International Football
MBAPPE’S MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE GIVES FRANCE NATIONS LEAGUE VICTORY IN SWEDEN
Kylian Mbappe scored with France’s only shot on goal on Saturday (Sept 5) in Solna to give the world champions a 1-0 victory over Sweden in the opening round of matches in the Nations League.
Mbappe picked up the ball wide of the goal in the 41st minute, squeezed past two defenders, waited for goalkeeper Robin Olsen to go down and then clipped the ball just inside the post from the narrowest of angles.
The strike was enough to give France victory in a cagey opener in Group 3 of the elite League A in the competition.
“It was a committed match, not a great match,” said France manager Didier Deschamps. “It was a good back-to-school game, considering the fitness levels.”
Mbappe agreed that fitness, after the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, explained the lacklustre game.
“We are not all at the same level,” Mbappe said.
Sweden managed just three strikes on target in the 90 minutes, though one of those was a deflection off French defender Dayot Upamecano, making his international debut, that Hugo Lloris saved.
Antoine Griezmann had a chance to double the French lead with the last kick of the game after Anthony Martial was fouled in the box, but the Barcelona attacker blasted the penalty high.
“It was a complicated match,” said Mbappe. “We competed well, it wasn’t easy.”
Deschamps has adopted a new system with two strikers.
“It’s clear that I’m closer to the goal,” said Mbappe. “I like that.”
Captain Lloris also focused on the formation and a lack of fitness.
“In the second half, we lost intensity, I found the Swedes very good physically,” said the goalie, adding that the team were still learning the new system.
“We’re not going to adapt overnight, we had very few days to prepare for it, we have to work on it, we have to give it time.”
For France’s first match since they beat Albania last November, Deschamps recalled Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot for his first appearance since he refused to serve as a standby for the 2018 World Cup.
France face Croatia in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris on Tuesday while Sweden take on the fourth team in the group, Portugal, winners of the inaugural Nations League, in Solna.
France travelled to sweden with just two goalkeepers after Steve Mandanda of Marseille was sent home because he was deemed to have failed a Covid-19 test and there was no time to arrange tests for a replacement.
After Saturday’s victory, Deschamps said he had called up Benoit Costil of Bordeaux, who will join the squad on Sunday.
-AFP
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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