Africa-Press – Angola. The main goalkeeper of the Mozambique football team, Ernâni, was sidelined due to injury from the 23-man squad, with a view to the final phase of CHAN2023, a continental competition reserved for players playing in the respective countries, which will take place in Algeria from the 13th of January to the 4th of February.
Ernâni was injured on the eve of the start of the preparations and did not recover in time to be part of the list of players who went to Algeria.
In the absence of the starter who made the entire qualifying phase for CHAN, Ivan, goalkeeper of the Black Bulls Association, should be the bet of coach Chiquinho Conde, who lamented the injury of his main choice to defend the goal of the ‘Mambas’.
“It’s always sad to remove a player from the squad due to injury. All those who are aware of my journey in the national team see that Ernâni has been my first option, whether in the CHAN group” – said the coach to the newspaper “O País”.
He informed, on the other hand, that those who were more attentive found that also in Malawi he had to be replaced right at the beginning, and Ivan entered.
“I clearly trust all the goalkeepers we call up, three/four goalkeepers with different characteristics”, he concluded.
To reach CHAN, the Mozambican team that appears in group A together with Algeria, Libya and Ethiopia, pushed back Zambia and Malawi.
The opening game is scheduled for January 14 against Ethiopia.
The Palancas Negras, the official name of the national team of Angola, are part of group D alongside similar teams from Mali and Mauritania.
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