Angola made history with a 5-0 victory over 10-man Namibia in the final of the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup 2024 to claim a fourth title in the regional competition and first since 2004.
Angola led 2-0 at halftime as goals from Pedro Bondo and Depu put them into the driving seat at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, watched on by Confederation of African Football president Dr Patrice Motsepe, who was in attendance in Gqeberha. Vidinho added a third in the second half, and when Ivan Kamberipa was sent off for Namibia midway through the second half, their task became impossible.
Vindinho added a second for his brace and Keliano put the cherry on top for an emphatic victory for the Angolans.
It is the biggest win in a Cosafa Cup final, beating a pair of 3-0 successes for Zimbabwe over Lesotho in the two-legged decider in 2000.
Mozambique claimed the bronze medal when they edged Comoros 3-2 on penalties following an entertaining 2-2 draw in the third-place play-off.
Comoros held a 1-0 lead thanks to Kassim Hadji but Chamito Alfandega scored the first of his two goals, later putting The Mambas ahead to take his tally for the competition to three.
But Comoros’ all-time leading Cosafa Cup goalscorer Ibroihim Youssouf joined him on three goals when he levelled the game again at 2-2 with 20 minutes remaining.
The match then went to penalties and Mozambique outlasted their opponents to win 3-1 as they missed three in a row after Youssouf had scored their first in the shoot-out.
Angola star Maestro lived up to his name as he took home the Player of the Tournament award, while compatriot Depu was top scorer with five goals. The Golden Glove for best goalkeeper was won by Armando Doutor, while Comoros took home the Fair Play award having made their first ever semifinal this year. – cosafa.com
