International Football
Portugal stun Cameroon in stoppage time to secure Women’s World Cup ticket
A 94th-minute winner has sent Portugal to their first FIFA Women’s World Cup after a dramatic Play-off Tournament final with Cameroon in Hamilton.
Diana Silva scored a 94th-minute winner as Portugal saw off Cameroon in the Play-off Tournament final to qualify for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Francisco Neto’s side were deserving, dominant winners at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium, with the Indomitable Lionesses – last-16 participants at the last two global finals – ultimately fortunate not to lose by a heavier margin.
Cameroon started the match with a 16-year-old-keeper, their first choice Ange Bawou having been sent off against Thailand, and Portugal – perhaps unsurprisingly – made an immediate point of peppering Cathy Biya’s goal.
Jessica Silva tested the youngster inside two minutes with a dangerous cross-cum-shot and, from the resultant corner, Kika Nazareth headed against the post.
Kika, still just 20 herself, is one of Portuguese football’s most exciting talents and she was the inspiration behind the team’s opening goal.
Taking control of a free-kick wide on the left flank, she caught out the Cameroon defence by going directly for goal with a powerful, swerving shot.
The ball rebounded back off the right-hand post but defender Diana Gomes was in the right place at the right time to pick up the rebound and slot gleefully home.
Cameroon offered little at the other end but the dangerous Ajara Nchout threatened occasionally on the break, producing one effort of note that Patricia Morais did well to parry to safety.
Portugal continued to dominate possession and create the better chances, though, and Diana Silva went close to doubling their lead early in the second half with an acrobatic, if wayward, volley.
Jessica had set up that chance from the right flank and this elusive winger proved equally effective after switching to the left, leaving her marker for dead on one occasion to tee up Kika for a header that flashed wide when it seemed easier to score.
In between times, Andreia Norton had gone closer still with a superb 35-yard strike that left the crossbar shuddering.
Despite their dominance, every missed chance increased Portuguese fears of being caught by a Cameroonian sucker-punch. And with good reason.
Their warning came when Michaela Abam raced through to score on 85 minutes only to find that, in making her run, she had strayed narrowly offside.
But it was not heeded, and when Portugal afforded Nchout too much time at the edge of the area, she punished them with a powerful low left-foot finish into the bottom-right corner.
Eighty-nine minutes had already been played at this stage and extra time looked to be beckoning. But when an Estelle Johnson handball was spotted following a VAR check, it handed the Europeans a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead and secure their World Cup spot.
Costa stepped up to take on this awesome responsibility and kept her cool admirably, side-footing low and hard beyond Biya to spark wild Portuguese celebrations.
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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