International Football
Côte d’Ivoire overthrow Cameroon in Group D
Côte d’Ivoire reclaimed their place on top of Group D in the qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating Mozambique 3-0 in Cotonou on Saturday.
Cameroon had temporarily moved top of the group with their 4-0 victory Malawi, but Les Elephants ensured they moved back top, the victory over the Mambas taking them to 13 points, one ahead of the Indomitable Lions who they play in their last match in Douala on Tuesday.
Maxwell Cornet and Max Alain Gradel combined twice while Jean Michael Seri added a third to give Cote d’Ivoire the vital three points.
Under pressure to pick victory after Cameroon won earlier on, the Ivorians started strong and Sebastian Haller tested the keeper early on with a strong shot from the right that was palmed away.
They got into the lead in the 10th minute when Gradel slid in to guide home a well weighted cross from Cornet.
Mozambique had a good chance to get back into the game in the 18th minute but Witi saw his shot fly straight to the keeper’s arms. In the 43rd minute, Gildo Lourenco Vilanculos broke into the Ivorian box but his first time shot went just wide with Sylvain Gbohouo sprawling on the floor.
In the second half, Mozambique had come back determined to get themselves into the game.
They were however pegged back on the hour mark when Cornet and Gradel combined once again, this time Cornet coming to the end of a Gradel cross from the right before bouncing a volley beyond the keeper and into the net.
At the stroke of 90 minutes, Les Elephants sealed the victory with Seri shooting low from inside the box off a Yohan Boli assist from a quickly taken throw.
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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