International Football
PORTUGAL STRUGGLE TO NARROW WORLD CUP QUALIFYING WIN OVER AZERBAIJAN
European champions Portugal got their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start thanks to an Azerbaijan own-goal in a tight 1-0 Group A victory in Turin on Wednesday (March 24).
Azeri captain Maksim Medvedev turned the ball into his own net on 36 minutes, but that was all Portugal could muster against their 108th-ranked opponents.
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score at his club side’s Juventus Stadium – with the game on neutral ground due to coronavirus travel restrictions – remaining seven goals short of Iranian Ali Daei’s all-time international scoring record of 109 goals.
Fernando Santos’s side struggled due to poor finishing, a dogged Azeri defence and a series of fine saves from visiting goalkeeper Shakhrudin Magomedaliyev.
The Portuguese were camped in front of their rivals’ goal early, with an Andre Silva header flying over the bar in the 12th minute.
The Azeri keeper kept out a Ronaldo header on 23 minutes, with Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo rifling just wide from a tight angle before the half-hour mark.
The breakthrough came from a goalmouth scramble, with Magomedaliyev punching the ball out, hitting Medvedev and bouncing into the back of his own net.
Ronaldo sent an overhead kick attempt before the break over and missed further chances to score his 103rd Portugal goal in the second half.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner set up Bruno Fernandes with 15 minutes to go, but the Manchester United midfielder’s shot was tipped over the bar by Magomedaliyev, who saved a Ronaldo free-kick at full stretch with five minutes to go.
Portugal, who reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1966 and 2006, next travel to Serbia on Saturday and Luxembourg three days later.
-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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