Angola put themselves in an excellent position to qualify for the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Mauritania on Saturday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.

From the outset, the Palancas Negras were the most enterprising with their desperate search for the opener.

Gelson Dala found the opener for Angola at the half-hour mark to give his side the lead, which was short-lived as Sidi Bouna Amar pulled one back in the 43rd minute to level matters before the break.

Angola continued from where they left off in the second half, with Dala getting his brace in the 50^th minute before Gilberto stretched the lead further in the 53^rd minute to put Angola in the driving seat.

However, a relentless Mauritania continued pushing forward. It was rewarded in the 58th minute with a well-struck goal by Aboubakary Koita to set up a photo-finish to the clash that ended 3-2 in Angola’s favor.

With this victory, Angola joins Burkina Faso at the top of Group D with 4 points. The two teams will play in the final day to decide the group winner. With 0 points, Mauritania remains last and will face Algeria in their final group match.