Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde expressed his pride in his players after they staged a remarkable fightback to defeat Libya at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria.
The Mambas came from behind to defeat the Mediterranean Knights 3-2 in their second Group A match at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on Tuesday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the tournament.
Libya scored in the 23rd minute to lead the game at half-time but three second-half goals by three substitutes helped the Mozambicans to overcome their opponents despite their late rally.
Melque Melito Alexandre restored parity in the 74th minute before strikes by Feliciano Joao Jone and Pachoio Lau Ha King sealed victory for the Mambas to record their first ever win at the CHAN.
Conde could not hide his excitement after the match after as the Mambas secured their first ever win in the competition, nine years after making their tournament debut in South Africa in 2014.
“I am very proud of our players. They played a great match and I told them to remember all our preparations before coming here to Algeria. I am glad we won today,” the Mozambique coach said.
The trainer admitted that the game against Libya was tough admitting the substitutions at the break helped them to win the match.
“It was a difficult game and we knew that Libya had lost against Algeria and would absolutely want to redeem themselves – a situation that we had difficulty in managing because of our lack of experience and the pressure of the fans. We had to take some time to adapt.
“I told my players that you are going to win this match and you know why? Because you cannot lose it. The players I see now are not the ones that I am used to coaching so show yourself.
“In this match, I made three changes. The three players seemed tired to me which is normal. They had played the entire previous match. We needed new blood.”
Mozambique will face hosts Algeria on Saturday, 21 January at the Nelson Mandela Stadium at 1900 GMT.
