Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves has named a 22-man selection ahead of the 2018 MOPANI Cooper Mines COSAFA Under-20 Championships to be staged in Kitwe, Zambia from December 2-14.
Gonçalves has gone with a largely experienced group at this level, with the youngest player 16-year-old forward Zito Abdré Sebastião Luvumbo.
Angola have always been known as a fine producer of young talent, many of whom make their way to Portugal and other parts of Europe.
There are bound to be a few gems in this year’s squad and they will certainly be a team to watch in the competition. They open their Group C campaign against Lesotho on December 2, before a clash with Botswana four days later.
They will then have what could be a potential pool decider when they tackle Zimbabwe on December 9, with only the top team in each group the best-placed runner-up advancing to the semi-finals.
Indeed, the Angolans will be hoping to make history when they compete at this year’s regional showpiece tournament. The country has never tasted success in the junior version of the regional championship, this despite some excellent success in the COSAFA Cup senior competition.
They have appeared in four finals though, losing three in a row between 2000 and 2002, and then again in 2011 when they went down 2-1 to Zambia.
After finishing fourth in 2016, Angola disappointed by their own high standards last year when they picked up just a single point from their three games to finish bottom of Group C
Angola have always been known as a fine producer of young talent, many of whom make their way to Portugal and other parts of Europe.
Angola squad:
Goalkeepers: Carlos Miguel Mendes Peixoto, João Bunga Eduardo, Nsesani Emanuel Simão
Defenders: Pedro Correia Alves, Daniel José Kilola, Moisés Pedro Amor, Paulo Kiela Pereira Bravo, Adalmiro P. Pacheco da Silva
Midfielders: Panzu Ernesto De Angelo, Calebi Meteta Yanda, Pedro Domingos Agostinho, Arilson De Ceita Pereira Jorge, Fernando Mateus Duarte, Braúlio Jorge Manuel, Soares Elídio Baptista
Striker: Felicio Mendes João, Jelson António João Mivo, Zito Abdré Sebastião Luvumbo, Vanilson Tita Zéu, Melono Muondo Dala, Anibal Da Jorgina Sonhi André, João Gabriel Miguel Diogo
