The last time AFCON was played in the southern region was 14 years ago when South Africa were the hosts. East Africa was the initial venue for the 1994 event but hosts Kenya failed to convince CAF that it had what it takes to stage the tournament. The competition was moved to South Africa and Bafana Bafana put up an impressive performance to give southern Africa its only win in the prestigious event. Mark Williams was the hero in the final, coming off the bench to score twice for South Africa to overcome Tunisia's Carthage Eagles 2-0. But can Angola emulate South Africa? The Palancas Negras started the tournament like a house on fire leading 4-0 in the first match before letting Mali to come back into the game and force a 4-4 stalemate. But in the second game, Angola stamped its authority and brushed aside a confident Malawi 2-0 before their dull goalless draw against Algeria in the last group match.
After qualifying as Group A leaders, the hosts face a stern test in the quarters against Ghana's Black Stars in Luanda on Sunday evening.
