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Malay Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Ancelotti's Brazil era begins with call to revive Vinicius Jr's Real form
SAO PAULO, June 5 — Brazil must help striker Vinicius Jr rediscover the form he has displayed at Real Madrid, new national team coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday. Ancelotti, who guided the Spanish giants to several titles alongside the Brazilian forward, including two Champions League triumphs and two LaLiga crowns, said that his unique ability to unsettle opposing defences made him a vital asset. 'I don't know if he's been at his best here, but he has time to do what he does at Real Madrid,' Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador on Thursday — his first match in charge of the national team. 'For us, he's a fundamental player. We have to work to ensure he performs at his best here,' the manager added. Vinicius made his World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022 and has been a regular during their qualifying campaign for the 2026 tournament. However, he has struggled for form with the national team, falling short of his usual standards at Real Madrid. Regarding his tactical approach, Ancelotti stated that he aims to field a compact, balanced team. 'I don't want a team with a clear identity. We have to defend well, whether it's 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. We have to defend together and use creativity with the ball,' he said. 'Individual quality is not enough today; you have to combine it with attitude, drive and commitment.' He didn't reveal his starting line-up for his debut as coach, but he did have words of praise for 18-year-old Estevao, who is leaving Palmeiras for Chelsea and has been tipped for a bright future with the national team. 'He's got a special talent... he's got character, he's a good person, he's humble, and he seems fine to me, but with a young player we have to be patient and careful. He has the characteristics to be very important for the future of the national team,' the coach said. Brazil are fourth in the standings for the South American World Cup qualifiers, while their opponents Ecuador are second, behind world champions Argentina. The top six qualify directly for the World Cup. They will host Paraguay in Sao Paulo next week and could secure an early spot at next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. — Reuters
The National
2 days ago
- General
- The National
Cosmin Olaroiu calls on UAE players to make World Cup dreams come true
Cosmin Olaroiu says the UAE national team want to deliver qualification for the World Cup as a gift for 'a nation that deserves it'. Fourteen years after he first arrived in the club game as coach of Al Ain, the Romanian has taken charge of the national side with the ultimate prize at stake. They face Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening knowing direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup is possible, even if it is hanging by a thread. If the home team can beat the second-placed Uzbeks at Al Nahyan Stadium, they will move to within a point of them in the group. They would then need to better whatever result the Uzbeks achieve against Qatar on Tuesday in their own game in Kyrgyzstan to book their ticket to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Coincidentally, Tuesday is also Olaroiu's birthday. Even though he has been in situ in his new role for little more than a week, optimism has been flooding through the game here since he landed the role. His appointment has infused people with the belief qualification can be achieved without resorting to a repechage play-off in October. It is the 'Olaroiu effect' in motion, but the man himself says only a group effort will bring about success. 'It's not about me,' Olaroiu said. 'I am a small part of this team. I am here to help, and give my support and experience to transfer to the players to reach their dream. 'It is about this group of players. They have the biggest opportunity at this moment that most of them will have in their careers: to participate in a World Cup. 'They should understand this and be very motivated to reach their dream, and the dream of a nation that deserves to get this. For us, this is a big responsibility.' Given how much rests on the game against the Uzbeks, Olaroiu has a tricky balance to strike. He acknowledged his coaching staff have had to rein back the players at points over the past week, so enthusiastic have they been. Even that, though, he regards as positive. 'Sometimes they overload themselves and we have to tell them to calm down a little bit, and this is a good sign that they want it,' Olaroiu said. 'This is the way we should approach the game.' Olaroiu accepts the challenge facing his side is a sizeable one against an Uzbek side which he terms 'one of the biggest teams in Asia'. But he enjoys it that way, he said. 'In my career I have been involved in games against lots of teams who are bigger than us,' the UAE coach said. 'Always, we have one chance, and I will fight for the chance. We have to do this, and tomorrow is our first chance to do this.' If Olaroiu is charged with readying the players for the challenge ahead, then he has an able captain on the field to help carry out the mission. Khalid Essa, the goalkeeper, is almost as adept at delivering a message as his new coach. The Al Ain No 1 said he feels privileged to finally work with Olaroiu. 'I have spent 15 years representing the clubs I have played for and the national team,' Essa said. 'Through these years, I can say I am very proud and lucky that, before I retire, I have played under the guidance of this coach. 'He is a coach who can understand the players inside and outside the pitch. He can extract the maximum from the players. He has leadership characteristics, and knows the players who are here more than any other coach.' Essa, too, emphasised the fact success will only come via a communal effort. 'We are much closer to the World Cup than we have ever been, and we believe in this moment,' Essa said. 'It will be a joint effort between the players, the management, the federation, the fans, and the entire nation. 'If we continue in this way, we can achieve big things. Until this point we have been performing well, but luck wasn't on our side, fate wasn't on our side. 'We don't know what the result will be tomorrow, but we will put in all our efforts, and we are expecting a positive atmosphere. We are seeing that already. 'We are all sailing the same ship here. We all want to qualify for the World Cup. The entire country. To do that, for the next five days we all need to share in the joint effort.'
