ANGOLA SHOCK SENEGAL 3-1 (Back Page)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

A TACTICALLY disciplined and determined Palancas Negras of Angola yesterday brightened their chances of advancing past the group stage of the MTN Africa Cup of Nations for the first time after taming the Teranga Lions of Senegal 3-1 in Tamale.
Three well-struck goals by Angola, two of them scored through powerful headers in the second half, dazed the Senegalese who lost focus and began chasing their opponents’ shadows on the field in the cold harmattan weather in a desperate bid to redeem their image.
In their three previous Nations Cup appearances in 1996, 1998 and 2006, Angola were eliminated in the first round but yesterday they had other ideas and unleashed a torrent of attacking football that caught the Lions off guard after the Lions had taken a first half lead through Abdoulaye Faye who opened the floodgates with a 19th minute headed goal.
The Angolans fought back and cancelled the lead on 30 minutes when Alberto Mateus, alias Manucho, outjumped the Senegalese defenders to head home a deserved equaliser.
The Palancas Negras found their rhythm and continued to push forward, stringing together a combination of short and long passes, with Amado Flavio running the show from midfield, and two-goal hero Manucho providing the killer punch in attack. Their telepathic passes, combined with individual brilliance, were greeted with deafening cheers and applause by their supporters until Manucho shot his side into the lead in the 66th minute when he took advantage of a goalmouth scramble to score from a tap-in.
With their pride at stake, the Senegalese doubled their efforts and tried to outwit their opponents with counter-attacks, but they met a resolute Angolan defence marshalled by Carlos Alonso and his lieutenants who thwarted the efforts of the Lions, led in attack by skipper El Hadji Diouf.
Coach Henry Kasperczak brought on Babacar Gueye for Frederic Mendy in the 61st minute, while Henri Camara took over from Diomansy Kamara in the 68th minute to beef up the attack but neither player could turn the game around.
Indeed, on a day that the inspirational captain Diouf failed to glitter, coupled with the lacklustre performance of their previously reliable goalkeeper, Tony Sylva, the Lions could not break the resolve of the more aggressive Angolan side which was desperately searching for more goals to seal the doom of the former.
With time running out on Senegal to claw back into the game, Al Ahli striker Flavio drilled the final nail in their coffin as he scored Angola’s third goal in the 78th minute when he headed home a well-taken corner kick.
It was double celebration for Angola as Batista Nsimba was voted the man of the match, while Moustapha Bayal received the fair play award.