Eliminated by the smallest of margins (1-0) by Nigeria, the Angolans showed a lot of pride after having achieved the best run in their history in a CAN, but also a little hint of regret because the Palancas Negras were on the verge of to turn the tide of the match.
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From our special correspondent in Abidjan,
Angola wanted to believe it but the step was ultimately a bit too high to hope to reach the semi-finals. The Angolan players had already written the history of their country by winning the first knockout match in a CAN. They would have pushed the adventure further, but in the end they never managed to equalize against the well-organized Super Eagles, but who could just as easily have faltered at the end of the match.
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“ We can be proud of what we showed, of the way we played, the ball didn’t go in but that’s part of the game, explained Angolan defender Jonathan Buatu at the end of the game. This evening we may have regrets given the context of the match. I think we have the opportunities to score goals “.
“ It was played on a post »
The biggest chance was undoubtedly that of striker Zini who came on after the break. Well launched in depth, the Angolan number nine found himself alone one-on-one with Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and sent the ball onto the goal post. “ It came down to one post… We saw a team that had a lot more experience than us in this type of meeting, but despite that we managed to tie the match. We showed that we are capable of playing at that level », Preferred to be positive Jonathan Buatu.
At the very end of the match while Nigeria seemed to be content with its lead, the Angolans pressed to try to come back into the score and several clear chances could have made it possible to turn the match around. What adds to the disappointment of Angolan goalkeeper Signori Antonio, but not enough to arouse immense regrets either according to him. “ We gave everything, I see the players, they are all tired. It’s true that there was still a shot to be made and we could have equalized, but football is played on details », Estimated the goalkeeper of Étoile Carouges in Switzerland.
Nigeria has “ everything to go all the way »
Because even if the Angolan came very close to equalizing, he had little doubt about the superiority of the Nigerians against the outsiders of the evening. “ Clearly it’s a favorite, Jonathan Buatu admitted. It’s a very balanced team. They leave very little space behind and physically it is very solid, they have everything to go all the way “.
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An opinion shared by the Angola coach who, despite a touch of bitterness, also recognized that his team had come across stronger than them. “ We wanted to go as far as possible but we came across a very good team from Nigeria who did not lose their qualification. We had a few goal situations that we could have put in “. All the difference, perhaps, with the Super Eagles who were able to transform the first real opportunity they created into a goal and then cling to their advantage until the end of the match.