Angola coach downplays poor AFCON record against Bafana

Angola head coach Patrice Beaumelle has brushed aside the weight of history, explaining why past AFCON failures against Bafana Bafana won’t impact their Group B curtain-raiser on Monday night.

The ‘Palancas Negras’ are set to face South Africa at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 (SA time). Despite the hype surrounding the clash, Beaumelle is focused on the long game rather than the “ghosts” of previous encounters.

Breaking the AFCON Cycle

History currently favors Hugo Broos’ men. In their four previous AFCON meetings, South Africa remains undefeated against Angola, boasting two wins and two draws:

1996: South Africa 1-0 Angola

1998: South Africa 0-0 Angola

2008: South Africa 1-1 Angola

2013: South Africa 2-0 Angola

“Statistics are for Talk”-  Says Angola Coach

Speaking to the press in Marrakesh on Sunday ahead of the Bafana tie, Beaumelle made it clear that he isn’t losing sleep over the record books.

“I think statistics make people talk, but the reality is tomorrow [tonight],” Beaumelle asserted. “Every competition is different. Our target is not only to beat South Africa; it is to start the right way because this is a long process.”

The Frenchman emphasised that while a victory would be the ideal way to “rewrite the stats,” the AFCON tournament isn’t won or lost on matchday one.

“The Africa Cup of Nations is a month-long journey. If we win, it’s perfect. If we draw or lose, we still have two games to go [against Egypt and Zimbabwe]. We are ready for the marathon, not just the sprint against Bafana.”

Angola enters the tournament chasing a maiden title. While they have reached the quarter-finals on three occasions (2008, 2010, and 2023), they are looking to transcend their “dark horse” status and finally break into the final four.

Starting strong against a confident South African side—bolstered by the veteran leadership Thabang Monare recently highlighted—will be the ultimate litmus test for Beaumelle’s squad.