Malanje — The governor of northern Malanje Province, Marcos Nhunga, said today that the National Football Team has the talent to reach the top of the African Nations Championship (CAN), which is taking place in Cote D'Ivoire, as a result of the performance it has shown so far.
Reacting to the 3-0 win over Namibia in Saturday's round of 16 match, the governor said that the new generation that makes up the Angolan national football team is doing everything it can to dignify the good name that the national team has earned.
"This new generation of players is showing that Angola has the skills and talents to go far in this championship," he emphasised, adding that the satisfaction is greater for the fans of Malanje, because the national team represents the symbol of the province, Palanca Nagra (Black SableI) the national football team's nick name.
He also stressed that this winning streak that Pedro Gonçalves' players have been enjoying is restoring Angolans' confidence in the national football team, which is why he invited the national team to visit the province after their return from the competition, with a view to socialising with the people of Malanje.
In turn, the chairman of the Provincial Football Association, Mário Machado, considered the victory over Namibia to be a triumph of patience and unity on the part of the Angolans, and one that reflects the bravery of the group, heading for the semi-finals and perhaps winning the championship.
He also said that the team's preparation in detail will be crucial for the next games if it wants to continue in the CAN, because only victory matters and all the teams have the same objective, and in the qualifying stages, the best and greatest players are lined up.
Mário Machado, recognised Nigeria's skills, although they have been declining recently, so Angola will have to be very tactical, as they were against Burkina Faso and Namibia, especially in defence, and that's the only way they can win their quarter-final match on 2 February.
"Angola have a very strong and consolidated defence and Nigeria have a certain imbalance in all three sectors, with the exception of attack, which gives the National Team guarantees of winning the game, using their three fast strikers with the ability to score goals," he said.
In the group games, the national team drew one against Algeria and won 3-2 and 2-0 against Mauritania and Burkina Faso respectively. NC/PBC/DAN/DOJ
