AFCON U-17 (Third Place Play-Off):
Angola 2-1 Nigeria
Angola finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-17 championships in Tanzania.
The Southern Africa country overcame West Africans Nigeria 2-1 in the third place play off contest on Saturday.
Dangerman Osvaldo Capemba opened the scoring business for the Palanquinhas in the opening half before Zito Luvumbo added the second goal in the closing stanza of the game.
Wisdom Ubani pulled a goal back that was only a consolidation for the Golden Eaglets.
Capemba headed home the opener after 27 minutes before Ubani equalized on the half hour mark.
Luvumbo restored the Palanquinhas’ lead in the 48th minute after beating goalkeeper Sunday Stephen, that they held onto to win the game.
Angola were reduced to 10 men following a second bookable offence to Porfirio Abrantes, granting Nigeria the numerical advantage which was not put to the best use.
Benedito Mukendi had a long range shot kiss the woodwork as Angola pushed for a killer.
Angola thus finished third to take bronze medals ahead of Sunday’s final between Guinea and Cameroon.
Luvumbo was named the total man of the match.
The two finalists (Guinea and Cameroon) will be joined by Angola and Nigeria to represent Africa at the 2019 FIFA World Cup U-17 finals in Brazil.
Total Man of the Match: Zito Luvumbo (Angola)
Reactions (Quoted by CAF Website):
Pedro Soares Goncalves, Angola Head Coach
I am really happy for our performance, not only today but throughout the tournament. Also, I am happy for my boys, they played very well in this tournament, and it is a good thing for them. It is not about the question of finishing third or second but the performance that we displayed in this tournament. It has been a great moment for Angola and the name of the country is taking new heights. Now we are left with the huge task of developing these players to have a bright future.
Manu Garba, Nigeria Head Coach
I am disappointed by the performance of my boys. We beat Angola 3-1 during the UEFA Assist Invitational Tournament (in Antalya Turkey) and at the group phase here (1-0). However, we came to this tournament with six new players that had no experience and it was a big challenge for us. In the World, Nigeria is rated number one in this age category, but we failed to finish third; which is a big disappointment.
