Mauritania 2-3 Angola: Dala scores a brace as Angola win five-goal thriller to go top of the group

Angola edged closer to a place in the next round of the Africa Cup of Nations finals with two goals from Gelson Dala as they defeated Mauritania 3-2 on Saturday to top the Group D standings in a high-quality match.

While Amar Sidi Bouna and Aboubakary Koita scored outstanding individual goals for Mauritania, who lost their second game in the tournament in Ivory Coast and are currently bottom of the standings, Winger Gilberto scored the other goal for the winners.

Angola leads Burkina Faso in goals scored, with top seeds Algeria third in the group with two points after scoring in stoppage time to force a 2-2 draw with Burkinabe earlier at the Stade de la Paix.

Angola dominated the early exchanges and deserved their 30th-minute opener, which came from a corner that Mauritania failed to clear, with the ball falling to Gelson Dala, who hit his acrobatic effort hard down into the ground, bouncing over the opposing defence and into the net.

Mauritania equalised two minutes before halftime thanks to a superb individual effort by Bouna, who slalomed past five Angolan defenders before finishing with his left foot.

Angola then scored twice in three minutes as Gelson Dala attempted to emulate Bouna's effort, picking up the ball near the halfway line and accelerating at the Mauritania defence, which tried to force him wide, but he ended up chipping the ball in from a difficult angle in the 50th minute.

Gilberto, a late call-up to the tournament, then scored from an even tighter angle after taking possession from the Mauritania defence, cutting in from the byline, and scoring at the near post.

However, the two-goal lead was quickly reduced in the 58th minute when Koita smashed home a powerful shot from outside the Angolan penalty area.

He also collected the ball near the halfway line, cutting inside as he headed towards goal and unleashing a shot that left the Angolan goalkeeper with no chance.

There were opportunities for both sides to contribute more in an exciting encounter.

Angola play Burkina Faso in their final group game on Tuesday, while Algeria face Mauritania, with all four having a chance to advance to the next round.

SportsLigue