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ANGOLA QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP FINALS
Angola won qualification to the World Cup finals for the first time in dramatic fashion on Saturday, scoring just 10 minutes from the end of their away match in Rwanda to book their ticket.
Captain Akwa kept up his ratio of a goal every second game for his country but none could have been more important than his despairing header from Ze Kalanga’s cross in the 80th minute of the Group Four match in Kigali.
Angola had to win the game to take top place in the group irrespective of the result between second placed Nigeria and Zimbabwe in Abuja, which the Super Eagles won 5-1.
Angola had a nervous start in the match on a bone-hard pitch and created few chances in the first half, restricted to long range shots.
Rwanda, in contrast, troubled Angola’s defence on several occasions but were let down by poor shooting.
Akwa’s overhead kick just after the break gave Angola impetus but the effort was brilliantly turned over by Rwanda goalkeeper Ramazani Nkunzingoma.
Soon after Rwanda’s Turkish-based striker Honore Kabongo rattled the Angolan woodwork with a shot.
Angola then made three quick substitutions including bringing on the Benfica striker Mantorras.
But it was Akwa who enhanced his hero status in Angola with an all-important goal at a stage when the southern Africans were getting increasingly desperate as news of a rain of goal in Nigeria’s match was filtering through.
The win was furiously supported by 600-odd Angolans fans who had traveled to the match in Kigali.
Angola are only the second southern African side to qualify for the World Cup finals following South Africa’s appearances in the 198 and 2002 finals.
Angola’s success comes against the background of a recently-ended, but three decade old, civil war which ravaged the country’s infra structure and limited its footballing success.