Leadership (Abuja)
26 January 2012
Angola which tackles Sudan today in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations is planning to silence critics who claim they are not good enough to go far in the competition.
The Black Antelopes came under fire from Burkina Faso coach Paulo Duarte after they conceded soft goals to Mateus and Manucho and lost 2-1 at the Estadio Nuevo de Malabo last weekend.
Duarte did not enjoy the long-ball tactics of the Angolans, nor the time-wasting tactics with goalkeeper Carlos suggesting he would fancy a Hollywood audition. "Angola is a good team with good footballers, but in the second half they did not play - they just thumped long balls straight to the strikers," said the Portuguese coach.
"In that game we had one team that wanted to play and another that did not want to play," he added, referring to constant rhythm-disrupting injury stoppages during the second half.
While Jose 'Lito' Vidigal did not respond, a victory over Sudan and six points in the Group B bag ahead of a final-round showdown with hot pool favourites Côte d'Ivoire would be the perfect answer. What the Angolans displayed against the Burkinabes was clinical finishing with powerful close-range shooting from Mateus and former Manchester United striker Manucho. Sudan realise another loss would almost certainly end any chance of making the knockout phase in the biennial African football showcase while a victory is certainly may change the permutations.
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Authors: Menzer
