COSAFA Cup: How Angola thrashed Bafana Bafana—Goncalves

Angola players celebrate: Photo Credit: COSAFA media.

Angola’s senior national football team, Pedro Gonçalves, has detailed the game plan that helped them retain the COSAFA Cup in South Africa on Sunday.

The Palancas Negras tore Bafana Bafana apart with a 3-0 victory in the final played in Bloemfontein to retain the kingship of the 14-member tournament.

The Portuguese trainer insisted that the title retention did not come on a silver platter, saluting his players and backroom staff for working hard towards achieving the championship objective.

“Congrats to all players who are here and who made the camp after one week in Angola. This is a process. Congrats to the players who proposed to be here, to challenge themselves and grow together,” the coach told COSAFA media.

“In the beginning, we proposed to the players that we have an opportunity to be here and to have competitive matches in a competitive atmosphere, so it was a wonderful opportunity that COSAFA gave us to play and develop as a team.”

Gonçalves then revealed what he told his players ahead of the final against Bafana Bafana.

“Even before the final, I said to the players: “We have achieved the main goal, so let us try to enjoy the environment and the atmosphere. Let us play football and put our names in history.”

The Portuguese mentor then explained how Angola neutralized Bafana Bafana’s threat in the final, citing a high press and cutting supplies to wingers.

“We trained and watched the matches of South Africa. We are growing our team. If you watched us, we switched formations a lot of times. We have different styles and formations depending on what the environment asks us with the opponent on the pitch,” the coach explained.

“We changed the system and formation because South Africa is very strong from the centre-backs to the line of forwards. That is why we made high presses so that the balls don’t come for the wingers. We tried, suffered, and conquered the trophy again.

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