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
World Cup 2026: Can UAE qualify automatically if they beat Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan?
Cosmin Olaroiu will oversee his first fixtures as UAE manager when the national team play Uzbekistan on Thursday and then travel to face Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday. The Romanian coach has enjoyed a glittering career in the club game in the region. Now, his first assignments with the UAE could scarcely be any more significant. The national team are still in with an outside chance of making it automatically to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. But Olaroiu is going to have to work some magic to make it happen. State of play The top two teams in the group advance directly to the main event. Iran are already assured of one of those places. The UAE and Uzbekistan are the only two sides mathematically in contention for the second. Ahead of the final two matches in the group, the Uzbeks are second, and have a four-point cushion over the national team. With six points left to play for, there is no margin for error for the UAE – but there is still a chance. The permutations To keep the dream alive, the UAE have to beat the Uzbeks when they play at Al Nahyan Stadium – the home of Al Wahda Club – on Thursday evening. If they do that, they will move to within a point of them ahead of the last round of matches on Tuesday. The national team do have one thing in their favour. Their goal difference is superior to the Uzbeks. It means that if they do win on Thursday, Olaroiu's side would have to better what Uzbekistan do in their respective final matches on Tuesday. Meaning, if the UAE beat Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek, and the Uzbeks draw or lose at home to Qatar, the national team would qualify for the World Cup. If the UAE were to draw in Kyrgyzstan, that would also be enough if Uzbekistan lost to Qatar. Is there a fall back option? Sultan Adil's dramatic stoppage time winner to beat North Korea in Riyadh in the UAE's most recent qualifier was not enough to save Paulo Bento's job as manager. It did, though, guarantee the UAE a place in the next phase of qualifying – as a minimum if they don't go through automatically. The third and fourth placed teams in the three groups in the current phase of qualifying will enter into a six-team repechage event. The sides will be split into two groups of three, at a centralized venue, from October 8 to 14. The teams will play two matches in the group, and the sides who finish top will make it to the World Cup. And after that? The qualifying process might seem never-ending, but it will eventually finish at some point. The two runners up in the three-team groups in the competition in October will face each other home and away in November. The winner will go to a six-team intercontinental play-off in March next year. That will include sides from Africa and the Americas, plus New Caledonia from the Oceania confederation. This event – played in one of the three countries hosting the World Cup – will decide the last two teams to play at the main event.
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Wales manager Craig Bellamy calls up a player with one league start for World Cup qualifying
CARDIFF, Wales — Few soccer players have been fast-tracked to their national team quicker than Ronan Kpakio. The right back from Cardiff, who turned 18 on Sunday, was named in Wales manager Craig Bellamy's squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday despite only having started one league game. He could now play in games against Liechtenstein on June 6 and Belgium on June 9.
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Wales manager Craig Bellamy calls up a player with one league start for World Cup qualifying
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Few soccer players have been fast-tracked to their national team quicker than Ronan Kpakio. The right back from Cardiff, who turned 18 on Sunday, was named in Wales manager Craig Bellamy's squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday despite only having started one league game. He could now play in games against Liechtenstein on June 6 and Belgium on June 9. Kpakio has featured in six games for Cardiff in all competitions, and only started his first league game May 3, the last day of the season. That followed two earlier substitute appearances in the second-tier Championship and matches in the FA Cup and English League Cup. Wales has four points from its first two qualifying games as it aims to reach a second successive World Cup for the first time in its history. ___ AP soccer:
