- Title: LESOTHO: Angola kicks off World Cup preparations by winning Cosafa Cup.
- Date: 3rd May 2006
- Summary: MASERU, LESOTHO (APRIL 30, 2006) (REUTERS) PLAYERS DISEMBARKING FROM THE BUS AT SETSOTHO STADIUM IN MASERU, LESOTHO ANGOLA NATIONAL FLAG FLYING ANGOLAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM PLAYERS WARMING UP AT SETSOTHO STADIUM ANGOLAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM VARIOUS OF ANGOLA (IN RED) PLAYING AGAINST MAURITIUS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
- Embargoed: 18th May 2006 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lesotho
- Country: Lesotho
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA74XUDG6Y5U4JXKXSPH7DMNLOA
- Story Text: Angola continued their World Cup preparations with an easy 3-1 win over Lesotho on Sunday (April 30) to lift the Cosafa Castle Cup.
It was second game in two days for Angola who had overcome Mauritius 5-1 in Saturday's semi-final game.
Ze Kalanga scored twice and Mateus got the other, his second goal in only the second appearance in the Angolan side for the young, Portuguese-based striker.
Lesotho, hoping for an upset result in front of their home fans, were always on the back foot after having captain Motlatsi Shale sent off in the 15th minute for punching Angolan defender Jamba in an off-the-ball incident.
Angola's win puts them through to the semi-finals of the southern African championship. They will be joined by holders Zimbabwe and the winners of the two others groups still to be played in May and July.
Angola, the only southern African side to reach the soccer World Cup finals in Germany, have been embroiled in a dispute to allow two of its overseas based players to change their nationality status to play for them.
They want soccer's governing body FIFA to allow Portuguese-based players Pedro Emanuel and Chainho to change their international allegiance in time to play at the World Cup.
Porto defender Emanuel, a former Portuguese under-21 international, has finally agreed to play for Angola after rejecting several previous offers from the country of his birth.
Angolan-born Chainho, who represented Portugal at junior level, is a midfielder with Maritimo. He has previously played for Porto and top Greek club Panathinaikos.
Since January 2004, players with dual citizenship or nationality who have not played international soccer above under-23 level have been eligible to apply to change the country they represent.
But they must make the application before their 21st birthday, a rule which would appear to disqualify Emanuel and Chainho from turning out for Angola.
Emanuel was a member of the Porto side which won the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League.
Angola captain Akwa, who is without a club after leaving Qatar's Al Wakhda in February, scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 semfinal win against Mauritius.
"The World Cup is going to be difficult for us but we have to be ready. We have to play well to honour our country," he said.
Angola have been keen to use him to bolster a defence which coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves said looked fragile and inexperienced at the African Nations Cup finals in Egypt earlier this year.
Adding to the country's woes, Angola wing Gilberto is not expected to recover from injury in time to play in next month's competition.
The Egyptian-based player snapped his Achilles tendon in training with the national team ahead of the start of the African Nations Cup finals in Egypt in January.
After an operation in Germany he returned to training at his Egyptian club Al Ahli last month.
Angola are in Group D with former colonial ruler Portugal, Mexico and Iran and begin their World Cup campaign on June 11. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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