""Mozambique doesn't always play at this level so whenever the team qualifies, it's a big achievement for the country," the retired striker told BBC Sport Africa. "The team is growing, there's a lot of youngsters that are promising. We have players that are showing that they can compete at the highest level." "We are hoping that for the first time we can win a match or even progress to the next stage. "It's not going to be easy. We are in a very difficult group with very strong countries, but we believe in these boys.""
Mozambique have never progressed past the AFCON group stage in five previous attempts and remain without a win at the finals, with five draws and ten defeats from 15 matches. The Mambas face Group F opponents Ivory Coast (holders), Cameroon and Gabon, making qualification to the knockout stage a difficult task. The squad has shown improvement under coach Chiquinho Conde since October 2021 and has added naturalised players who bring competitiveness. Recent results include holding Egypt and Ghana to draws at the 2023 finals. Expectations are cautiously optimistic that the team can win a match and possibly advance.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]