Ten-man Angola outclassed Namibia in a stunning 3-0 defeat in the first Round of 16 matches of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Gelson Dala scored two goals for the Palancas Negras to increase his 2023 AFCON goal tally to four.
The results mean that Angola will face the winners of the last 16 tie between Nigeria and Cameroon later on Saturday in the next round.
After Dala scored twice in the first half, Mabululu netted midway through the second half to effectively end the clash of southern African neighbours.
Both teams were reduced to 10 men by first-half red cards with Angola goalkeeper Neblu and Namibia defender Lubeni Haukongo sent off.
The winning margin was a record for Angola, bettering two-goal victories over Senegal and Malawi in previous Cup of Nations.
The first of eight second-round fixtures would not have been anticipated when the African football showpiece kicked off in the Ivory Coast 14 days ago.
Angola won a group ahead of Burkina Faso, Mauritania and shock casualties Algeria when they were expected to finish third at best given an AFCON record of just four victories in 26 matches.
The best Namibia had managed in three previous appearances was two draws while losing seven other matches. One of the draws was against Angola in Burkina Faso 26 years ago.
Angola, showing two changes from the team that started a win over Burkina Faso last Tuesday, were reduced to 10 men after just 17 minutes.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
