CHAN: Angola’s Gonçalves admits Kenya twice as hard to beat

Angola national team coach Pedro Gonçalves has admitted his charges will face a huge task to beat Kenya’s Harambee Stars during their second fixture of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Kasarani Stadium on Wednesday.

While the Palancas Negras kicked off their Group A campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Morocco, Harambee Stars started off with a hard-fought 1-0 win against DR Congo.

“We saw in the first game that the stadium was full and they enjoyed a lot of support. That definitely gives them a good advantage,” Gonçalves admitted while talking to reporters as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“They are a very good team, with athletic and quick players, so we’re going to face a side that is twice as hard to beat. But we know what is required of us and we know what we need to do. We have to try and bounce back from the opening day disappointment.”

Defender Eddie Afonso, who plays for Petro de Luanda in Angola, said: “We sat down and looked at our mistakes. We reflected on what we did wrong and also on what we did right. We have drawn up the strategy we’ll take into the game against Kenya.

“We know it won’t be easy. They are playing at home and will have the crowd behind them. But we’re experienced enough to know how to deal with that.”

Angola’s only previous game against a CHAN host ended in a 1-1 draw with Sudan in the 2011 semi-finals, which they won 4-2 on penalties.