Angola caused quite a stir in the first round.
Placed in hat 4 at the time of the draw and having inherited Group D along with Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, the Angolans outdistanced everyone to finish first with 7 points. A draw against Algeria to start (1-1), a win against Mauritania (3-2) before a victory over Burkina Faso (2-0) to finish. The Palancas Negras are looking forward to the Round of 16 with great enthusiasm. The Palancas Negras have not played in the second round of an AFCON since 2010 (when they reached the quarter-finals on home soil, a record for the team). The end of 14 long years of waiting.At home, nobody really believed in it. "In our country, people didn't have much faith in the team, but this was an extra motivation for us - to prove them wrong," Fredy tells BBC Sport Africa.
The Angola captain continued. "We're very happy because nobody expected it. Journalists said Algeria would beat us, but I said they had to prove it on the pitch. We proved that we're a tough team. Match after match, we feel we can do something, and confidence is growing. We're now one of the 16 best teams in Africa and we believe in the dream.
A first against Namibia
In the Round of 16, Angola take on Namibia. The match takes place this Saturday, January 27 at 17:00 GMT. It's an opportunity for Fredy and his team-mates to offer their nation their first victory in the knockout phase of an AFCON. In 2008 and 2010, the Angolans always reached the quarter-finals, as the competition had no round of 16 nations. However, they'll have to watch out.On paper, it's Namibia who are ahead in the FIFA rankings, with 115th place, compared with Angola's 117th. The Palancas Negras have been warned.Nevertheless, Fredy is not worried about any let-up.
"Namibia are like brothers, but they're a tough team and have improved a lot," assures the midfielder. If we beat them, we're in the quarter-finals and once you're there, you can't think that teams are better than you. Anything can happen in one game and you have these dreams because if you beat them, you can get to the semi-finals and think 'OK guys, why not the final? But we always have our feet on the ground and know what we have to do. So, adversity is forewarned. Angola intend to keep the fun going during this competition.
