Africa-Press – Angola. The Palancas Negras started, Wednesday (01), with the qualification for the final phase of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, next year, in Côte d’Ivoire, with a victory against the Feras do Baixo Oubangui of the Central Republic Africana (RCA), 2-1, at Estádio Nacional 11 de Novembro, in Luanda.
The match scored for the first round of Group E. It was a “somersault” triumph of a disadvantage of the National Team of Honors by a ball to zero, until the break of the match.
Samuel Nlend’s goal, in the 31st minute, was preceded by an error by the Angolan defenders, who stood still to claim control of the opponent’s ball outside the field of play, but the Mozambican referee did not heed the hosts’ request.
After a brilliant start against the opponent, the Palancas Negras squandered some opportunities to score, because the attackers lacked concentration and effectiveness.
The first opportunity came when Gelson Dala was anticipated by a defender from RCA, who moved the ball to a corner, after an assist by Hélder Costa. In another shot, Kialonda Gaspar hit the ball on the crossbar of the RCA goal.
During the match, ‘captain’ Fredy wasted a penalty, which would have given the tie, shooting the ball to the side of the right post of the goal to the guard of the goalkeeper Kolinga Alladoum.
MBala N’Zola, who came on in the second half, scored the equalizer following a corner kick, after the opponent’s defensive failure. Then, Gelson Dala, in an individual move, scored the winning goal.
The substitutions made by coach Pedro Gonçalves had the desired effect to improve the team’s offensive maneuver.
Unlike the previous edition, for the qualifiers of CAN’2022, played in Cameroon, where the Angolans were eliminated, by 1-4, against the similar one in Gambia, the Palancas Negras started the first round of the competition with triumph.
The Beasts of Baixo Oubangui, on the other hand, presented themselves with a virile, combative and, at times, violent group. There were a lot of fouls during the match, with referee Celso Armindo Alvacao making a poor display.
Training
The Palancas Negras train today, at 16:30, at the facilities of the Academia de Futebol Clube de Angola (AFCA), in Morro Bento, aiming at the game with the Scorpions of Madagascar, on Sunday afternoon, at the Municipal Stadium of Mahamasina, in the city of Antananarivo, referring to the second round of Group E.
In this preparation, coach Pedro Gonçalves will recover the group to maintain the physical condition of the players and improve the tactical quality of the match.
Before the trip, tomorrow, to the city of Antananarivo, the National Team of Honors returns to work, at 9:30 am, at Morro Bento, with an emphasis on fine-tuning the principles of the game, as well as the defensive and offensive processes.
For the same round, the Beasts of Baixo Oubangui face, also on Sunday, at 15:00, the Black Stars of Ghana, at the 11 de Novembro National Stadium.
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