Gelson Dala scored twice as Angola shrugged off the early dismissal of goalkeeper Neblu to beat 10-man Namibia and reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, as Nigeria also march on, after Ademola Lookman two goals saw off a disappointing Cameroon.
Neblu was shown a straight red in the 17th minute for handling Bethuel Muzeu's shot outside his box, but Dala (No.10 in pic) put Angola in front with a tap-in seven minutes before the break. And, two minutes after Namibia defender Lubeni Haukongo was sent off for a second bookable offence, Dala doubled Angola's lead by powerfully heading home Fredy's free-kick.
Mabululu's neat finish following a swift counter-attack midway through the second half wrapped up victory and sent the Palancas Negras into the last eight for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, it was Atalanta forward, Lookman, who opened the scoring for Nigeria, nine minutes before the break, after Victor Osimhen forced Oumar Gonzalez into a mistake.
Lookman was then teed up to fire past goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who was preferred against to Andre Onana. The former England Under-21 international, who previously played for Everton, Fulham and Leicester City, sealed the win in the 90th minute after one of the game's best moves, volleying home Calvin Bassey's cut-back to spark huge celebrations among the three-time champions.
Despite introducing Vincent Aboubakar, top scorer at the 2021 edition, late on for his first appearance after a muscle injury sustained on the eve of the finals, Cameroon failed to register a single shot on target. The Super Eagles will meet the Angolan ‘Gem of Africa’ - who impressed in their 3-0 win over Namibia - in the last eight on Friday, in the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.
