MATCH FACTS: Angola look for big win in final Group D clash at TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025
Angola need a big win over the Cemtral African Republic (CAR) to stand a chance of making the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 when they meet in their final Group D game at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida on Monday (kick-off 17:00 local time / 16:00 GMT).
CAR cannot make the knockout stages, but a win would put them into the play-offs for the 2025 FIFA Under-17 World Cup as a third-place finisher in the pool.
Angola have a single point from their two games and a -1 goal-difference. They must win bit and hope second-placed Cote d’Ivoire (4 points, +5 goal-difference) suffer a heavy defeat to Mali.
This is the first meeting between the nations at the finals. Angola are facing Central African opponents for the second time, their only previous meeting was against Cameroon in the semi-finals in 2019. The game ended 0-0 before they lost 4-3 in the shoot-out.
Angola’s record against tournament debutants reads P4 W1 D1 L2. They have faced tournament debutants previously in 1997 they drew with Zimbabwe 1-1 and lost 4-3 to Ethiopia. While in 2017 they lost to Tanzania 2-1, they won their last game against a debutant against Uganda in 2019. All these games have been at the group stages.
ANGOLA FACTS
· Angola began with a loss to Mali and then drew with Cote d’Ivoire 0-0 in their last group game.
· Their goalless draw against the Ivorians was the first time in 14 group games at the finals that Angola had been involved in a game that did not produce goals. Their 0-0 stalemate was Angola’s second goalless draw at the finals along with their 2019 semi-final, which they lost on penalties.
· Angola’s third group game has traditionally been a high scoring encounter. In 2017 they lost 6-1 against Mali and in 2019 they won 4-2 against Tanzania.
· Angola’s four previous final group games have produced a combined 20 goals, averaging at five goals per game with them scoring 9 and conceding 11.
· Should Angola win it will be the second time along with 2019 that they have won at least one game in the group stages. Should they fail to win they would exit the tournament for the second time winless in the group stages along with 2017.
· In their other group stage exits in 1997 and 1999, Angola had won at least one game.
· In 2017, when Angola exited at the group stage, they lost two games and drew one.
· Progression to the next round will see Angola reach the knockout stage for the second time, along with 2019.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FACT
· CAR lost their opening game against Cote d’Ivoire 6-1 and then lost 2-0 against Mali.
· CAR are still searching for their first points at the current finals.
· They are facing Southern African opponents for the first time at the finals.
· Should they fail to win, CAR will join Somalia as the second successive debutant to fail to win a game. In 2023 Somalia drew one match and lost two others.
· Defeat for CAR will see them become the first debutant since Eritrea in 2007 to lose all three of their group games.
· In their loss to Mali, they had two players, Nelson Amadi and Chrispin Ngombe, sent off in the 44th and 64th minutes. They played the final 26 minutes of the game with nine men.
· CAR have had a player sent off in each of their games thus far. Guidat Henzo was also red-carded in their 6-1 loss against Cote d’Ivoire.
· No other country has had as many players sent off as CAR. Tanzania are the only other country at the current finals with more than one player having received a red card.
· Against Mali they managed to have four shots on target, the most they have had in a single game at the current finals. In their opening game they could only manage one shot on target.
· In their loss to Mali they managed to have just 27% of the possession, their lowest percentage across their two games. In their opening game they had 40% of the possession.