International Football
MARADONA’S EX SON-IN LAW, AGUERO STARTED FROM BENCH AS MAN CITY EASE INTO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16
Aguero started on the bench as his former father-in-law Diego Maradona was remembered with a minute of silence before kick-off.
Maradona, whose daughter Giannina was married to Aguero, died at the age of 60 on Wednesday.
Once the action got underway, City soon settled into their stride and booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League but there were more concerns for Pep Guardiola over his side’s lack of ruthlessness in a 1-0 win at Olympiakos on Wednesday (Nov 25).
Phil Foden’s low strike nine minutes before half-time ensured City deservedly kept up their 100 percent record in Europe this season.
But a one-goal margin of victory was scant reward for the visitors’ dominance even with a heavily-rotated side.
Guardiola made five changes to the team beaten 2-0 at Tottenham on Saturday to see City off to their worst league start since the first few months of the club’s Abu Dhabi-backed ownership.
Scoring goals has been City’s big problem in the Premier League, but they had scored three in each of their opening three Champions League wins over Porto, Marseille and Olympiakos in Manchester three weeks ago.
The lack of killer edge was in clear evidence in Piraeus. City had 21 efforts on goal, 10 of which were on target, but again missed Sergio Aguero’s presence in the final third.
Jose Sa denied Gabriel Jesus when the Brazilian was clean through on goal and twice made good saves to deny Raheem Sterling from outside the area.
Sterling turned creator for the only goal with lovely backheel into the path of Foden, who drilled home his fourth goal of the season.
Chances continued to come and go for City after the break. Ilkay Gundogan blasted inches wide before Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva shot straight at Sa with the goal at their mercy.
But one goal was enough as Olympiakos failed to muster a single shot on target, complicating their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
The Greek champions trail second-placed Porto, who travel to Marseille later on Wednesday, by three points.
City just need a point from their final two matches to secure top spot in Group C.
-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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