Bouaké - Angola and Maurutânia play on Saturday at 6 pm at the Bouaké Stadium for Can`2023, which takes place in Côte D`ivoire.
The latest confrontation between these two selections dates from December 10, 2018, the day Angola won by 4-1, in a second-hand game of the qualifiers to Can`2019, played in Egypt. In total they played on four occasions.
Of the reaches of that challenge, only Gelson Dala remains in the active. The Angolan striker scored at 79 minutes closing the count, after the goals of Matthew Galiano (12 15`) and Djalma Campos at 51´. The opponent's goal of honor was set by Hacem El Id after two minutes.
The history of confrontations between Palancas Negras (denomination the genus of anti -pole - 33rd positioned in the African ranking) and Mourabitounes (reference to an old dynasty of the region - 22nd) records two draw and one victory for each.
Before the rout (4-1), at “11 de Novembro” stadium, in Luanda, the national team lost away from 0-1 in 2018, in the first leg of the race to the Egyptian Can, followed by two goalless draws in 2019 and 2023.
Present in this Cup of Nations that Côte D`ivoire welcomes in five cities, the national combination seeks to match or improve the quarters of the editions of Ghana`2008 and Angola`2010 in nine presences.
Mauritania pursues, in this 34th African Championship, the passage to the round of 16, in its third participation.
Angola started the best way to tie a ball with the candidate Algeria, in the first round of Group D.
Led by Portuguese Pedro Gonçalves, the Palancas Negras now face a Mauritania team that, in theory, is the most fragile team in the series, which also includes Burkina Faso, aware that a victory will take them very close to the round of 16.
Mourabitounes started the event on the wrong foot, losing the match against a more experienced Burkina Faso (0-1) with more athletes playing at a high level, especially in Europe.
Amir Abdou's men are thus forced to win on Saturday's duel, otherwise they will be in a very difficult situation in terms of qualification, as their last match will be against Algeria, one of the candidates for the title.
Before the clash between Angola (second with one point) and Mauritania (fourth with zero), Algeria (third with one) and Burkina Faso (first with three) face off at 3 pm in the same group D.
MC/DOJ
