The Angola Women’s National Football Team will seek revenge against the Copper Queens and return to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for the first time since 2002.
Nicknamed the Welwitschias, Angola once carried the Southern African region’s hopes at the 1995 WAFCON when they finished third in the tournament.
En route to winning the bronze, Angola beat South Africa and Zimbabwe before losing to Cameroon in the semi-finals.
That edition was, however, Angola’s last, having only participated twice in the history of the championship.
While ranked 144th in the FIFA Rankings to Zambia’s 66th, Angola has been under development, with recent successes coming in the COSAFA Women’s Championship, where they have on two occasions finished twice.
Although the Copper Queens are the favourites, Angola would not want to lose twice in a row, with the most recent meeting between the two teams ending 3-1 in Zambia’s favour at the COSAFA Women’s Championship in October last month.
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Coach Souza Garcia will rely on an all-local squad whose attack is led by Sarah Luvunga, who scored two goals and assisted twice in the regional championship in South Africa.
Others include Matondo Matuvova, Paulina Sambo, and Captain Margarate Salvador.
Today’s match will be the first leg before the return match on December 5, next week on Wednesday in Ndola.
