International Football
SEVEN SUPER EAGLES FOUND THE NET SO FAR
BY CHINWE EDOGA.
Seven Nigerian players are so far on the score sheet of the six matches the Super Eagles have played so far in the 2018 World Cup qualifying series in which the country has scored 12 goals.
Leading the pack is Chelsea’s talismanic Victor Moses whose brace against Algeria last November and goal against Cameroon brought his tally to three to lead the pack.
Sports Village Square recalls that Moses’ tally is a goal behind those of the leading quartet of Ghana’s Thomas Partey, Niger Republic’s Moussa Mauzou, Liberia’s William Jebor and Algeria’s Islam Slimani all who are on four goals.
Mikel Obi, skipper of the side appears to have specialized on scoring second goals at home for the Super Eagles – an act he has performed in the last two home games which brought his tally to two goals just like that of Kelechi Iheanachor and Moses Simon.
Iheanachor scored against Zambia in Ndola and put in the fourth goal in the 4-0 routing of Cameroon last month. Moses Simon enters the record book as the first Nigerian to score in the 2018 World Cup qualifying when he break the deadlock in Nigeria’s encounter with Swaziland in second round.
After a goalless first match and the return leg at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium appeared to be heading towards similar score line, Simon Moses broke the deadlock with his 51st minute goal. He scored again in Nigeria’s 1-1 away draw with Cameroon in Yaoundé.
On one goal sheet are Efe Ambrose, Alex Iwobi and Odion Ighalo. Ambrose doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 2-0 defeat of Swaziland in Port Harcourt in 2015 after an earlier goal by Moses Simon to push Nigeria into the third stage of the qualifying series.
Debutant, Alex Iwobi opened scoring in the 2-1 defeat of Zambia last year while Ighalo did the same last month in the 4-0 whitewash of Cameroon in Uyo.
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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