Angola wins and loses in the space of 2 weeks

The last two weeks were very eventful for the Palancas Negras. They played two world cup qualifiers, one against Niger (which they won 2-1) and the other against Uganda (they lost 3-1).

As you might have predicted, the match against Uganda did not go too well with the public and the local media, with the coach Goncalves receiving most of the criticism (he must be used to it by now). Oliveira Goncalves is normally critised even when the team wins matches, so you can all imagine how much criticism he got now that the team actually lost!
All Goncalves could do was “promise” a win in the return match in Luanda next week.

For the Ugandans, the win meant that their team had improved in class and they celebrated on the streets when the match was finished. They simply showed that there are no small teams in Africa at the moment.
On the other hand, the Palancas showed a bit of arrogance in thinking they could go to Uganda and have it easy. They were on their way to losing 3-0 before Mantorras scored in the dying minutes of the match to salvage a positive goal difference and some pride!

The match in Luanda next week will be of extra importance for the Palancas as they will look to secure a place in the final round of the world cup qualifying group and at the same time regain some of the respect they had previously earned.
If they put on the same show like the one they put away in Uganda, then they can forget about the World Cup.