ANGOLA SEEK TO SEAL WONDER YEAR

Angola seek to put the seal on a wonder year with a record-breaking fourth triumph in the Cosafa Castle Cup when they face Zambia away in Lusaka in Saturday’s final.
Angola drew two of their three matches in a surprisingly proficient World Cup debut performance in Germany in June and came within one goal of reaching the MTN Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Egypt at the start of the year.
Unbeaten in their last five games, Angola have also won their first two matches in the qualifiers for the next MTN Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana.
They return to Zambia in a bid to repeat their triumph in the annual southern African championship final two years, when they overcame their hosts in a post-match penalty shootout after a goalless draw at Lusaka’s Independence stadium.
That win marked their third triumph in the regional tournament and set the tone for surprise World Cup qualification one year later and a berth at the MTN Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time since 1998.
Angola will have only six of their World Cup squad on hand in Lusaka, hampered by the fact that Saturday’s match fall outside of FIFA’s international calendar and, as a result, they are unable to call upon their considerable foreign legion.
But they will start as favourites against a Zambian side, still shell shocked by defeat at home by South Africa in the MTN Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers earlier this month.
Coach Patrick Phiri’s continued tenure is tenuous and he, too, will be without many key overseas-based players.
But he has received a boost with the unexpected availability of three key foreign-based stars, whose clubs are fortuitously not in league action this weekend.
Chris Katongo and Billy Mwanza return from the South African league and captain Elijah Tana is back to marshal the defence after his recent move to the United Arab Emirates.
Zambia are bidding to win the trophy for a third time, having taken the first two editions of the cup in 1997 and 1998. They have been were runners-up the last two years, losing last year in the final to Zimbabwe.