AFCON 2023 Q: Angola takes group E down to the wire with win over CAR

Angola now occupies second place in Group E with eight points, same as leaders of the group, Ghana, after the Palancas Negras defeated Central African 2-1.

The Central African Republic had one objective: to beat Angola to reach an unprecedented qualification for the TotalEnergies 2023 AFCON.

At the Reunification Stadium, in Douala, Cameroon , given that no stadium is homologated by the CAF in the Central African Republic, CAR was confident.

In the first half, the Central Africans tried to quickly open the scoring, however Angola was more effective.

In the 12th minute , after a free-kick by captain Fredy, defender Kialonda Gaspar , who plays for Estrela da Amadora in Portugal, headed the ball into the back of the net.

It was the first goal scored by Kialonda Gaspar with the Palancas Negras jersey.

By half-time, Angola led by Portuguese coach Pedro Gonçalves, was leading by 0-1.

The second half got off to a good start for the Central Africans , who equalized with a goal scored by the team’s captain, Geoffrey Kondogbia , in the 46th minute of the game.

It was a tie and a the result was not necessarily favorable to either team.

The match ended up falling to the side of Palancas Negras: the goalkeeper of the Central Africans Dominique Youfeigane was expelled after committing a foul on striker Milson who was heading towards goal in the 70th minute.

Eleven against ten, Angolan took over the game until a second goal was reached. In the 86th minute , after a cross by full-back Eddie Afonso, striker Milson headed the ball into the back of the net after an error by goalkeeper Kolimba Alladoum, who misjudged the trajectory of the ball.

Kolimba Alladoum came in to take the place of the expelled Dominique Youfeigane, having replaced midfielder Brad Pirioua.

At the end of the 90 minutes, Angola won by 1-2.

It should be noted that Raoul Savoy, Swiss coach of RCA, was expelled after protests against the Moroccan referee Redouane Jiyed, after the final whistle of the game.

With this result, Pedro Gonçalves’ lads have 8 points , the same as Ghana, who face Madagascar on Sunday, 18 June.

The Central African Republic occupies third place with 7 points , while Madagascar has only one point.

It should be noted that on the sixth and final round , on the 3rd of September, Ghana receives the Central African Republic, while Angola welcomes Madagascar. Palancas Negras will have to win to guarantee one of the first two places that give access to qualification for the final phase of the 2023 AFCON that will take place in 2024 in Ivory Coast.