World Football: September 6
Morocco's dramatic escape from Guinea coup, Korea focus on Son Heung-min's international struggles, Pressure rising on USA coach after Canada draw, Euro hangovers stretch into WC qualifying,
AFRICA
Morocco’s team made a dramatic escape late on Sunday from Guinea on Monday after an apparent coup d’etat in the west African country where soldiers launched an uprising as they looked to unseat unpopular president Alpha Conde.
Morocco were due to play Guinea in a key World Cup qualifier on Monday but the game postponed when the capital Conakry was plunged into chaos. They had been holed up in their hotel, from where they could hear shooting around the city (
“There was shooting since 10 o'clock this morning. The presidential palace is not very far from us. I saw soldiers running across the street. But we did not know what was happening,” said their coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
Morocco’s team has been in Conakry since Saturday in preparation for what was going to be a tough match. Throughout the day, efforts to get them out continued until early evening when they were given permission to move to the airport – about an hour away from their hotel -- where a plane awaited them.
Soldiers were trying to overthrow Conde, who had changed the country’s constitution in order to stay in power for a third term in a sham election that led to demonstrations and more misery in one of the continent’s poorest countries.
Guinea is a country with a long history of military takeovers of coups and it was always on the cards there would be some sort of insurrection sooner or later. Its mineral wealth has been consistently plundered over the decades.
By late Sunday, the soldiers had taken over the state television network but allegedly been repelled when attacking the presidential palace.
The game was postponed on Sunday afternoon as the Confederation of African Football made a brief statement. It will have to be played on a new date but it will be difficult to find a slot for the fixture – unless both sides play three times in the next international window -- and there will be obvious Moroccan concerns about going back to Conakry.
Africa’s World Cup qualifying continues through to Tuesday after which the first two matchdays of the group phase are complete.
It kicked off last Wednesday and to date has run pretty much to form with a few eye raising results. Tanzania’s away draw in the Democratic Republic of Congo was unexpected and Libya’s come from behind success over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon also something of a surprise.
Algeria’s 8-0 win over Djibouti suggested there were still some minnows in the African game but then again Ethiopia made it tough for hosts Ghana and were unlucky to lose by a goal away in Cape Coast. Mark Gleeson
ASIA
It has been an issue for some time in South Korea: why doesn’t Son Heung-min shine for his country as much as he does for his club?
Fans at home see the forward scoring goals and winning games in the English Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, yet he is usually less influential when playing in big Asian matches.
Thursday’s 0-0 draw with Iraq in Seoul in the first game in the final round of World Cup qualifiers was a frustrating experience for all in red. The well-organised visitors defended deep, worked hard and used every opportunity to run down the clock. Son was surrounded when he received the ball but looked, generally, off the pace.
"I didn't get enough rest after my club match," he said, putting part of it down to the long flight from London after he had scored the winner against Watford just four days earlier. "It is obviously difficult to play in Korea only a couple of days after flying in from Europe,” said Son. “I have lacked sleep because of the time zone change, but I'll try to prepare for the next one as well as I can."
Anyone who has made the same London to Seoul trip would sympathise. It is not so much the 11 or so hours on the plane but the crossing of eight or nine time zones that makes it especially tough for players to adjust quickly.
Lebanon come next on Tuesday and there will be a similar defensive approach from the Cedars. “It is important that we eat and sleep well and work in training on what needs to be done,” said Son.
Korea coach Paulo Bento tried to steer attention away from Son. "For me, concentrating on one player isn't the best way for our team,” Bento said. “We need to find the collective solution. We should watch the game and check what we didn't do so well, instead of analysing just one player."
Fans, and Son, will be hoping that the same conversation is not repeated after tomorrow’s game. John Duerden
CONCACAF
Does anyone want to win in World Cup qualification?
Thus far, after two match days, only Mexico and whoever is playing Jamaica have been able to find victories, with everyone else settling for draws.
Some corners of the United States fan base are ready for manager Gregg Berhalter to be given his marching orders after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Canada. He no doubt will be retained at least long enough to make Wednesday’s trip to Honduras, where he’ll hope to get the first victory of the final round of qualification.
