Obi may this Tuesday get the opportunity of playing his 80th international game when Nigeria face Argentina for the eighth time.
With that, Mikel will become the fifth most capped Nigerian international. Incidentally, all those before him were also skippers of the Nigerian national teams.
Those that attained the 80th match milestone before now were Muda Lawal on June 16, 1985; Nwankwo Kanu on June 20, 2009; Joseph Yobo on September 3, 2011 and Vincent Enyeama on June 5, 2013.
Nigeria did not lose the matches in which those players made their 80th appearance. That is the burden Mikel Obi possibly carry as he is expected to lead Nigeria against a strong opposition like Argentina and also under an inclement weather condition which is expected to drop to almost freezing point.
When Muda Lawal had his 80th cap, Nigeria played a goalless draw with Cote d’Ivoire on June 16, 1985.
The result was the same for Nwankwo Kanu as he came off the bench to replace Kalu Uche in a World Cup qualifying match with Tunisia to earn his 80th cap.
The match played in Rades, Tunisia ended goalless. It was even more remarkable for Joseph Yobo when he earned his 80th cap in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the home country of the current CAF President who was his nation’s FA president at the time.
In the September 3, 2011 Africa Cup of Nations duel, Nigeria did not just have a 2-0 away win, Yobo, a defender opened scoring! When on June 5, 2013 Vincent Enyeama made his 80th appearance for Nigeria in Nairobi, Kenya, he had a clean sheet and Nigeria won the away World Cup qualifier 1-0.
Will Mikel’s 80th cap also be marked on a sweet note for Nigeria? Sports Village Square recalls that the record books are replete with tales of broken dreams in milestone games.
While the likes of Diego Forlan had victories to tell on their milestones as his Uruguay’s 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup tie at Salvador, Brazil marked his 100th international appearance, that of Yobo was soiled.
It was on the day that Yobo clocked 100th match that Nigeria crashed out of the World Cup just as Enyeama’s 100th cap celebration was spoilt in front of home crowd in Uyo when Uganda shocked Nigeria 0-1.
Only last Thursday, Northern Ireland’s captain, Steven Davis had the marking of his 100th cap spoilt by a home defeat to Switzerland in a European play-off match for Russia 2018. On Sunday, his team eventually crashed out.
MIKEL OBI’S PREVIOUS 79 MATCHES
- August 17, 2005 (F-Tripoli) LIBYA 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 27, 2006 (AFCON-Port Said) ZIMBABWE 0 – 2 NIGERIA. (sub) 1 goal
- February 4, 2006 (AFCON-Port Said) TUNISIA 1 – 1 NIGERIA* 5-6 pens
- February 7, 2006 (AFCON-Alexandria) COTE D’IVOIRE 1 – 0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- September 2, 2006 (AFCONq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 NIGER. (sub)
- February 6, 2007 (F-London) GHANA 4 – 1 NIGERIA.
- March 24, 2007 (AFCONq-Abeokuta) NIGERIA 1 – 0 UGANDA.
- September 8, 2007 (AFCONq- Warri) NIGERIA 2 – 0 LESOTHO.
- October 14, 2007 (F- Mexico City) MEXICO 2 – 2 NIGERIA.
- January 21, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) COTE D’IVOIRE 1 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 25, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) MALI 0 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 29, 2008 (AFCON- Sekondi) BENIN 0 – 2 NIGERIA. (1 goal)
- February 3, 2008 (AFCON- Accra) GHANA 2 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- May 27, 2008 (F- Graz) AUSTRIA 1 – 1 NIGERIA.
- June 1, 2008 (WCq- Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 SOUTH AFRICA.
- June 7, 2008 (WCq-Freetown) SIERRA LEONE 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- June 21, 2008 (WCq- Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 0 EQUATORIAL GUINEA. (sub)
- February 11, 2009 (F-London) JAMAICA 0 – 0 NIGERIA.
- March 29, 2009 (WCq-Maputo) MOZAMBIQUE 0 -0 NIGERIA.
- June 20, 2009 (WCq-Rades) TUNISIA 0 -0 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2009 (WCq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2 – 2 TUNISIA
- November 14, 2009 (WCq-Nairobi) KENYA 2 – 3 NIGERIA.
- January 6, 2010 (F- Durban) ZAMBIA 0 – 0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 12, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) EGYPT 3 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- January 16, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) BENIN 0 – 1 NIGERIA.
- January 20, 2010 (AFCON- Lubango) MOZAMBIQUE 0 – 3 NIGERIA.
- January 25, 2010 (AFCON- Lubango) ZAMBIA 0 – 0 NIGERIA (aet) 4-5 pens
- January 28. 2010 (AFCON- Luanda) GHANA 1 – 0 NIGERIA.
