MTNFootball

Tournament Review:

Angola and Ivory Coast were sides tipped to go past the group stage, but surprisingly the Palancas Negras stumbled and failed to make it out of Group B.

Led by big name players such as Flavio and the outstanding Manucho, Angola did as expected by beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in their opening encounter courtesy of brilliant goals from d Mateus and Manucho.

In their second game the Angolans were made to work hard for victory and it came as no surprise when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sudan, who later went on to pip them to a place in the knockout stages.

In their third game, a superb Ivory Coast team sent Angola packing when they beat them 2-0.

Certainly not the best tournament for Angola and they should be disappointed for not progressing at least past the first round.

Pre-Tournament Profile:

Angola’s qualification for the World Cup finals in 2006 proved one of the biggest shocks in recent African football history, but it is fair to say they have failed to build on that in recent times.

The achievement of 2006 came against the backdrop of a 30-year-old nation still finding its feet having come out of a brutal civil war, but developing rapidly in infrastructure and with increasing oil wealth.

The country hosted the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals, an event that will be forever marred by the killing of three members of the Togo entourage just days before the start of the competition.

They reached the quarterfinals in that event, as they did in the 2008 tournament in Ghana, with those finishes being their best in the five finals they have played in to date.

The country’s football federation have long had a policy of seeking out talent with Angolan connections in the Diaspora in Europe, notably in former colonial power Portugal.

Several key players have emerged from outside of Angolan club structures to bolster the side, although most from the obscurity of minor clubs.

The current side is coached by Lito Vidigal, who was part of the playing staff at the 1998 Nations Cup finals in Burkina Faso.

Former Manchester United forward Manucho remains the star man, but experienced stars such as Flavio and Gilberto are still very much part of the set-up.

Look out for forward Djalma Campos too, he recently won a move to Portuguese giants FC Porto.

Angola reached the 2012 finals by winning their qualification pool on the final day of matches, pipping Uganda to first place with a win away in Guinea-Bissau.

Team Info

Team History