Even a loss in Honduras, a tough game in Central America with 50% capacity set to be allowed at San Pedro Sula’s Estadio Olimpico, likely wouldn’t doom Berhalter after he won the Nations League final and the Gold Cup in the summer. Yet two points from the first two matches has many flashing back to 2018, when the U.S. stumbled out of the gates and ended up falling short of 2018.
The U.S. is sitting much prettier than Jamaica, however. The Reggae Boyz fell to Mexico in the first match before heading to Kingston. With the UK red list wreaking havoc on a dozen members of their squad, Jamaica had its full corps of players for only Sunday’s match, but perhaps players like Michail Antonio and Kemar Roofe need more time acclimating to the Concacaf region.
After struggling to beat Keylor Navas in its opener, Panama thrashed Jamaica 3-0 at “The Office”, setting the panic alarms off ringing as Jamaica now head to Costa Rica without their UK-based stars, risking taking no points from the first three matches of qualification.
That win has Panama sitting second in the table behind Mexico, who beat Jamaica at home and then did get past Keylor Navas by converting a penalty late in the first half.
There are no doubt still plenty of twists and turns with each team still having a dozen matches left to play, but you can forgive fans for being nervous their teams will fall behind and be unable to make up the gap. The margins are slim. World Cup qualification is back. Jon Arnold
EUROPE
Europe’s weekend of World Cup qualifiers could not match the drama taking place in South America - what could? - and there still is likely to be a familiar line-up in Qatar from the Uefa region.
However, and among others suffering a collective hangover of the Euros and the concertinaed calendar, the world champions, France do not look in especially fine fettle. Their run of winless matches runs to five now after their disappointing Euro 2020, and Didier Deschamps may soon find himself characterised as one of those coaches who outstayed his welcome. The same proved true of each of the last three men to win the World Cup with their country, Marcello Lippi, Vicente del Bosque and Joachim Loew, and Deschamps, despite a squad brimming with talent, is struggling.
France were unconvincing in getting a draw in Ukraine, conceded the opening goal for a fifth consecutive match, and Deschamps was on the defensive. "The opponents offer us the same pattern in front of goal with group blocks," Deschamps said. "We have the annoying habit of chasing after the score now. There are times like that, you have to accept it.”
As Germany are finding out, a change can be as good as a rest, with Hansi Flick presiding over two successive wins since succeeding Loew, with Armenia put to the sword on Sunday to follow up a 2-0 defeat of Liechtenstein that admittedly received poor reviews in the German press.
At least Spain are back in the groove under Luis Enrique, their loss to Sweden on Thursday having been their first World Cup qualifying defeat in 28 years, the last coming under Javier Clemente to Denmark in 1993 when Pep Guardiola was anchoring midfield. There is talk of a new Spain, and that may well be the case with the likes of Pedri and Ferran Torres coming through, with the latter on the scoresheet in a 4-0 defeat of Georgia.
Five weeks after winning Euro 2020, Italy find themselves in something of slump, their 0-0 draw with Switzerland following the 1-1 draw with Bulgaria, and including a penalty miss from Jorginho that saw the Chelsea man psyched out by Swiss goalie Yann Sommer. Italy still top their group, as do France while Portugal, Spain and Germany are all currently in second.
Another team in second are the Dutch, with Louis van Gaal back in charge for a third stint. Having replaced Frank de Boer, one of his former players, he began with a draw with Norway and then Saturday’s impressive 4-0 win over Montenegro.
And it was celebrated in style by the Van Gaal, who makes up for his teams not playing the most exciting football - OK, some of the dullest ever played at times - with his flamboyant media appearances.
“The full backs have to act like a steering wheel,” he said in post-match in Eindhoven, miming a steering wheel. “Look. If [Denzel] Dumfries goes forward, [Tyrell] Malacia stays back. If Malacia goes forward, Dumfries stays back.”
Welcome back, Louis. His team face Turkey on Tuesday in what will be a key match on the road to Qatar 2022. John Brewin