- January 30, 2010 (AFCON- Benguela) ALGERIA 0 – 1 NIGERIA. (sub)
- September 5, 2010 (AFCONq – Calabar) NIGERIA 2- 0 MADAGASCAR (sub)
- March 29, 2011 (F- Abuja) NIGERIA 3- 0 KENYA
- June 1, 2011 ( F- Abuja) NIGERIA 4- 1 ARGENTINA
- June 5, 2011 ( AFCONq- Addis Ababa) ETHIOPIA 2-2 NIGERIA
- September 3, 2011 (AFCONq- Antananarivo) MADAGASCAR 0-2 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2011 ( F- Dhaka) ARGENTINA 3-1 NIGERIA (sub)
- October 8, 2011 ( AFCONq-Abuja) NIGERIA 2-2 GUINEA
- October 11, 2011 (F-London) NIGERIA 0-0 GHANA (sub)
- October 13, 2012 (AFCONq – Calabar) NIGERIA 6-1 LIBERIA (1 goal pen)
- January 9, 2013 (F – Faro) CAPE VERDE 0-0 NIGERIA
- January 21, 2013 (AFCON – Nelspruit) BURKINA FASO 1-1 NIGERIA
- January 25, 2013 (AFCON – Nelspruit) ZAMBIA 1-1 NIGERIA
- January 29, 2013 (AFCON – Rustenburg) ETHIOPIA 0-2 NIGERIA (sub)
- February 3, 2013 (AFCON – Rustenburg) COTE D’IVOIRE 1-2 NIGERIA
- February 6, 2013 (AFCON – Durban) MALI 1-4 NIGERIA
- February 10, 2013 (AFCON – J’burg) BURKINA FASO 0-1 NIGERIA
- March 23, 2013 (WCq- Calabar) NIGERIA 1-1 KENYA
- June 5, 2013 (WCq – Nairobi) KENYA 0-1 NIGERIA
- June 12, 2013 (WCq- Windhoek) NAMIBIA 1-1 NIGERIA
- June 17, 2013 (Confed – Belo Horizonte) TAHITI 1-6 NIGERIA
- June 20, 2013 (Confed – Salvador) URUGUAY 2-1 NIGERIA (1 goal)
- June 23, 2013 (Confed – Fortaleza) SPAIN 3-0 NIGERIA
- September 7, 2013 (WCq – Calabar) NIGERIA 2-0 MALAWI
- October 13, 2013 (WCq- Addis Ababa) ETHIOPIA 1-2 NIGERIA
- November 16, 2013 (WCq- Calabar) NIGERIA 2-0 ETHIOPIA
- November 18, 2013 (F- London) ITALY 2-2 NIGERIA
- March 6, 2014(F- Georgia) MEXICO 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 4, 2014 (F- Pennsylvania) GREECE 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 7, 2014 (F- Florida) USA 2-1 NIGERIA (sub)
- n June 16, 2014 (WC- Curitiba) IRAN 0-0 NIGERIA
- June 21. 2014 (WC- Cuiaba) BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA 0-1 NIGERIA
- June 25, 2014 (WC-Porto Alegre) ARGENTINA 3-2 NIGERIA
- June 30, 2014 (WC- Brasilia) FRANCE 2-0 NIGERIA
- September 6, 2014 (AFCONq- Calabar) NIGERIA 2-3 CONGO
- September 10, 2014 (AFCONq- Cape Town) SOUTH AFRICA 0-0 NIGERIA
- October 11, 2014 (AFCONq – Khartoum) SUDAN 1-0 NIGERIA
- October 15. 2014 (AFCONq – Abuja) NIGERIA 3-1 SUDAN
- November 15, 2014 (AFCONq- Pointe Noire) CONGO 0-2 NIGERIA
- November 19, 2014 (AFCONq- Uyo) NIGERIA 2-2 SOUTH AFRICA
- October 8, 2015 (F- Vise, Belgium) DR CONGO 2-0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- October 11, 2015 (F-Vise, Belgium) CAMEROON 0-3 NIGERIA. (sub)
- November 13, 2015 (WCq- Lobamba) SWAZILAND 0-0 NIGERIA. (sub)
- March 25, 2016 (AFCONq- Kaduna) NIGERIA 1-1 EGYPT.
- March 29, 2016 (AFCONq- Alexandria) EGYPT 1-0 NIGERIA.
- September 3, 2016 (AFCONq -Uyo) NIGERIA 1-0 TANZANIA. (sub)
- October 9, 2016 (WCq -Ndola) ZAMBIA 1-2 NIGERIA.
- November 12, 2016 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 3-1 ALGERIA. (sub, 1 goal)
- September 1, 2017 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 4-0 CAMEROON (sub, 1 goal)
- September 4, 2017 (WCq -Yaoundé) CAMEROON 1-1 NIGERIA
- October 7, 2017 (WCq -Uyo) NIGERIA 1-0 ZAMBIA
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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