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CASABLANCA. — A solitary goal from Ricardo Estevao handed Angola a 1-0 win over Cameroon in their second Group D match in the 2018 CAF African Nations Championship on Saturday at Stade Adra in Morocco.

Resulting from this hard fought win, coach Srdan Vasiljevic’s side sits at No. 1 in the group with four points from two games. There were few and opportunities in front of goal in the first 15 minutes and Bitang tried to test Angola’s Landu Mavanga from a distance, yet his effort sailed wide.

The Palancas Negras were awarded a penalty when Owundi Eko’o fouled Vladimir Felix in the box and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot. Skipper Ricardo Estevao ensured he picked the right spot to convert from the penalty area to hand the Angolans the lead in the 30th minute.

The Indomitable Lions pushed for an equaliser, but it was 1-0 at the interval in favour of the Southern Africans. Angola came back from the tunnel and probed for more opportunities and had a set piece in the 51st minute.

Goalkeeper Jean Kalati produced a fine save to deny Estevao’s superb header. Despite the African champions fighting hard to gain total dominance in the encounter, they could not break down the solid Angolan defence.

With six minutes to go, coach Rigobert Song’s men nearly scored when Alphonse Tientcheu unleashed a rocket away from the D-line aiming for the top left corner, but Mavanga was equal to the task and punched the ball away for a corner.

The defeat leaves the Cameroonians placed at the bottom of the Group D with zero points from two losses so far. Meanwhile, goals from Carof Bakoua and Georges Bidimbou helped Congo secure a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso at the 2018 CAF African Nations Championship (Chan) on Saturday night at Stade Adrar. — AFP