Gelson Dala bagged a brace as Angola edged out Mauritania 3-2 in a thrilling Africa Cup of Nations clash at the Stade de Bouaké in Bouaké.

It was the half hour mark in Bouake when Dala scored for Angola. He did an acrobatic move with a loose ball that went over two defenders on the line.

Sidi Bouna Amar tied the game for Mauritania by weaving through the Angola defence and finishing low and accurate. But Dala scored a brilliant goal of his own early in the second half.

Then Mauritania paid the price for not clearing the ball. Gilberto won the ball inside the area and saw Lamine Ba, the centre back, deflect his shot into the goal.

Mauritanian hopes of a comeback were raised when Aboubakary Koita slammed in a goal from 20 metres out. But Angola held on as Neblu made a crucial save to keep Amar from scoring a second goal of the game.

Angola’s first game ended in a 1-1 draw with Algeria. They had not won a tournament game since 2012, which was nine games ago, and now they are in first place in Group D with four points.

They have scored more goals than Burkina Faso and will move on to the next round if they draw with the Stallions in their last game of the group stage on Tuesday in Yamoussoukro.

Algeria, the 2019 champions, has two points after two draws. On the other hand, Mauritania hasn’t won an AFCON game in eight attempts after losing to Burkina Faso on Tuesday thanks to a penalty kick in extra time.

Amir Abdou’s team needs to beat Algeria next week in Bouake if they want to move on as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Photo by Djaffar Ladjal/BackpagePix