AFCON: Dala leads 10-man Angola into quarter-finals

Angola rode the storm of an early red card to defeat Namibia 3-0 in their AFCON 2023 round of 16 tie on Saturday evening. Gelson Dala scored twice in the first half despite the Palancas Negras receiving a 17th-minute red card. Namibia was also reduced to ten men in an incidence-filled first half, before Job […]

Angola rode the storm of an early red card to defeat Namibia 3-0 in their AFCON 2023 round of 16 tie on Saturday evening.

Gelson Dala scored twice in the first half despite the Palancas Negras receiving a 17th-minute red card.

Namibia was also reduced to ten men in an incidence-filled first half, before Job Mabululu sealed the deserved win in the second period.

Angola made a disastrous start to the encounter when goalkeeper Neblu handled the ball outside the area and he was sent off, but the Central African nation rallied back to score twice within six minutes late in the half.

Dala broke the deadlock on 38 minutes when he swept in a cross, and Namibia were also reduced to ten men two minutes later when Lubeni Haukongo was sent off for a second bookable offence. Dala made it 2-0 from the resultant free-kick for his fourth AFCON 2023 goal, rising highest to nod home and send Angola into the interval with a 2-0 lead.

Mabululu completed the job on 66 minutes when he curled into the far corner to complete a swift counter attack, sending Namibia packing from Ivory Coast.

The win sees Angol win their first ever knockout match in their AFCON history at the third attempt.

They await the winners of the round of 16 tie between Nigeria and Cameroon in the quarter-final