Angola thump Lesotho to keep Malawi’s semifinal hopes alive

Angola have hammered Lesotho 4-0 at the ongoing Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup to keep the race for the semifinal berth open in Group B.

Lesotho opened their campaign with a narrow but impressive 1–0 win over Malawi, courtesy of an 87th‑minute strike from Makara Ntaitsane. It was a positive start for the Crocodiles, who endured a torrid time in the 2024 edition—finishing bottom of their group with just one point.

Defending champions Angola began their title defence with a dramatic 1–1 draw against familiar foes Namibia, despite playing about half an hour with a man down after Randy Nteka was sent off in the 61st minute.

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The Palancas Negras thought they had snatched all three points when they converted a penalty in the 90th minute, only to concede deep into stoppage time—seven minutes later—denying them a perfect start.

It was a repeat of the 2024 final and group-stage fixture, and although Pedro Gonçalves’ men were left frustrated, the late drama showed their ability to compete until the very end, even when faced with adversity.

Having lifted the trophy for a fourth time last year, Angola remain favourites to top the group and were eager to return to winning ways against a side they know well.

Angola had drawn 1–1 against Namibia in their opening game, and a defeat on Sunday would have seen them bow out of the COSAFA Cup—technically. But they put in a gallant performance to steer their semifinal dreams back on track.

Historically, Angola have dominated this fixture, winning five of the eight meetings and drawing once, although Lesotho did win the most recent encounter—a CHAN qualification game.

A tense match saw both teams fighting for an early breakthrough, but they had to wait until the 42nd minute, when Vidinho thumped home from Pedro Bondo’s delivery to give Angola the lead.

The defending champions extended their advantage through Vojvodina’s forward Depu, who pounced on Chicco Banza’s pass just before the break. Depu added his second goal early in the second half—a strike that sealed the win for Angola.

Depu completed his hat-trick in stoppage time to give Angola a 4-0 win and lead the scoring chart with 4 goals at the tournament.

What are Malawi’s chances of reaching the semifinals?

The Flames, who suffered a defeat in their opening match against Lesotho, have been handed a boost following Angola’s win over Lesotho.

The Flames will still have chances of progressing to the knockout stages should they bag maximum points from their next two games.

Peter Mponda and his charges return to action this afternoon at 15:00 CAT against Namibia, who drew 1–1 with Angola in their opening game.

Should they collect three points, Malawi would mathematically eliminate Namibia from contention—and they would also need to beat Angola in their last group match.