The Palancas Negras outmuscled a determined South African side in a well-attended final. 

They were simply faster, bigger, and stronger than the hosts, claiming a commanding victory to defend their title successfully. While the scoreline may look one-sided, South Africa never gave up the fight and caused several nervous moments for Angola. 

Depú troubling the Bafana Bafana captain, Kwanda Mngonyama. Photo: Morgan Piek

However, the Angolan defence held firm, both in the air and on the ground. 

Laurindo Dilson Maria Aurélio, better known as Depú, opened the scoring in the 43rd minute with a powerful header from a perfectly executed free kick, giving Angola a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Depú continued to trouble the South African defence and, in the 62nd minute, found himself unmarked after a well-timed entry into the box. He made no mistake in beating South African goalkeeper Thakasani Mbanjwa for his brace and to double Angola’s lead.

Depú and Pedro Soares Gonçalves. Photo: Morgan Piek

Angola sealed the win with nine minutes of regular time remaining when Felício Mendes João Milson bent a stunning free kick around the defensive wall and into the back of the net to make it 3-0. 

Bafana Bafana continued to push in the closing stages in search of a goal, but they simply didn’t have enough firepower up front to trouble the Angolan backline.

Angola head coach Pedro Soares Gonçalves praised his players and coaching staff after the match, highlighting the team's growth and the value of the tournament. 

‘They were brave, they worked incredibly hard’

“Thank you, and congrats, first of all, to all the players, those who are here and those who were part of the camp back in Angola,” said Gonçalves. “This is a process. 

“So, congratulations to the players who prepared themselves to be here, to challenge themselves, and to grow together as a team. 

“And congratulations to all the staff and my coaching team, they were brave, they worked incredibly hard, and they overcame a lot of setbacks we faced. Now we’re celebrating, and we’re very happy.

“At the beginning, we told the players this was an opportunity to play competitive matches in a competitive environment. COSAFA gave us a wonderful platform to play and develop as a team. 

“These were very competitive situations that allowed us to grow. The main goal was already achieved before the final. 

“I told the players that. Now it was about making history, enjoying the moment, the atmosphere, and just playing football. We wanted to put our names in the story.”

João Chingando Manha, also known as Kaporal, with his COSAFA Cup winners medal. Photo: Morgan Piek

Depú walked away with two individual honours, the Golden Boot for finishing as the tournament’s top scorer and the Player of the Tournament award. Angola's goalkeeper, Adilson Cipriano da Cruz (Neblú), was named the Golden Glove winner for his outstanding performances between the sticks.

As a consolation for South Africa, they received the Fair Play Award. 

Earlier on Sunday, Comoros claimed the bronze medal by beating Madagascar 1-0 in the third-place playoff, thanks to a 77th-minute goal from Ibroijim Djoudja.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek