International Football
Ghana dumps Nigeria out of World Cup, a flashback
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
On this date 49 years ago, a late minute goal scored by Ghana’s danger man, Kwasi Owusu sparked off riot in a World Cup qualifying tie between Nigeria and Ghana in Lagos. Scorelines were 3-2 in Ghana’s favour at the time of the riot.
FIFA later awarded the abandoned game 2-0 in Ghana’s favour. That was the last time Ghana had an edge over Nigeria in World Cup qualification series.
It was also the last time, a riot ever ensued in any international match involving the Nigeria national football team at home.
The Nigerian team had gone into the game with huge confidence having in the previous month won what was the country’s first ever continental honour in football, the gold medal of the 1973 All Africa Games in Lagos.
On the road to the victory, Ghana Black Stars were beaten 4-2 in the opening match.
With such confidence and playing at the then brand new National Stadium in Lagos where all previous opositions, except Algeria had been beaten silly, defeat never crossed the mind of any Nigerian football follower, let alone the players.
Before then, Nigeria had had a run of eight matches undefeated, winning seven and only drawing 2-2 with Algeria.
Boosted by the stats, the Nigerian side opened the game and within opening 15 minutes, Kenneth Olayombo had put Nigeria ahead.
That was taken to be an indication of better things to come. But barely three minutes later, Ghana equalised when their arrowhead man, Kwasi Owusu scored from the penalty spot.
Yakubu Mambo put Nigeria ahead again in the 23rd minute to enable Nigeria get a 2-1 lead into the halftime. But things turned awry in the second half as Owusu ran riots in the Nigerian penalty area.
Ten minutes into the second half, the rampaging Owusu levelled up for Ghana. While Nigerian threw everything upfront searching for a possible third goal to regain the lead.
The Ghanaians too became aggressive to the point that the Congolese referee, Paul Nkounkou sent off two players, Eric Amankwah in the 76th minute and later, Malik Jabir in the 83rd minute, reducing the Ghanaian team to nine men.
While the Nigerians were searching for a thrid goal and had thrown virtually all men upfront, a loose ball came to Owusu in the 87th minute and the cunny striker slotted it past Emmanuel Okala in goal!
The referee signalled a goal. The croowd did not take kindly to it, claiming Owusu who had just had a hattrick was offside.
The pitch invasion was followed by riot in which the Ghanaian team bus was burnt. The Nigerian government replaced the bus and had to send a special deligation headed by the then Lagos State Governor, Mobolaji Johnson to appease the Ghanaian ahead of the second leg match which ended goalless.
FIFA awarded the Lagos match by 2-0 to Ghana as it was treated as an abandoned match.
Ghana and Nigeria will again be engaged in another World Cup qualifiers next month.
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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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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