Angola will face Burkina Faso in the last Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations. Now that they had virtually assured themselves a spot in the knockout stage, the teams wanted to win this match to seal their status as group champions.
Preview (Angola vs. Burkina Faso)
When Angola and Al-Murabitun of Mauritania faced off at Stade de la Paix on Saturday night, Angola emerged victorious, 3-2. Gelson Dala gave Pedro Goncalves’s team the lead just after the half-hour mark, but Sidi Bouna Amar pulled them back. Dala and Gilberto then fired quickly to seal the victory, negating the impact of Aboubakary Koita’s goal. As a result, ahead of the encounter in Yamoussoukro, the Black Sable antelopes have advanced to the top of Group D, tied on points with Burkina Faso. The next task is to face a rival squad that has produced two wins apiece and two draws in their previous six matches, leaving little to separate the teams.
Angola have now gone eight games without losing. They will be optimistic about securing a win to maintain their impressive AFCON performance. At Stade de la Paix on Saturday, Burkina Faso and the Algerian Fennec Foxes played out an exciting 2-2 draw. Thanks to goals from Mohammed Konate and Bertrand Traore, Hubert Velud’s team led 1-0 and 2-1. Baghdad Bounedjah pulled them back on both occasions. Les Etalons lead their next opponents in the open group, trailing only on goal differential from their two AFCON games played thus far. Burkina Faso has demonstrated their mettle by going undefeated in seven of their last eight games in all competitions.
Team News
Burkina Faso’s Adama Guira is questionable for this match after suffering a scare in the first half of their previous match, a draw with Algeria. After scoring goals in back-to-back games as a replacement, Bertrand Traore might be rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup this time around. Gelson Dala of Angola is a forward to watch because he has scored six goals in his past six games. Dala now leads all active players in his country’s goal total and ranks sixth all-time after his double against Mauritania.
Angola 1-1 Burkina Faso
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