It was a rush of red cards in the first round of 16 encounter at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast which was between Angola and Namibia at the Stade Bouaké earlier today, January 27.
As expected, it was an easy ride for Angola which finished top of Group D with 7 points in three games after recording 2 wins and one draw.
The game however started like a nightmare for the Black Sable antelopes when the team’s goalkeeper Neblú was red carded in the 17th minute for stopping Namibia’s shot outside the eighteen yard box.
Most football enthusiasts thought that will make it easier for Namibia that qualified for the round of 16 as one of the best four third placed teams to knockout Angola.
However, it was Angola that went on to open the scoring in the 38th minute courtesy of Gelson’s strike. Four minutes after, the same player doubled the lead in the 42nd minute.
Two minutes before the goal, the both sides became balanced when Namibia’s Lubeni Haukongo was shown a red card in the 40th minute.
The first half ended 2-0 in favour of Angola as the two teams went into the second half with a player short respectively.
Hence, the second half was a bit balanced then the first but Angola enjoyed the best of the ball.
In the 66th, Mabululu sealed the win for the Southern African team as the game ended in a 3-0 win.
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This means that Angola will face the winner of the match between Nigeria and Cameroon in the quarter-finals on February 2, 2024.
