Seychelles U-20 succumb 4-0 to Angola, halting progress in African football competition

The Seychelles' men’s under-20 football team. (Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles Under-20 national team lost 4-0 to Angola on Saturday in their second Group C match of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations’ (COSAFA) championship taking place in South Africa.

After losing their first match 2-0 against neighbouring island Mauritius, Seychelles needed a win for a chance to progress in the competition.

On Saturday, the Islanders faced Angola, one of the favourites in various African competitions.

The more experienced Angolan side took the lead in the 20th minute through Francisco Sacalumbo. Another two more goals from Nelson Da Luz and Felix Vladimiro gave Angola a 3-0 advantage at the half-time break.

The selection from Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, failed to score in the second half and conceded another goal just before the final whistle, making the final score 4-0 for Angola.

After Saturday’s results, Angola lead Group C with six points, followed by Mauritius who managed a 1-1 draw against South Sudan.

Despite having one more match to play against South Sudan on Monday, the Seychelles side -- like their next African opponent -- will not progress to the semi-final.

Angola can only qualify for the semi-final if they get a win or a draw against Mauritius when the two teams face off in their final match of the pool on Monday. However, a victory for the Mauritians will put the Islanders in the semi-final making Monday’s match a do-or- die affair for both teams. 

Mauritius have always gone through to the next round in previous COSAFA Under-20 competitions while Angola have never won the trophy so far.

The only confirmed semi-finalist so far is South Africa, which leads Group A with six points.